Networking is a help for sure, but it is also a numbers game. When I was looking for specific work back in Jan-March 2024 I treated it like a part-time job. 15-20 hours a week looking for work in some way or another. Very tough especially if you already have a FT job.

I applied to a couple hundred jobs that I knew were around my skill set. I tried to tailor my experience to each job and update my resume for each, especially if it was a job I was particularly interested in.

I spread sheeted out every category I could think of that would impact my getting work (Networking, job applications, interviewing, resume improvement, etc. and I kept track of it all to keep myself honest and tracked time on each item. I applied to about 25-40 each week. I tracked each job in a spreadsheet and the outcomes of each applications and then I would periodically go back through them to look for trends on who I was getting calls back from. I also tried to make a networking contact each day and refine my resume or variations of my resume every week.

I personally have never got an adult job through networking but networking has given me some really valuable insights and set me up for way better outcomes. The process is painful but I must say that every time I have ended up with a job that fit my needs and circumstances. I really believe its a numbers game because there are million employers looking out there and there are a percentage of that number who are looking specifically for someone like you and your skills.