The video cover is what we are all feeling in this Job Market. I don't have a good cover image this time. Thought it would give some clarity haha.
Networking is a term we all have heard of and plays a huge role in our career when looking for a job in tech.
As a matter of fact in my opinion, I believe you have to network. Cold applying is not the way to go in this job market (and probably not at all before AI).
Sure, some people can brute force their way into this market and have a job offer, but that's the 1% out of everyone I have heard based on my experience. I only knew 1 person who can do that...
Again, networking is the golden thing that will allow us to get a job and opportunities, but it's known (from my experience) that people rarely or not do it or that they don't do it effectively. Why?
It's something I thought about throughout the years. People talked about the state of the job market and yes, it's awful for a few years now. Though there are still some people getting offers, especially new grads who rarely have experience in tech.
To cut to the chase, here are some of the things that I believe could be the root issue and ways to go about it based on my experience so far.
1. Meeting new people
Yea I know but hear me out.
Some of us are Introverts and some of us and extroverts. I get that and I am not saying we should convert to being an extrovert just to simply meet new people.
I am an introvert and still to this day. Though, you may be wondering: "Why you talk on DEV?".
The painful reality is that I have to put myself out there, regardless of what the irrational thoughts may be saying to you. I used to be the person where I distanced myself from other people because I am always afraid of what others think.
To be honest, not everyone will like you...and that's okay. One of the purpose in life is to meet others like you. If you try to be a "Jack-of-all-trades", you will not fit it anywhere. In other words, "Please all, and you will please none".
If you are a type of person who is afraid of just networking in general, my advice is to start small. Meet at least one person regularly on DEV, LinkedIn, or other platforms. It doesn't have to be huge. It can be a simple comment on their posts or even connecting them in general. Whether the case may be, have time to give yourself deep reflection on your fears on meeting with new people. Remember, you don't need to be an extrovert. You just need to put yourself out there in some capacity.
2. The Narrow belief of Networking
This applies to most Undergraduate/Graduate students, but can be applied to anyone really.
I believe we have this notion where networking is simply falls under the lines of:
- Reaching out to Recruiters for Referrals
- Gaining lots of connections on LinkedIn
- Simply asking Hiring Recruiters: "Please [recruiter's name] I neeed this. I am kind of unemployed. The Job market is tough right now, can you help me out?"
These are part of the networking process, though this is the more narrow and common belief of what networking is. We are so focused on these aspects to the point where it doesn't feel natural at all. If you were to think along the lines of "Reaching out to Recruiters --> Asking for a Referral --> Connect them on LinkedIn --> Hope for the best", your not alone.
I realized now that networking isn't as difficult or as tiresome as you may think. Networking is another way of saying "meeting new people and you get opportunities".
As as matter of fact, you may be networking right now! As you continue to meet new people, you tend to hear more opportunities from the people you meet whether it is relevant to your career or not.
I use to network by meeting random recruiters on LinkedIn and reaching out to see if they have either new openings, or asking for a referral to an application I sent. Now, I realized it's more than that and more natural than I thought. Meeting new people on DEV, joining Virtual Coffee, and working at CALEC all came from the fact that I just simply met new people.
Of course, everyone has different experiences with networking. It's still luck don't get me wrong, but people tend to stop early because they aren't receiving the outcome they are hoping.
That is where the problem lies because we all want to get something instantly even though most of us acknowledge that it will take a huge amount of time.
My advice would broaden your scope. In addition to networking on LinkedIn, try to find clubs, join events, etc. You get to meet new people in real time along with opportunities given to you. Do open source, join MLH's hackathons, anything really. You will be surprised on how many people you will meet and the opportunities you never knew existed before! Of course, ask naturally when it comes to opportunities, but don't be afraid to ask in general!
So, I guess the problem lies on how conformable we are to talking to new people and having a problem of not broad our scopes to networking on other platforms.
