Keep applying for suitable jobs. Alongside that, start with people who share a real context or can answer a specific question about the work.
No connections at your target company is not no network
Make a list of people who have seen you do something: a classmate, former shift supervisor, instructor, project teammate, volunteer coordinator or customer who knows your work. None needs to be a hiring manager. They may know a field, suggest a useful group or help you explain your experience.
If you are new to a country, returning after a long break or entering work for the first time, that list may be short. That is a practical constraint, not a personal failure. Keep direct applications in your plan; networking is an additional route, not a prerequisite for employment.
University career services, including Harvard Extension School's guide, recommend looking across existing relationships and professional communities. Our starting plan below does not require access to a particular university directory.
Find people close enough to the work to help
| Person | A reasonable first question |
|---|---|
| A recent graduate or junior practitioner | What did your first role actually require? |
| A former colleague | Which teams use the skills you saw me develop? |
| An instructor or project mentor | What would make this work sample more credible to an employer? |
| A community organizer | Which sessions welcome people entering this field? |
| A recruiter advertising a relevant vacancy | Does this opening cover the kind of experience I have? |
Use public professional profiles, a school directory you are entitled to access or an event's opt-in community. Do not buy private contact lists or assume everyone with a shared school owes you a response.
An alumni message that does not ask for too much
Hi Diego, I also studied at Eastview College and saw that you moved into supply-chain analytics. I'm finishing a project on inventory forecasting and trying to understand entry-level analyst roles. Would you be open to one question by message: what kind of analysis did you spend most of your first year doing?
Fictional example. Replace the details with your own experience.
The shared school explains why you found this person. The question gives them a manageable way to answer. You have not invented familiarity or asked them to assess your whole career.
Hi Morgan, I attended your public talk on accessible website testing. I've been testing a small site I built and found keyboard focus harder to get right than I expected. Is there one testing habit you recommend to someone preparing for a junior QA role?
Fictional example. Replace the details with your own experience.
Your first two weeks
- Choose one role family and read several current postings. Write down the responsibilities you understand and the ones you need explained.
- Ask one existing contact a question they can answer from experience. Be explicit that you are exploring or job searching.
- Find one recurring professional group or public career-center workshop. Check that newcomers can participate.
- Send a few individual messages with different, genuine reasons for writing. Do not use the same claim of admiration for everyone.
- Use what you learn to improve a resume bullet, work sample or target list. Thank the person whose advice helped.
If there is no useful local group, a moderated online community can work. If you prefer in-person meetings, start with our city networking guides. Public career services can be more relevant to immediate hiring than a startup reception.
You do not have to earn help through unpaid work
Being considerate is enough. You do not owe a stranger free consulting, a detailed company strategy or months of social-media engagement before asking a respectful question. A small public or fictional project can demonstrate your ability without becoming unpaid employer work.
Do not measure your first month by referral count. Look for better information, a clearer target and a few people with whom a second conversation would make sense. If an approach produces only silence, change the audience or question before increasing volume.
Sources & further reading
Sources checked October 21, 2026. Study dates and limitations are noted in the article; organizer pages can change.