• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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New to the workforce? Here’s how to grow in your (virtual) career

New to the workforce? Here’s how to grow in your (virtual) career

If you’re one of the many people who started their first job in 2020, you’re probably anxious about how you’ll manage your workplace relationships in a mostly virtual world. While there are plenty of upsides to working from your couch, it can be especially challenging if you’re new to a company. You may need to work harder than most to build meaningful relationships and establish a strong network.

The good news is that we’re seeing more business leaders actively trying to help their remote teams connect and collaborate. With the support of your manager, you can learn and grow while replicating many of the positive experiences you’d get if you were in an office.

Use Remote Team Meeting as Networking Opportunities

Try joining your team meetings a few minutes early. You might run into other colleagues who have also hopped on before the call officially begins. This is an easy, natural way to strike up casual conversations with your colleagues — the first step toward making new connections.

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Once the meeting starts, listen intently to show people you’re engaged. Don’t shy away from asking questions. Afterwards, take some time to message someone whose ideas you found interesting or challenging.

Seek out Mentors or Coaches

A mentor can clarify your priorities, provide constructive feedback and offer new knowledge and perspectives. Ask your manager or human resources leader if your company has a mentorship program for junior employees. If the answer is no, look into employee resource groups, happy hours or lunchtime learning groups.

Outside your organization, look into your alumni network, or sign up for workshops in your areas of interest. A mentor or coach doesn’t have to be someone you already work with.

Take Initiative

If your workplace doesn’t have many virtual events to help you make new connections, think about how to initiate those relationships yourself. One way is to ask whether your manager would be open to having you run an event yourself. Consider book clubs, virtual lunches with new hires or coffee meetups to discuss common interests. Another way is to be of help to your team members. Resist the urge to hang back: You were hired for your unique talents, so use them to your advantage.

Say Yes to ‘STRETCH’ Assignments

Some managers offer their team members opportunities to work in other departments for a limited period of time. What skills do you have, but want to improve and develop? What skills do you want to learn? Once you’ve answered these questions, ask your manager if there are any projects on your team or in other departments that you could participate in to hone or learn those skills.

While making connections in a virtual environment may not feel as organic as doing so in person, there are still opportunities to learn, develop and build a network if you know where to look and how to start. Help your manager or team leader understand what you need, and take the initiative to grow.