How to network your way into consulting (without being annoying)

If your networking strategy is "send connection requests to consultants on LinkedIn randomly", especially without a message, it's probably not working.

Most candidates do some version of this. They find people at their target firms, hit connect, and either send no message at all or paste in something like: "Hi, I'm interested in consulting and would love to pick your brain over a quick call."

There's no specificity, no indication that you've done any research, and no reason for the other person to say yes. It's not that consultants don't want to help. It's that these messages give them nothing to work with.

Here's what works instead.

Use the note feature when you connect

LinkedIn gives you a short message window when you send a connection request. Most people either skip it or waste it on a generic introduction. This is your one chance to stand out before the person decides whether to accept.

A good connection note does three things:

1. References something specific. Mention a post they wrote, a project they worked on, or something about their background that caught your attention. This signals that you're not mass-messaging.
2. Shows you've done your own thinking. Don't ask them to explain consulting to you. Instead, share a perspective or a specific question that demonstrates you've already put in the work.
3. Makes it easy to say yes. Don't ask for a 30-minute call in your first message. Ask a focused question they can answer in two minutes. If your question is good, they'll often offer a call themselves.

Here's an example of what this looks like:

"Hi [Name], I read your post about the shift toward implementation-heavy engagements at [Firm]. I'm preparing for consulting interviews and have been thinking about how that trend changes the skill set firms look for. Would love to hear your take if you have a moment."

Compare that to: "Hi, I'd love to connect and learn more about your experience at [Firm]." One gives the person something to respond to. The other doesn't.

Engage with their content before you reach out

Before you send a connection request, spend a few days engaging with the person's LinkedIn activity. Like their posts. Leave a thoughtful comment. Not "Great post!" but something that adds to the conversation or asks a genuine follow-up question.

When you do this, your name becomes familiar before you ever send a message. Your connection request stops being cold. It becomes a natural next step in a conversation that's already started.

There are two rules for commenting:

Don't be threatening or arrogant. You're not trying to prove you know more than them. You're showing that you understand what they're talking about and that you're genuinely curious. A comment like "Interesting, but I think you're missing X" will get you ignored. A comment like "This resonates, especially the point about X. I've been wondering how that plays out in Y context" will get you noticed.

Be specific. Vague comments add nothing. If someone posts about a trend in digital transformation, don't just say "So true." Mention a specific part of their argument that you found useful and explain why, or ask a question that extends the idea.

The hidden benefit of engaging with content

Even if someone never responds to your outreach, engaging with their posts gives you something valuable: insight into how consultants actually think and what firms care about right now.

Pay attention to what they write about. The trends they highlight, the frameworks they reference, the problems they describe. This is real-time intelligence about what your target firms are working on.

You can use this directly in your cover letters. Instead of writing generic statements about "wanting to solve complex business problems," you can reference specific themes you've seen consultants at that firm discuss. That level of specificity is rare in applications and it stands out.

Follow up after someone helps you

This is the piece most candidates miss entirely.

If someone responds to your message, answers your question, or takes a call with you, send a note a few weeks later sharing what you did with their advice. Tell them what you applied, what happened, and what you learned.

This is how a single exchange turns into an actual relationship. And eventually, that's where referrals come from. Not from one cold message, but from being someone who was worth helping.

Most people never follow up. The ones who do become memorable.

What a good networking timeline looks like

Here's a rough sequence that works:

1. Week 1: Identify 10-15 people at your target firms whose content you find genuinely interesting. Follow them. Start engaging with their posts.
2. Weeks 2-3: Continue engaging. Leave 2-3 thoughtful comments per week across different people. You're building familiarity, not volume.
3. Week 3-4: Send connection requests with personalised notes to the people you've been engaging with. Reference a specific post or comment thread.
4. After connecting: Ask a focused question. Keep it short. If they respond, have a real conversation. Don't immediately ask for a referral.
5. Ongoing: Follow up with people who helped you. Share updates. Stay in their orbit without being demanding.

This takes more time than mass-messaging 100 people. It also works significantly better.

The mindset shift

Most people treat networking like a transaction: be polite, ask for a referral, move on. But the people who actually get referrals are the ones who become genuinely worth helping.

That means doing your homework before reaching out, engaging with ideas rather than just asking for favours, and following through when someone gives you their time.

The candidates who get referrals aren't the ones who sent the most messages. They're the ones who made it easy for someone to want to help them, and then followed through when someone did.