7. Growing Your Professional Network

Written by Jenn Bailey

You’ve spent the last six chapters getting tactical about your job search. Now that you know more about what you want out of a career in tech and have narrowed down the companies and roles you want, it’s time to think about how to improve your chances of getting hired. A lot of people out there want to be junior devs, so how can you stand out from the crowd?

In this chapter, you’ll start with a vital ingredient to success: growing your professional network.

What You’ll Learn

• Why professional networking is so important.
• Who to add to your professional network.
• How to network online.
• How to network in person.
• How to maintain and grow your network over time.
• Simple soft-skills techniques for the introvert.

You’ll start by learning about the value of networking and why you should put effort into it both as a junior dev and throughout your career.

Why Professional Networking is Important

You’ve already put a lot into your career and job search. Now, it’s time to add the most important element: networking. It might surprise you to hear it, but networking is the single most effective strategy in your job search.

It’s like the old saying goes: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. Success requires not only skills, but also opportunity, and networking helps you with both. The people in your network can provide valuable assistance throughout your career, but especially at the start. Some of the ways networking will help you include:

• Helping you get a better job, faster.
• Giving you a competitive edge.
• Giving you a support network that will assist you over time.

Next, you’ll look more closely at each of these benefits.

Getting a Better Job Faster

Networking not only helps you get a job faster, but you’ll also have a higher chance of getting a coveted position with better salary or at a more prestigious company. Meeting someone in person makes a much larger impression than simply seeing a resume. If a company gets a lot of resumes, it can help to be recognized as a face by that company, not only as words on digital paper.

Additionally, as you learned earlier, many jobs are never even listed. By getting to know insiders at a company, you’re more likely to learn about new, upcoming positions that you’re qualified to apply for.

Furthermore, a recommendation from a respected peer can go a long way.

Honing Your Competitive Edge

Networking improves your presentation in a job interview. It builds your confidence when talking to people within your industry, including interviewers. It helps you improve critical soft skills like communication and teamwork, which gives you an edge in an interview.

Connecting with more experienced developers can give you access to the latest industry insights, trends and best practices, which helps you stay current and relevant in the field. This gives you interesting things to talk about with your interviewers.

Unfortunately, many developers at this stage in their career don’t put in the effort to build a strong network. If you do, you’ll stand out clearly from other junior devs applying to the same position.

Creating a Long-Term Support Network

Networking isn’t only about getting a job; it’s also a way to be a good citizen in the tech arena. Just like neurons in the brain, networking in tech forms valuable connections across the entire sector. We’ve built a pool of collective knowledge that we all learn from and add to every day. We trade tips and techniques, we help one another solve problems and we lift each other up so we can all become better developers.

Networking helps you form valuable connections across the entire tech sector. Everyone who participates in this knowledge network is helping advance the industry.

By creating your own network, you’ll have access people you can trust to ask questions and advice. You give back by helping those in your network. This makes you less isolated, gives you peers who understand your specialized field, and makes your entire career more rewarding over the long term.

Now that you understand the importance of networking, you’ll learn how to get started by creating an organization plan.

Getting Organized

If you feel a bit nervous — even overwhelmed — at the thought of creating a professional network, you’re not alone. But you don’t need to let those feelings prevent you from using this powerful job tool.

Creating an organization plan helps you track your most relevant contacts and remember your next action items, without getting overloaded — or letting the pressure of socializing make you put off follow-ups. In the next section, you’ll learn how to make building your network less overwhelming.

Gathering Supplies

It helps to have everything you need ready when you start networking, both in person and online.

For in-person networking this includes:

• Business cards or a printed resume (consider adding a LinkedIn QR code as described in Chapter 5, “Traditional & Nontraditional Ways to Find Jobs”).
• A pen.
• A scratchpad for notes.

The pen and notepad are useful for noting down a contact’s name and any interesting facts like where they work and what platforms they concentrate on. You can then transfer this information into your chosen contacts system, as described below.

Put the physical items you’ll need in a designated place, so you’ll always have them ready when you’re out. You never know when a networking opportunity will present itself.

For online networking, you’ll want:

• Handy links to your social media profiles.
• An electronic resume, or better yet, two: a formatted resume and a text version that’s easy to cut and paste.
• A good headshot.

You don’t have to have a professional photograph you for your headshot — though it’s not a bad idea if you have the opportunity. Cell phones these days have the capability of taking such great shots that even a selfie can be professional enough.

Make sure the photo you use shows your face straight on and close enough to get a clear view. A neutral background and contrasting, solid-colored clothing is best. Use strong front lighting that shows your features well without making you squint.

