Some aspects of attending a trade school are easy to shift virtually, like online learning. However, establishing meaningful connections can be difficult to accomplish behind the computer screen. With distance learning becoming a new normal, meeting new people and forming business relationships can be a little more complicated than traditional avenues such as in-person classes or job fairs.
Are you wondering how you can become more connected to your peers and potential employers while pursuing an online degree program? Check out our five tips for virtual networking.
Join a professional organization
If you’re interested in meeting people who are pursing the same career path as you, professional associations are the perfect place to start. Here you can meet like-minded individuals and gain helpful insight on your industry. These organizations often have older, more experienced members who are happy to get to know you and help when they can, whether it’s by serving as a mentor or offering advice. These groups can also be excellent resume builders.
Join a club
Social clubs are a great way to meet people who share similar interests. Through these clubs, you can gain a variety of soft skills, such as leadership and teamwork. Within your group you will have the chance to interact and form connections with people who share the same passions as you, which could potentially lead to future partnerships or opportunities.
Engage with people on social media
Interacting with posts on social media, particularly LinkedIn, is a great way to organically start conversations with your peers – especially those who may not live near or have the opportunity to meet you in person. To use social media most effectively, ensure your profile information is up to date and your profile picture is recent. Get to work following, liking and sharing your classmates’ content to jumpstart your social media presence.
Attend a virtual conference
Virtual conferences have become increasingly popular over the course of 2020. Gone are the days of needing to go booth to booth in a crowded hotel ballroom. Now, you can connect with other professionals from the comfort of your home. You might think this cuts down on engagement, but that’s not the case. To kindle genuine social interactions, some virtual conferences are implementing apps to pair up individuals to connect in one-on-one sessions. You can find a variety of virtual conferences with a quick internet search, and some will even offer free admission.
Visit career services
At Remington College, our career services department is dedicated to connecting students and graduates with local employers.1 The career counseling services we offer include activities like resume workshops and employment application assistance, which are meant to prepare you for the professional world. Above all, our career center focuses on making sure each student makes the necessary connections to flourish once they enter the workforce.1
1Employeement not guaranteed for students or graduates.
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