Simple enough, but easy to overlook if you haven't taken the time to reflect. Good thing we went through them. Of course, there's is more to it, but it is a good start.
Again, the Couple big things I would recommend for anyone is:
1. Putting yourself out there, but unique in a way that makes you stand out. To start, look around. See what is everyone is doing. Then, take advantage of that and start to find ways to make yourself unique instead of what everyone else is doing. Don't worry about what other think. Be yourself and you will find the people who are like you!
2. Broad your networking method. Instead of the traditional "reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn and hope", start by joining Hackathons, Clubs, and other fun events. You may never know who you will meet and the opportunities you will get. Note that it's not a "one and done", this takes time. Continue to network and continue to learn. You may never know!
If there is any advice on networking or things you want to share on your networking experience in tech, I would love to hear from you!
Top comments (75)
Before 2026 i never really networked. I know people from my previous jobs but that's it. The truth is that putting yourself out there increases your surface for "luck", but from the other side, i am not the type of person that would ever ask for a favor (aKa, referrals, introductions etc).
For me networking might look a bit different, not necessarily about finding a job: I would really like to find a meetup or something along that lines here (that is not in Dutch), in Greece i was going to some (UI, UX, web) and it was fun, but mostly about discussing tech topics (NOT AI) not necessarily about networking.
Ya i mean it's true. I also have a similar opinion that one should present it in a way he is. Not like asking for favours or refferal by yourself.
It should be involuntary with your charisma.
When you meet people with confidence they get an image of a person who is able to manage even tough situations. And with that perspective even if you just talk casually with them they would notice it .
It's psychological that Attraction through detachment, works better.
It's a natural thing to do honestly, just meeting new people. It took me a while to figure out that networking is a fancy way of saying "Meet new people".
Meetups is the one thing I am trying to do. Maybe joining a hackathon for the first time would be nice. I see tech topics, but most are talking about AI and MCP to the point where I felt "fatigue". Idk, maybe just me.
Yes the same, I don't want to optimize my agents anymore, i want to talk to people about programming and coding and all that stuff like the old times.
Great article, Francis! You’re absolutely right. Networking is incredibly important now and will only become more valuable moving forward. It’s one of the best investments you can make for your future career. The people you meet can become mentors, offer guidance, and even open doors to new opportunities down the road.
Exactly! It's one of the things that we all know what it can bring us, but we prevent ourselves to even do it since everyone has different challenges when it comes to communication and just meeting people in general. Thanks Ben :)
You are welcome, Francis! I agree with you completely. Stepping back from networking can work with some people, but not with others. The key is consistent follow‑up. If it doesn’t lead anywhere with certain people, you simply move forward.
Yep consistent and effective communication is the "open secret" to success but most don't apply it well. I get it, it is hard especially for introverts (like myself) to go out there and connect with people.
But the thing is, we should still do it. It's like mandatory. No man is an island. Surrounding yourself with people you want to be in the future is always a good idea. If you linger long enough, I am 100% sure you will be the next in line.
BUT DON'T LOSE PATIENCE.
Building connection takes time and keeping them active is another. So go out there and connect, people are going to judge anyways, might as well go for it. I am where I am right now because I am constantly making myself visible to strangers. Also hoping to meet more incredible people in the future!
As you should! In life, your going to get judge by people in general. We all have opinions on what we stand for, which makes us Human!
