If you’ve been working from home and not having the usual in-person interactions with your boss, colleagues and clients, you are probably wondering how you can get ahead at work in the middle of a pandemic when most of the usual action is on hold or slowed down. Figuring out how to adapt your behaviors is difficult because there is so much uncertainty, but there are things you can do in the virtual workplace to move your plans and your career forward.

If there is one person at work that can impact the trajectory of your career, it is your boss. Getting along with your boss not only makes remote working more pleasant if not fun, it’s also good for your career advancement.

It can however be difficult to develop a good work relationship with your boss when random face-to-face interactions and regular on-site meetings and reporting are few to nil. Remote working can also put added strain on your relationship if you didn’t have a good work relationship with your boss to begin with.  If this is the case, figure out what’s causing the problem and try to mend the relationship. Some factors that affect professional relationships are work quality, loyalty or team player issues and a difference in work style or personality. Take the initiative to address the issue once you’ve identified it.

If the problem is your performance, invite feedback and put more effort to improve your output and exceed expectations or meet deadlines earlier. If the issue is about you not being much of a team player, see where you can volunteer more support to help share the load of colleagues or your boss.

If it’s a work style or personality issue, reflect and see how you can adapt to make the relationship more workable. Revisit what has and hasn’t worked over the past several months of remote working. Some bosses prefer more emailing and fewer meetings. Some prefer regular calls over on spontaneous updates. Some bosses are more hands on while others give you more freedom to do things your way. Knowing your boss’s work style and personality will lessen clash points and failed expectations and will help you accept and adapt to his work style.

If you aren’t able to identify what’s causing the friction or don’t know what your boss wants, it’s going to be hard to meet expectations. Setting parameters at the start of projects and tasks, and having regular feedbacking will help you deliver what your boss expects. Take the trouble of initiating this conversation at the get go so you are on the same page when it comes to results.

Work friendships, spontaneous interactions and random conversations contribute to engagement, creativity, productivity and professional satisfaction. In a remote work set up this is a challenge to mimic so you’ll need to put in the extra effort. Reach out to colleagues and have conversations that aren’t work related.  Initiate virtual hangouts to rekindle bonds. This will help boost teamwork, productivity and performance.

Performance evaluations are how employees know what they did right and what they can do better. Often times though these only happen once or twice a year. The infrequency can make performance reviews feel like a judgement or make you defensive thus rendering it counterproductive. Make it feel like less of a judgement by inviting feedback from your boss more frequently. Some bosses are hesitant to initiate performance reviews so take the initiative to let your boss know that you welcome frequent feedback and are motivated to improve your performance. It will be less of a judgment of you as person and will instead be more focused on your work quality. Your initiative will make feedbacking more of a collaborative and productive process. Getting feedback will not only identify areas of improvement and strengths, it will also help you prioritize your task and help your career growth.

If for whatever reason it just isn’t possible to get feedback from your boss, reach out to someone who is a level above you, that you can build a relationship with and who can mentor you. A mentor can help answer career questions, make connections, provide guidance and motivation on your career, according to  personal branding and career expert, Wendi Weiner.

Remote working requires a lot of trust on a boss’s part since they don’t see their employees regularly. They can’t see if you are actually putting in the work and time you were hired for. Avoid trust issues by letting your boss know what your schedule is. Be available whenever they call during your expected work times. Don’t give your boss a reason to think you aren’t working hard and specially don’t give your boss reason to assume the worst.

It is a challenge to expand your network in the midst of social distancing and stay-at-home orders. But the fact is, networking is an important part of advancing your career. With the absence of in-person conferences, round tables and happy hours, it will take a stretch and feel awkward to randomly reach out to someone for a virtual chat. If this isn’t your thing, there are virtual events on linkedin.com and other platforms you can join so it’s a lot less awkward. Choose events and forums that are related to the industry you’re in or the direction you want.

Don’t assume that your boss knows all the good work that you do for the company, more so now with the work from home set up. There will be times when you’ll need to show the value that you bring to the organization. Quantifiable evidence like how much money you saved the company or examples of your leadership would be good to have.  To do this and to make the process easier, keep track of what you’ve accomplished and contributed to the company through the year. It will be easier to pull up if it’s something you keep track off.

Your career plans may have slowed down during the pandemic but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to grind to a screeching halt. The new work place requires tweaks in how to move your career forward, from adapting to your boss’s work style, to inviting more feedback and making connections. Be open, patient and tenacious. Adapting and evolving, just like the corona virus, is the sensible move in advancing your career through this pandemic.