Back in 2012 I thought the advice to 'network before you need a job' was total nonsense.

Getting coffee with a former manager from my old Phoenix office last month, a guy I hadn't worked with in 8 years, is what directly led to my current interview for a project lead role that was never posted publicly.

3 comments

3 Comments

jackson.sarah2mo ago

My old boss from the Austin branch, who I hadn't seen in maybe six years, sent me a link to a job posting last fall just because we were still connected on LinkedIn. I totally get it now. Those random, low-effort contacts feel silly until they suddenly MATTER.

sean_foster521mo ago

Yeah, I'm a little stuck on the "low-effort" part though (and I do this too, so I'm guilty). A link out of the blue after six years isn't really low-effort, it's just timing. The real low-effort stuff is the "Hey, long time no talk, can you look at my resume?" message with no context. That old boss probably spent a few minutes digging up that posting just for you, which is actually a pretty solid move. So I'd argue those contacts only feel silly because we downplay how much intention actually goes into hitting "send" on a random LinkedIn message.

hugo502mo ago

Networking always felt like a chore until I got laid off. A guy I used to eat lunch with, who moved to a different company years ago, was the one who called me with a tip about an opening on his team. It wasn't about asking for favors, we just kept in light touch. That random check-in email every few months made all the difference. The job I got from it was never advertised anywhere.