Don’t say that I buried the lead: YOU are in charge of your own networking success.
Even as COVID-19 brought much of the working economy to a halt, it's up to working professionals to adapt and overcome, and find new ways to connect.
How has COVID-19 changed professional networking so far?
Happy Hours, conferences, and water cooler conversations often happen organically, sometimes unwittingly. In the past, you might have been assigned to attend networking events, or you went for the open bar, or to hear an inspiring VIP speaker, or maybe even in hopes of meeting Mr. or Ms. Right.
However, these days little networking happens organically; you must be intentional. Smart professionals will seize this unique time in history as an opportunity to be in the driver’s seat.
How much will COVID-19 change the way we network in the future?
That question is still very much up for debate. There are some changes that will be short-term and others that will leave a lasting imprint. But we can’t deny that a shift has taken place— and that’s worth exploring.
What’s always true
Meet people where they are at physically and mentally. Be it a phone call, afternoon coffee, or even outdoor dining six feet apart, you should always acknowledge what is most comfortable and convenient for others. Respecting boundaries is even more important now.
One-on-one professional networking is still the best approach to make a meaningful connection. This principle might be easier to follow now that most people are avoiding large groups.
Get outside your comfort zone and expand past your peer group. This is difficult in any season because it requires you to be intentional. And it may prove even more difficult as people try to limit their physical interactions. But your network will suffer if you become complacent.
What’s here now
Crowded happy hours and 1,000+ person conferences aren’t happening for a while. If those were your go-to networking practices, you’ll have to change up your routine.
Smart event planners are adapting their conferences to include more social distancing and less physical shoulder rubbing. Some organizations are already announcing the move to virtual conferences, which will provide lots of opportunity for innovation and ingenuity in how we connect from a distance.
Most in-person networking is going to feature one-on-one meetups. In fact, even happy hours will look different with 2-3 people sitting at a table rather than crowding around the bar.
What’s staying
· Online video calls/conferencing. This will continue to be integrated into every aspect of professional life.
Before COVID-19, if you told me that I would start to regularly video chat with strangers, I would have thought you were insane. I have always considered video chat to be better suited for instructive demos with screen-sharing. And while I would do it at the request of my best friends and clients, I never suggested it in the past.
However, I recently joined LunchClub.ai, an invite-only remote networking platform that serendipitously found me, and I am already a total believer. Using the power of Artificial Intelligence, LunchClub connects you with strangers that have similar interests and facilitates 30-minute video calls.
Facebook Groups: Since last year, Facebook has invested a ton of resources and even ran a Superbowl ad to promote its Groups Feature. There are groups for everything under the sun and if one doesn’t exist, it takes minutes to create one yourself.
I co-host one such group focused around professional development called Rules of Networking (RON), which now exceeds 2,500 members. RON is a supportive group of professionals who are involved in the political space— the majority of which are from the Washington, DC area—but the group is 100% non-political.
Stop making excuses and take control of your career success- your attention and focus on networking are needed now more than ever. Carpe Diem and go out and start building and expanding your relationships.