Networking advice for senior level job seekers within the HR profession
For senior HR professionals, networking can be one of the most effective ways to find the right next opportunity.
It can also be one of the most uncomfortable parts of a job search. After years of building teams, advising executives, managing sensitive employee situations, and supporting business leaders, it can feel strange to suddenly tell people that you are looking for your next role. When we’re counselling our CHROs or VPs on the most effective ways to accelerate their new employment search, more than 78% show clear discomfort and hesitance when we urge them to start networking.
The good news is that senior level networking does not need to feel like self-promotion.
At this stage of your career, effective networking is less about meeting as many people as possible and more about maintaining meaningful relationships with people who understand your capabilities, your reputation, and the type of organization where you can have the greatest impact.
Start networking before you need a job
The strongest professional networks are usually built long before someone starts looking for a new position. If you are already considering a career move, do not wait until you are actively unemployed to reconnect with people. Former colleagues, HR leaders, executives, board members, consultants, recruiters, and people you have worked with throughout your career may not know that you are open to something new. A simple conversation can change that.
You do not even need to announce that you are searching for a job. You can simply reconnect, ask how someone is doing, share an update about your own career, and suggest catching up. The objective is to restart the relationship.
Focus on relationships, not contacts
Senior professionals often have hundreds or even thousands of LinkedIn connections. That does not necessarily mean they have a strong network. A useful network is made up of people who know enough about you to understand what you are good at and where you might fit. Think about the people who have seen you operate at a senior level. Who has worked with you directly? Who has reported to you? Which executives have relied on your advice? Which business leaders have seen the impact of your HR work? Which former colleagues have moved into other organizations? Who knows your reputation well enough to recommend you? These relationships are often more valuable than adding another hundred people to your network.
Do not make every conversation about your job search
One of the easiest ways to make networking uncomfortable is to immediately turn every conversation into a request. Instead, approach conversations with genuine curiosity. Ask what the person is working on. Ask how their organization is changing. Ask what they are seeing in the market. Ask how their HR function is evolving. Ask how you can support them, or who you can introduce them to, or share ideas that might be of useful relevance to them. For senior HR professionals, these conversations can be particularly valuable because HR leaders often have a broad view of organizational changes, leadership challenges, restructuring, talent strategy, and business priorities. You may discover opportunities simply by having a thoughtful conversation about what is happening in the market.
Make your career story easy to understand
When someone asks, “What are you looking for?” senior professionals sometimes give an answer that is too broad. “I am open to HR leadership opportunities” does not tell the person very much. Instead, think about the professional identity you want people to remember. Perhaps you are an HR executive who specializes in organizational transformation. Perhaps you have spent your career building HR functions in rapidly growing companies. Perhaps your strength is delivering on complex organizational change projects with next to no budget. Perhaps you have deep experience in international organizations. Your network cannot help you effectively if people do not understand what you want to be known for. A clear career story gives people something specific to remember when an opportunity comes up.
Tell people what you are interested in, not just what you have done
Your past experience establishes credibility. Your future direction tells people how they can help. Be specific about the types of roles, organizations, industries, or challenges that interest you. For example: I have spent the last several years leading HR through periods of significant growth and transformation. I am now particularly interested in CHRO or senior people leadership roles where the HR function is expected to play a strategic role in the business. That gives someone a much better understanding of what to keep in mind when they hear about an opportunity. That said, try to avoid the generic “HR speak” - you’ll be more memorable in stating “I have spent these last years slashing costs whilst reducing legal and media reporting risk, and whilst I’m happy to take on those challenges again, I’d like to return to my strength of helping companies who aim for double digit growth year on year”.
Reconnect with former colleagues
Former colleagues can be particularly valuable because they already know how you work. Think beyond your former HR colleagues. Reconnect with former CEOs, CFOs, COOs, department heads, managers, peers, and people who worked alongside you. Someone you worked with five years ago may now be leading a company. Someone who was once your peer may now be part of an executive team. Someone who reported to you may now be a senior leader somewhere else. Careers evolve, and so do professional networks. A relationship that was useful five years ago may become significantly more valuable today.
Build relationships with executive recruiters
Executive recruiters can play an important role in senior HR searches. Do not think of them only as people who find candidates for individual jobs. A good recruiter can provide useful perspective on the market, compensation, organizational trends, leadership profiles, and how companies are thinking about particular roles. Build relationships with recruiters who regularly work on the types of positions you are interested in. You do not need to contact dozens of recruiters. A smaller group of relevant recruiters who understand your background can be much more valuable. When you speak with them, be clear about your experience, your strengths, your interests, and the kinds of organizations where you believe you can add value.
There is one important caution, however: a relationship with an executive recruiter is a relationship, not a transaction.
Reaching out to a recruiter for the first time when you suddenly need their help—and expecting them to immediately commit time to building a professional relationship—is unlikely to be successful if you have ignored their previous efforts to connect or network with you over many years.
The best executive recruiters have long-standing relationships with people in their markets. Those relationships are reciprocal: recruiters provide insight, hiring support, introductions, career opportunities, while executives share market knowledge, make connections, engage for search mandates, provide referrals and remain communicative even when they are not actively looking for a new role for themselves.
If you want executive recruiters to know you when the right opportunity arises, start building those relationships before you need them. It is difficult to become someone’s trusted contact overnight simply because you have suddenly decided you need a recruiter.
Use LinkedIn as a networking tool, not just a CV or Resume
For senior HR professionals, LinkedIn can be particularly useful because your professional reputation extends beyond your CV. You do not need to post every day. Instead, consider sharing thoughtful observations about subjects you genuinely understand. You might comment on leadership, organizational transformation, employee experience, workforce planning, culture, executive leadership, AI and work, or the changing role of HR.
The goal is not to become an influencer. The goal is to make your expertise visible. When someone looks at your profile after meeting you or hearing your name, they should be able to understand the perspective you bring as an HR leader.
Ask for advice before asking for introductions
If you are reconnecting with someone who knows your industry well, asking for their perspective can be more natural than immediately asking whether they know of a job. For example: I am starting to think about what I would like my next role to look like. Given your experience in the sector, I would really value your perspective on where you are seeing the most interesting opportunities for senior HR leaders. A useful conversation may naturally lead to an introduction. And if it does not, you have still built a stronger relationship.
Be specific when asking for an introduction
If someone offers to introduce you to people in their network, make the request easy. Instead of: Do you know anyone who might be able to help? Try: I would be particularly interested in speaking with HR leaders in technology companies that are going through international expansion. If anyone comes to mind, I would really appreciate an introduction. Specific requests are easier to act on. They also demonstrate that you have thought carefully about your next move.
12 networking groups that can be of use to you
Your strongest connections may not come from traditional HR networking. Consider people you have encountered through your broader professional community inclusive of:
Professional associations
Executive education
Industry conferences
Board work
Advisory work
Consulting relationships
Vendors and service providers
Professional communities
University or alumni networks
Former clients
People you have mentored
People who have mentored you
Senior HR careers are often built across organizational boundaries. Someone who worked with you as a consultant, vendor, client, or business partner may know your capabilities extremely well.
Give something back
Networking becomes much easier when it is reciprocal. That does not mean keeping score. It means remaining interested in other people's careers even when you do not need anything from them. Introduce people who should know each other. Share a useful article. Congratulate someone on a promotion. Offer your perspective when someone asks for it. Recommend a former colleague.
Make yourself useful.
Over time, people remember professionals who are generous with their knowledge and connections.
Follow up after conversations
A short follow up can make a surprisingly large difference. Thank the person for their time and mention something specific from the conversation. If they suggested someone you should contact, let them know when you follow up. If they offered to introduce you, make the introduction easy by providing a short summary they can forward. And if someone helps you, keep them updated. You do not need to send constant career updates. A thoughtful message when something meaningful happens is enough. And just because it is worth repeating, thank the person for their time - this is a tiny courtesy that is far too often missed.
Avoid networking only when you are desperate
One of the biggest mistakes senior professionals can make is disappearing from their network for years and then suddenly contacting everyone when they need a new position. People are generally happy to help, but relationships work better when they are maintained continuously. Stay in touch even when your career is going well. Celebrate other people's successes. Keep conversations going. Attend events occasionally. Stay visible within your professional community. Then, when you eventually need to make a career move, you are not starting from zero.
Remember that senior level networking is about reputation
At a junior level, networking can sometimes feel like collecting contacts. At a senior level, it is much more closely connected to reputation. People need to know not only what positions you have held, but what it is like to work with you. Are you trusted by executives? Can you handle difficult situations? Can you influence without authority? Can you connect people strategy to business strategy? Can you lead through uncertainty? Can you build strong teams? Can people rely on your judgment? These qualities are difficult to communicate through a CV alone. They are communicated through relationships.
The goal is not to know everyone
A successful networking strategy does not require you to attend every conference, send hundreds of LinkedIn messages, or maintain an enormous contact list. It requires a group of people who know you, understand your strengths, respect your work, and would feel comfortable recommending you when the right opportunity appears.
For a senior HR professional, that can be far more powerful than a large collection of superficial connections. The best time to build that network is before you need it. And the best way to maintain it is to approach networking not as a job search tactic, but as an ongoing part of your professional life.
About the Author
Tracey Thompson is well regarded within the industry for her ability to source and engage high performance HR talent. Over many years she has built a well deserved reputation for her uncanny ability to access proverbial “purple squirrel” HR specialists and as a result, is looked to as a global sourcing subject matter expert.