24 Calls to Make to Your Career Network in 2022

Do you get tongue twisted or terrified when it’s time to call your career network?

If you do, I have a terrific, free guide called How to Have a Great Networking Conversation on the Phone for you.

Written by recruiter Katherine Moody, it shares scripts for 24 job search situations.

As a recruiter, she:

1. Lives rejection.

2. Identified a framework of career networking call types.

3. Developed and tested scripts for each call type.

4. Shared her insights with the world and permitted me to share them here.

So, take a look at this wealth of support, download the file, and simplify and increase the effectiveness of your career networking!

Conversation Openers

First, you can look at these scripts that will help you move through anxiety and fear to start calls:

Sample of a typical opening conversation
They don’t remember you (scary to think about, huh?)
They sound reluctant to talk (uh oh, you might be bugging them)
You didn’t stay in touch (Katherine shows you how to own it and move ahead)
They sound busy (how to handle it)

Specific Requests of Your Career Network

Then, these scripts will help you make requests to:

Meet specific people — when you don’t have a name
Meet specific people — when you have a name
Spend some time talking
Learn about an opening at a company
Learn about a company

Talking to Different Types of People

Your network likely contains different types of people. These scripts will help you with just about everyone:

Salespeople at your target companies (they love to talk about their companies!)
Previous employees of your target companies (great sources!)
Hiring managers (slightly gutsy version)
Hiring managers (softer version)
Receptionists
Executive assistants
Recruiters (pro tips!)
Employees (future colleagues!) at your target companies
Present or past colleagues
Writers, speakers, and other thought leaders
Friends, family, and neighbors

Call Management & Follow-Up

Finally, Katherine has scripts for ending calls and following up with people who help you:

Ending the conversation
Follow up — you talked to the person they suggested
Follow up — the person they suggested never got back to you

Scripts Make Networking Calls Easy

Anyone who has ever worked a phone knows the value of scripts.

They also know they’ll get lots of rejections, but they only need one good win!

Get the Download

Get the guide here. Use it. It will make your job search incredibly less stressful and wildly more effective.

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Featured by Career Sherpa
Image: Tom Wang
Updated April 2022

Donna Svei

Donna Svei, an executive resume writer and former C-level executive, retained search consultant, and CPA, authors all of AvidCareerist’s posts.

She is a Fast Company Contributor and has written for and been quoted by 100+ business and general media outlets, including Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, CNBC, the New York Times, USA Today, Time, US News & World Report, CBS, the BBC, Lifehacker, Social Media Today, IT World, and Business News Daily.

Let her expertise inform your job search strategy and decision-making.

Contact Donna here to learn more about her resume and LinkedIn profile services and fee structure.