I’ve applied for jobs a few times and this has always been a problem. Now that I’ve been out of college for a while it’s even more of a problem. I don’t have anyone from college that would even remember me. I can’t use my current coworkers because I don’t want my current employer to know I’m leaving until I have a new job lined up. I don’t keep in touch with old coworkers. I don’t do anything outside of work as far as volunteering or anything. I know I’m not supposed to use friends or family. Who is even left after that? The only people I have the contact info for are friends, family, and my current boss.
So this is advice I’ve offered many co-workers and friends over the years. This advice actually came directly from my first boss.
Always try and make time to have a lunch with a former co-worker. Just one, co-worker, it’s one hour, once a month. Just have a lunch with someone, anyone from a former job. This helps in a couple of ways, you keep your network open and you keep it expanding. These people aren’t your friends, but they could turn into friendship if you wish them to be.
Prior to the pandemic, I had a list of my months, and which co-workers I would reach out to from former jobs. This has been huge for me as it has helped me land new job opportunities and it has turned some former workers into great friendships. But it’s just 12 hours a year, and 12 lunch’s a year. But it’s just enough that I’ll always have someone I can use as a reference.
I’ve now had many different jobs over the years, but I still schedule lunches with former co-workers. But I make sure to reach back out to people to set these up, it’s helped me also become more social than I normally am.
So once you’ve got this new job in the bag, do not lose touch with the old co-workers make an effort to have lunch with someone, anyone, but at least someone you wouldn’t pull your hair out after spending an hour with them.
It’s just 12 hours once a year.
edit: don’t get me wrong this isn’t an easy task my first boss had to force me to go to lunches I didn’t want to go to.
This is excellent advice. People need to note it down.
OP, you say no one in college would remember you. What about a professor or TA? I kept grades for years on my students just for this reason. Even if I didn’t remember specifics about someone, I could comment on their performance.
Once a month? That’s more than I see my friends
I am definitely friends with and will keep in contact with a few of my coworkers. One of them is the forever dungeon master (the DnD kind not the kinky kind) in my friend group. The problem in my case is that I only have 3 jobs in my work history and the 1st and 3rd job are the same company. I started at my current company straight out of highschool and worked my way up. Then I went elsewhere for a few years before one of my old coworker friends basically begged me to come back and work on a new project so now my excoworkers are now my current coworkers again. At my second job I was a one man department and I was lucky if I even saw anyone else all day. I probably should have tried to network more there though. As I said in the origional post I really don’t want to use any current coworkers so that eliminates 2 thirds of my work history and I didn’t network for the other third. I’ll definitely be keeping in touch with people from my new job, considering I’ll be apprenticing under someone it should be easy to make at least one contact.