Tip: You can use free tools to improve your headshots. For example, Remove.bg helps you remove a distracting background, while Canva gives you headshot templates that let you add frames, enhancements and even text.

Next, you’ll think about how to organize your contacts once you’ve gathered them.

Organizing Your Contacts

Your first step is to decide the tools you’ll use to organize your contacts. For example, would you prefer to use the contacts app on your phone or a physical address book? You can even use a note-taking app like Apple Notes, Google Keep, Evernote or Notion. A good note-taking tool will allow you to organize or search notes later, or to pin them if they’re important.

Apps have the advantage that you’re not likely to lose them easily (especially if you ensure the information in your account is backed up automatically). Some even include helpful information, like the last time you contacted a connection. A physical address book makes it easy for you to refer to your contacts, but you might not always have it when you need it.

Next, consider how you’ll group your contacts. You might want to use a general group like “Job leads” or “iOS Buddies” or even “Professional Network” so you can find your professional contacts easily.

The most important data to collect is their name, contact information and a note about where you met them and why you’d like to add them to your network.

However, it’s also thoughtful to keep track of the contact’s phonetic name. Remembering how to properly pronounce someone’s name demonstrates that you value them.

Finally, be sure to track important links. For example, associating a contact with the great talk they gave on YouTube makes it easy to remember why you wanted to connect with that person.

Whichever tool you choose to use, it’s important to committing to using that tool every time. This will keep your information centralized and ensure you’ll know where to find it in the future.

Now, you’re ready to get down to the task of finding people to connect with and making that first contact with them.

Tip: To find events and meetups both online and in person, refer to the “Networking” section of Chapter 5, “Traditional & Nontraditional Ways to Find Jobs”.

Finding People to Network With

A professional network consists of the people you know in your area around you and/or on social media sites. It also includes followers you have on social media and people you know offline. Colleagues and mentors from schools or bootcamps you’ve attended, friends, family and community members can all be part of your network.

When building a network, quality trumps quantity. It’s nice to have a large group of followers, but the most important thing is how well you interact and support one another. To that end, even a small network can be effective. It only takes one solid connection to get a lead to a great position.

Note: In this section, instructions to connect or add refer to building a professional online network on LinkedIn, Twitter or any other site where developers, recruiters and companies gather. You can decide which social platforms work best for you and focus your attention there. For example, while LinkedIn is better for putting your professional self forward, many developers gather on Twitter to chat and share information, and you can definitely find job leads there.

Adding People You Know

To get started, think of the people you already know, like individuals you met in your bootcamp or education program. Add your mentors and peers straight away.

You and your peers can support one another because you have similar goals. Your mentors will support you, and they’ll want to see that you succeed.

Also, add any friends or family, especially those who are in the technology field — although companies in just about every industry hire tech workers. And don’t forget about people at companies where you formerly worked.

Adding Experts From Your Field

Now, add some experts from your favorite platforms and interest groups. Have you heard a talk by anyone that you liked? Follow the speaker. Are there prevalent names in your favorite platforms? Follow them. Did you read a great book or tutorial? Follow the author.

Don’t worry about them being too famous or busy to be part of your network. By following experts, you’ll see who else follows them. If any of those followers leave interesting comments, check them out. If they seem interesting, follow them and reach out with an interesting comment on one of their posts. This is a great way to see if there’s potential to build a relationship.

Following Your Favorite Companies

Next, think of some dream employers and companies that are doing interesting things in your technology area. Follow them. If you come across recruiters or HR professionals, follow them too.

Add individuals who work for companies you may like to work for someday. Also, add folks who have a job you’d like to have someday. You can add an element of fantasy to this; ask yourself, “Whose career would I like mine to look like?”.

By putting yourself around the people you admire, you can let their influence shape you. You’ll learn more about how they got where they are, then use that as inspiration for your own life.

What to Avoid

There’s not really a wrong way to build a network, large or small, but there are a few mistakes you can make.

For one thing, avoid spammers who waste your time and look bad if anyone checks out who you follow. Spammers are generally easy to identify as they’ll approach you with unnatural-sounding messages that ask for your time to hear how their services can benefit you.

You always want to make a professional impression, so avoid negativity or controversy in the public domain. Steer clear of debates and politics whenever possible. You want your network to serve as inspiration and support, so it’s also advisable to avoid negative voices, too.

Finally, remember to give as well as take. Don’t place demands on new connections; instead, reach out to them with something they might find interesting or helpful. Be sure to give good advice where you can. If you can make an introduction or share interesting news that adds value for others in your connection, do so.

Start by asking for help or opportunities from your network as a whole. When you have built a true relationship is when you can reach out to individuals for specific support.

