How to Build Your Networks Online

With the hybrid world here to stay, how can you build up networks and relationships in the virtual space?

Mandy Garner

Mandy Garner is a freelance journalist and editor. She was the former managing editor of WM People and is a communications officer at the University of Cambridge. She has experience working in a range of roles, including senior broadcast journalist at the BBC, former features editor of Times Higher Education and researcher for the writers organisation International PEN.

You rarely get a second chance to make that first impression, so having a plan for the first 90 days in a new job can really help you hit the ground running, build momentum quickly, build your credibility in that job and build your self-confidence.

Building relationships online is trickier than face to face, but the hybrid world is here to stay and you need to adapt your thinking to the virtual environment. Seek out those people who can help and support you, and be purposeful about the interactions you have.

Make a Plan

A good idea is being more planned in who you need to speak to online and how often. Don’t be afraid to ask if you can book in another session if it’s been very helpful e.g. if you’d booked in an hour and realise you need two. Make sure you have all the key people booked in virtually as quickly as you can – there’s no substitute for having those one to one meetings via video if they can’t be done in person.

Map Out Key Relationships

Map out your relationships – e.g. your team/your stakeholders/your peers/your collaborators. If you have a team, virtually meet with those people regularly, ask lots of questions, actively listen and ask questions such as:

What do you do?
How do you do it?
What works?
What are you frustrated about?
What are your career aspirations?

If you’re starting to analyse and investigate, you need to derive a vision, a strategy, a plan; and you’ll need to know your team’s structure and their skills, and if they can help move you forward.

Stakeholders & Collaborators

When it comes to internal and external stakeholders – find out who they are and build relationships with them online. Ongoing communication is key. Understand what’s important to them, who might be an ally, who might be difficult and why that might be.

When it comes to collaborators (your peers) – if you’re in a team, your peers are all around you. If you’re a team leader, it becomes even more important as you need to build those relationships, work out who your allies are, who’s going to help you as a sounding board, who you can trust and who will be your confidant.

Tools

Some people like to create online chat groups for internal networks such as WhatApp or Slack in order to ask co-workers a question, request resources or share information about their role within the company. It’s also important to attend online events and network with attendees to develop your external network and use LinkedIn and other social media channels to connect to attendees after.

Be Strategic

You need to be strategic and identify your targets, prioritising who to connect to first. It’s important to be authentic to yourself. Make sure you’re being authentic as it’s exhausting being someone you’re not. When you’re thinking about your 90-day plan, be who you are versus who you think the company want you to be. Actively listen to what people are saying and observe their body language (this can be harder online, but it’s absolutely possible).

Liz Sebag-Montefiore is a career coach and Director of 10Eighty, a strengths-based HR consultancy. For more information, please visit www.10Eighty.co.uk.

This article was first published on workingmums.co.uk, whose assets were acquired by 55/Redefined in 2024.