Are you heading into your final year of university? Or have you just graduated? You might be starting to dip your toes into the world of networking and are wondering where to start. At Girls in Charge HQ, we’re here to help. Have a look at our previous post, An Intro to Networking Effectively before you read this one. When you’re ready to think about online networking, here are some tips below:
Work On Your Personal Brand
Before you jump into networking, it’s really important to stop and take stock of your personal brand. What are you truly passionate about? What sets you apart from others? Have a read of another one of our previous articles about personal branding, where you’ll find examples of pioneering females who have amazing personal brands. You can also book onto our upcoming Personal Branding Workshop here.
Reach Out
Reaching out to people is one of the key methods to make your online networking journey a success! If you’re trying to connect with people by sending a message or an email, try and do it as clearly and concisely as possible. Make sure you articulate what you are looking for from the individual (e.g. do you have some questions you want answering) and what you can help the individual with - it's a two way conversation. You can always follow up if you haven’t received a response of course, but make sure to give people time to read and respond to your message.
Attend Online Conference Events
Keeping up with your field is also vital if you want to network effectively. If you can, attend events where you can share your ideas or perspectives, and gain insight and wisdom from industry experts. This is a great way to not only effectively network, but to also develop your knowledge. Keep an eye on our Eventbrite page to be the first to know when new online events are available to book onto.
LinkedIn is a key platform when it comes to online networking, so we’ve provided some specific tips below:
Regular Interaction
It can be easy to forget about LinkedIn when we have so many other social media platforms. Even just setting aside ten minutes a day to interact with your network can be hugely beneficial! Keeping your presence active is really important. Through taking the time to interact, you will have a thriving network in no time!
Vocalising Your Achievements
It can be really hard to shout about things that you’re proud of, but vocalising your achievements is really important! Whether you’re graduating or you’ve just secured a new job, tell your wider network your story.
Joining Groups
There are lots of groups you can join on LinkedIn, to network with likeminded people who have similar interests to you. You can find groups to join through the ‘Groups’ tab on your LinkedIn page. Have you joined the Girls in Charge LinkedIn Group yet? Here’s some more examples of great groups:
Let us know your top online networking tips in the comments below!