NETWORKING GUIDE
Three contacts feels too few.
Twenty feels serious.
Fifty feels safe.
So you build a spreadsheet and start counting names.
That number can become completely meaningless.
Because twenty consultants who barely remember your message do not create the same network as three people who know what you are trying to do.
The useful question is not simply how many contacts you have.
It is how many have moved beyond being contacts.
At the beginning, quantity actually helps... just not for the reason you think
When you have spoken with nobody, your view of consulting is fragile.
One McKinsey consultant says the hours are manageable.
Now you think the hours are manageable.
One Bain consultant says networking did not matter for them.
Now you think networking does not matter.
One conversation feels like evidence.
It is usually one person's experience.
Early networking should therefore give you variation.
Talk to people across:
- two or three target firms
- your preferred office
- different tenure levels
- at least a few advanced-degree backgrounds
- one or two people whose career path is unlike yours
A starting pool of roughly 10 to 15 thoughtful outreach targets can give you enough surface area to generate several real conversations without turning networking into mass email.
But do not confuse the target list with the network.
How Many Consultants Should You Network With Before Applying? goes deeper into how those numbers can change depending on your recruiting situation.
Contact number four may matter more than contact number twenty...
Suppose you speak with one consultant at BCG Toronto.
Great conversation.
Two weeks later, you send them a short update after attending an event they recommended.
A month later, you ask one specific question about the application.
Now compare that relationship with fifteen one-time coffee chats.
Which person is more likely to recognize your name?
Depth changes the arithmetic.
The important milestones are not:
5 contacts.
10 contacts.
20 contacts.
They are closer to:
| Networking stage | What it looks like | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | You found them | Nothing yet |
| Reply | They answered | Access begins |
| Conversation | You spoke once | They know your context |
| Follow-up | You stayed relevant | Recognition develops |
| Relationship | They know your goals | Help becomes more natural |
You cannot manufacture the final stage.
But you can stop throwing away the earlier ones.
The biggest networking mistake appears after a good call
The conversation goes well.
They give you useful advice.
You thank them.
Then you never speak again.
Three months later, application season arrives and you message:
Hi, hope you're doing well. Would you be comfortable referring me?
Technically, you networked.
Relationally, you restarted from almost zero.
Follow-up is where a contact becomes memory.
That does not mean sending meaningless updates every two weeks.
Reach out when something has changed.
You applied their advice.
You attended an event they mentioned.
You passed a milestone.
You have one new question that fits the previous conversation.
Quality vs Quantity in Consulting Networking explores why a smaller network can become more useful than a much larger contact list.
So when can you stop networking?
Probably not when your tracker hits a magic number.
Stop expanding aggressively when you can answer the questions you actually needed the network to solve.
Do you understand the firms?
Your target offices?
The PhD transition?
The application process?
The work?
And do a few people know enough about you that a follow-up would not feel like a cold introduction?
If yes, adding twenty strangers may not help much.
At that point, the next move may be to go back.
Not outward.
Your strongest contact might already be in the spreadsheet.
The question is whether they still remember why your name is there.