Glad you took the initiative to meet others on various platforms in addition to DEV Elmar! Keep it up :D
@xulingfeng is perfect example of this. Dozens of cold outreaches, nothing... Then a call from an old colleague and boom, he goes straight to interview and hired. The real problem is building a relation with people outside of your workplace and still transfer your skillset doing so. Saying I'm a rust developer doesnt mean much, saying I have a bunch of public repos also not much, somehow the people I speak to need to think of me when their CTO says 'damn, I wish we had a rust engineer on staff' and have them confidently say 'I know a guy'. That, I think, is where the real friction with networking comes from. People dont want to go out of their comfort zone, sure, but even if they do, it must eventually pay off right? Else what was the whole point? Sure, meeting new people is fun at times, having thoughtful discussions in comments, posting about topics, essentially 'branding' yourself in your domain, it does something, but it's hardly as focused as leading a conference on a topic? Somewhere, there's a finite line that sets you apart as someone recommended, vs who sits on their mind, but they're too scared you'll mess up to recommend you. Old colleagues know how you work, they've seen you handle production systems, people on the internet dont, even if you're running public repos... And that's scary, because we're here posting in our domains, yet idk what @pascal_cescato_692b7a8a20 specializes in? I know he's incredibly smart and pragmatic about what he writes, but what's his specialty? @xulingfeng is another example, I knew he was in QA, I never thought he's been in it for 15 years! That's QA lead level experience, he's probably had more code run past his terminal than I've seen in my life! Yet, till he mentioned it in a comment, I never knew the depth. So how to translate that into networking, without bragging and without it reading like a resume? @dannwaneri and @kenielzep97 are both exceptional developers, I know their domain atleast and I know if it's authority based security, self-correcting is probably your go-to, vs if it's edge AI, Daniel is likely top candidate. But that's the dilemma, we've been networking, we all know eachother to a degree, we gauge eachother's specialties, but not to a depth where we can walk up to a CTO and say 'this guy specializes in it and he'll walk in with a roadmap', it's still 'they know the field, this is their niche, but I'm not sure if their first-hand experience is directly applicable'. And it sucks, because every node in a network works together for the common good, which is making sure each node succeeds, but without enough information it's just 'shorter path' rather than 'shortest path' lookup of who is suited for what.
Honestly, lets just start a mega company as a community and dominate all fields at once 🤣 Seriously, think about it, we've all got a niche, we all have a sector, just bucketing and task distribution, end of month, funds are split unilaterally, same shares, if new people join up, join in, the more the merrier?
@ben , @jess so when are we starting DEV industries? 😂
The name-tagging maniac strikes again, haha 😂 You didn’t look carefully! I’ve put my 15 years of QA experience right on my profile, and you only just found out now.🤣
Also, that's why you're in QA 😁 to catch what I miss 😂 You see, you're good at your job!
It’s QA OCD kicking in! I always open people’s profiles whenever they comment 😂
And jump when you see a red icon 😁
🤣🤣🤣
Somehow I feel like it's not impossible that you put it there, just to give me Mandela Effect... 🤣 but yeah, first time I realized, was when you commented it
appreciate that man, and you named the actual gap. old colleagues can vouch because they watched you be wrong and fix it in front of them. closest thing i have is comment sections where people break my stuff in public and i publish the correction. not a resume but it is a record.
DEV industries though, im in 😂
First product, a decent way to distribute work across 2k people 😂 Next, how to split revenue across 2k people 🤑 But think about it, as a community, we have the capacity to run 100+ projects at a time, probably 30 products a month, some of them have to hit some market?
I think it would be managble if people truly wanted to work together. It's hard finding people with similar minds with the money generation we'd have breaking it between 2k people would depend upon the work output each one gives out or what sector specifically will handle what task and jobs to gauge where funds would go. It would be a interesting concept I'd be down for it for sure
Hm. Maybe split to teams, you post an idea, people sign up, you manage your posted idea to finished product along with your team, then you and your team share the profit of the finished product equally. No 'but I thought of it' bonus pay, flat shares. I think probably would be easier to manage if it'd use a stablecoin, like USDT, that way everyone can verify the funds are there and use them as they please (i.e. dont pay taxes till you pull it).
I mean if a team of 10 can push a product in a month, standard software firm would crumble as a startup to pay salaries, once the product's done half the team gets fired, then the owner makes all the profit and the employees stay on minimum salaries? As opposed to everyone gets equal share of the profits, no salaries. We're a community stretched across the globe, with every experience tier and niche imaginable, including (most importantly) critics that'd actually tear the code apart and give feedback on exactly what's busted.