Now, you’ll take a look at how to succeed with different types of networking, starting with in-person networking.

Networking in Person

In-person networking is unquestionably worth the effort. It makes more of an impact to meet people in person than to correspond online. You never know, your next lead might be waiting for you at a meetup or event.

In-person networking events include conferences, meetups, career fairs and anywhere else you’ll be surrounded by people who work in technology. Effective networking is a skill you can acquire through practice.

Not sure where to find meet-ups to attend? Try Kodeco’s big list of iOS conferences or visit CocaConferences.coom.

How I Started Growing My Network: When I first started attending meetups and conferences, I was very shy. I was proud that I had convinced myself to go to events — this was a big first step for me. After attending many events in my area, I reflected that I hadn’t met a lot of people.

I observed my own behavior and realized that I wasn’t slowing down to talk to people. I challenged myself to go a few minutes early and strategically plan where I sat. This allowed me to get a look at the crowd of folks and assess who I thought I’d have the most in common with. I then challenged myself to talk to at least three people before I left. This was tough at first, but it soon paid off. I started meeting many people, and my network started to grow.

For some people, socializing comes naturally. If it doesn’t come naturally to you, rest assured that many people are in the same boat — you’re not the only person in the room who is outside their comfort zone.

It gets easier to network over time, and by reaching out to others, you’re helping them be more comfortable as well.

Succeeding at In-person Networking

When networking in person, being organized and on time with a plan can make things go smoothly, and even reduce your anxiety. As you’re meeting people, remember to exchange social media handles with them.

Some of the easiest people to talk to are the ones handing out swag or advertising a business or product. These representatives expect to talk to everyone at the event.

Another potential contact is the event’s speaker. It can be intimidating to approach the speaker after a talk, but they might well appreciate a friendly face. Give them a compliment or ask them a question on their presentation to strike up a conversation. Everyone in tech had to start somewhere, so even the experts can relate to what it felt like to learn and get their first job.

If the event has networking-specific opportunities, challenge yourself to participate. If there’s a Slack or Discord channel to communicate about the event, join it and keep an eye out for new contacts there.

Don’t forget to make social media posts about your experience at the event; this not only helps the event hosts get recognized for their effort, it also helps people who want to connect find you. And if potential employers check out your social media, this type of extracurricular activity looks impressive.

Tip: Many events have a hashtag to use to make it easier to read posts about the event. If you don’t know what it is, look around, ask the organizer or check out what other people are posting on social.

Events often have fun activities or free food, so challenge yourself to take part and get to know the other attendees there. Even if you don’t find any leads that day, at least you got to learn and have fun.

As you network, let people know you’re looking for work. This can be intimidating, but if people don’t know what you need, they can’t help. You might stumble across a company that’s hiring or a recruiter this way.

Tip: To find events and meetups online and in person, refer to Chapter 5, “Traditional & Nontraditional Ways to Find Jobs”.

After the event ends, be sure you’ve added all your contacts. It’s a good idea to send a friendly greeting to the new additions to your network while they still remember you. You can also post photos or links related to the event and tag those you met. This supports events and generally receives a warm reception.

Now that you know a good bit about networking in person, it’s time to take a look at what you can accomplish online.

Networking Online

Networking in person isn’t always easy to do, especially if you don’t live in a big city or if you have personal obligations that make it hard to travel. Luckily, online conferences and communities give you opportunities to find people to connect with in your industry. In this section, you’ll learn how to boost your chances of making solid connections online.

Networking Online at Events

When the COVID-19 pandemic prevented people from being able to travel or congregate safely, online events really took off. Today, they remain popular because they are less expensive to host and attend and people from around the world can do it easily.

Online events are easy to forget about, so be sure to add calendar reminders to log in on time.

Networking at an online event or conference is very much like networking at an in-person event, and you use many of the same tactics. It’s easier to stay organized when attending an online event because much of the information, like the speakers’ social media contacts, is posted. Be sure to add people to your network quickly, as online conferences are faster paced.

Like their in-person counterparts, online events often have networking-centric activities. The first step is to check the schedule for these sessions and attend them. Generally, this will be a breakout session in a small group. You can use chat to direct message anyone you’d like to connect with.

Note: To learn more about networking during online conferences, check out “Professional Networking at Virtual Conferences: How to Connect Online” by Kodeco Resident Author Jeff Rames.

Networking Through Websites and Communities

Websites like Reddit and various code communities let you join conversations related to job seeking. Some of these platforms have ways to contact users.

Make sure that you’re not too self-serving on these communities. Along with finding job leads, you can also learn a lot about your chosen technology, get tips and advice and share your own. The more active you are, the better your chances of building a real connection.

