Now it is more important than ever to build connections and raise your profile online as networking events are cancelled, large industry shows are postponed, and local networking groups are put on hold for the time being.

Here are my tips for building connections and raising your online profile:

– Be present on LinkedIn – Make sure your profile is up to date and use the most relevant hashtags and keywords. Then look at who is viewing your profile. On the free account, you can see 4-5 of most recent people who have viewed your profile. Follow up with these people via LinkedIn messaging and introduce yourself to them. Join some of the relevant event management groups on LinkedIn where members share industry news, insights and job opportunities.

– Start a blog – with the possibility of self-isolation on the horizon – now is the perfect time to start writing. Blog about the events industry – start with how Corona virus has affected you. Use your blog to showcase events you have organised in the past either in a paid or voluntary capacity with photos of the events, client or attendee testimonials and case studies. WordPress.com is a free blog site.

– Go through all your social media profiles and make sure there isn’t anything inappropriate in there as potential employers now will check social media as part of their recruitment process. If you don’t want to delete some of your social media content, then make sure the profiles are private and only accessible to friends and family and have separate ones for work.

– Create a visual cv to help you stand out from the crowd with examples/photos and testimonials of events you have worked at. Have a look at https://www.visualcv.com/ and Canva also has a section for cvs https://www.canva.com/

Do get in touch if I can help with any of this and come over and join my Facebook group for tips and tricks on getting ahead in the events industry
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GetAheadinEventswithSamanthaSalisbury/

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