A year has gone by and still, some are stuck working from home. As the pandemic began, companies opted to remove some of their workers while others chose to work remotely. In contrast to that, you may think expanding your professional network is unproductive during this time. However, networking is critical even as businesses and workers operate from home.
So, why is building your network from home important?
Let’s start by understanding what networking is and how it can actually help you in your career.
Networking or a professional network, says LinkedIn, is not only beneficial when you’re looking to land your dream job but also for your career growth. It consists of personal, academic, and professional contacts that can help you excel in your career. It’s connecting with the right people on the right platform for career opportunities or growth.
When you are a remote worker, a freelancer, or looking to land a job, you may find it difficult to meet new professional contacts. For a higher position, you may want to take a look at some Executive Resume Samples for a detailed, complete, and well-structured for your job-hunting journey. You’ll likely need to think creatively in order to create opportunities for yourself. For beginners or even long-term remote workers, here are some ways out of the top of my thinking hat that can help expand your network.
Help others
If you want to grow your network, you can do it by starting with the people you already know. When you manage to help the people in your current network, you endear yourself to them. This increases the odds that they will want to help you in return one day.
You can begin by looking at your LinkedIn group or your industry Facebook group. If you see that there’s someone who’s looking for a new assistant, you can find a helpful article on the topic and send it to them. If there’s someone who seems to be struggling with a design job, you can talk to them about the names of design tools that you really use and like.
As long as you are genuine in your desire to help people, you will add value to your relationships. Be a resource to them and in return, they will be a resource to you. As you build relationships in this way, you’ll gradually enrich your network. Aside from that, you can increase your income by not working for much while growing your network. Giving more can invite people in too.
Make a name for yourself as an expert
When you contribute to your industry or specific role, you begin to establish yourself as an important member of your field. Ways to contribute can include working on special projects, implementing new processes, or being a source of valuable information. You may even contribute to a professional article or paper. Think of avenues that would be helpful to you and often those avenues will be helpful to others.
When you demonstrate your expertise, your name becomes recognizable to others. A post on Success Project Manager highlights multiple angles in successfully helping the team, completing projects, and delivering quality work – a good way to be acknowledged as an expert in this field. Not only can this help you expand your social network, but it can also put your career on the fast track. As you advance your skills and knowledge, others will seek you out for assistance in their own careers. This builds valuable relationships.
Don’t forget to use Slack
If you work from home, the Slack work communications tool can be useful in helping you improve your network. You can find new projects, meet new people from your industry, and connect with people at different companies right from your home. There is a reason why Slack is one of the best tools to use for productivity.
All you need to do is to use Slack’s community feature. You’ll find that there are channels for every manner of group — those in your city or those in your industry or sub-speciality, for example. Professional bodies carry their own Slack channel, as well. A Google search can help you find the right groups for your needs.
Join Online Events
Working from home doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t attend events. There are reasons why online work is booming right now – and most events are held online. Joining online events such as webinars is a great way to network.
A post on HalfHalftravel.com says that joining online events can give you access to a lot of groups, professionals, or experts such as yourself. There are many free webinars out there that you can join and have the opportunity to connect to people. Check out professional groups or organizations related to your field and look at upcoming events. Through this exposure, your network will expand and you’ll find yourself part of a growing community of like-minded workers.
Run your own podcast
Did you know that you can network through podcasts? Podcasts are more popular now than ever. When you run a professional podcast, you usually find that you get to talk to important people who are able to advance your career. These people are great in their own craft and they will know other individuals too. It’s a good way to reach out, discuss something, and generally establish a good “talk” with someone in your zone.
All you need to do is to feature interesting personalities in your industry on your podcast as you interview them. As long as you can make engaging content for your podcast, it won’t take long for you to get your name out there.
Look to your hobbies to put you in touch with people
Hobbies can be a great way to meet new people. Whether it is playing a sport, woodworking, or meditation, a hobby can be an effective way to meet people. Shared interests can range from a favourite television show to a passion for gardening.
Social media sites feature groups for a wide array of interests around the world and locally even when looking for support groups for your business. Linking your personal activities to your professional life can expand your network both within your industry and outside.
Use social media
Social media is a great platform to network. If you’re still trying to get a job for your home arrangement, you can use your social media to connect with recruiters. LinkedIn, for example, is a good channel to meet professionals and hiring managers.
With the increase of work from home, more and more companies are connecting with potential candidates through social sites. The best way to stand out to most employers is by using an updated resume. A post on How to Add Resume to Linkedin gives a good view on how you can do this and also what to include in your resume.
Building relationships can be hard when you work from your home. With a little out-of-the-box thinking, however, the hurdles become stepping stones to an excellent professional network.