How to network: lessons from 80,000 Hours' advising team

Everyone talks about the importance of networking for a successful career. And they’re right — the people you connect with will shape your habits, the ideas you’re exposed to, and your job opportunities.

But how do you actually network well?

I (Zershaaneh) asked this question to 80,000 Hours' career advisors, who have helped thousands of people break into high-impact roles. Here’s what they recommended.

How to network

The basics are simple: find people who can help you learn or move forward with your career, or who you can help. Increase your opportunities to connect with them, and try to build genuine relationships with the people you meet.

Find the right people

Attend conferences, courses, and social events in your professional community, or one you'd like to be a part of. There are many opportunities to meet like-minded people in person and virtually — we have lots of recommendations to get you started on our community page.
Get involved in online discourse. People often use social media, forums, and other online platforms to connect with others and discuss ideas. Whatever your interests are, there’s probably an online community out there for you! Our advisors sometimes recommend being active on X/Twitter, especially if you’re interested in AI policy.
Try visiting a hub There are some locations (like the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington DC, London, and Oxford) with a large number of people interested in existential risks and effective altruism. Travelling isn’t practical for everyone, but if you have the flexibility, it can be a great way to meet people in these communities — especially if you plan your visit around a local event.
Try talking to peers. You don’t always need to target the leading experts in your field of interest. People who are just one or two steps ahead of you in their career can be well-placed to help you work out your next steps, and are often easier to book in with.
Look for people you can help. These might be peers who want book recommendations, organisation leaders looking for referrals for a role, or people earlier in their careers who need guidance you can provide. Not only is this a great way to build relationships that could be mutually beneficial, it's a great way to pay forward the help you get in your career!

Multiply your opportunities to network

Or, in other words, “increase your surface area for luck”.

Reach out widely (and don’t be too discouraged by rejections!). The more people you try to talk to, the greater your chances are of making a great connection. Note that people are often very busy, so don’t take it personally if they don’t respond.
Ask for introductions. At the end of a conversation, or if someone declines your request to have a conversation with them, try: ‘Is there anyone else you think it would be useful for me to talk to?’
Host your own events. This takes more effort than other options, but you can start small. Invite a few people you already know well and a few people you’d like to get to know better — and encourage them to bring guests!
Cold emailing. You can also try reaching out to people you haven’t met before — we give some specific advice on this below.

Have great conversations and build relationships

So you’ve decided who you want to speak to, and you’ve put yourself in a good position to do it. Now what?

Here’s how to make your conversations go as well as possible:

Keep your requests specific and concise. When reaching out to someone, clearly state what you’d like to discuss and why you’re contacting them in particular. But bear in mind: busy people are more likely to engage with a brief email.
Don’t make it a sales pitch. Treat conversations as an opportunity to learn from or help each other, rather than a transaction. You'll build more valuable connections by showing genuine interest than by selling yourself or asking for a job outright.
Be open-minded. The most helpful and honest advice will sometimes challenge your opinions. It’s important to be open to different perspectives, change your mind when presented with solid new evidence — and be happy people have shared their views, even if you don’t agree.
Invest in your interpersonal skills. These are trainable, and can make a big difference when you’re trying to make connections. We’ve got some tips on this in our career guide.

Reaching out to people you don’t know

Though your chances of getting a response are always higher if you get an introduction first or have met the person before, you can always just reach out to people you don’t know.

Maybe you’ve read a fascinating paper recently, or heard about a project that makes you think ‘I wish I could have done that’. If so, you can try getting in touch with the people involved to learn more and get pointers — many people are happy to chat about their work.

This can feel daunting, and you won’t always get a response. But it’s actually common to send ‘cold’ emails like this — and some people say it’s really helped their career progression.

Remember:

It’s up to the person receiving your message to decide if talking to you is worth their time. You’re not imposing just by reaching out.
As long as you’re respectful, the worst thing that can happen is that you don’t get a response.
If you don’t get a response, it’s usually fine to follow up once, in case they’ve missed or forgotten about your message — but don’t keep chasing them after that.

More resources

Our career guide includes lots more relevant advice, including why you should consider joining a professional community and more tips for building connections.

If you’re looking for tips on networking in the AI policy space, our advisors recommend this resource from Horizon.

Not sure where to start with a cold message? We have a few example email scripts that can help you. Or, if you’re messaging someone at a conference, we like this advice from Neel Nanda and Jemima Jones.

And finally, to generally improve your people skills, we recommend reading Never Eat Alone or How to Win Friends and Influence People — old, but it holds up.