I’ve been in my field for over a decade.
In that time, I’ve held a lot of jobs. And all but two of them came from a referral — someone I’d worked with before, stayed in touch with, or had simply taken the time to know.
Not my resume. Not a job board. Not a recruiter cold email.
A person who thought of me when an opportunity came up.
That’s what a network actually does when you’ve built one with intention.
People hire people they know and trust.
Job postings are public. Your competition on any given application is enormous.
But a referral skips the line entirely.
When someone vouches for you, you walk into the process with credibility already attached. The hiring manager isn’t starting from zero — they’re starting with a reason to believe in you.
That’s an advantage no resume formatting tip can replicate.
Your network is already working for you — or it isn’t.
Here’s the thing most people don’t realize: your network is active whether you tend to it or not.
If you’ve stayed in touch with former colleagues, shown up for people, and been someone worth remembering — it’s working for you right now, even when you’re not job hunting.
If you’ve gone quiet, stayed siloed, and only reached out when you needed something — it’ll feel like starting from scratch every time.
The key is consistency.
You don’t need a big network. You need a real one.
Don’t start collecting LinkedIn connections like trading cards.
A handful of people who genuinely respect your work will open more doors than five hundred lukewarm follows ever will.
Think about the people you’ve worked with who saw you at your best. Former managers. Colleagues who became friends. People whose work you admired. Those relationships — even the ones that have gone quiet — are worth rekindling.
Most people are glad to hear from someone they once worked well with. You’re probably overthinking the reach-out.
And if you’re starting from scratch — that’s okay.
Not everyone has a decade of connections to lean on. Some people are switching industries. Some are early in their careers. Some are moving to a new country and rebuilding everything from the ground up.
A network isn’t something you either have or don’t. It’s something you build — one conversation, one connection, one genuine interaction at a time.
Start where you are. Comment thoughtfully on posts in your field. Show up in online communities. Reach out to people whose work you respect — not to ask for anything, but to say something real.
The best time to build your network was yesterday.
The second best time is right now — before you need it.
Stay present. Stayed generous. Stay in touch.
These relationships will pay you back 100 fold.
Comfortably Uncertain,
Krista
Comfortably Uncertain 