Networking

ONLINE NETWORKING
The other major area we should be considering when devising a networking strategy for ourselves is online networking

In order to create opportunities for yourself, you’ll need to research the companies you’re interested in and find the right people to network with. These will normally be the hiring managers and directors of those companies. Find out exactly who through Interview professional, LinkedIn and Directgov (search on the companies house) – then once you find out, your next step will be to follow them on social media, as well as keeping a look out for any posts and publications they might publish on the World Wide Web

By analysing the content of the people you follow, you can start to learn more about them and the companies they work for. Your next step is to decide on a strategy you can use to get noticed by them. LinkedIn is excellent for this as it allows you to tag these influential people into your content, while at the same time enabling you to follow along with their online offerings. A great strategy is to create your own multimedia content and tailor it specifically to posts or publications from the different people and businesses you are following. Base your content around their online postings, mention them as sources of inspiration for your work and tag them into your content

YouTube, Vevo, Facebook
Use these sites and others like them to create your own uniquely tailored online content then tag in your friends, get subscribers, and at the same time follow the online content of others

Consider the type of content you can create yourself:
Blogs
Speeches
Video presentations
Online articles
and more…

You can create content based on, or containing viewpoints from, any of the influential people or businesses you follow. Mention them as a source of inspiration for your work and tag them into this content. It’s a great way to start off conversations and even to build a mutually respectful relationship with a prospective employer 

Study the job requirement specifications found on job sites and use these to get a feel for what employers are looking for and what their expectations are. Taylor your own online content to match their requirements. Creating your own content can not only be a great asset in interview situations because it works so well as a conversation starter, but it’s also your biggest asset as an online networking tool 

If you don’t have the time, or don’t feel you will be able to create your own media content, don’t worry. You can still utilise the same practice of online networking by taking a more direct approach. If you’ve had the chance to read over content they’ve published previously, simply message a business or recruiter directly and try to build a conversation that way. Giving them a constructive option or endorsement of something they’ve posted is a great way to start off…

SITES YOU SHOULD USE TO AID YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE
Remember you can use these sites as well as other online resources to search for information about prospective employers beforehand

LinkedIn, Twitter, and Discord
These are among the best platforms which provide normal people with a means to network in their chosen profession or field of interest. They can give you the means to showcase your talents and to build a respectable online presence. Use these sites to search for businesses or people who look like good prospective employers. Follow them, read up on literature and articles published by them, and think about ways you can legally incorporate this content. If something in their content inspires you, or if you have an idea of your own, a theory (political, economic, or otherwise), or if you just have a strong passion or understanding about something to do with the job field you are interested in, create your own content based around it. You can do this in the form of an online blog, a video presentation, or you can compose your own online articles, to name just a few things – also make sure you do your best to add a few snippets of the most insightful elements from the tweets and publishing’s from that business or recruiter into this content. Tag them in, and cite them in this content as a source of your inspiration. This is a first-class way of networking that can help you build a genuine relationship/ rapport with some of these businesses and people that you can then build upon 

• LinkedIn is good because it gives you visibility with potential employers in a way that other social media platforms don’t. It is a site purposely tailored for people to network with recruiters and employers

• Twitter, this is a great social online tool, especially when used in conjunction with LinkedIn. You can follow along with potential employers, gaining interesting insights from their posts and publishing’s to get useful information that you can use to strike up conversations both online and in interview situations with them  

• Discord
  Discord. The premier platform when it comes to forum-based interest and hobby groups. This makes it the perfect platform as it allows for comprehensive networking and socialising activities within dedicated online communities

Using these three sites in conjunction with each other is one of the best ways to go about creating a comprehensive and effective online networking strategy

CONVERSATION OPENERS
If you need to consider conversation openers, there are several different approaches you can take

For indirect approaches, you can start off by mentioning current political or historical issues surrounding the economy or industry of interest

How do you feel about the new regulations that have been introduced since the country left the European Union?

The manufacturing/ banking/ hospitality/ industry has always been received by the public poorly/ favourably/ unfairly/ fairly…

Do you think there’s scope for any more government funding or assistance in the – (your) – industry?

Do you think there is any prospect for government intervention in this industry?

How do you think the industry might change over the next 5 years?

For personal approaches, you can start off by speaking about your own personal background and work history
I started off in the manufacturing industry 10 years ago. It was good, reliable work, and I was fortunate to be in a fun, productive, working environment. Each person knew what they had to do and what was required of them. There was so much I took with me when I moved on from that job, not only the hard job skills like machine operation and production line efficiency, but also the many happy experiences I’d enjoyed over the years there too. Not only am I immensely proud of the contribution I made to my company over those years, but I feel I’ve gained so much from that role that I can take and apply to other areas both in my work and personal life…      

You can also speak about any multimedia content you’ve created yourself, as a means to stand out and impress employers and recruiters
I’ve made several videos that were published online over the last few years. I designed them to be highly informative so they contain lots of information that I’ve researched about how you should prepare for job interviews. I believe my multimedia creations have been so successful because they are well written, factual, and have a subtle visual element to them as well. I had a lot of fun making them, and enjoyed speaking about the topics I covered. My multimedia creations have had hundreds of thousands of views, and I have just as many followers. I’m hoping to make more soon so I can help people and keep on growing my fanbase…