Networking: Figuring Out Who to Contact
As we get into week seven of your job-search reset, you’ve:
• Clarified your priorities
• Cleaned up your digital footprint
• Gathered work samples
• Refreshed your resume
Now comes the part that makes many people pause: reaching out. The job market is crowded, noisy, and difficult right now. Postings are swamped with candidates and proactively networking and connecting is a good use of energy and time…but it can sometimes feel overwhelming or awkward. This week is about creating structure around your outreach to help you gain confidence to approach networking.
Photo by Arina Krasnikova
Start With Who You Already Know
Remember that you are not starting from zero. For purposes of this article, we’ll be talking specifically about how to leverage your LinkedIn connections. The question isn’t whether you know enough people, it’s thinking about who you’re closest with and already know in your network. But to figure out or remind yourself who those connections are, it’s important to have a plan.
Here’s a simple process to get started.
Step 1: Download Your LinkedIn Contacts
Export your LinkedIn connections into a spreadsheet. This gives you:
Names
Email Addresses
Connection Dates
Seeing your network in one organized place shifts the energy immediately. Instead of thinking, “Who should I reach out to?” you can realize, “Oh! I actually know great people!” Seeing your connections in a simple spreadsheet is far less distracting than sifting through the endless social stream on LinkedIn. I’ve crafted a short Loom tutorial to help you download your contacts. LinkedIn still allows you to offload your contacts, contacts that you’ve worked hard to obtain, so intentionally doing this step once a year or so allows you to preserve your connections on your own computer.
Step 2: Create Your Short List
Once your contacts are organized, create a warm “short list.”
These are people you would genuinely feel comfortable reconnecting with:
Former colleages
Past managers
Clients
Peers
Industry friends
Starting with intentional, warm outreach is a great way to ease into connecting and boost your confidence.
Want a Deeper Dive?
I originally wrote a more detailed article on this process that walks through the strategy behind connecting with your connections. This article delves into the importance of being thoughtful rather than transactional and provides tips on other ways and resources you can tap into to network and connect.
A Gentle Reminder
The whole concept of networking can feel very daunting to people. This week, it’s not about devising a robust in-person networking strategy. As you get started it’s about thinking about those closest to you that you can practice with and get started. Start with five names. Send one message to reconnect to each. That’s enough. One thing at a time. You’ve got this!