The Ultimate Guide to Networking on Social Media

When you hear the word “networking,” what comes to your mind?

Some might roll their eyes in response to this question as they’re thinking of people taking advantage of others to advance their careers. To them, networking feels fake, a waste of time and energy. This probably might be true as there isn’t a shortage of people doing networking for the sake of getting newer career opportunities. But the thing is, what these people are doing is far from networking.

Networking, according to the SJSU School of information, is “not simply an information exchange between you and another person. It involves establishing relationships with people who will often become your friends and community of colleagues as you go through your career.” From this definition, we could say that the end goal of networking isn’t to get a job. The goal is to connect with more people.

Thus, we can reframe our thinking on networking. Instead of thinking about it as an activity that is transactional, we can start viewing it as simply a way for you to make friends. After all, humans are inherently social creatures.

How can we now start to network? One way to do this is through social media. Meeting new people has never been easier with billions of users online! You can connect with people from all over the world without having to physically travel to different places.

If you want to effectively and genuinely build a network through social media, use this article as your ULTIMATE GUIDE!

#1. Create a social media account.

It’s pretty obvious: to use social media to network, you need to be active on social media.

The three most important social media platforms to have for networking are Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Instagram and Facebook are technically not networking platforms. However, since these platforms have billions of users, chances are the person you want to connect with has an account.

On the other hand, LinkedIn describes itself as “the world’s largest professional network on the Internet.” It was made with the intention that professionals from all job levels will use the platform to expand their contacts. If you haven’t created a LinkedIn account yet, you’re definitely missing out!

#2: Research, research, research.

Now that you’ve created your social media accounts, it’s time to add people to your network.

What you need to do next is to search these platforms for people who you want to have a professional relationship with. Find other professionals in your industry whom you find interesting!

However, before you contact them using the platforms mentioned above, remember that these are people and not robots. It’s never appropriate for you to solely use other people for the sake of your own self-interests. Again, you want to build genuine relationships. Ask yourself: “how can I connect with this person without looking like I’m using them to get a job?”

One way to ensure that you’re genuine in building relationships is that you should step back and think about your approach. In networking, you should come from a place of authenticity.

When you eventually message them, you also have to make sure to view their social media pages first and understand their interests! This is because your message shouldn’t be boring and basic. Your effort to actually connect with them can make you stand out from all the other messages in their chat box.

#3: Practice consistency.

You could also start being an active follower on their social media pages. Start commenting on their different posts! Your comment has to be in line with the topic of the post and it has to be something meaningful. Avoid commenting generic content.

Once you become an active follower, they might start to recognize you in their notifications. Who knows that when you eventually meet in person, they’ll know your name even before you’ve said a word to them.

In connection to that previous tip, you can also be consistent in learning more about this person. You could use Google Alerts on these people you’re interested in! Since Google Alerts is a useful tool to get constant updates on companies, industry news, and many more without having to continuously search online, you can also use it to get updates on professionals you want to connect with! According to Survey Sparrow, using Google Alerts can help you get their valuable insights on any interviews or features they may have done. This will come in handy as you can also mention what you’ve learned in especially at the start of your relationship.

#4: Be honest.

The next step is to just be honest. If you really want to be friends with this professional, why would you do anything to prove your intentions otherwise?

Honesty goes a long way. Aside from honesty, you should also practice kindness and compassion. Again, you’re talking to a person and not a computer program. In conversing with this person, it’s important to be yourself. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not.

All in all, these are ways you could network with people on social media. The goal of networking isn’t to get a job so focus on building meaningful connections with these professionals.

Want more career advice? Follow Kalibrr on social media!

Kalibrr is a recruitment technology company that aims to transform how candidates find jobs and how companies hire talent. Placing the candidate experience at the center of everything it does, we continue to attract the best talent from all over, with more than 5.5 million professionals and counting. Kalibrr ultimately connects these talents to companies in search of their next generation of leaders.

The only end-to-end recruitment solutions provider in Southeast Asia, Kalibrr is headquartered in Makati, Philippines, with offices in San Francisco, California, and Jakarta, Indonesia. Established in 2012, it has served over 18,000 clients and is backed by some of the world’s most powerful start-up incubators and venture capitalists. These include Y Combinator, Omidyar Network, Patamar Capital, Wavemaker Partners, and Kickstart Ventures.

For more tips on acing job interviews, follow Kalibrr on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tiktok.