Networking 101: Coffee, Keyboards & Killer Connections

Here's a Monday morning scenario for you...

It’s 9 a.m., your coffee’s still too hot to gulp, and LinkedIn pings: “Hey, we’ve never spoken but can you fill six DevOps roles by Friday?”

Sounds like a great challenge but where do you start? If you don’t have the right network or the right connection with your network, you’re toast.

Hi, I'm Gagan and I will be your guide on how to network effectively online and offline.

Drawing on extensive experience across marketing, sales quotas, and the pace of agency life, this playbook the team and I have curated for you turns casual hellos into closed deals, and even long-term professional partnerships.

Here’s how:

1. Give Value, no matter how small

Give Value. Image source: Pinterest

Networking isn’t speed-dating with business cards; it’s relationship banking. Every thoughtful comment, intro or meme you lob into someone’s DMs is a tiny deposit. Give it time and interest compounds. Suddenly that HR manager you helped with a salary survey is looping you into their next green-field hiring spree.

Golden rule: Lead with value before the ask. (And no, a Calendly link is not value.)

2. Choose your pub, digital and in real life. 

Digitally would be LinkedIn, X, Instagram and the likes. 

Connect everywhere. Image source: Pinterest

Step 1: Be findable

In real life, a person can assess your vibes before approaching or depends on you to be charming when you approach them. Online, there’s a bio that helps them decide. So, you need a good hook. 

Craft a headline that tells prospects what you do, for whom, and why you’re the safe pair of hands. Example:

“Med-Tech Recruiter | Placements under 21 days | Ex-physio turned talent geek.”

Step 2: Spark micro-conversations

• Drop opinionated comments on target accounts (skip the “Great post!” fluff).

• Run polls that your network would genuinely value the answers to and share results to spark conversations

Step 3: Nurture quietly

Adopt the 3-2-1 cadence each quarter:

• 3 public touches (likes, comments, reposts)

• 2 semi-private messages (quick DMs)

• 1 deep dive (virtual coffee)

You stay top-of-mind without feeling like spam.

Step 4: Host bite-size events

Thirty-minute LinkedIn Live Q&As beat 90-minute webinars every day of the week. Record the session, slice it into short clips, tag attendees and watch your inbound skyrocket.

3. Off-Screen Magic: Networking in 3D

In person connections. Image source: Pinterest

Conferences, you can work wonders there. 

• Pre-game: Highlight Tier-A prospects on the attendee list and schedule hallway huddles.

• During: Approach with an outcome + hook opener: “I help stealth fintechs hire their first five engineers. Curious how you tackled that at Seed stage?”

• Post-game: Follow up within 24 hours with a resource (“Here’s that salary benchmark sheet. Steal away!”).

Meet-ups & Breakfasts

Arrive early, volunteer as a table moderator and bring a conversation spark (even a whimsical one-pager on “How not to ghost candidates”). People remember the organiser.

Client Site Visits

Treat them like mini-audits: note culture cues, capture anonymised photos for future candidate decks and deliver a short “friction points & quick wins” memo within 48 hours. Instant consultant status.

4. Hybrid Hacks, Where Online & Offline High-Five

Screen Connection. Image Source: Pinterest

5. Scripts That Save the Day

Send a followup. Image source: Pinterest

Warm DM after engagement

“Hey Jamie, your post on scaling data teams hit home. I’ve got a fresh salary heat map (Excel, sortable by city). Happy to drop it in your inbox if you like?”

Post-event follow-up

Subject: Continuing the “ghosting” debate “Loved your candour at the RecTech Summit. Here are the candidate-survey stats we chatted about (spoiler: ghosting jumps 37 percent after 72 hours). Keen to swap more fixes over coffee next week?”

6. Keep Score (Because Fun Isn’t Fuzzy)

7. Classic Fails to Dodge ❌

1. Spray-and-pray connect requests. Personalise your approach or get lost in the sea of DMs.

2. Radio silence until you need something. Schedule “give-first Fridays”. Find a way to be useful to your network.

3. CRM graveyard. Visualise follow-ups with a board so opportunities don’t vanish.

Final Espresso Shot ☕️

Networking isn’t a one-off stunt; it’s the operating system of modern recruitment. Show up (digitally and in real life) with curiosity, generosity and confidence, and you’ll build a pipeline that survives algorithm changes, belt-tightening and even AI-generated cover letters.

Action for today:

• 15 minutes commenting on five dream clients’ posts

• 10 minutes booking two coffees

• 5 minutes sending one value-packed follow-up

Your future placements and commission cheques will thank you. Now go make some friendly noise!

If these insights resonate, I’d love to continue the conversation over coffee; book a catch-up here.

All the best,

Gagan 💜