This is an excerpt from the ebook I wrote this summer titled, "Go Solo: How to Flourish as a Fractional Worker." You can read more about my process for writing that book or jump straight to this handy worksheet I made on mapping your network.
Before you chart a course about where you’re going, I find it helpful to catch up on where you’ve already been. As a working professional – no matter what type of job you have – you have two super valuable things in your toolkit: The skills you’ve acquired, and the people you’ve met along the way. Most job-seekers think a little bit about the former and hardly at all about the latter.
But to succeed in a fractional capacity, or any entrepreneurial pursuit, it really helps to learn how to access people in your network, both for business opportunities and for valuable advice. This is why, anytime I change jobs, I like to spend an hour or two on an exercise I refer to as “network mapping.”
The first time I did this, back in 2015, it happened very organically. I was having a hard time plotting my next chess move in my career after four years at Stack Overflow. At some point I decided to use the people I admired to help me uncover what I might enjoy too. So I made a list called, “Smart People I Like to Work With.” As I embarked on my job search, I tried to meet as many of them as possible. Ultimately these conversations guided me toward what I wanted (and didn’t want) in my new full-time role.
To build a network map, think back on your current and former colleagues. Who are your cheerleaders, your influencers, and your anchors? Who is rooting for you to get where you want to go, and who can help you find your way there? This is your network. Activating that network is “networking.” This doesn’t need to feel sleazy or squeezy; hopefully it just feels like catching up with people you care about.
How to Build Your Network Map
To build your map, try identifying a couple of people in these key areas:
Peers you’ve worked with before (and might want to work with again)
Managers or company leaders you’ve worked with before (and may want to tap for another job or perspective again)
Clients, partners or ecosystem leaders you got to know in past roles (and want to keep tabs on)
People you admire (and want to emulate professionally in some capacity)
People who are “one step ahead” (or more) from where you are today, and might be able to help you get a footing in a new territory
Smart people who are building cool stuff (who inspire you to want to do cool stuff too)
Once you have your list, ask yourself what types of jobs or projects you want to work on next. This could be industry-specific (like technology, publishing, or green energy) or role-specific (like operations, marketing, or sales).
Then, look at your list and ask: Who might help you find a job or project in that area of work? Who else might you need to know to pivot in that direction? Essentially, you’re using your network to map out a direction for your career.
By the way, there will almost certainly be cases where you are curious about something where you don’t currently have an active network. Let’s say you work in fintech but want to pivot into green energy but you don’t know anyone in green energy. When this happens, you generally have two options:
Look for a second-hand connection. Look at your network and ask, "Who on my current list might be connected with someone who works in green energy?" Chances are, there is someone on your current list who exists more in an “edge” or peripheral capacity, or is a super-connector and might be able to help you find someone more in line with your target interest.
Do a bit of independent research. Then reach out. If you’re looking to go “net new” into a new area or domain, it will probably help to first get a handle on the broad categories in that space. With minimal online sleuthing, you might determine that the green energy field can include jobs in solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and biofuel. From there, you can narrow down a more specific niche (ie: solar power), identify a few companies that look interesting, then use LinkedIn or other tools to help you connect with 1-2 people at those companies.
As I shared in this podcast where I was interviewed about fractional work, I’ve done a version of this exercise with every job change or transition. My most recent version was less about finding people to lift me in a new direction where I wanted to go next, and more about doubling down on the “anchoring” people who I find most helpful in re-centering myself on my own personal North Star mission in the work that I do.
If you’re curious about how to get started in mapping out your own network, here’s a helpful worksheet to get you started, interactive elements made from remixing this chapter of my ebook as a Claude Artifact.
