Have you ever been trying to get a new job or promotion and had someone land this pearl of wisdom on you?

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

If you’re not an overly social person, this can be a stomach-curling piece of advice. Indignant anger might even boil up inside of you, and you might shout (either internally or externally) something like:

“That’s not fair! I’m a software developer with a decade of experience. Surely my actual skills matter more than who I know?”

This isn't a hypothetical scenario. I’ve literally heard people shout this over the dinner table when venting about being unable to reach the next rung in their career ladder, frustrated that everyone else seems to ascend with ease.

And, to be fair, they’re half right. Tech skills do matter—if you go into an interview sans skills, it’s going to become glaringly obvious when they ask you something like “What security standards do you know?” Your blank, clueless expression will be a dead giveaway (Spoiler: You won’t get the job.)

However, to get an interview, people need to know you exist. And if you’re just checking job listings—like Indeed, LinkedIn, or ZipRecruiter—you’re missing out on a ton of employment opportunities. The reality is many key positions are filled through connections and referrals rather than job listings, which can be limited, competitive, and costly. 

Enter networking. Networking allows you to tap into that broader list of unadvertised job openings. It’s a valuable skill to work on regardless of if you’re trying to get your foot in the door of tech, switch careers within it, or you’re a senior pro trying to ascend the ranks. 

This article offers a hermit-friendly list of ways to go about expanding your professional network. Don’t worry, you won’t need to be hosting any dinner parties or forcing a soul-crushing smile like you’re a secondhand car dealer.

10 ways to go about tech networking (by social battery required)

If you’re an introvert like me, you often feel drained after extensive social gatherings and need some time to recharge. That’s why I’ve arranged this networking list by the amount of charge you’ll probably need. 

1. Literally ask your friends and family (Very low charge)

“That can’t be right. Isn’t that way too easy? Plus, who would my mother and friends know in tech?” 

Actually, you’d be surprised. Due to the six degrees of separation, if you let those close to you know you’re after job opportunities, they’ll ask people they know—such as their coworkers and personal friends—who in turn might know someone. And because everyone in this network is friendly with each other, they’re more willing to help each other out.

Here’s an example of this in practice. In my spare time, I build video games. I was talking about this with my sister at the dinner table, who was politely paying attention despite being a non-gamer and career public servant. Then, out of nowhere, she mentions she knows a manager in the development team of World of Tanks, a highly popular MMO with 60 million players, and offered to put me in touch.

Never in a million years would I have thought my immediate family member had that sort of connection. So ask around, and you’d be surprised who knows who! It’s also ideal if you’re a recluse, because you only have to wander out of your cave for people you know.

2. Chat to your former coworkers or study buddies (Low charge)

When someone you enjoyed side-by-side either graduates or leaves your company, keep in touch with them via a messenger app. Add them to your social media network, and occasionally give a thumbs up to something they’re doing. Intermittently, reach out and ask how they’re doing. You don’t have to do this all the time, just every couple of months.

Once you’ve broken the ice, ask them if they know of any positions available. Even if they don’t know of anything, they’ll keep you in mind if their employer or friends ask. In fact, if their company has a bonus scheme where it rewards employees for finding great hires, they might have a financial incentive to find you a job where they work.

For this one, if you’re feeling particularly energetic, you can do a face-to-face coffee catch-up or go out for drinks. It may help to add one or two colleagues you had in common to the mix to keep conversation flowing.

3. Ask around your existing organization (Low charge)

This one involves chatting to find and talking to people you don’t know, but the whole thing in my experience tends to be very fast. All you need to do is find the department or team in your organization where you’re thinking about getting your ideal job, and let them know you’d like to get your foot in the door. It’s essentially expressing your interest so they keep you in mind for the future.

This one can pay off in a big way, because when people need to hire, they’re much more likely to try and shift people around internally. Also, whoever would be your future boss may want to informally mentor you on what technical and soft skills you’ll need, as well as any certifications, to get your ideal job. 

