This article was originally published on LinkedIn
A few years before I left government, I worked on the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), focusing on how the State Department used knowledge, data, and technology in its decision-making processes.
The QDDR team encouraged looking outward to understand the current landscape and accept that we had much to learn. We thought broadly about how external changes might outpace the Department's ability to adapt organizationally and culturally. For the first time, I experienced genuine panic—realizing the private sector was vastly outpacing the Department in data use, knowledge sharing, and technology adoption.
Something else happened: I built a network connecting me with people across industry and government who understood these topics and shared the view that a modern State Department was critical in an uncertain world. That network became my bridge when I hit a wall in 2017 and decided to try something new.
Your network will be the path to your next chapter. Of the four key transition components—resume, hard skills, portfolio, and network—your network is both the beginning and end of the process, and the most important element. Networks are evergreen systems of exchange between you and other members. The challenge is that valuable networks take time to build because they align around shared values, interests, and vision.
In a world where up to a quarter of job seekers may be AI-generated, being human and knowing who else is human may become one of our most important advantages.
Goals for Building Networks
Network theory can lead you down rabbit holes of graph networks, weighted attributes, and systems thinking models. These approaches can work, but they're often overwhelming when your biggest problem is "Who do I know who can advocate for me?"
Let's focus on a human-centered approach that's manageable, useful over time, and helps you apply your network meaningfully.
A note on paying to play: Many people and organizations profit from desperate job seekers. From industry experts to career specialists to resume writers, their goals may not align with yours. You can build a network without spending money. Even for membership organizations, you can often volunteer instead of paying expensive fees. Approach any event with a price tag with skepticism.
Goal 1: Build for Shared Interests, Not Transactions
Transactional networks are temporary. Quid pro quo—something for something—is hard to sustain in personal networks. It's costly, can harm network quality, and diminishes the value you bring and receive. "Calling in a favor" should be a last resort.
Building for shared interests and outcomes creates organic opportunities. The challenge is time. You must invest in the network and become a known quantity. It can take months or years of consistently showing up, helping out, and participating before you become the go-to person for certain problems.
This is fundamentally human work. While some communities exist virtually, the most active networks are in-person. Putting a person to a name and face creates meaningful connections. Studies show that contact time is one of the most critical predictors of hiring success. Be the candidate someone has known and seen.
Since you can't be everywhere at once, choosing where to be present leads to the next goal.
Goal 2: Invest and Align Strategically
Time is our most expensive and rare resource. When deciding where to invest your time, align opportunity, background, and interest.
Start with opportunity: What groups can best support your transition? Who's hiring? What roles are in demand? What industries are growing? Understanding current opportunities helps prioritize your time.
Next, consider your background: A candidate who has done the work successfully before, especially with demonstrated repeatable success, will almost always rise to the top—especially with advocates. Aligning background with opportunities should significantly narrow where you spend time.
Finally, ensure good interest alignment. Genuine interest is nearly impossible to fake, and work takes up too much time to do something you don't care about.
These three overlays—opportunity, background, and interest—help you align your network to enable your search. At this point, your network might be small or even non-existent. That doesn't mean there isn't a good match; it means you need to look more creatively at opportunities or think differently about your background and interests.
Goal 3: Know Your Advocates, Fans, and Leeches
Years ago, I read a change management article about diagramming networks with green dots (bought in), yellow dots (might buy in), and red dots (won't buy in). The insight: some people will never participate in change, so skip them and focus energy on green and yellow dots. Simple and effective. You can apply this same method to understand who deserves your time and energy.
Advocates are your most important network pieces. When your name comes up, they immediately say "they're awesome, how have you not hired them already?" They actively advocate on your behalf. They're rare, so protect, nurture, and invest in these relationships. They'll be instrumental in navigating opportunities, referrals, and advocacy. You'll recognize advocates by how others tell you you're talked about.
Fans play a largely passive role. They share positive anecdotes, make casual referrals ("I saw this and thought of you"), and offer recommendations. Unlike advocates, fans don't invest significant time back into you. Advocates will spend time on calls, review resumes, write references, and check in regularly. Fans show up to cheer you on but sometimes leave early. They provide social familiarity and context—when asked "do you know them?" they can say "Yes, they're great!" It's helpful and supportive, and ideally these people can become advocates.
Leeches have strong opinions but don't listen well. They drain energy and enthusiasm without giving anything back. They ask for favors, time, and insight without reciprocating. Identify and avoid them early.
Between these categories is everyone else—humans doing human things. In your aligned network, casual interaction to determine if they can become fans or advocates, or should be avoided as leeches, is typically worth the time. This is the secret to building networks: maintain existing positive relationships while making room for new advocacy and intentionally filtering out leeches.
A Strategy Without Action Isn't
Building and sustaining a network takes significant work and time—sometimes years. The network you have today may not be the one you need tomorrow. A goal-based approach leaves space to define process and tools, and technology can be a significant differentiator.
The most important thing is bias for action. Don't spend weeks analyzing before signing up for a meetup. Don't spend days reviewing your overlays.
Start small: Write down the ten people who know you best and who you know best. Figure out what industries they work in and whether that aligns with your background and interests. Reach out and set up conversations. Take notes from those discussions.
Use initial conversations to refine your understanding over time. Meet more people where your background and interests align with opportunity. Start identifying people who know you but aren't yet advocates. Be present in communities aligned with where you want to go.
Networking is hard because people are complex. Not everyone will become an advocate or fan, and that's okay. Not every opportunity will align with your background and interests, and that's okay too. But investing time and energy into your network is guaranteed to be better than the alternative.
So what are you waiting for? Get started.