Chief Growth Officer at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn. Sci-Fi & Satire Author.
I talk to a lot of people who lost their jobs. More than I can count, honestly. It’s a daily occurrence. The biggest mistake these suddenly-and-unexpectedly-a-job-seeker types made: not staying in touch with their networks. The people they used to work with, go to school with, socialize with, do business with. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do for a living, you know people. More than you realize. And a lot of those people who would bend over backwards to help you, if they can. Or rather, if they even knew you needed help. I even hear this with senior sales types, where maintaining relationships is part of the function. Not the people they currently work with, but the contacts they made two, five, ten years ago. People tend to drift away from each other. And it’s always the same reason: “We haven’t talked in forever. It’d be weird if I just reached back out.” 👉But science says the exact opposite. People would actually LOVE to hear from you. Because they have the exact same apprehension. I read this Guardian article about a study from the University of Pittsburgh: “Old friends more grateful to receive a message than we expect, study finds.” Here: https://lnkd.in/g-yPBTRY Tldr: They had people write to old friends and contacts they hadn’t been in touch with in a while, and asked both the sender and recipients to rate their levels of appreciation. The recipients, on average, were always happier to receive the note than the sender expected. Turns out, the unexpected surprise of hearing from a long lost friend or acquaintance is a positive. Think about it. When’s the last time you heard from an old friend out of the blue? Didn’t it make your day? Most people are bad at staying in touch. It’s normal. But it doesn’t have to be permanent.
Nailed it. My network has been my greatest asset. It takes work, but when you genuinely want to hear from "your people" it makes mutual win-win situations blossom - and it's not really work when you genuinely want to stay connected. I just left a good job for a personal sabbatical, and I've banked my next career reliance on my network. Why look elsewhere?
The importance in connection is so important. The action of reaching out to rekindle connection or ask for help is critical. If your job is going well, read this and reach out to a couple of old connections. If your job is going poorly or you need a job, read this post and then reach out to a lot of old connections.
Well for me and I don't to be negative, networking has some challenges. Former supervisors and colleagues have an agenda for you to fail. People will say bad things about you so that you will not succeed or will not get hired for a position. One recruiter told me that companies will not look at resumes if a person has been out of work for a year. Anywhoo, good luck to you!!!
I've just started rebuilding my network after many years, it's hard work, but it's definitely been very worth it.
Reconnecting with old contacts can really open doors. How do you plan to revive your network?
Have you tried reaching out to former colleagues lately? It could lead to unexpected opportunities.
Truth. I follow up with my friends/colleagues I met at conferences and industry events via Telegram.
great message, so true!
Great post! People are willing to help!
Chief Growth Officer at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn. Sci-Fi & Satire Author.
1moJust don't use the LinkedIn Salesbro method: "Congrats on your promotion to a decision making position! Can I sell to you?" 😂