Haveo · Networking guides
Networking when you need a job
Do not ask for a job. Ask for information, and ask the person most likely to actually answer — someone doing the work you want, one level above you, not a hiring manager. A specific question about their work gets a reply; "are you hiring" almost never does.
Why asking for a job does not work
The person you are asking usually cannot give you one. Even when they can, the request puts them in the position of saying no to someone who needs help, so many people simply do not reply.
A question they can answer in three sentences has none of that weight. And the person who answered a question is the person who thinks of you when something opens.
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Who to actually talk to
- Someone doing the job you want, a level or two above you. They know what the work is really like and what gets someone hired, and their inbox is not full of applicants.
- Someone who moved from where you are to where you want to be. They have made the argument for a person like you before.
- Not, usually, a recruiter or hiring manager cold. They are the right people to reach once someone inside can mention you.
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What to ask
"What does the first ninety days actually look like in your team?" "What did you not know about this move before you made it?" "What would make you look twice at someone coming from my background?"
Each of those is answerable, none of them is a favor, and all of them tell you something you cannot get from a job posting.
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When to say what you need
At the end, once, plainly: "I'm looking for a role in X — if anything crosses your desk I'd appreciate a heads up." No pressure, no attachment, no follow-up question.
That sentence converts far better after they have spent ten minutes talking about their work than it does in a first message.
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If you were laid off
Say it early and without apology. "My role was cut in the restructure, so I'm looking" is a complete explanation and it is extremely common right now.
People help far more readily when the reason is clear and they do not have to guess whether asking is rude.
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Rehearse it before you walk in.
Haveo builds your intro, lets you practice out loud with an AI coach, and keeps your notes one tap away in the room. Free on iPhone and iPad.
Download Haveo — free- What to say at a career fair
The thirty seconds at the table, the question that makes a recruiter remember you, and how to leave with something you can follow up on. - Getting through a career fair with social anxiety
A hall full of queues and recruiters. How to pick five tables, what to do about the queue, and why the first one should be a company you do not want. - Questions for an informational interview
Fifteen questions that get a real answer, the three to avoid, and the one to always end on. - LinkedIn messages to someone you have never met
Four cold messages that get replies, the structure underneath them, and the two mistakes that get everything else ignored. - Networking while you are still studying
You have less to offer and far more permission to ask. How to use the student advantage before it expires. - Networking after being laid off
What to say about it, who to tell first, and why the message you dread sending is the one that works. - How to ask someone for a referral
Who you can reasonably ask, the message that makes it easy to say yes, and how to make it almost no work for them. - Networking when you are changing fields
Nobody in the new field knows you and your resume points the wrong way. What to ask, and how to stop leading with the gap. - How to network on LinkedIn
What works, in order: being findable, being useful in public, and sending few specific messages. Plus what to stop doing.