How to Network for a Job

Write a short thesis: the problems you want to work on, the environments you thrive in, and the roles that match. Targeting makes outreach easier to personalize and easier for others to help with.

List 10–20 priority companies or team types. You do not need a perfect list—just enough focus that your conversations compound.

If you are career switching, name the bridge skills you already have so contacts can place you quickly.

Start with alumni, former colleagues, classmates, and second-degree introductions. Warm paths usually produce better conversations than large cold lists.

For each company, identify at least one human path. If you cannot find one, decide whether to apply cold while continuing research.

Keep the list in a networking CRM or tracker so names do not live only in your memory.

Ask about day-to-day work, how hiring decisions get made, skills that differentiate candidates, and what they would do in your position. Avoid questions answered by the careers page.

Take notes. End on time. Ask for introductions only when the conversation earned that ask.

Afterward, translate insights into application strategy and interview stories.

Send a thank-you within a day with one specific takeaway and one action you took. Later updates should be occasional and useful—not constant asks.

When you apply or advance, tell relevant contacts factually. Do not pressure them to intervene.

Track every open loop until it is closed or intentionally dropped.

Networking informs where and how you apply; applications create formal process entry points. Use both.

Keep people and opportunities linked so you can prepare with full context.

Measure process health by conversations completed and follow-ups sent—not only by offers.