Social Networks Give Remote Networking a Boost

Slack and LinkedIn have become an informal way for people to strengthen their professional networks

Before the coronavirus pandemic, professional networking might happen on the spur of the moment. Networking occurred at a conference or when coworkers bumped into each other in the hallway, but the pandemic has made it difficult. Because so many people are still working from home, most networking has to be planned, which necessitates a scheduled time and date, a means to connect, and a purpose for doing so. This can make networking feel awkward rather than authentic.

A fantastic internship or first employment may provide you with social ties that will assist you in advancing your profession for decades. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, most of these connections were formed in person, but what happens when those connections exist solely online?

Many in-person internships and entry-level jobs vanished during the pandemic, posing a problem for the oldest members of Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012). Young professionals who work remotely have developed new hurdles in their quest to learn how to navigate the norms and cultivate relationships without having a physical connection with their coworkers.

Working remotely, on the other hand, tends to separate teams. The difficulty isn't necessarily in meeting potential mentors and employers; it's in establishing contact with coworkers. However, networking is not a one-way street, and although it takes more preparation today than in the past, you may still accomplish it successfully and with little discomfort. How should you meet someone in a world where people prefer remote get-togethers and conversing informally necessitates some finesse?

How do individuals develop professional relationships in the remote era?

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted not just in-person classes and graduations for many young people but also internship and employment possibilities. According to 2021 research from the Center for College-Workforce Transitions at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, fewer college students took internships during the pandemic. Only about 21.5% of students took internships, compared to the typical 50% to 60% of students who reported landing opportunities prior to the pandemic.

Among those who finished internships in 2020, 45% did so entirely online, while 47.8% found work through in-person opportunities. According to the National Survey of College Internships, 7% of students had completed a hybrid internship.

According to data from Emsi Burning Glass, during the 2021 internship season—February 2020 to September 2021—the number of remote jobs increased 342% compared with the previous year. During the same period, employment in remote professional jobs increased by 219%.

Although not all sectors employed remote work, the difficulties of remote internships and entry-level employees can have long-term consequences. Some critics argue that it will prevent the next generation of executives from receiving the same chances as their predecessors, who benefited from in-person interaction.

Use Tech Tools for Professional Networking

In a world where work is increasingly conducted remotely or even hybrid, it's more challenging to form informal connections. Instead, many young professionals must rely on Zoom "coffee chats" with their new coworkers, and it may be tough to be interesting and remembered in a sea of virtual faces and meetings.

You don't need many tools to assist students and job seekers, and something as simple as having a LinkedIn account will help. LinkedIn might be a great place to start when looking for someone to interview. Following people on social media may occasionally provide you access, and you might discover that you have something in common with someone else by what they post on social media.

Slack has been embraced by businesses to help them communicate more efficiently, and now, people are using Slack to expedite job searches. Slack enables teams and entire workforces to exchange information instantly, which is one of the reasons its usage has increased as remote work has become more popular. Slack-based networking groups have grown in the past two years, allowing far-flung workers to share job knowledge and strategies.

Job seekers increasingly use invite-only networking sites to find employment, and often considerably faster than conventional job application procedures. Slack Technologies says it doesn't know how many networking groups exist on its platform, but there are several professional network channels, including MKTG WMN for women in marketing and the Customer Education Org for experts in product instructions. Many of these groups say their memberships have grown over the pandemic.

Employees sharing opportunities at their organizations on Slack frequently leads to job matches. According to some members, peer endorsements of businesses and their cultures are crucial for organizations dedicated to professionals from underrepresented backgrounds.

There are a variety of trade and professional networking forums on Reddit, Fishbowl, and Discord, but their users generally post anonymously. Many Slack forums include members' real names, but members can privately message one another.

Connections made over the internet can be strong

Despite the problems, most experts believe that Gen Z will be able to build their professional networks using both virtual and traditional methods. The transition to virtual networking, on the other hand, doesn't appear to phase most of this generation.

According to a 2021 Handshake survey of 1,200 Gen Z respondents, nearly seven out of 10 Gen Z respondents said that you don’t need to physically meet up to make a professional connection. Furthermore, many young workers believe in-person meetings and interviews are required to get a job.

Most people find networking in this day and age difficult, but it may be done with a little determination and carefully selected tech tools. Always consider why you want to network with someone and offer them convincing reasons for saying yes to your request.