Activate your network

You've mapped your network. Now you need to activate it – so people know you're job seeking and can help you. The most effective way? Personal contact.

Personal contact beats posts

Many people write a post on social media: "I'm looking for a job – do you know of anything?"

That's fine – but it quickly disappears in the crowd. People see it, click "like," and forget it just as quickly.

When you instead write directly to someone, it becomes more genuine. It feels like a real conversation. It engages them.

It doesn't have to be coffee meetings with 50 people. It can be:

• A message via LinkedIn
• An email
• A phone call

The important thing is that it's direct and personal.

3 goals when you activate

When you reach out, you have three goals:

1. Tell them you're looking for a job

Very simple. If people don't know, they can't help.

2. Tell them what you can do – with examples

Not a list of skills, but concrete tasks you can solve. Then people know what to listen for.

• Bad: "I'm good at project management"
• Good: "I can plan and manage a project from idea to delivery"

3. Tell them what they can do

Make it easy for them. For example, say:

"If you hear about someone who needs someone like me, please write or call me."

You're not giving them a task – you're asking them to be aware. If they want to recommend you, they will.

Choose the right contacts

It's not enough to just contact everyone on your list. Look through your lists and select those you think:

• Have a strong network themselves
• Have contacts in a relevant company
• Work in an industry you're interested in

But remember: It's better to contact a few too many than too few. You never know who people know. Sometimes it's the most unexpected contact that opens the door.

What happens if you don't activate?

If you don't make your network active:

• Nobody knows you're job seeking
• Nobody thinks they should be looking out for you
• Nobody has you in mind when an opportunity arises

But if you activate your network, people start helping. It can make a huge difference.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Only writing a post: Personal contact works better
• Being too vague: Be specific about what you can do
• Not saying what they can do: Make it easy for them
• Contacting too few: You don't know who knows who

Practical tips

• Write a short message you can adapt for each contact
• Use LinkedIn to reach many quickly
• Have your CV ready to share
• Follow up after a couple of weeks
• Thank people who help – even if it doesn't lead to anything

Try it yourself

1. Choose 5-10 contacts from your list
2. Write a short, personal message to each
3. Tell them you're searching, what you can do, and what they can do
4. Send the messages today

Frequently asked questions

Next step

Now you can activate your existing network. But what about expanding it? In the next guide, you'll learn concrete ways to expand your network and meet new people.