Networking That Actually Works: Build Relationships That Accelerate Your Career
Most professionals say they want to network — but they don't have a system. This article gives a practical routine for building meaningful connections, not contacts.
Principles of effective networking
- Be helpful first.
- Follow a 3-contact cadence (initial, value add, check-in).
- Focus on quality — 5 active relationships beat 100 passive ones.
A simple weekly routine
Spend 45 minutes / week: 20 minutes researching 2 people, 15 minutes sending one useful note, 10 minutes updating your CRM (Notion/Gmail labels).
How to ask for referrals without sounding transactional
Frame the ask around a concrete role/skill, and give a sentence the contact can paste when referring you — this increases the chance they'll actually do it.
"Networking is a long-game investment — treat it like planting fruit trees.
Tools & templates
Included below are short message templates, a weekly checklist, and a Notion template link you can copy.
