Feeling out of touch with your professional network? It's never too late to reconnect. Dive into the art of networking, learn how to rekindle old connections, and discover strategies to forge new ones. Let's jump back into the networking game together.
The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on opportunities for professional connections, canceling conferences, shifting to remote work arrangements, and fewer opportunities for in-person networking events
How can we reprioritize networking when we may feel rusty and out of practice?
- strategies that will prove helpful as we re-emerge into the office
Host your own events
If you’re willing to take the lead on organizing an event, you can not only control the attendee list but also structure the flow.
- Consider recruiting a co-host to help you have help in making the event run smoothly and to be exposed to your network.
Reintroduce one-on-one connections
Begin with colleagues or clients you may have connected with virtually during the pandemic, and with whom you would like to deepen your relationship
- Create a list of dormant ties – people you haven’t seen or interacted with much during the past two years, with whom, if you’ve exhausted those opportunities, or can’t think of people you’d like to meet up with, ask a friend for suggestions about people you ought to meet.
Attend networking events
The best move is to rapidly identify a commonality you share with the other person
- Having something in common gives you something to talk about and conveys that you’re “one of them”
- Choose targeted events to attend
- Try to attend something sponsored by your alma mater or alumni association
- This helps build familiarity and trust
