There’s no question that Covid-19 has made networking harder over the past year. Some people are still social distancing, working from home, and after work events are cancelled. This is making it harder than ever to network with your colleagues. However, it’s still an essential part of your career success. Networking is harder but more important than ever.

Networking is a great way to get your name out there, and to build your professional reputation. Recruiters are also more likely to call you in for an interview if they’ve interacted with you before. The same goes for business partnerships and building a client base; people want to work with professionals they trust. Networking is a great way to build that trust. Networking is essential to success in most industries. Yet, it’s been much more difficult to arrange in person meetings and network during the pandemic.

Here’s what you can do: use online networking platforms. Online networking has taken over the business world thanks in part to social media platforms like LinkedIn. According to a study done by LinkedIn in 2017, 35% of participants said a casual conversation through LinkedIn Messaging led to a new opportunity. These opportunities included  job opportunities, career changes, sales leads, and business leads.

According to a study by Forbes found the top benefits of online networking were:

  • Saves time (92%)
  • Saves money (88%)
  • More flexibility in location and timing (76%)
  • Allows the participant to multitask (64%)
  • Increases productivity (55%)
  • Ability to archive sessions (49%)
  • Less peer pressure (16%)

The past year has obviously been challenging for business, the job market, and networking, but don’t let your career suffer. Use the resources that you can to continue networking today!