Happy Wednesday!

Here's what nobody tells you about the job search: it's not about applying to more jobs. It's about being first.

The same role LinkedIn shows you 3-5 days from now is already sitting in a pile of 500 applications. Runway pulls jobs straight from company career sites the moment they post, so you see them first, when there are 15 applicants, not 500. 

Who sees the role and applies first is the whole game.

Below are today's freshest early-career roles. See all your matches here:

Here are today's fresh opportunities for Wednesday, July 22nd:

"Just use your network" is useless advice when you don't have one.

If your parents aren't connected, you didn't go to a target school, and you don't know anyone in your field, it can feel like everyone else got a head start.

Here's how to build a network from zero:

Your school's alumni are your instant network

Even if you don't know a single person in your industry, you share something with thousands of people: your school. And alumni help students from their school at a much higher rate than they help strangers.

LinkedIn lets you filter people by your university. Search "[your school] + [company or field]," and you've suddenly got a list of warm-ish contacts who have a real reason to reply to you.

Cold outreach works better than you think

The fear is that messaging a stranger is annoying or desperate. It's not, if you do it right. Most people genuinely like helping students, because someone once helped them.

The key is asking for advice, not a job. "Can you get me a job?" is a hard no. "Can I hear how you got started?" is an easy yes.

The message that gets replies

Short, specific, and asking for their story:

"Hi [Name], I'm a [year] at [school] hoping to break into [field]. I came across your profile and really admire [specific thing about their path]. Would you be open to 10 minutes so I can hear how you got started? Totally understand if you're busy."

Why it works: it's short, it's flattering in a genuine way, and it asks for something easy to give. Send it to a few people a week.

Show up where your industry hangs out

Networking isn't only 1-on-1 messages. Every field has online communities now, Discord servers, Slack groups, subreddits, niche newsletters, local meetups.

Join one. Don't pitch. Just participate, ask good questions, be helpful. Over time you become a familiar name, and familiar names get opportunities.

Give before you ask

You think you have nothing to offer someone senior. Not true. You can share their work, engage thoughtfully with what they post, send them something relevant, or connect them to someone.

Relationships built on you being useful, not just asking, are the ones that actually last.

Play the long game

Here's the reframe: you're not trying to build 500 connections. You're trying to build a handful of real relationships with people who'll remember you and vouch for you.

Five people who know your name and want you to win beats a giant list of strangers. That's completely buildable from zero in a few months.

The honest part

Not everyone will respond. You'll send messages that go nowhere. That's normal, it's a numbers game with a great return, because the cost is one short message and the upside is a relationship that changes your search.

Do this today: Search your school's alumni on LinkedIn who work in your field. Find one person. Send the message. That's connection number one.

You got this!
-Ford from Runway

See you in your inbox tomorrow morning,

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