Networking events may be cancelled due to social distancing restrictions, but that doesn’t mean you can’t network from home. Here are some remote networking strategies you can use to continue strengthening your career portfolio in isolation.

Keep in touch
Networking doesn’t mean that you meet someone once at an event once and never speak to them again. To build strong career connections, you need to stay connected to other business professionals who you could learn from or potentially receive opportunities and reviews from. This could be as simple as engaging with your connections on social media, commenting on their posts, or messaging them directly about notable achievements or relevant posts. This demonstrates that your care and respect for them goes beyond a potential job connection.

Offer your expertise
A great way to build your network whilst giving yourself a positive reputation is by offering your expertise to those who need it. This could be a personal connection, a work colleague, or someone asking for help on social media. Not only does this demonstrate your knowledge and skills, but it also displays your helpfulness and proactiveness which are attractive professional traits.

Expand your LinkedIn network
LinkedIn is the perfect platform to connect with professionals in your industry. Make sure that your profile is professional and updated with your experience, qualifications and skills. Look for colleagues past and present to connect with, as well as other profiles that seem relevant to you; perhaps you see a post that appeals to you and decide to send the author an invitation to connect and a message regarding their post. You can also join relevant LinkedIn groups and connect with people there.

Brand yourself online
Most people have personal or private social media accounts to share with their family and friends. To expand your professional network, consider making a separate social media account that reflects your work persona. You can then use this account to join social media groups within our industry and interact with other members. This way, potential hiring managers that click on your profile will be more likely to contact you based on your profile.