Networking for Software Developers

I constantly get recruiter reachouts from big tech companies and top AI startups- even when I’m not actively job hunting or listed as “Open to Work.” That’s because over the years, I’ve consciously put in the effort to build a clear and consistent presence on LinkedIn- one that reflects what I do, what I care about, and the kind of work I want to be known for. And the best part? It’s something anyone can do- with the right strategy and a bit of consistency. If you’re tired of applying to dozens of jobs with no reply, here are 5 powerful LinkedIn upgrades that will make recruiters come to you: 1. Quietly activate “Open to Work” Even if you’re not searching, turning this on boosts your visibility in recruiter filters. → Turn it on under your profile → “Open to” → “Finding a new job” → Choose “Recruiters only” visibility → Specify target titles and locations clearly (e.g., “Machine Learning Engineer – Computer Vision, Remote”) Why it works: Recruiters rely on this filter to find passive yet qualified candidates. 2. Treat your headline like SEO + your elevator pitch Your headline is key real estate- use it to clearly communicate role, expertise, and value. Weak example: “Software Developer at XYZ Company” → Generic and not searchable. Strong example: “ML Engineer | Computer Vision for Autonomous Systems | PyTorch, TensorRT Specialist” → Role: ML Engineer → Niche: computer vision in autonomous systems → Tools: PyTorch, TensorRT This structure reflects best practices from experts who recommend combining role, specialization, technical skills, and context to stand out. 3. Upgrade your visuals to build trust → Use a crisp headshot: natural light, simple background, friendly expression → Add a banner that reinforces your brand: you working, speaking, or a tagline with tools/logos Why it works: Clean visuals increase profile views and instantly project credibility. 4. Rewrite your “About” section as a human story Skip the bullet list, tell a narrative in three parts: → Intro: “I’m an ML engineer specializing in computer vision models for autonomous systems.” → Expertise: “I build end‑to‑end pipelines using PyTorch and TensorRT, optimizing real‑time inference for edge deployment.” → Motivation: “I’m passionate about enabling safer autonomy through efficient vision AI, let’s connect if you’re building in that space.” Why it works: Authentic storytelling creates memorability and emotional resonance . 5. Be the advocate for your work Make your profile act like a portfolio, not just a resume. → Under each role, add 2–4 bullet points with measurable outcomes and tools (e.g., “Reduced inference latency by 35% using INT8 quantization in TensorRT”) → In the Featured section, highlight demos, whitepapers, GitHub repos, or tech talks Give yourself five intentional profile upgrades this week. Then sit back and watch recruiters start reaching you, even in today’s competitive market.

7 Claude AI Prompts To Help You Craft The Perfect Elevator Pitch: 1. Start With Your Foundation Upload your resume and ask: "Help me write a 60-second elevator pitch about my career. Include specific metrics and achievements that showcase my growth." This prompt gives you a solid foundation that you can build on and tweak. It’s also value-driven instead of summary-focused. 2. Create Industry-Specific Hooks Copy your pitch foundation, then ask: "Write 3 opening lines for my elevator pitch targeting [Specific Industry]. Each hook should address a major pain point that industry faces right now." Test these with people in your target field to see which resonates most. The right hook makes decision-makers lean in instead of tune out. 3. Build Your Unique Value Proposition Share your resume, your pitch, and your list of target industries: "Analyze my resume and create unique value propositions for each of the following industries: [Industry A], [Industry B]. Include measurable metrics in each." Your UVP should answer: "Why should they care about meeting me?" Most professionals can't articulate what makes them different in a tangible way. 4. Clarify Your Close Now share your pitch and ask Claude: "Write 5 different closing lines that aim to create a two way dialogue and offer opportunities to build rapport with this contact." Your pitch needs a call-to-action if you want it to get results. Don’t just ask for a referral though. Try something like: "I'd love to hear about your experience with [relevant topic]." The best closings shift focus from you to them. 5. Personalize For A Contact If you know who you’re pitching ahead of time? Screenshot their LinkedIn profile, upload to Claude, and ask: “I’m meeting with [Contact Name] today. Here is a screenshot of their LinkedIn profile. Please tailor my elevator pitch to maximize my chances of building a rapport with them and selling them on my value.” Now you can come prepared! 6. Personalize For A Contact Nobody wants to hear a robotic resume recital. The best pitches feel like natural dialogue, not presentations. Record a video of yourself delivering your pitch. Upload that video to Claude and ask: “Please review this recording of my elevator pitch. Provide feedback on how I could make it sound more natural, confident, and compelling.” 7. Refine Based On Reactions As you deliver your pitch, gauge the reactions and outcomes. If you’re not getting bites, you can ask Claude to help: “My pitch isn’t landing. I’ve tried it with X people in the last week and no one has engaged with me outside of a polite sentence or two. Please analyze why it’s not working and provide some suggestions for new angles I can test.” It may take a few rounds of revision to find the pitch that resonates. —— 🔵 Ready to land your dream job? Click here to learn more about how we help people land amazing jobs in ~15.5 weeks with a $44k raise: https://lnkd.in/gdysHr-r

