Preparing for a career move during uncertain times can present unique challenges but, by optimizing your networking, you can come out ahead. Since more people are working from home than ever and spending more time on the internet, this can be a opportune time to reach out to people and get more responses back. There is a great opportunity for building your network and making connections with recruiters and potential employers. Below, we take a look at how you can prepare for a career move by optimizing your networking.
Prepare Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile
Before making new connections, update your value-based resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect your value proposition, your past achievements within your experiences and how you can contribute to a new role. This lets people see your offering and skills when they come across your profile—by being specific in your value proposition and targeted in what you do, how you do it, and for whom, your profile can become “magnetic”.
Build Your LinkedIn Connections
With people spending more time online, it is a perfect time to build your network. Reach out to build your network and ask connections to have virtual meetings with you to build relationships. You’re also demonstrating that you are proactive, even in difficult times. Watch the video tips:
Track Your Results
Track your connections and the meetings you have. In this article, we go into detail about what metrics to track for optimizing your networking. Since many companies are now hiring employees virtually rather than in person, an advantage of this is that you can complete more interviews than before since you do not need to take the time to commute to each interview.
Ask Good Questions and Be Patient
We are in a time when there is economic uncertainty, many companies are doing their best to continue to operate, and must make pivots to do so. This makes it particularly important to be patient now and to keep the momentum with your networking activity.
During an interview, ask questions that demonstrate your preparedness and that you are selective with your next career move. Your questions say a lot about you as a candidate.
Be Selective in Your Search
Although hiring may slow down during more difficult economic times, there are still positions that need to be filled. To ensure securing a new position that will allow you to advance, prepare by knowing the company financial information, their people , vision and culture. Consider working with companies that provide essential products or services that many people need now and will also need in the future as the economy shifts.