If you’re a student, this can still apply, as educational institutions have tech departments like anywhere else. I actually got seasonal placement work at my university by simply walking up to the front desk and asking the receptionist. Additionally, I’d recommend either reaching out to your institution’s placement team to see what opportunities you can pick up.

4. Build connections with tech recruiters (Low to medium charge)

If you’re a seasoned tech professional with a public profile, such as on LinkedIn, you’ll be familiar with being hounded by tech recruiters. These people are hungry to find talent to fill positions in their company, and many organizations prefer to go this route rather than openly advertising for a job. How tiring dealing with them is depends on the quality of the recruiter, as some are more reputable than others.

You can proactively connect with recruiters at companies you are interested in either via a social media platform like LinkedIn or directly via email. They’ll keep you in mind for future positions or perhaps even have something available.

There's one other benefit of a tech recruiter: intel on your hiring manager. A tech recruiter will want to assist you with landing that job, and so they'll likely give you insights into the hiring manager's personality, preferences, and pain points. As an introvert, this can make you feel a lot more prepared going in and settle those interview jitters. 

It isn’t technically “networking,” but you can also optimize your online resume and profile with keywords linked to the role you’re after (E.g. “jQuery,” “MongoDB,” “penetration testing,” “data analysis,” etc.) Then, networkers might reach out to you, and you can then spark up a conversation. This is technically the approach of putting on a nice outfit, heading out to a club, and hoping someone invites you to dance—because it’s so passive your results may vary, but it’s still good practice.

5. Join professional associations and groups (Medium charge)

There are a lot of professional associations and groups for each tech domain. On the one hand, these associations specifically exist to give you a way to connect with peers, industry leaders, and potential employers specifically in your industry. 

On the other hand…that means talking to strangers…

Fortunately, many associations offer online forums, webinars, and virtual conferences, which allow you to do this from your own space (and then just disconnect when it gets too much). You can also find local chapters where there’s only a small group of people to interact with. 

You have control over how much you engage with the organization and how often. However, just a heads up that some of these organizations have a membership cost involved. 

Here are some organizations and associations you might want to check out, broken down by field:

• Anyone in tech: CompTIA

• Software development: ACM and Women Who Code

• Information and Cybersecurity: (ISC)² and OWASP

• Data science: DAMAI

• Cloud Computing: Many cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) have dedicated communities. You can also join the CNCF, or Cloud Native Computing Foundation.

This is by no means a definitive list, and you’ll want to search what’s in your area. 

6. Engage in a hackathon (Medium charge)

Hackathons are great because they’re learning events where you can freely network without the whole event actually being about schmoozing. If you’re a tech professional who’s more comfortable with applying your skills, it offers something you can fall back on as a means of conversation and as a way to recharge your social battery. 

Either way, you come out of the event with something, whether that’s a new network connection or having refined your skills.

7. Write industry articles and attach your profile (Medium charge)

Some places allow you to submit articles to get your personal brand out there, such as technical guides or career advice. You can ask them to add your personal contact details at the end of each piece, so people who like what you’ve written can connect with you. 

The “charge” from this comes from working with the publication in question and then connecting with the people who liked your article. This is really going to come down to individual personalities, but this can be a great way to get the benefits of networking while also building up your portfolio in the industry.

Side note: This blog is one of the places that takes community publications! If you’re interested, check out our community contributions page.

8. Seek a mentor, ideally at your dream company (Medium to high charge)

Mentors are amazing because they’ve gotten where you want to be and can tell you exactly how to get there. Plus, they can introduce you to their network, help you refine your resume and do mock interviews, and teach you about potential career pitfalls to avoid. Most people are keen to mentor if you ask them because it’s both flattering to be asked and deeply rewarding to help someone succeed.