Only catch is the company has to be registered in a tax haven...
And the entire inner workings needs to be completely autonomous and distributed. Like nuclear launch keys, no single person has the ability to manage the money, that way nobody can go and steal money or alter distribution algorithms. So it's actually safe.
And maybe a 10% share of profits going to a unified R&D budget, for eventually funding new projects, so we can do budgeting and approvals for ideas that require startup funds.
Didn't expect to see myself as the edge AI reference point . appreciate that, UnitBuilds...🤝🤝
You didn't need to bring the whole X-Men into this holy xD
😁 Well we never get to strike the pose and we rehearsed it for so long!
we?
🤧 It's fine
Networking doesn’t mean making a name for yourself in a crowd; it means building such a strong identity that even in a crowd, people look for you.
The power of networking is truly immense.
Nice write-up, Francis.
Thanks! :D
I’m happy that you’re feeling better now and don’t feel sick anymore.
Yeahhh networking is one of those things I never really liked to do but HAD to do, but I can definitely say I've gotten better at it. I realized the same learnings as you have written in this post, never be afraid to ask for help, doing your side of the job is really important if you want to see any kind of result, putting yourself out there, marketing yourself... and one thing I'm still learning myself is making strong meaningful connections as well, and the ability to make them last, but without further rambling, at the end of the day it's all about the actions you take, you plant a seed and a tree grows, it's that simple.
Yep. It is that simple, though people tend to want instant results of this. Consistency is always a blocker for anything really, especially when trying to master a skill. Consistency is key. If no consistency, then no point of trying?
Appreciate it Aryan and glad you are still doing well!
Networking gets a bad reputation because people treat it like an API call:
POST /referralBut the useful connections usually happen long before you actually need something from the person.
I can see where it gets the bad reputation because of how people see it as "unfair" in a way, but that's usually how it works. If I was a recruiter, I want to make sure the person I am hiring has the capability and not a scam. Which is probably why the interviews are rigorous in such manner. Unfortunate, but it is what it is I guess. Thanks!
Networking has always been the hardest part for me. I'm trying to overcome it by attending more local events and talking to more people here on DEV. But every time I try to push that wall, it feels like something pushes back harder. This post made me feel less alone in that. Thanks for sharing
Keep it up! Seems like your on the right path and yes, it takes time but hopefully, you will get there!
Nice username btw. Hopefully these networking isn't going to destroy the multiverse in your movie lol (Avengers: Doomsday) xD
Thanks, I really appreciate it.
And for the destruction of the multiverse, you just have to wait and see, maybe it will, xD
@francistrdev Reframing networking as simply meeting people rather than pitching yourself for a referral makes a massive difference, especially for introverts. Treating it as genuine community building takes away that awkward transactional feel and makes it far more sustainable long-term.
When you first started making that shift away from cold recruiter outreach, what was the first community or event where you felt things actually clicked?
Hey Sushyam. It's was more of a self-reflection of myself during the time my OCD was really bad for me. Since I had nothing to do, it gave me a lot of free space to think about where I am at. That "clicked" for me and decide to join DEV to put myself out there. What about you?
I was a shy person before 2026. I had never really tried networking. But here are some things I’ve learned and realized: without networking, even high-level skills can go unnoticed, which can reduce your chances of getting what you’re aiming for.
In 2026 and, perhaps, in the years to come, everyone will need networking—not just to show off their skills, but because, in an increasingly virtual world, networking is one of the ways we stay connected to the real world. We’ll definitely need it.
We definitely do...it's even natural for us to even meet people to begin with. and yes, it is something I also notice as well when you mentioned "high-level skills can go unnoticed, which can reduce your chances of getting what you’re aiming for.".
Hopefully your journey goes well Maulik! What are some things you are doing right now when your networking? Sharing anything good on DEV/LinkedIn?
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