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Find the people already rooting for you
A simple exercise for starting your career, to find the people who already want to help and ask the right one first
Why it’s worth your time
Most people starting out already know more people who'd help than they realize; they just don't count professors, old shift managers and family friends as a network. Sorting them by closeness and by what they know about the field you're heading into shows you who to ask first.
How to build a network when you're starting out
You’ll come away with one person to ask this week, and the words to ask them.
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- Think wider than work.
Professors and advisors, coaches, managers from part-time jobs and internships, family friends, older friends already working, alumni you've met, the parent of a friend who does something interesting. If they know you and have been working a while, they count.
Tip: Nobody will see this but you. A low number is about how much time you've had together, not about them.
- Rate how well they know you, and what they know.
How well they know you: 1 = we've met once, 3 = they'd remember my name and something about me, 5 = they've seen my work up close. How much they know about the work you're heading toward: 1 = nothing about it, 3 = a related field, or they know people in it, 5 = they do it, or did for years.
Tip: No clear target yet? Score the second number on the field you're most curious about. It can change.
- Write down who to ask first.
Look at everyone who's a 3 or more on knowing the work. Of those, the one who knows you best goes first, then the next.
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- Ask for a short conversation.
Twenty minutes and one or two real questions. Ask what they wish they'd known at your stage, and who else they'd suggest you talk to.
To: someone who knows youHi name, I'm finishing school or program and starting to look at kind of work. You know me, and you know something about it, so I wanted to ask you first.
Would you have 20 minutes in the next few weeks? I'd love to ask you your one question. If a short email is easier than a call, I'd be just as grateful for that.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud.Tip: Bring one specific question. It's far easier to answer than tell me about your career.
- Tell them what you did with it.
A week or two later, send a line on what you tried because of the conversation. People who help someone starting out don't always hear how it went, and hearing it makes them glad they did.
Good moments for this: in your last year of schoolbefore your first job searchwhen you get curious about a new field
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Keep going with Truest
Small actions add up. Truest helps you find the next thing worth doing, make the space to do it, and keep a record of your progress. It’s a private place to work on your career, and it’s yours, not your employer’s.
- It actually happensWe’ll put it on your calendar and remind you before it starts.
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Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Asking someone you know through family can feel like cheating. It isn't; plenty of people find their way into a field exactly like that, and a family friend who once offered to help usually meant it.
What might make this harder
You don't need to, yet. Curiosity and a proper thank-you are enough at this stage, and one day you'll be the person someone starting out asks.
Questions people ask
How do I network when I don't know anyone?
Start with the people who already know you: professors, advisors, coaches, past managers, family friends. Score each on closeness and on what they know about the field, and ask the warmest person who knows it for a short conversation.
How do I ask a professor for career advice?
Send a short note saying what kind of work you're looking at, ask for 20 minutes, and bring one specific question. Professors are often glad to help students they know.
What should I ask in an informational interview as a student?
What the first year in the field is really like, what surprised them when they started, and who they'd introduce you to next. One specific question beats a list of general ones.
Is it okay to ask family friends for career help?
Yes. Be specific about what you're asking, like 20 minutes on what their first job was like, and thank them properly afterward.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Ask someone starting out about their network and they'll often say they don't have one. The word conjures strangers at mixers, and on that definition most students have none. But a network is just the people who know you and would answer if you asked, and almost everyone starting out has more of those than they count. The professor who read your thesis, the manager from your summer job, a friend's parent in a field you're curious about. They don't feel like contacts because you didn't meet them on purpose.
Being asked is usually a pleasure for them. People who've been working a while got help from someone once, and they're rarely asked for theirs in a way that's easy to give. What makes it easy is small and specific: twenty minutes, one real question, from a person they already like. What makes it hard is the open-ended version, will you mentor me, or can you help me find a job.
Skip the warm-first rule if what you need is a paycheck by next month. Then the people who can refer you directly matter more than the ones who know you best, and it's fair to ask them plainly. And if you've had a real falling-out with someone on the list, leave them off for now. There's no prize for asking everyone.
Otherwise, the rule picks warmth over expertise on purpose. Someone who knows you well and knows a bit about the field will usually tell you the truth, including the parts a stranger would politely skip. At the start of a career, someone who'll be honest with you is worth more than someone who knows everything. And if they introduce you onward, you arrive as someone they vouched for rather than as a cold message.
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated October 23, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.