I’ve coached and recruited hundreds of tech leaders, and this one comes up constantly:
“I’ve been in the industry for 20+ years. I know a lot of people. So why is my network so quiet now that I’m open to new roles?”
It’s not about how many people you know. It’s about who knows you, and how recently they thought of you.
In one call with Ian, a seasoned EV and fuel-cell CTO, he shared that most of his past roles came through his network—but now, with his next move on the horizon, the leads had dried up. Why? Because even though he knew many people, they hadn’t seen or heard from him in years.
“Every time I’m on a call, someone knows me better than they know our CEO,” he told me.
But they weren’t offering him new roles because he wasn’t staying on their radar.
What’s Going Wrong
Here’s what I’ve observed again and again with senior tech leaders:
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You only connect with people when you need something.
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Your old network is full of engineers or peers, not decision-makers.
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You don’t nurture or expand it when you're not actively job-hunting.
In another call, Rain—a CTO with 7 years in EV charging—confessed,
“Outside of EV, my network is almost non-existent.”
This is where good people get stuck.
How to Build a Network That Works When You Need It
If you want to turn your network into a career asset, you need to shift from a passive to a proactive approach. Here's how:
1. Narrow Your Target
João, one of our clients in Switzerland, had experience in multiple industries—sports, events, and payments—but no clear list of target companies.
We helped him define those first. Because without that, networking feels aimless.
You don’t need to know 10,000 people. You need the right 30 decision-makers in your space.
2. Warm Up Cold Contacts
People want to help—but only if they understand your value and see you as relevant. Sending cold “I’m looking” messages rarely works. But if someone else (like our CareerCrackers team or AI-powered agent) introduces you with context and credibility, the game changes.
Use warm intros and get conversations, not ghosting.
3. Stay Top-of-Mind with Content
Ian had 4,000 LinkedIn connections. But he wasn’t posting.
We discussed simple ways to show up—even once every 2 weeks—with niche insights, leadership lessons, or tech predictions.
You don’t need to be an influencer. You need to be visible enough for your name to come up when the right role opens.
Your Next Job Is Hiding in Someone’s Head
When a board discusses replacing their CTO or adding a VP of Engineering, they don’t start with LinkedIn. They start with names.
Your goal? Be on that list.
That’s what we help with at CareerCrackers—activating and expanding your network, creating content that signals credibility, and leveraging warm intros to unlock hidden roles.
If you’re ready to make your network work for you, start with one step: define your target, and get visible.
The rest can be systemized—and we’ll help you do it.
