Is it even possible to build deep career connections in a virtual working world?

What's the shortest distance between you and another amazing person you admire or dream of partnering with in your career? An open door. And you hold the keys. There's only one problem - you pause before you knock...but, why? Fear and doubt creep in. You wonder "what if?" (and not the positive kind). You get caught between wanting to feel you belong to a community (yearning to connect and ask for help) and your desire to feel independent and not needing to rely on others. (Personality & Help Seeking, Arie Nadler) You belittle yourself and come up with some wacky idea that you're unworthy of their time, respect, and a chance at connecting, sharing ideas, contributing to each others' projects and success. Unworthy?! Um, no. Squash that thought until it vanishes into thin air.

What you didn't think about, is how your message or approach or knock could be the amazing opportunity that dropped in the other person's lap unexpectedly. Their feel-good moment that someone saw them and what they have to offer the world, and decided to take action to add to it and make it even greater or more impactful. You could be the thing they least expect, and didn't even know they were waiting for. You may unlock new doors and opportunities for them just as much as they could for you.

So, this is your pump up post. I'll be your hype-woman. Kick those doubts to the curb. I'm here to debunk 3 common career connections myths that hold us back so we can leap forward and create new possibilities and make a greater impact in our work, our lives, and our world-- together.

The following excerpts come from the second intro chapter of my bestselling career development book, KNOCK: How to Open Doors and Build Career Relationships that Matter, called 'How Do We Feel When We Knock?'

1) Professional leaders with decades of experience won't bother, or have time to, meet with me.

"While from the outside, it may look like successful people progressed in their career because it came easy or naturally to them, they likely got to where they are with the help of many others. Success is not a one-woman sport. Leaders pave the way for others because many helped them, they're in a position to do so, and they have experience others can learn from, or they feel the desire to lift someone up."

2) It's near impossible to cultivate high quality connections outside of the office, working remotely, on Zoom.

"People who are successful at building positive, high-quality relationships don't see distance as a barrier and often use technology to overcome?it. Different perspectives bring about powerful partnerships. Collaborating across cities, states, or continents can have a broader impact because by coming together, you can widen the community you are building. While there's no replacement for live, in-person interactions, the power of connection between individuals, groups, and teams bypasses time zones or physical presence."

3) Spending hours personalizing my resume or cover letter will take more time, and won't move the needle that much.?

When you don't take the time to personalize your outreach messages for jobs or career connections, "this can be efficient, but it can also fall short. It can lead to missed opportunities beyond the job--these individuals and companies could become a part of your professional network for years to come, hired or not."

See? As it turns out, you don't have much to be afraid of. Naturally, people want to connect. To see what happens when we share ideas and come up with new ones together. Despite distance, means of communicating, breadth or depth of experience, focus on connecting on the human level, and it will become clear that these other factors are simply distractions and doubt-inducers.

Now that you're psyched up and ready to knock thoughtfully in your career, how do you go about it? How do you craft the message to someone you've never met before? How do you highlight to the other person or company you value what they value and you want to contribute to their mission or explore partnership opportunities? Luckily, there's a 5-step guide to building high quality career relationships, known as The Knock Method?, and you can learn and apply it when you pick up your copy of the bestselling career development book, KNOCK: How to Open Doors and Build Career Relationships that Matter.

Looking to get started now with intentional career relationship building? Download this free guide and visit The Knock Method website for upcoming events, career development podcast episodes, and other free development career resources to help you connect thoughtfully with mentors, managers, colleagues, startup investors, prospects, clients, and even hiring managers.

Looking to build a culture of connection at work? Inquire about bringing a KNOCK workshop to your team with interactive exercises, and new strategies to deepen relationships among your colleagues, internal teams, and clients.