How do you actually build a professional network from scratch?
Early-career professionals often rely entirely on cold emails and online messages because they have no existing foundation to jump off. Without knowing alternative ways to connect, people end up giving up on networking entirely, which hurts their career progression years down the line.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1cold emailing and messaging
- 2attending forced meet and greets or firm events
- 3meeting people organically at the gym or badminton court
- 4attending conferences and buying beers
- 5participating in ERP or system user groups and vendor social events
- 6Taking the lead in conversations
- 7Acting normal and easy to talk to
- 8Just saying hi
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I know this sounds dumb but genuinely how do you, personally, network?”source ↗
“I’ve always done cold emailing and cold messaging but, while this kind of works, I’ve always wondered how people networked before like without googling email templates and before LinkedIn existed, how did you really build your professional network especially if you’re early and don’t already have a foundation to jump off?”source ↗
“I don't, and 17 years into my career, with only two jobs (post grad), I'm paying for it now”source ↗
“I have a Meet the Firms event on Tuesday, I am just a regular guy. I work full time so no time for clubs.”source ↗