Part 2 of 6: Networking During a Pandemic (How to Research)

Quick Review: in Part 1 of this article series: http://rly.pt/37WISFl, we covered the following:

-Importance of creating a LinkedIn account and ensuring you take the time to build a professional profile, so people can start looking you up.

-Creating a Twitter account to help you with research, sharing your expertise and making organic connections.

Please make sure you have completed the above before following the tips in this article. The goal for this article is to help identify companies and individuals who are relevant to your employment. These are people and organizations you will be networking with and engaging in interview conversations.

These are exercises in intelligence gathering. Below are details on how to navigate LinkedIn and Twitter from a browser window.

LinkedIn
Begin from your homepage and search for topics related to your industry. The search results can be filtered with tabs. There are a few key tabs to be aware of:

-People: This filter tab provides a list of profiles that have a background related to your search criteria. These people can become networking targets. Read through their profiles. Explore what you might have in common with them. Make note of those and reach out when you are ready to begin networking.

-Jobs: The jobs listed are aligned to your search criteria. You can apply directly from these listings. Just make certain your LinkedIn profile is ready for review by a prospective employer. Make note of the companies. Visit their corporate page and website to learn more.

-Groups: Groups are important on LinkedIn. They are a huge source of information and offer a great way to begin connecting with others. Discussions groups can lead to deeper conversations and offer opportunities to develop relationships with possible employers in ways that lead to informational interviews. You can join more than 50 groups. Some will have a waiting period. Once you’re granted access, review discussions and participate when you are ready. These online conversations can help develop rapport with others in your target industry.

-Companies: This filter highlights companies that align with your search criteria. Spend time reviewing them as potential employer targets. From there you can search through the profiles of employees who work at the company for networking opportunities.

Twitter
-Begin from the home page and search for topics related to your industry or skills. The search results will be displayed in your feed in the center of the screen. The information found with your search will likely be a blend of people, companies, articles, jobs, etc. Don’t get discouraged. The tabs just below the search bar can help sort the results. Note: There is also an advanced search feature that can be accessed by the three dots to the right of the search bar.

-You can quickly determine if a profile will be of interest by reviewing the feed. Do this by clicking on the name and following profiles that interest you. Your news feed on the home page will now include posts from the profile where you will be able to interact with them directly.

Once you have gathered a number of profiles and groups, it is time to begin networking. In the next article, we’ll cover how to make contact.

*Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash