How to level up your networking
Stop wasting time on the wrong people
You’re reaching out. Scheduling coffees and calls. And after months, you still have nothing.
Stop blaming yourself. Your system is broken.
Most aspiring former feds track the wrong metrics in the wrong way. You reach out when you think of someone. You follow up when you remember. You say whatever comes up in the moment.
This haphazard approach produces results if you already have a network. It falls apart when you don’t.
You’re Reaching Out to the Wrong People
You’re probably going after the impressive names on LinkedIn. Directors. VPs. Senior people at big companies. People who look like they have something to give you.
There are three archetypes worth talking to.
Trailblazers - The former colleagues who did what you’re doing now and landed where you want to be. A GS-13 who became a PM at one of the FAANGs. A contracting officer now in a BD role at a defensetech startup. They’ve proved the transition is possible. Their experience will inform your blueprint.
Connectors - These are people in the world you’re trying to enter. They might be in recruiting. They might manage a team. They might just know everyone. They don’t need to have done your transition. They need to know where the openings are and who’s hiring people like you. A single connector opens five doors otherwise closed or off your radar.
Reliable Recruiters - These are recruiters you’ve met along the way. For whatever reason, even when a role didn’t work out, you stayed in touch. Their insight is as valuable as it gets. Key perspectives on interview loops and offer negotiations. Ask for their advice and watch how it brings you to a whole new level.
Most feds reach out to the names with the titles. The executives. The ones who can’t help you because they don’t remember the transition, or maybe never even went through one. They don’t have time and they’re not hiring.
You’re networking with the wrong people.
Follow-Ups Into the Void
You schedule a call. It goes well. You say you’ll reach back out in a few days.
Then you get busy. A week passes. Two weeks. Three. You finally send something and now you’re the person who ghosted for a month and came looking for a favor.
This is more of a cold email masquerade than a follow-up.
In tech, or any career transition, speed matters. A thank-you within 24 hours says you focused. Waiting a week says you’re not serious.
Former feds are usually good at managing projects. You know how to track deadlines. But you apply that to deliverables, not relationships. You file the contact in your brain under “follow up eventually” and move on.
A system that prompts you to send thank-you notes, request updates and conclude conversations transforms your workflow. It enables you to scale your efforts, allowing you to monitor various touchpoints and interview cycles seamlessly. With this, nothing escapes your attention.
You Lack a Pitch
Most aspiring formerfeds won’t admit this. You think you can wing it. You’ve told this story a hundred times.
Except you haven’t in this context. Yes, you’ve covered your background and outlined the well-known companies you want to join. You probably talked about it for a good 10 minutes, when all you need is four sentences.
Where I’m coming from
What I plan to do next
Why I’m qualified
How I stand out from the crowd
Master these topics and you’re halfway there. You’ll be consistent and clear, proving you know what you want and don’t need anyone else to figure it out. Your interlocutors will know exactly how to help you.
Without this structure, you’ll come across as lost.
Solve the Problem
These three mistakes kill your career-transition momentum before you even get going.
You’re talking to the wrong people. You’re going silent at the wrong times. Your pitch suggests you’re still figuring it out. Five months later, you have no offers, zero interviews, and you’re thinking to just stay put in government
A solid, scalable system fixes this. You know which three types of contacts move the needle. You track interactions so follow-ups happen on time, not whenever you remember. You build a pitch and refine it every time.
You’ve got a strategy and the guessing days are behind you.
That’s the difference between spinning your wheels and moving.
FF Network handles all three. It sorts your contacts by type so you spend time on the right people. It reminds you when to follow up so you’re never silent. And it walks you through building a pitch that actually works. Check it out today. What do you have to lose?
