Executive Job Search
Networking for Executive Job Search: How to Reconnect With Former Colleagues
Your next useful introduction may come from someone you have not spoken to in years. Reconnect with a specific reason and rebuild the conversation.
Kristof Schoenaerts
An executive job-search networking plan should include former colleagues, industry peers and other professional contacts you have not spoken to recently. Find people whose careers have taken them into different networks, identify a genuine reason to reconnect and start a conversation.
Many executives begin by calling the people closest to them. Those contacts can be strong advocates. But they often hear about the same opportunities and know the same people you do.
Dormant contacts may have access to a different world.
Why former colleagues can open different doors
Someone who moved into a private-equity-backed company several years ago now has relationships you do not. A former peer who changed industries may work with search consultants outside your usual circle.
They are not necessarily more supportive than your closest contacts. They have different information.
My original newsletter discussed LinkedIn and MIT research involving 20 million people and the value of moderately weak ties. The practical lesson for an executive is to look beyond the contacts already active in your daily life.
An existing relationship does not have to be close to be useful. It does have to be renewed.
A reconnection that led to a new role
A Vice President of Marketing in medical devices was three months into her search. She had updated her CV, applied for roles and contacted recruiters she knew. Little was moving.
She noticed a former colleague who was now a Senior Vice President at a major MedTech company. They had worked together eight years earlier.
Her message referred to a product launch he had shared and a project they had worked on together. It did not begin with a request for a job.
He replied the next morning. During their conversation, she mentioned she was exploring her next move. He knew of a Vice President position being handled by Russell Reynolds and offered to introduce her to the consultant.
She started the role 30 days later.
The starting point was a relevant reconnection, not a cold application.
Step 1: Build a list of dormant contacts
Review your existing connections and identify people you have not spoken with for 12 to 18 months or longer.
Start with former colleagues, board contacts and industry peers who have changed companies, moved into adjacent sectors or taken on a larger role.
Build an initial list of 50 to 75 people. You do not need to contact them all at once.
Step 2: Find a specific reason to reconnect
Spend a few minutes reviewing each person’s recent professional activity. Look for a role change, product launch, article, company milestone or topic connected to your shared history.
Generic messages feel transactional. A specific reference gives the other person something natural to respond to.
Do not invent familiarity or pretend to have read something you have not.
Step 3: Send a short first message
Keep it to a few sentences. Reference something real, connect it to your shared experience and invite a conversation.
For example:
“Thomas, I saw your move to Siemens Healthineers. It reminded me of our discussion about specialist distribution models in Vienna. I would enjoy hearing how your thinking has developed since then. Would you be open to catching up?”
Adapt the details to the actual relationship. The first goal is a reply, not a referral.
You do not need to attach your CV or turn the opening message into an explanation of your job search.
Step 4: Let the conversation develop
Ask about their work and listen. Explain your own direction when it becomes relevant. Make it easy to understand the functions, sectors and markets you are exploring.
A useful introduction depends on the other person understanding where you fit. Being open to everything makes that harder.
Stay in touch after the conversation. A reconnection is a relationship, not a single transaction.
Combine networking with recruiter visibility
Your contacts may look at your LinkedIn profile before replying or introducing you. Make sure your headline communicates your background clearly.
Use networking alongside targeted executive recruiter outreach. These routes can reinforce each other.
My coaching program includes a practical network activation plan, tailored consultant contacts, profile optimization and four private calls.
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