Building a relationship > Blindly networking Quality is always better than quantity while networking. And how do you focus on quality? ✨ - Carefully pick the people you reach out to. - When they add you to your network, follow up with them. - Introduce yourself. Share how they can add value to your career. - Be very specific on what topic you need help on. - When you ask, think of the things you can give to them. - If you’re scheduling a call, set a clear agenda for the call. - After the call, make sure you send a thank you message. - Follow up every 3-6 months with updates. And, do you know how you can stand out? Give before you ask! 💡 When I was meeting a Senior PM who also happened to be content creator, I offered to design her LinkedIn banner. She did not expect this and I bet she still remembers me. 💡 One of the Group PMs I was meeting was starting out with content on Youtube so when we met we talked about product management but when he asked about content creation - I shared my content creation experience with him. Most of the times we think we won’t be able to add value to someone senior to us. But all of us have unique capabilities that can add value to others. So focus on adding 10 people to you network who will vouch for you uncountable times instead of 100 people who will not add any value. Hope this helps! In the next post, let’s talk about things to do on a networking call. #career #students #networking #linkedin

In my early career, I thought networking was all about building as many connections as possible. But I quickly learned that effective networking isn't about the quantity of your connections—it's about the quality. Throughout my career, the connections that have truly made a difference weren’t the ones where I just asked for help—they were the ones where I made it easy for others to want to help me. If you want to make others genuinely want to help you, it’s crucial to move beyond simply asking for favors. Instead, focus on creating value and building relationships where both parties benefit. So, how can you do the same? Here are four tactical tips to help you network effectively: ✅ Do Your Homework Before reaching out, research the person or company you’re interested in. Understand their work, challenges, and how you can add value. For instance, instead of asking a connection for job leads, do your own research first. Identify specific roles and companies you’re targeting, and then ask if they can help with an introduction. This approach shows initiative and respect for their time. ✅ Be Specific in Your Ask Whether you’re asking for an introduction, advice, or a referral, be clear and concise about what you need. For example, instead of asking, “Do you know anyone hiring?” say, “I noticed [Company Name] is looking for a [Role]. Would you be open to introducing me to [Person]? I’m happy to send you my resume and a brief write-up you can pass along, too.” This shows that you’ve taken the initiative and makes it easier for your contact to say yes. ✅ Offer Mutual Value When requesting a meeting or advice, frame it as a two-way conversation. Instead of saying, “Can I pick your brain?” try something like, “I’d love to exchange ideas on [specific topic] and share some strategies that have worked for me.” This not only makes your request more compelling but also positions you as someone who brings value to the table. ✅ Follow Up with Gratitude After someone has helped you, don’t just say thank you and disappear. Keep them in the loop on how their help made an impact. Whether you got the job, secured the meeting, or just had a great conversation, let them know. This closes the loop and makes them more inclined to help you in the future. Your network is one of your greatest assets—nurture it well, and it will be there for you when you need it most. What’s one networking tip that’s helped you build stronger connections? *** 📧 Want more tips like these? Join Career Bites - free weekly bite-sized tips to supercharge your career in 3 minutes or less: lorraineklee.com/subscribe 📖 You can also get behind-the-scenes stories, updates, and special gifts for my upcoming book Unforgettable Presence: lorraineklee.com/book