It's not a must, but if you can, try to get a mentor who works at your dream company. Not only have they successfully got into the place you want to one day work, they can inform you about any job openings and offer insights (or warnings) about the company's culture and hiring processes.

So, how do you find a mentor? You can join industry associations as mentioned earlier in the article, use a dedicated online platform dedicated to finding mentors (such as Merit or Hexagon), discover a mentor during an internship, or ask someone at a hackathon. If you’ve exhausted these options, you can cold message professionals on LinkedIn, and the worst they can do is say no.

Once you’ve got a mentor, you’ll get more comfortable with them over time. This should require less and less of your battery. 

9. Attend conferences and meetups (Medium to high charge)

Participate in tech conferences, seminars, workshops, and local meetups. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to already be in the field to attend conferences (though you may have to combat some imposter syndrome, speaking from personal experience). 

You’ll need to actually take the initiative at these events to talk to speakers and attendees in order to network. Most people won’t just talk to you, so make a list of general conversation starters, like “What brings you here?” and “What did you think about that presentation?” This tends to flow into a conversation about where each of you are from. 

Exchange details, then follow up with them after the conference via email, LinkedIn, or another method. Mention you’re seeking employment in a field where appropriate, and they might know of something coming up.

And, if worst comes to worst and you’re completely drained, just fall back into watching the presentations for a while. Again, just like hackathons, at least you’ll come away having learned something.

10. Be a presenter at an event (Very high charge)

You know those people you see at events standing up on stage, and teaching you about the latest threats in cybersecurity or AI innovations? Networking is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) reasons they’re often doing this. Think about it. Your personal brand and face is out there, and at the end, everyone flocks up to you to ask you for details and exchange information. One of these may one day be the hiring manager on a job you're going for.

Naturally, this is the networking option that’s going to be the most intensive, both in finding these opportunities and (gack!) public speaking. The key here is finding something you’re confident in speaking to, practicing it ad nauseam, and remembering that almost everyone on stage is just pretending to be less nervous than they really are.

You can reduce the amount of effort by offering to speak at digital workshops where you’re in the comfort of your own home and can just log off afterwards and take the rest of the day easy. 

Conclusion: Networking can be draining, but it’s worth it in the end

If you felt exhausted just reading this list, my advice would be to take baby steps at a time, but definitely make sure you take that first step. 

Make a list of things you can do to start networking, and check them off starting with the easiest. Don’t underestimate how fulfilling ticking off even one or two items can be—these ticks can help refill your motivation and give you a clear path of action.

Now for some shameless self promotion: I would highly recommend checking out Pluralsight’s “Growing Your Career in Technology” learning path, which includes video courses on networking (among other helpful things, like building your brand and leadership skills). To access it, you can sign up for a free 10-day trial, but the whole path only takes 29 hours. That’s more than enough time to dive in and out with no commitment. If you’re busy with your day job, time this for a weekend or break period, or select which classes appeal the most to you.

As one introvert to (presumably) another, you’ve got this! Just take things at your own pace, and recharge your battery as you go. Before you know it, you’ll have a whole list of contacts to land that awesome new job you’re after. 

More resources to further your career (or kick-start it)

Want to get your foot in the door in AI, software development, cybersecurity, cloud, or another field? Check out my article, “How to get into tech with no experience: 12 tips and tricks.” In it, I share actionable steps to kick-start your tech career, along with stories from people who have successfully made the journey.

If you’re a newbie to technology—or seeking to jump into it from a non-tech field—I’d also suggest checking out “Starting a Career in Technology,” which is a 15-hour Pluralsight video series. Again, you definitely don’t have to watch that all in one go!

Lastly, you might have gathered that networking counts as a soft skill, which is becoming increasingly important in tech. However, contrary to popular myth, soft skills are something you can develop and are not something you either have or you don’t. To strengthen yours, check out Pluralsight's learning path: “Developing Soft Skills for Today’s Workplace.” It's a twelve-hour pathway that covers a wide range of important soft skills.