Have you recently been looking to relocate or take the next step in your career? Whatever the case, if you’re in the market for a new job, you’ll find that networking is more important than ever. Just as technological advances and the pandemic have changed how we work, they’ve also changed networking. If you’ll be attending ReThink West Michigan this year (or any networking event), it’s important to make sure you’re up-to-speed on the latest trends and best practices. We’ve put together a guide to Networking in 2022 to ensure you’ll be prepared!

Before the Event: 

  1. Update your resume: Before any networking event, take a look at your resume and make sure it’s current, not just in your work experience but also in preferred formatting. If it’s been a few years since you’ve been a job seeker, resume best practices have probably changed. Here are a few things you can do to make sure your resume lands in the “yes” pile:
    • Avoid including pictures! While your headshot on the corner of the page might personalize your resume, it will likely get disqualified by the hiring company to avoid bias or discrimination.
    • Applicant Tracking Systems – 99% of Fortune 500 companies are using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to streamline their hiring process. ATS is software that manages recruitment, weeds out unqualified candidates, and recommends the best fit for a position. This means your resume is being reviewed and approved by a computer before a human sees it. With that, we have several formatting recommendations to help you make it through the system:
      • Don’t use tables, columns, graphics, headers, or footers, as these cause parsing errors in the ATS.
      • Tailor your resume specific to the jobs you’re interested in and use standard resume section headings. In short, keep it simple.
      • Save your file as a .docx, which is the format most compatible with ATS.
    • Add your LinkedIn URL to your resume. Your resume is limited to just a page or two of information, but your LinkedIn can provide a variety of additional information to employers and show off your best work.
  1. Update your LinkedIn: with the uptick in LinkedIn activity in recent years, you should treat your profile as a virtual resume and portfolio. Remain active even when you aren’t in a job search so employers can see your activities and accomplishments.
    • Turn on the “Open to Work” button in your profile and add the types of roles you’re interested in. Only recruiters will see this, and it will help you show up in their searches.
    • Add relevant skills used at each of your previous positions. You can even have these skills endorsed by peers or supervisors.
  1. Practice your elevator pitch: an engaging, strategic, and persuasive 30-45 second speech to introduce yourself and sell your skills and qualifications.
  2. Research participating companies: If possible, review the companies that will be at your event and look at their current open positions so that you go in with some background information and an idea of where you want to spend your time.

At the Event: 

  • Bring business cards or a QR code to your LinkedIn profile but be proactive and get a new connection’s card or contact info so that you can reach out to them first instead of waiting for them to reach out to you.
  • Ask meaningful questions. Have a few prepared in the back of your head that you can use or ask questions that build on the conversation.
  • Keep track of the companies and names of people you speak with so you can connect with them on LinkedIn after the event.

After the Event:

  • Follow up! Whether that’s on LinkedIn or in an email, make contact with the people you met. This doesn’t just have to be representatives from companies you’re interested in. Building connections with your peers is also important! You never know who will hear of an opening at their company and share it on LinkedIn or think of you.
  • If you are connecting with new contacts on LinkedIn, don’t just request to connect! Always add a personalized note to differentiate yourself from their other requests.

 

Sources:

https://www.jobscan.co/applicant-tracking-systems

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/networking-skills-elevator-pitch-5-fundamental-annette-maldonado/