It’s important to follow the guidelines of the community, so familiarize yourself with them before you start posting.

If someone volunteers their contact information or places it in the public domain, you can add them to your network. You can also volunteer your social media handles in forums where you feel comfortable sharing.

Many platforms use AI to recommend threads and people who might interest you. Review these recommendations periodically and add the people that interest you.

Maintaining and Growing Your Network

Nurturing your network over time requires consistency. Set reminders for when to follow up with your most valuable leads if you don’t hear from them; don’t assume they’re ignoring you. Follow up politely until you’ve gotten a reply. It’s easy to forget to reply to messages.

Some thoughtful ideas for posts that nurture your network include:

• Congratulate your new contacts on their accomplishments.
• Publicly acknowledge your contacts if they help you.
• Talk openly about your goals, including the target companies you’d like to work for.
• Introduce your contacts to one another if the connection will help them.
• Write recommendations for people in your network.
• Clearly state the value you can bring to an organization.

If you do happen to neglect your networking for a while, you can strategically use holidays or other events to reconnect with someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Be respectful of peoples’ time, but reach out to them regularly. Make posts on your social media consistently and respond to your contacts’ posts.

You may also decide to remove or unfollow sites or contacts that have gone stale. If you find the size of your network overwhelming, prune away some of the parts that aren’t working out.

Over time, you’re likely to attend events and have networking opportunities even after you have a job. Be sure to consistently grow your network even when you’re not looking for a job. That way, opportunities will be there when you need them.

And if you received help from your network, pay it forward. Watch for opportunities to help someone else.

Soft Skills Tips for Networking

If networking doesn’t come naturally for you, here are some simple tips to help you break the ice and communicate more effectively.

Conversation Starters

• Think of a compliment: Brainstorm some things that you really appreciate about someone you’d like to speak to. Did they give an awesome presentation? Do they have an admirable blog or LinkedIn profile? Sharing genuine appreciation is a great way to talk to people.

• Ask a tactful question: Come up with a question as an icebreaker. You could ask about their area of expertise, where they work or what their favorite thing is about the technology platform they use.

• Learn a few work-safe jokes: Why was the mobile phone wearing glasses? Because it lost its contacts. That may be a silly example, but a simple joke can be a great icebreaker. This can be particularly effective in a group setting or when you’re striking up small talk with a new person. You could also choose a more developer-centric joke. How many types of people are there in the world? There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary and those who don’t.

• Learn some interesting facts or trivia: Did you know that modern mobile phones carry more computing power than the Apollo 11? Or that since the year 2000 in Finland, throwing mobile phones is a sport? The distance record for men is over 110 meters and for women, over 67 meters. There’s an endless array of interesting facts and trivia you can use as a conversation starter or just to brighten someone’s day.

A good place to look for jokes and conversation starters is a simple Google search. You could also look at your social media channels for ideas or listen to some upbeat podcasts.

Now that you’ve learned some ways to start a conversation, keep the conversation going by communicating with kindness.

Communicating With Kindness

Kindness is the most important soft skill — strive to take with you in every interaction. Communicate to every individual you meet with kindness, and you’ll have more meaningful interactions.

Here are some ways to convey kindness to others:

• Using appropriate eye contact. It will help the other person feel like they’re being noticed and heard.
• Smile when it’s appropriate — sometimes, when nervous, this is easy to forget.
• Demonstrate openness by listening to what your conversation partner has to say and keeping an open, interested demeanor.
• Be adaptable in case a change of subject or interruptions come up.
• Be thoughtful. One simple way to be thoughtful is to attribute the same importance to others’ needs as you would to your own.

As Amelia Earhart said, “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” How else can you express it when you communicate with new people?

Key Takeaways

• Networking is one of the most crucial steps to getting a better job faster.
• Networking online and in person helps you quickly grow your resources.
• Think about what you can give to your network, not only what you can get from it.
• Consistency is the key to success with networking.
• Creating organization systems and using them faithfully helps you to grow your network over time.
• Growing and maintaining your network over time keeps it current and useful.
• Even if you’re not an extrovert, you can utilize some simple soft skills to build a network.

Action Plan

• Start your online professional network by adding three people you already know to your social media contacts. Think close friends, family members or people you respect in the community.
• Write out an organization plan: How will you keep track of your most valuable contacts? How will you remember to follow up?
• Set a reminder to make a new post to your social media channels once a week. Follow up on it.
• Attend an in-person networking event and add three new contacts.
• Attend an online networking event and add three new contacts.

Reflect on what you’ve learned: Find this chapter’s worksheet (PDF) in this book’s GitHub materials repo.