We got 45+ demo calls booked after a massively successful SaaSBoomi conference. Here’s how we did it, and how you can make the most of any conference: 1️⃣ 🎙️ Get a presenter slot: If an opening comes up to do a live demo, jump on it immediately. While securing a slot isn't entirely within your control, there are some things you can do to increase your chances. For eg, we constantly post on LinkedIn to improve the odds that people have heard of us. Neel Balar is very active at founder networking sessions, and happened to meet the #SaaSBoomi organizers at their Bangalore mixer. 2️⃣ 👉 Know your audience: If you get a presenter slot, tailor your demo to resonate with your crowd. For eg, the SaaSBoomi audience mainly comprised Indian founders, so we got their attention by converting a product demo video from an Indian to American accent, showing Clueso (YC W23)'s power for international sales. Prajwal Prakash also dedicated significant effort to build our English-to-Tamil auto-translation, which received huge applause from the crowd in #Chennai when we translated a Hubspot help article and demo video to #Tamil. 3️⃣ ✋ Network, but DO NOT sell: Talk to as many people as you can, but do not push your product on them. Don’t be shy, just go up to and start talking to people. Networking is particularly easy if you get to present; many people will have seen your demo and will initiate conversation with you. Do not sell your product unless they tell you how it could be helpful for them. People will walk away from you if you make it look like you’re trying to get something out of them. 4️⃣ 🍀 Maximise your luck: At the closing ceremony, we got front-row seats for the stand-up tech roast. For better or for worse, they picked on us for 30 mins straight: our company’s name, our age, and our lack of travel experience. The show was hilarious, but more importantly, nobody could leave the conference without having heard of Clueso. 5️⃣ 🧠 Learn: Attend the conference sessions; they offer valuable insights. At SaaSBoomi, I found the sessions on building the optimal landing page by Shruti Kapoor and Ashwin Ramasamy, and Wardley map strategizing by Prasanna Krishnamoorthy, especially enlightening. Not to mention the inspiring talks by legends like Girish Mathrubootham, Krish Subramanian. 6️⃣ 🏡 After going home: Follow up with anyone who expressed interest in your product. Again, don’t push your product on them. Gently remind them that they expressed interest in your product and politely request for a follow-up call.   7️⃣ 👕 BONUS TIP – make sure to wear your company t-shirts! Have your company logo in large at the front, and an inviting tagline at the back. Many people will see your tagline and that becomes a conversation starter.  Put these tips into practice at your next conference, and let me know how it goes! ✨ Special thanks to Hemant Mohapatra, Nivedha Venkatesh for an incredible event and the SaaSBoomi team for giving us this opportunity.

In a world where every executive has a firm handshake and a stack of business cards, how do you become the person everyone remembers after a conference? After attending dozens in the past decade, I've developed a strategy that transforms conferences from transactional meetups into relationship goldmines. ♟️Pre-Conference LinkedIn Strategy The real networking begins weeks before the event. Review the speaker and attendee lists, then connect with key individuals on LinkedIn with a personalized message: "I noticed we’re both attending the Stand & Deliver event. I'd love to connect. See you soon." This pre-conference connection creates a warm introduction and significantly increases your chances of meaningful engagement. 👗👔The Memorable Wardrobe Element In my early career, I blended in at conferences. Now? I'm known for wearing a little more color (often D&S Executive Career Management teal) or patterns that are professional yet distinctive. When someone says, "Oh, you're the one with the great dress," you've already won half the networking battle. 🤝Contribute Before You Collect** Instead of collecting business cards, focus on providing immediate value in conversations. Can you connect someone to a resource? Share relevant research? Offer a solution to a challenge they mentioned? The executives who stand out aren't those who take the most cards—they're the ones who solve problems on the spot. What networking approach has worked for you at recent conferences? Share in the comments below! #ExecutiveLeadership #NetworkingStrategy #ConferenceSuccess #ProfessionalDevelopment

