- ‘If he really liked me, he would call me!’ (First, look inside: Why do you deserve that top-tier guy or girl? Remember Lyfe Jennings: “Don’t be a nickel out here lookin’ for a dime.”)
- ‘I’ll never be as smooth as that guy…he’s a natural’ (Actually, few people are truly naturals. You become socially skilled with practice — the right kind of practice.)
- ‘I can’t get a Dream Job…I didn’t go to XYZ University / I don’t have 10 years of experience’ (Experience matters, but there other factors that matter as much or more)
The world’s best networkers
If you’re wondering who are the world’s best networkers, let me refer to you a recent trip I took to India. I was there for a wedding, a huge 7-day affair with jewels, horses, and 1,500+ people.This is the bride’s mehndi, a decorative ceremony for women during the wedding week.

- You didn’t go to some fancy college
- You live in Podunkville, KS
- You don’t have years of experience
Case study: How your network can help you
Let me show you specifically how this works. One year in college, I was looking for summer internships. After meeting a few people and being uninspired by the jobs out there, I decided to call one of my friends, who worked at a startup, and get her advice. I said, “Hey, I’m looking for summer internships. What companies do you know about?” I still remember that it was a Friday afternoon, because she told me to send my resume to her, which I did as soon as I got home. By Monday, I had a job offer. And here’s the most ridiculous part. I was told to negotiate my offer…WITH MY FRIEND FROM 7TH GRADE. How did this happen? Yes, I spent the weekend doing lots of research on the company. And yes, when I walked in to interview on Monday, I used my Briefcase Technique to absolutely crush in the interview. But what REALLY matters is that my friend recommended me and put her reputation on the line to get me hired. Since she was so valued at the company, her recommendation carried a lot of weight. There was no job listing on the website or Monster.com. They created it for me, and the compensation was essentially “whatever.” By the way, what did she get out of it? Ask yourself this: If I was a loser with no skills who wouldn’t show up on time and did sub-standard work, would she have referred me? OF COURSE NOT! Instead, she knew I would do an awesome job…so when she referred me, she actually got social value from introducing me and fighting for me to get the job. Read that last line, as it’s critical. If you are a top performer, VIPs WANT you to succeed, and will actually send you job opportunities and recommendations…because it’s in THEIR interest to do so. This flies in the face of what most people think (“Why would a VIP want to help ME?? Waa…). Your network can be incredibly powerful. In this case, I never would have received this opportunity — let alone the compensation I did — if I had gone through traditional channels, like the typical resume Black Hole of Doom like everyone else. The takeaway: Our networks can actually be MORE important than the years of experience we have.“Waa! But Ramit…”
Right now, many of us are thinking, “Well that’s great Ramit, you jackass, but I don’t have friends who can make a call and get me a job. I didn’t go to the same college. I don’t live in NYC or the Bay Area. I don’t have the same eyebrows you do.”
“He replied in less than 3 minutes” Hey Ramit, I’ve been using your networking scripts ever since you posted them on your blog a few weeks ago. After 4 rejections and many non-replies (at other companies), I have scheduled an informational interview with a finance manager at [MASSIVE SOFTWARE COMPANY]. I used my alumni connections through my university to reach him – I wrote an email using the basic elements of your scripts and he literally replied in less than 3 minutes! -Anand P.
“I have learned years worth of material in a few hours using the…scripts” The Natural Networking module is worth the cost of the entire Dream Job course by itself. I have learned years worth of material in a few hours just by using the Natural Networking scripts to talk to experts in my industry. I have emailed 10 experts and have talked to 9. Each person gave me great advice to step career to a new level. -Gopi M.
“…Completely natural and honest” Ramit, I used your networking email script and it worked! The first email got me an informational interview with the president of a powerful local marketing agency. I also scored an informational interview with a high-level executive from a popular TV and print media empire. All of it felt completely natural and honest. People seem relieved that I am up front, have no angles, and understand that they are busy. And they seem to enjoy being useful, so we all benefit! – Andrea P.
(Note: All the scripts they’re referring to are in my Dream Job course, which opens in late January to people on my free email list. It will not be made available on this blog or anywhere else.)
Notice how these are win-win for everyone. You’re not taking advantage of anyone. You’re not scamming people (a common invisible script when it comes to building your network). What you ARE doing is adding value first…even if you don’t have money or valuable connections. In fact, later I cover exactly how a no-name 20-something can add specific value to a VIP.) But for now, I’m going to give you one of the crucial ways you can continue adding value that almost nobody does. For the first time publicly, I’ll show you the exact word-for-word script to use to use your network in an ethical, non-sleazy way — straight from my Find Your Dream Job course.Introducing the “Closing the Loop” Technique
First, if you’re curious about how to actually get the attention of VIPs, you DON’T have to do THIS:I sent this to the person he talks about in the last paragraph. She asked if I was going to meet him. I said I was afraid he was going to wear my skin as a jacket.
Why am I giving you this script?
