Open Doors.
Doors open through people. Build the search engine that runs on relationships.
Most people apply cold, then panic-network. You'll do the opposite. Map your people through the Confidence Circle, send a specific announcement to your inner ring first, then run a weekly rhythm sized to your real capacity - protected by a No List.
~2h · 4 exercises
- Your goal: a search that runs on relationships - map your people, make a specific ask, set a sustainable rhythm.
- The order matters: warm circle first, wider net second.
- Sustainable beats heroic. Weekly numbers + a No List to protect them.
- My Confidence Circle has names (or named empty seats) for each role.
- My announcement is sent to my Inner Circle; the wider version is drafted.
- 15+ referral coffee chats are logged with trends tracked across them.
- Two full weeks of rhythm are logged: 4+ tailored applications, 4+ touches, 2+ conversations booked.
- My No List exists and I've honored it at least once.
Step by step
The lessons in this module
Work through each exercise in order. Every step has guidance, prompts, and a place to reflect — inside the hub or on paper.
- 1
6.1 The Confidence Circle
~25 minName a person for each of the 8 seats - or mark it as a seat to fill.
**Eight roles, two for each stage** of the Confidence Cycle. **An empty seat isn't a failure** — it's the clearest signal of **where to spend your energy this month**.
- 2
6.2 The Announcement
~25 minDraft the message that tells your network what you're looking for.
Draft the message that tells your network what you're looking for — **specific role types, specific orgs**. **Send to Inner Circle first**; they're the warm-up rep.
- 3
6.3 Rhythm, Tracker, No List
~30 minSet weekly numbers, pick a tracker, write what you're not doing.
**Sustainable beats heroic.** Pick **weekly numbers sized to your real capacity**. Then write the **No List** — what you're **deliberately NOT doing** this season — so the rhythm holds.
- 4
6.4 Referral Coffee Chats · 15+ and Track the Trends
~60 minA second wave of chats — this time for referrals and hidden-market signal.
Module 3's coffee chats tested your **hypothesis**. This wave is different: you're now **inside the industry** and running **15–20 conversations** to surface the **hidden market** — roughly **70–85% of roles are never posted publicly**.
**Get to new people through people you already know.** Skip cold outreach. Start with your **Confidence Circle** and your Module 3 conversations, then ask each person: **'Who else would you recommend I talk to?'** A warm intro from a mutual connection converts far better than any cold message — and it protects your energy.
**Where to look for warm paths:** · **Your Confidence Circle** — inner ring first, then guides and champions. · **LinkedIn 2nd-degree connections** — filter by target role/company, then ask a mutual contact for an intro. · **Alumni networks** — grad program, past employers, workshops, communities you already belong to. · **Your Module 3 chats** — go back to the strongest ones and ask for one more intro each.
**Pace:** 2–3 chats/week for 6–8 weeks. Sustainable beats heroic. **Conversion reality:** it typically takes **10–30 chats to surface one concrete referral or breakthrough interview** — the patterns across 15+ chats are the deliverable, not any single conversation.
**What to track after every chat** (columns below): industry pain points, strategic priorities, internal terminology/tools mentioned, warm referrals offered, follow-up date.
**Golden rule:** never ask for a job. Ask to learn. **Referrals come from rapport, not requests.**
- Open your tracker: the data is never as bad as the dread. What does it actually say?
- The outreach you're most avoiding: send it now, imperfect. Then notice how it felt.
Ready to put pen to paper?
Download the full Career Confidence workbook with the worksheets for this module — or sign in to complete them inside the hub with your coach.