Is a relationship-led job search right for me?
Answer ten quick questions and get a practical read on how much a relationship-led approach could help your next move.
See the article for more info about what the structured relationship-led approach is.
Answer these ten questions as best you can. It takes just a couple of minutes. These ten questions, in my experience, determine how much a structured relationship-led approach will help you achieve the career transition you are aiming for.
This structured relationship-led approach is not helpful for everyone to the same degree. For some, it is helpful, like having a friend on the inside. For others, it makes the impossible possible.
Caution: Keep in mind that this is directionally correct, not scientific. It is based on my experience hiring 200+ people and interviewing 1000+ across different roles and companies.
Question 1 of 10
Are you going for a role that has specific credentials, or a role that in theory almost anyone could go for?
Specific credentials: Legal, Engineering, Information Security
General role: Customer Success, Product Management, Data Science
Question 2 of 10
How many people would you estimate have this job in your city?
Under 200: small city, or a rare type of job
200 to 1000: moderate-sized city, and a somewhat common job
1000+: large city or a fairly common type of role
Question 3 of 10
What stage are you at in your career?
Early in career: under 3 years, mostly IC roles
In the middle: senior IC, team lead, strategic HQ roles
Advanced: managing teams of teams, VP or C-suite
Question 4 of 10
How big is the change you are trying to make?
Small change: same role at a similar company, in the same city
Moderate change: different type of company, stepping into people leadership, moving sub-industries
Huge change: different country, different industry, different field, not formally qualified, or a very large jump in scope
Question 5 of 10
How natural are you in interviews and conversations?
Born conversationalist from smalltalk to deep conversations, you get along easily with most people quickly
In the middle
Not a natural conversationalist: interviews stress you out and you're afraid that in most cases, your nervousness shows
Question 6 of 10
How much better would you do in an interview if you had 2 to 3 insider conversations first?
Imagine two versions of the same interview. In one, you have already had two 30-minute calls with people around your future manager’s level. In the other, you are going in cold with only whatever you could find online.
Question 7 of 10
How in demand is your role?
Lower or decreasing demand: you are seeing layoffs in your industry or role, or you personally know people in your role and city who have been laid off
High or increasing demand: recruiters or headhunters regularly reach out, strong-fit jobs are easy to find, or at least 10% of your applications turn into first interviews
Question 8 of 10
How much time each week can you consistently commit to your job search?
Under 1 hour or inconsistent: you cannot reliably protect job-search time most weeks
1 to 3 hours: you can keep a small weekly rhythm going
3+ hours: you can run outreach, preparation, conversations, and follow-up with more momentum
Question 9 of 10
How open and motivated are you to take a different approach to job searching?
Not open: you are sceptical of new job-search techniques, tend to adopt new tools late, or are not actively seeking a move
Super open: you have tried the traditional route and can see it is not working, or you generally like trying newer approaches early
Question 10 of 10
How clear is your next job move?
Not clear at all: you are open to several paths across different industries, cities, or roles, and your previous experience is only loosely related to what you might do next
Crystal clear: you know the city, company type, industry, and handful of role names you will go for next
Your result
Strong fit
Fit score: 5x vs cold applications
What this means
A structured relationship-led job search takes more effort than sending cold applications. But for the right kind of move, it can improve your odds so much that the extra effort is easily worth it.
Your result suggests that a structured relationship-led job search could outperform a cold application strategy by a large margin.
In practical terms, that means one well-run structured relationship-led job search may be worth dozens, and sometimes even hundreds, of cold applications.
That does not mean outcomes are guaranteed. It means that if your background needs context, if your move is non-obvious, or if the roles you want are limited, relying on cold applications alone is usually a weak bet.