Networking in the Age of Zoom

The COVID-19 Pandemic has had wide-reaching effects on all aspects of our lives, particularly on the way we interact with other people, and many dramatic changes are likely here to stay for the foreseeable future.  With so many being forced to work from home, previous in-person meetings have been quickly been replaced by Zoom calls and other video services (The use of “Zoom” hereafter is meant to encompass all video services) for most individuals and within many organizations. 

While this has made connections to co-workers and others more accessible during this time, it has also packed people’s days with back-to-back “meetings” that can seem unending at times.  This makes knowing how to access important people and fit your way into their busy schedules even more vital in the weeks and months ahead.

Networking and job searches will likely look completely different right now, and potentially into the unforeseen future.  While much will stay the same with the core principles of connecting with people, knowing how to navigate the new landscape of business and networking in a creative and authentic way will be crucial to creating genuine and long-lasting connections.

1) Know Why You Want to Connect

Knowing the specific reason you want to connect with people is a crucial first step when it comes to networking because it helps determine: 1) how you approach them, 2) what you say to them, and 3) what your ultimate ask is of these people.  The way you reach out to someone about finding a job will take on a different tone completely compared to the way you would ask someone for advice or information entering a certain profession. 

Knowing your “why” is important right now because it helps you get straight to the point and tell people exactly why you want to connect with them.  Understanding why you are reaching out will also help focus your search by really being intentional about who you want to connect with, and identifying the specific person or role within a company you wish to speak to. 

Potential reasons to connect could be some of the following: 

• Opening Doors

• Getting a Job

• Inspiration

• Advice

• Learning from the Person

Your “why” in networking is the foundation for establishing your connection with people, so take the time to carefully think about this before starting because a focused outreach will yield far greater and impactful results and connections rather than if you just start spraying general messages to people about meeting with you. 

2) Virtual Meeting is the New Coffee Meeting

Be Respectful + Ask for a Virtual Meeting

Be understanding that not everyone will want to meet in-person, regardless if you are comfortable being around others or have tested negative for COVID-19.  Respect this, and use it to your advantage. This means that you are no longer confined by location to meet people in-person, and you can actually connect over Zoom and get a similar face-to-face interaction. 

Networking at a social distance has rapidly become the norm, so ask VIP’s or people you want to connect with to have a Zoom call, that may have been awkward or uncertain to ask for in the past.  

Have Specified Time Limits

Asking for “Virtual Coffees” for a specified time limit (I recommend “10-15 mintues”) could be a good way to access people right now, especially if you are able to communicate the specific reason you want to talk and a limit on time to make your request more concentrated and less invasive on that person’s day . 

3) Use Social Media

Social Media is also a great way to learn about people, let everyone know more about you, and reach out directly to individuals, regardless of celebrity, status or location. 

Engage with People

There are two excellent ways to utilize social media in your networking. The first is to actually engage with the people you want to connect with.  While not everyone embraces the use of social media, there are plenty of people that do, and this can be a great way to access people that has not been available in the past.  If the person you are attempting to connect with posts often about a certain topic, do research on that topic and find interesting articles or thoughts to potentially share with that person.

Creating Content

The other way to use social media in your networking efforts is to create content related to your passions and interests, signal what is important to you, and have the ability to attract people to you.  You could also potentially use this to create content with the specific intent of starting a conversation with one of the potential people you are interested in connecting with.  

Understand that simply “connecting” with someone on social media does not mean anything. Many famous or important people could have hundreds of people connecting or reaching out in a given week. Use these platforms to truly connect to unlock the magic of social media in this new age of networking. 

4) Get Creative

Being creative in your outreach and playing the long game could give you the chance to actually get responses and start building relationships with people that can last.  Try new things and don’t be afraid to get outside your comfort zone as you explore and test the best ways to find access to the people you wish to connect with. 

Hand-Written Letters

Writing hand-written letters has always been a great way to stand out and has become a lost art in today's digital climate. We all receive typed letters and email, but no one receives written notes any more, and this could be a great way to set yourself apart from all the other people asking for meetings. 

Following Up from Webinars

Attending webinars and following up with either attendees or, better yet, the presenter and making a comment on something specific that caught your attention will make you stand out.  If anyone takes time to create and present to any audience, they would be happy to know the message hit home with at least one person. As someone who has given plenty of speeches and webinars, people typically don't take the time and reach out to express gratitude, so this is something that could certainly help you stand out and potentially create an instant connection. 

Ask to Interview Them

You could even start a podcast and ask the people you are trying to connect with to be interviewed on your show. Everyone loves to talk about themselves, so use that as an advantage and invite the people you want to talk to onto your show to talk about themselves. They may even appreciate getting to use the show for their own promotion, and is certainly a way to stand out as opposed to a 10 minute zoom call on a Tuesday morning. 

As we move forward and start to come out of the pandemic, many things will be changed in the near future, and permanently, moving forward.  While some core networking principles will always be the same, adapting to a new way of networking will be crucial in the coming months. Taking advantage of new technologies and injecting creativity in creating your connection with people, both in and outside of your network, will be the best ways to set yourself apart. .