I've been a top 1% posted in multiple communities and built a 115k+ developer community of my own on Reddit. Reddit has one of the biggest communities of developers in the world, and it's also known as a very difficult place to get product exposure without getting called a "shill". Here are my top tips to get positive attention ✅ Provide actual value. No, linking to your website is not providing value. Example: "Here's why agents are hard to build: < blah blah blah >. Here's how you can solve those problems: < blah blah blah >." and then in the comments you can post something like "We ran into issue abc multiple times and that's why we built feature def in product xyz" ✅ Comment things that make sense. If you leave only a link to your project or website, you should just not. Example: Someone asks "How can I ensure that my agents are secure?" You can respond, "I've found that there are three options to ensure secure agents: deploy an open source LLM locally, use separation of concerns in your layer, or use a data masking protocol. We implemented < choice > in < product > because < reason >." ✅ Don't bury the lede. Saying "here's a tutorial to xyz" without providing the code is an easy way to get downvoted into oblivion and get your account reputation banned. Example: "Here's an example on how to build an Agent" and then followed up with code snippets. ❌ Pretend you're the main character. Someone literally just did this and looked so stupid. "Here's what an agent is: < proceeds to give a bad definition >" Remember that although it is anonymous, there are actual people behind the monitor and many of them are experienced engineers in their own right. ❌ Try to fake your advertising. I've seen this a lot, if you're going to show off your product, just be upfront about it and include reasons why, as shown in the tips above. Don't try to be sneaky, you'll be found out, and you'll be made fun of. ❌ Spam. I don't know about other subreddits, but I ban all spammers from r/AI_Agents after one violation, maybe I'm just mean, but no one wants spam on their forum. If you're building an LLM based product for devs and you want to stand out on r/AI_Agents, drop me a comment below.

If you struggle to keep conversations going during networking, this tip will increase your response rate. Talk about people’s passions. Why? After getting more than 17,000 followers and networking with hundreds of job searchers, I can confidently say that: People love talking about what excites them. It’s an easy way to build rapport. Here’s how I’ve helped 50+ data professionals leverage this strategy to increase response rates and build meaningful relationships: 1️⃣ Do some research. Look at their LinkedIn or portfolio. Find something impressive. 2️⃣ Start with flattery and curiosity. Example: “Hey [Name], I noticed you [accomplishment/project]. That’s incredible! What’s the part you enjoy most about it?” 3️⃣ Follow their passion. Ask questions to show genuine interest. Let the conversation flow naturally. 4️⃣ Find common ground. When they mention something you relate to, dig deeper. Build the connection. 5️⃣ Tie it back to your goal. Shift the conversation to their role or company. Example: “Oh, does your team work on X?” “How does your company approach Y?” For instance, let’s say their passion is travel. You: “That’s awesome! Where’s the most interesting place you’ve been?” Them: “I loved Thailand!” You: “That’s on my list! Did you manage to work remotely while there?” From there, the conversation naturally moves toward their job. Pro Tip: Not everyone will engage, and that’s okay. You don't have to be "perfect" to start networking. Yes, you will still get rejected, that’s part of the game. But you'll get better after multiple iterations. Focus on connecting with the right people. Try this next time you’re stuck in a conversation and let me know how it went.

