Up to 80% of jobs are filled through personal and professional connections rather than direct applications. If you are only applying through job boards, you are missing out on the "hidden job market." Here is how to effectively build your tech network.
1. The Informational Interview
Reach out to engineers at your target companies on LinkedIn. Don't ask for a job; ask for 15 minutes to discuss their career journey and what they love about their current stack. People love talking about themselves. This builds a warm connection that often translates to an internal referral later on.
2. Contribute to Open Source
Open source is the ultimate networking tool for developers. By fixing bugs or adding documentation to popular repositories, you interact directly with senior maintainers who work at top companies. Your pull requests become your verifiable resume and your conversations in GitHub issues become your network.
Share this article