Here’s something counterintuitive about job searching: the people most likely to help you land your next role aren’t your closest friends or current colleagues.
They’re the people you barely talk to.
Your former coworker from three jobs ago. The person you chatted with at that conference two years back. Your college roommate’s cousin who works in fintech. The neighbor you wave to but have never really talked to beyond small talk about the weather.
This is your fringe network. And it might be the most underutilized asset in your career toolkit.
Why Your Inner Circle Isn’t Enough
Your close network—family, best friends, current team—already knows what you know. You share the same news, the same industry gossip, the same job postings. By the time information reaches you through this group, it’s often already old.
Your fringe network operates in completely different worlds. Different companies. Different industries. Different hiring managers. Different conversations you’re not part of.
Sociologist Mark Granovetter called this the “strength of weak ties,” and decades of research back it up: unexpected opportunities tend to come from people on the periphery of your life, not the center.
Think about it. When was the last time a close friend told you about a job opening you hadn’t already seen?
The Numbers Are Hard to Ignore
Studies consistently show that somewhere between 70% and 85% of jobs are filled through networking. And referred candidates are significantly more likely to get hired than cold applicants.
But here’s the catch: if you’re only networking with people who know the same hiring managers you do, you’re competing for the same limited pool of opportunities.
Your fringe expands that pool exponentially.
How to Actually Do This
Reaching out to people you haven’t talked to in years can feel awkward. It doesn’t have to be.
Start with a simple reconnection. A brief LinkedIn message or email works fine: “I’ve been thinking about people whose work I’ve always respected, and you came to mind. I’m exploring some new directions in my career and would love to hear what you’re seeing in your world.”
No pressure. No ask for a job. Just genuine curiosity.
Ask for advice, not opportunities. People are far more willing to share perspective than to stick their neck out with a referral. “Do you know anyone in [specific field] who might be willing to share some insight about breaking in?” lands better than “Do you know of any open positions?”
The irony? Asking for advice often leads to opportunities anyway.
Use your core network as a bridge. Your close contacts know people you don’t. Ask them: “Who do you know in [industry or role] who might be open to a quick conversation?” A warm introduction changes everything.
Give before you take. Share an article that might interest them. Make an introduction that helps them. Networking isn’t transactional—it’s relational. The people who build genuine goodwill over time are the ones who get calls back when it matters.
The Shift That Makes This Work
Most people approach networking like a vending machine: insert request, receive opportunity. That’s not how it works.
The leaders I coach who navigate career transitions successfully treat networking as an ongoing practice, not a crisis response. They stay curious about people. They maintain loose threads of connection even when they don’t need anything.
And when the time comes to make a move? Those threads become lifelines.
Here’s your challenge this week: Identify three people on the fringe of your network—people you haven’t spoken to in at least a year—and send a genuine, no-ask message. Just reconnect.
You might be surprised where it leads.
They’re the people you barely talk to.
Your former coworker from three jobs ago. The person you chatted with at that conference two years back. Your college roommate’s cousin who works in fintech. The neighbor you wave to but have never really talked to beyond small talk about the weather.
This is your fringe network. And it might be the most underutilized asset in your career toolkit.
Why Your Inner Circle Isn’t Enough
Your close network—family, best friends, current team—already knows what you know. You share the same news, the same industry gossip, the same job postings. By the time information reaches you through this group, it’s often already old.
Your fringe network operates in completely different worlds. Different companies. Different industries. Different hiring managers. Different conversations you’re not part of.
Sociologist Mark Granovetter called this the “strength of weak ties,” and decades of research back it up: unexpected opportunities tend to come from people on the periphery of your life, not the center.
Think about it. When was the last time a close friend told you about a job opening you hadn’t already seen?
The Numbers Are Hard to Ignore
Studies consistently show that somewhere between 70% and 85% of jobs are filled through networking. And referred candidates are significantly more likely to get hired than cold applicants.
But here’s the catch: if you’re only networking with people who know the same hiring managers you do, you’re competing for the same limited pool of opportunities.
Your fringe expands that pool exponentially.
How to Actually Do This
Reaching out to people you haven’t talked to in years can feel awkward. It doesn’t have to be.
Start with a simple reconnection. A brief LinkedIn message or email works fine: “I’ve been thinking about people whose work I’ve always respected, and you came to mind. I’m exploring some new directions in my career and would love to hear what you’re seeing in your world.”
No pressure. No ask for a job. Just genuine curiosity.
Ask for advice, not opportunities. People are far more willing to share perspective than to stick their neck out with a referral. “Do you know anyone in [specific field] who might be willing to share some insight about breaking in?” lands better than “Do you know of any open positions?”
The irony? Asking for advice often leads to opportunities anyway.
Use your core network as a bridge. Your close contacts know people you don’t. Ask them: “Who do you know in [industry or role] who might be open to a quick conversation?” A warm introduction changes everything.
Give before you take. Share an article that might interest them. Make an introduction that helps them. Networking isn’t transactional—it’s relational. The people who build genuine goodwill over time are the ones who get calls back when it matters.
The Shift That Makes This Work
Most people approach networking like a vending machine: insert request, receive opportunity. That’s not how it works.
The leaders I coach who navigate career transitions successfully treat networking as an ongoing practice, not a crisis response. They stay curious about people. They maintain loose threads of connection even when they don’t need anything.
And when the time comes to make a move? Those threads become lifelines.
Here’s your challenge this week: Identify three people on the fringe of your network—people you haven’t spoken to in at least a year—and send a genuine, no-ask message. Just reconnect.
You might be surprised where it leads.
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