This post details how we went from having zero contacts at large brands to sourcing partnerships with execs at PolicyGenius, Instacart, SoFi, hims/hers, Ramp, TD Bank and more. I spent the first 10 years of my career on the publisher side, so we had a slight head start there. But when it came to sourcing brand deals, we started from zero. Whether you’re a founder, an SDR, or just trying to invest in your network, these 5 steps will get you there: 1 - Start with what you have. Look through your network for people tangentially related to your target industry. Literally sift through every current contact you have on LinkedIn. Ask them for coffee. Pick their brain. I was learning about the PR industry in parallel with building my network - each meeting helped form our roadmap, while also building a network. People like helping people, but they don’t want to feel used. Be genuinely curious. Do this at least 10 times^. Step outside your comfort zone. If 100% of people say yes, you aren’t asking enough people for coffee. 2 - Parlay into more conversations. Every conversation should end with “who else should I meet with?” If you're charming and your goals are clear, this will lead to new conversations. Follow up (show them you listened), but don’t be a PITA. Networking is a long game, don’t bug them every 3 days. At this stage you are planting seeds, not picking flowers. 3 - Ask for feedback, not sales. No one wants to be sold, but everyone wants to feel like their opinion matters. Don’t lead with “wondering if they’d be interested in our product,” but instead “I want to get their feedback on what we’re doing.” This will make you 10x more likely to land meetings. 4 - Create Content. My posting on LinkedIn has directly led to over 20 deals for Stacker. But they did not come from people sliding into my dms with “hey can we work with you?” It was through connecting with interesting people in the space, them evangelizing what we do, and 2 months later introducing me to someone that they thought could be a client. If you plant enough seeds, some will turn into fruit. Editor’s note - do this yourself. People can tell when you’ve paid someone to write for you, and it’s turning into a huge turn off. I think if I paid an agency to write my content, I’d have twice as many followers, but half as many meaningful deals coming through. 5 - Nurture. Just because a conversation doesn’t end with “wow I should intro you to this potential client” doesn’t mean it won’t be valuable long term. People like to help people that they like. So cultivate relationships, put out into the world what you’re seeking, and trust that its a process. This post is about building a network that will reap deals over the mid to long term. These are not tips for how to close deals next week. Is it frustrating that this takes time? Sure. But I guarantee that if you start today, you’ll be in a much better place a year from now. Building a network is a snowball - gotta start somewhere.

My work is done here… 🙄 What are the best ways to engage with recruiters and industry leaders on LinkedIn to build strong career connections? Engaging effectively with recruiters and industry leaders on LinkedIn can open doors to job opportunities, mentorships, and long-term professional relationships. Here are some of the best strategies: 1. Optimize Your Profile First Before reaching out: • Professional photo and compelling headline (beyond just your job title) • Well-written summary showcasing your strengths and goals • Highlight key skills, achievements, and experience • Get endorsements and recommendations ⸻ 2. Engage with Their Content • Like, comment, or share their posts meaningfully • Ask insightful questions or add value to discussions • This gets you noticed before you even reach out directly ⸻ 3. Send a Personalized Connection Request Keep it brief and specific: “Hi [Name], I admire your work in [industry/topic] and would love to connect to learn more about your insights in [shared interest or goal].” ⸻ 4. Follow Up with a Message Once connected, send a message like: “Thanks for connecting! I’ve been following your work on [topic]—really impressed. I’m exploring opportunities in [area], and would love any advice you might have.” Make it clear you value their expertise—not just trying to get a job. ⸻ 5. Add Value Before Asking • Share articles, insights, or reports they might find useful • Tag them (respectfully) in relevant posts if it fits organically ⸻ 6. Join and Participate in Industry Groups Engage in LinkedIn Groups where recruiters and leaders hang out. This shows your interest and gives more opportunities to connect meaningfully. ⸻ 7. Post Thoughtfully • Share your own content—insights, learnings, project highlights • It helps position you as someone active and engaged in your field ⸻ 8. Be Consistent, Not Pushy • Don’t bombard them with messages • Follow up after a week or two if appropriate • Be patient and persistent, not aggressive ⸻ Would you like help drafting a custom message for a recruiter or leader in your field?