How to Network at Online Conferences and Virtual Events

A whopping 93 percent of respondents to a recent LinkedIn poll said they had by ghosted by a potential employer during the interview process. Ghosting--the phenomenon of dropping all communication without any warning or reason--is also now being exhibited by job applicants themselves. In this episode, Kelly explains why ghosting is not a sensible career strategy, especially for applicants, and shares three ways to keep communication lines open when you have the sense an employer might be ghosting you.

Does the way you ask questions of your network mirror the way you search the internet? In this episode, Kelly shows how your career networking aspirations can run afoul when your treat your network like a Google search and why you need to do more than simply seek fast answers to your job search questions. With an abundance of career information at our fingertips, the challenge is to discard the need for expediency and the illusion that there is a faster or better route (other than putting in the work) to finding the answer you need.  

If you hesitate to ask your network for help, you're not alone. This reluctance can stem from feeling we don't deserve assistance or fearing we'll get rejected. Or often we simply don't want to inconvenience the other person with our request. In this episode, Kelly shares how to overcome whatever is holding you back from approaching your network for help and explains how to put forward your ask in a way that won't impose on others and will make it easy for them to say yes. 

If you think reaching out to request a meeting over coffee will result in a job interview, think again. This job search advice is definitely out of date (and frankly was never considerate networking guidance to begin with). In this episode, Kelly outlines 5 steps to take before reaching out cold to a prospective employer or networking contact, along with three essential things to include in every cover letter you send. Instead of pursuing the dead-end "coffee date" approach, follow these steps to customize your communications and significantly improve your job search prospects.

The networking gap--the advantage some people have over others based on who they know or the resources they have access to--persists even in our hyper-connected digital networking world. In this episode, Kelly addresses this gap and examines how we can start to close it, from improving the accessibility of online and in-person events to focusing more on being more inclusive and actively pulling people into networking conversations, instead of them having to muster up the courage to break the ice and join in. 

Is it still even possible to network and connect with others at conferences and events, now that they've mostly gone online for the time being? The answer is yes, and Kelly's digital networking strategies in this episode will help you maximize the many opportunities to do so before, during, and after any virtual event. Covering everything from leveraging conference apps and social media in order to find other attendees who could be valuable connections to knowing the proper etiquette for posting a question in a chat, Kelly provides deceptively simple suggestions you can start implementing today to continue building your dream network.

Networking can sometimes feel like sales. In this episode, Kelly challenges you to ditch the selling mode for some marketing savvy and approach networking like a strategic marketer instead.  By following Kelly's tips advice on thinking carefully about your networking goals, researching and analyzing your audience (aka, your target network), and understanding their needs well before you reach out, you'll be far more successful in your networking efforts and avoid key mistakes your sales-y peers are likely making.

Your most important career network is one you're likely ignoring: your peers. This week on the podcast, Kelly explains why you should be actively sharing information with your peers and offers with three effective networking challenges for you to support, cultivate and promote your powerful peer network. 

In this episode, Kelly answers several listener questions she's received, including requests for advice from a stay-at-home mom returning to work, a recent undergrad who studied overseas and doesn't know how to kick-start the job search process back home in the US, and a listener wondering how to gracefully exit an awkward networking conversation.

When everyone's professional bios look the same, does anyone stand out? Following industry norms and expectations when it comes to drafting your bio could be stifling your ability to connect authentically with new clients or audiences. In this episode, Kelly shares tips for infusing your bio with a little personality--alongside your credentials, of course--as a way to spark productive conversations with the people you want to work with.