Remember when networking meant awkwardly balancing a drink and a plate of cheese cubes at a crowded conference while trying to spark small talk? For many of us, that world flipped overnight. Now, some colleagues are down the hall, others are just little squares on a screen, and we’re left to figure out how to build relationships in this half-digital, half-physical work reality.
The good news: hybrid networking can be more intentional, inclusive, and effective than what we had before. The challenge: it requires a fresh playbook.
The New Reality of Networking
Take Sandra, a mid-level manager at a global bank. Before 2020, she built her reputation by showing up at after-hours mixers and chatting with senior leaders in the office cafeteria. Once hybrid work hit, she realized she rarely bumped into people “by accident” anymore. She felt invisible.
What turned things around for her wasn’t grinding through more Zoom happy hours—it was being deliberate. She started hosting short, monthly virtual coffee chats with colleagues in different regions:15-minute check-ins where people shared wins, challenges, or just swapped book recommendations. Within months she had expanded her network across time zones.
That’s the shift: in hybrid environments, when you can’t count on chance encounters, you must deliberately create moments of connection.
“Zoom Fatigue” Is Real
We’ve all felt it: the glazed eyes, or the cameras off, the drained energy after all day back-to-back video calls. In that context, any networking efforts that feel like another meeting are doomed to fail. The secret here is to make interactions lighter, more human, and less transactional.
Practical moves:
- Keep virtual networking sessions short. Fifteen minutes beats an hour every time.
- Switch up the medium: send a thoughtful voice note on LinkedIn or a quick video message instead of another email.
- When coordinating a meeting with just one person, suggest a walk-and-talk call—no cameras, just conversation while you both stretch your legs.
By changing the format, you give people space to connect without adding to their overload.
Blend Online and In-Person Strategically
Hybrid work gives us options. The trick is to use each environment for what it’s best at.
- Online: Great for maintaining far-flung connections, sharing updates widely, and meeting people you might never run into locally.
- In-person: Best for deepening trust, reading body language, creating alliances, and brainstorming big ideas.
Think of them as complementary tools. For example, an entrepreneur I know, Lucia, built her coaching business during the pandemic by running free virtual workshops. When offices reopened, she didn’t drop Zoom—she used it to stay in touch with global clients while hosting intimate, in-person dinners for local contacts. That combination grew her network faster than pre-pandemic tactics ever did.
Don’t Forget the “Weak Ties”
Strong connections (mentors, close colleagues) are important, but research shows “weak ties”—the looser acquaintances you don’t talk to often—can be even more powerful in opening doors. Hybrid work makes it easy to lose touch with these people unless you’re intentional.
Try this: once a month, scroll through your LinkedIn or contacts list and pick two people you haven’t spoken to in a while. Send a quick message. Not a pitch, just a touchpoint. Something like: “Saw this article and it made me think of that project you mentioned ages ago—how’s it going?”
Those small nudges keep your network warm and often lead to unexpected opportunities. Because people tend to offer opportunities to those top of mind, if you haven’t touched based in months or years, it’s unlikely they will be thinking of you for their next big thing.
Create Your Own Spaces
If existing networking opportunities don’t feel right, make your own. Hybrid work has lowered the barriers to bringing people together.
- Find ways to support the careers of the people in your network (easy to do on LinkedIn and in person)
- Start a WhatsApp group for women in your industry to share resources.
- Host a quarterly “virtual roundtable” with peers from different companies.
- If you’re entrepreneurial, consider building a community around your expertise.
Example: Maya, a marketing director, grew tired of generic webinars. She began hosting 20-minute Friday morning “idea swaps” for women in branding. They share what campaigns inspired them that week. It’s informal, energizing, and now one of the highlights of her professional life.
Protect Your Energy
Networking doesn’t mean saying yes to everything. In fact, hybrid networking works best when you curate it.
Ask yourself:
- Does this interaction energize me or drain me?
- Am I building depth, not just breadth?
- Am I staying true to the kinds of people and projects I care about?
By focusing your effort, you build stronger, more meaningful ties instead of spreading yourself thin.
Redefining Networking
Hybrid times have stripped away the old formulas. We get to rewrite what networking looks like—making it more inclusive, intentional, and flexible.
The best connections don’t happen because you showed up at every event. They happen because you reached out thoughtfully, stayed curious, and kept the human part at the center. Beyond the screens and the occasional coffee meetup, that’s what people remember.
And the truth is, when you network this way, it doesn’t just grow your career—it makes work feel a lot less lonely.