Even though I’ve helped thousands of students find their Dream Jobs, and I could keep my very best material in my premium courses, I wanted to give you this powerful nugget. I know that when I invest in you, you can see surprising benefits and dramatic changes — often within hours. Just look at the 2,000+ comments in the last few days. Or some of the dramatic results my Dream Job students have received — in their own words. Sometimes, we need a little nudge. Note: This is a video excerpt from the 40+ gigabytes of videos in the Dream Job course — which opens later this month, only to subscribers on my email list — to give you a taste of the tools, strategies, tactics that DJ students have access to.The Closing The Loop script
The Closing The Loop script helps you stay in touch with people you’ve met once and turn a one-time meeting into a long-term relationship. When you use this, you won’t come off as sleazy, slimy, or scammy — because you’re truly putting their needs ahead of your own. Notice that a simple “thank you” message isn’t enough. Everyone sends that! It’s become the price of admission. How do you go beyond that to actually make the VIP want to help you? Here’s how. Enter the Closing The Loop Technique:1. Thank You (same day)
Hi Steve,
Just wanted to thank you again for meeting with me earlier. I’m definitely going to get in touch with Susan like you recommended. I’ll keep you in the loop, and of course, please let me know if there’s anything I can do to repay the favor!
John
[RAMIT’S ANALYSIS: Notice the simple thank you, but also a reference to a specific action item you’re going to follow up on (showing you were paying attention during the meeting/call). This email ends with a friendly offer to help and asks nothing of the VIP.]
2. Add Value (1-2 weeks later)
Hey Steve,
Saw this article in the Wall Street Journal and it reminded me of what you said about productivity tests! No response needed, just thought you might find it interesting.
John
[RAMIT’S ANALYSIS: This email is where things start to get surprising. The VIP likely didn’t expect to hear back from you, since almost nobody follows up beyond one email. In this email, you’re sending a valuable piece of material — an article, blog post, photo, whatever — of something you KNOW he will find interesting.
How do you know what he’ll find interesting? Because during your meeting, you listened and took careful notes.
Finally, pay close attention to the phrase used in the last sentence: “No response needed.” This is music to a busy person’s ears. Think about it: I get 600+ emails/day, and do you know what most of them want? They want something from me. When you can say “No response needed,” and send me something I find fascinating, you’re adding value to my life.]
3. Close the Loop (2-3 weeks later)
Hi Steve,
Wanted to give you an update: I did end up talking to Susan, and you were right — Acme is definitely a fit for me. I’m reaching out to a friend there to learn all I can about Acme before I apply. If there’s anyone else you think I should speak to, please let me know.
Thanks again! I’ll let you know how it goes.
John
[RAMIT’S ANALYSIS: Here, you show the VIP that you actually took action on what he suggested. This will instantly differentiate you from 99% of people. Notice you name specific names, let him know if he was right (or even if you chose something different than his recommendation).
In the last 3 sentences, there are also 2 non-obvious things going on. Can you spot them?]
The simplicity of the Closing the Loop technique belies its effectiveness. Just like my Briefcase Technique, it seems simple and obvious — until you use it. Then its true power is revealed. For example…Hey Ramit,
One more testimonial to the Closing The Loop technique that you taught last night. I reached out to a prior boss I haven’t seen in 4 to 5 years about a position I heard about at that company. All I had asked for was if I could still use him as a reference and his up-to-date contact info. He responded in less than a half hour. By following up and offering to keep him in the loop, he then responded with an offer for a letter of recommendation and an offer to send a personal email to the hiring manager on my behalf. Holy Crap! It really works…
-Greg H.
How you can use the Closing The Loop Technique for building your network
You can use this today with powerful results. If you haven’t already found someone to reach out to — someone you admire, someone you want to ask for advice from, someone you’d like to build a relationship with — start here. Once you have someone you’ve connected with once, it’s important to build the relationship by constantly adding value. Who would you like to reconnect to? Who can YOU help and what would be most interesting and useful to them? Send them that. Put them first — not you. When you do, repeatedly showing that you’re investing in them first, you’ll separate yourself from the everyone else who (1) rarely reaches out to anyone for advice or help, and (2) only reaches out when they need something. Stand out, and you will instantly have more credibility and higher-level connections with VIPs, who will want to help you. How else can you apply this? Imagine going to an informational interview at your dream company. You finally got a meeting, yet you know you’re not supposed to ask for a job. So what do you do? How do you turn this meeting where you’re asking for advice…into an invitation to apply for a job? Enter the Closing the Loop technique. By carefully deploying this script (tweaking it for your needs), you can turn yourself from a frustrated job-seeker, going from meeting to meeting…into a top performer who easily demonstrates why you’re different than all the other people the VIP has met with. In the end, when properly implemented, the Closing the Loop technique actually makes VIPs want to recommend, help, or even hire you. And it’s totally ethical and transparent.Building your network: steps you can take today
Let’s get specific and go from practicing social skills to applying them to your career — and ultimately, living a rich life. Pick ONE item to do: 1. BUILD YOUR NETWORK — After today’s post, you realize the power of having a powerful group of people who want to help you. When it comes to building your network, I’m going to link you to two posts (here and here) that show you how to connect with VIPs using word-for-word scripts. Your challenge: Identify 3-5 people you want to get advice from and email them, asking for the answer to a specific question (or a coffee meeting). I suggest testing your approach. Below, in the comments, post how it felt to send these emails. 2. CLOSE THE LOOP — If you’ve recently met with someone, you know how important it is to add value beyond a first meeting. Your challenge: Use the CTL scripts and timing in this email to follow-up with 1-3 people. In the comments below, share what your NEXT email will be in your CTL series.* * *
By the way, one more thing.
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