Skills are important when you’re building a successful remote working career. But they’re not always enough.
Connections with key people in your industry can help you make it to the big leagues. After all, it’s not what you know, but who you know that counts.
Thus, a strong professional network can give you access to more opportunities for career growth.
But how do you do that when you barely leave the house? Well, here are 7 simple virtual networking tips that could help:
Start With Who You Know
You don’t have to start at ground zero. You can always start with the people you already know in your field.
With social media today, you can connect with your past batchmates, high school friends, org mates, and so on.
And it’s easier because the trust is established already. And old acquaintances can give you access to their network as well — making your networking efforts grow faster.
Connect with Your Alumni Community
Do you have an affinity for people from the same alma mater? Well, a lot of people do.
That’s why most people are comfortable networking within their alumni community. The structure makes you feel like you’re part of a big family.
It’s quite effective because you share a common ground through experiences and unique school quirks.
This way, it can be easier to find professional contacts for your remote working career.
Build a Personal Brand
How about people without too many professional connections? What can they do?
An effective strategy is to build a personal brand for your remote working career.
A personal brand combines your unique skills, values, and personality as shown in your online profiles. Done right, it can make you more visible and help you attract the right clients and connections to build your remote working career.
But it’s easier said than done. Follow these simple steps to build your personal brand as a remote worker.
Join Online Communities
Did you know that there are online communities for different professions and interests? And you can use it to your advantage when growing your network.
You can find these communities on Facebook, LinkedIn, or even forums.
You’ll never know who you’ll meet. Sometimes, you can even rub elbows with their founders, opening the way for you to seek mentorship from them.
Start with these reputable Facebook groups to upgrade your remote working career.
Attend Virtual Events
Where else can you find like-minded people profession online? Virtual events like seminars, workshops, etc. attract the right people who are hungry for learning in your field.
Try to connect with them during breakout sessions or after the event. Perhaps you can collaborate on future projects if you establish enough rapport.
Offer Value
When you join groups and online communities, you must be willing to help and provide value to your peers.
It may be in the form of answering their questions, posting valuable information, or just being active in the group.
Why? People don’t show much interest in you until they see that you genuinely care for them. And you can demonstrate this through the help you offer.
In return, they can turn into close connections that can possibly open more doors for your remote working career.
Get Recommendations from Your Clients
If you serve them well, your clients will be more than willing to help you build connections. Or, why not ask your clients for reviews or testimonials?
You may even ask them for direct referrals to possible clients. This will help you raise your profile and build even more connections.
And if you don’t have clients yet, you can start your remote working journey by signing up through Remote Staff.
Remote Staff offers long-term remote working opportunities in different fields. Check out our online job listings today!
