Even if you have zero professional contacts, you can build a meaningful network during your job search.
Start with who you know
Add these people to Orbit as contacts:
- Former coworkers and managers
- College friends in your industry
- People you've met at events or online
- Family friends who work in relevant fields
Set their contact type (Connection, Referral, etc.) and link them to relevant jobs.
Reach out on LinkedIn
For each job you're excited about:
- Search LinkedIn for people at that company
- Look for shared connections, schools, or interests
- Send a personalized connection request
- Once connected, add them to Orbit and link to the job
Use the Quick Capture
When you find a contact on LinkedIn:
- Copy their profile text
- Open Quick Capture in Orbit
- Paste — AI extracts name, title, company
- Orbit suggests which job to link them to
Track every interaction
After each conversation, update the contact's notes:
- What you discussed
- Any advice they gave
- Next steps they suggested
Follow up consistently
Orbit reminds you when contacts go cold (14+ days since last contact). Use the AI Suggest button to draft a natural follow-up message.
Monitor your network effect
The Week dashboard shows your networking vs cold apply conversion rate. Most users find that jobs with contacts convert 2-3x better than cold applications.