Something to doChanging jobs
Find the people who could open a door
A simple exercise for a job search, to find the people worth asking first and know what to ask them
Why it’s worth your time
A search goes better when the first asks go to people who know your work and know the territory. Rating everyone on both shows you who those people are, which is often not who you'd have guessed. Asking them for a perspective rather than a job makes the ask easy to say yes to.
How to use your network in a job search
You’ll come away with an ordered list of people to ask, and the first note ready to send.
We’ll send you a calendar invite.
- Cast a wide net first.
Former coworkers and managers, classmates, friends of friends, people you met once at a conference, a neighbor who works in the field. Don't filter yet; people you'd cross off often know someone.
Tip: This list is only for you. Rating someone low says nothing about them, only about where things stand between you.
- Give each person two numbers.
How well they know you: 1 = they might not remember me, 3 = we'd catch up easily, 5 = they'd vouch for my work. How close they are to what you're aiming for: 1 = nowhere near it, 3 = a nearby field, or they know people in it, 5 = they do the work, or work where I want to.
Tip: Write your target at the top before you score. Even a best guess makes the second number easier.
- Add the numbers and write the order.
Add each person's two numbers and sort from highest. When two people tie, the one who knows you better goes first. Your top three are this week's asks.
Stays in this browser only. Nobody else sees it.
- Ask for a perspective, not a job.
Say what you're looking for in a sentence, then ask for 20 minutes of their view: what the work is really like, what they'd do in your place, and who else might be worth a conversation.
To: someone you knowHi name, I'm starting to look for my next role, aiming at kind of role or field, and you were one of the first people I thought of.
Could I have 20 minutes of your perspective sometime in the next few weeks? I'm not asking you to find me anything. I'd just value your take on what you want to understand. And if the timing's bad, no worries at all.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud.Tip: If they offer to refer or introduce you, say yes and thank them. Just don't make it the ask.
- Work outward.
After each conversation, add whoever they mention and send a short thank-you that says what you took from it. Then move down the list. People in the middle of the list often know someone too.
Good moments for this: at the start of a searchwhen your target changesevery few weeks while the search is on
We’ll send you a calendar invite.
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.
- You know what’s nextTruest suggests the next small thing to try, based on what you’re working on.
- It’s yours to keepEach thing you do is saved to your private record, there when your next review or job search comes around.
Anything else we can help you with this week?
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
It makes the second number easy to score, and it makes you easy to help. People can introduce you to a product analytics team; it's much harder to introduce you to “something new.”
What might make this harder
Score the second number on who they might know, not only on where they work. Then ask your warmest few who they'd talk to in your place.
Questions people ask
How do I use my network to find a job?
List the people you know who are anywhere near what you want, sort them by how well they know you and how close they are to the goal, and ask the top few for a conversation, not a job.
How do I ask someone for help with my job search?
Say in a sentence what you're looking for, ask for 20 minutes of their perspective, and make it easy to say not now. Leave the referral for later, once they know what you're after.
Who should I reach out to first when job hunting?
People who know your work and are close to the role, company or field you want. A former manager or coworker in or near the field is often the best first ask.
Is it okay to reach out to someone I haven't talked to in years?
Yes. Acknowledge the gap, keep it short, and ask for something small. Most people are glad to hear from someone they liked working with.
Why this works, and where it comes from
When people start a search, they usually do one of two things with their network: nothing, because asking feels awkward, or everything at once, a burst of messages to anyone with a relevant title. Both skip the question that matters, which is who you can ask well. A good ask needs two things at once: someone who knows you enough to take it seriously, and someone close enough to the goal to have something useful to say.
Scoring the two separately shows you people you'd otherwise overlook. The former manager in a completely different industry still knows your work and probably knows a dozen people. The acquaintance at the exact company you want can tell you what the team is like, but may hesitate to vouch for someone they barely know. From their side that hesitation is fair, and a conversation first gives them something to go on.
This isn't the right move if you don't yet know what you're aiming for. Every second number will be a guess, and the conversations will drift. In that case, spend a week getting clear on the kind of work you'd love first, then come back to the list.
Mark Granovetter's well-known work on the strength of weak ties found that people often hear about jobs through acquaintances rather than close friends, because acquaintances move in different circles and know things your friends don't. That's why the method starts warm, where asking is easiest, and then works outward on purpose. The people at the top of your list are where the search starts; the names they give you are often where it goes.
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Written by Truest, similar to The Strength of Weak Ties (Mark Granovetter). Last updated October 23, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.