Network without begging for a job

Cold-asking strangers to ‘hop on a call so I can pick your brain’ is why networking has a bad reputation. Adults help people who are specific, respectful, and easy to answer.

Start warm

Former coworkers, classmates, instructors, vendors, customers, faith and community connections, military unit, parent networks, alumni Slack. Write a list of 40 names before you ever message a director you do not know.

Ask for insight, not a miracle

• What the team actually values in the first 90 days.
• Which parts of the posting are real vs. leftover.
• What makes candidates fail after they look good on paper.
• Whether the role is a backfill or a new seat (stability signal).

Hi Maya — I hope the warehouse is slightly less on fire than last spring. I’m targeting operations coordinator roles in wholesale, the same lane I moved into after your dock team trained me. I’m applying to Northline’s posting this week. If you’re willing, I’d value one sentence on what that team actually needs in a coordinator. No need for a referral unless you’d stand behind it. Grateful either way.

Hi James — we overlapped in the 2019 Shoreline business cohort. I’m moving from retail supervision into operations coordination and I saw you’ve been at Pacific Foods for a while. I’m not asking you to hand me a job. I am asking whether your ops coordinators live more in Excel, the ERP, or vendor phones—so I tailor honestly. Two lines is plenty. Thank you for reading.

Follow through

Thank people. Use the advice. Send a short update when you apply or when you land something. Keep a tab in the tracker. People remember the person who closed the loop.