A network is built between needs, not during them
The professionals who get approached constantly are not better networked. They are better timed.
Everyone knows networking matters; most people do it only when they need a job, which is precisely when it works worst. Outreach sent from need has a smell. The senior people whose phones ring with opportunities built the rings two years earlier.
The minimum viable practice
- Five touches a month: a comment on a former colleague's post, a congratulation on a move, an article sent with one line of context
- One real conversation a month: coffee, a call, fifteen minutes with someone whose work you follow
- Two give-first acts a quarter: an introduction, a candidate referral, a useful piece of market color
That is under two hours a month. The people who do it are visibly more employable than the people who do not, and the gap compounds.
Recruiters are part of the network
Return search consultants' calls even when you are not moving. Take the coffee, be honest about your plans, and refer candidates when you can. Search firms remember sources far longer than candidates - the person who gives a good name today gets the call about the unposted mandate in two years.
The test
If you were between jobs tomorrow, could you make ten calls in ten minutes? If not, that is the work, and this quarter is the time to do it.