Networking in the AI Era
Devrel
You build communities. Engineers: join first. Give before you ask.
Solutions Eng
Your network = your pipeline. Same principle — add value, relationships follow.
Eng Manager
Hiring from communities you trust > cold applicants. Invest in communities.
Networking in the AI Era
TL;DR
- Networking = building real relationships. Not collecting LinkedIn connections.
- Best channels: Discord/Slack communities, open source, meetups. Show up. Add value. Don't ask for favors first.
- AI communities are active. LangChain, LlamaIndex, local AI meetups. Find your niche.
"Networking" sounds gross because most people do it wrong. Here's how to do it without the cringe.
The Rule: Give First
Don't lead with "I'm job hunting" or "Can you intro me to X?" Lead with: useful answer, shared resource, or genuine question that sparks discussion.
Good: "I ran into this with RAG — here's what worked. Curious if others have seen it."
Bad: "Hi, I'm looking for AI engineer roles. Can you refer me?"
Give first. Relationships form. Opportunities follow.
Where to Show Up
Discord/Slack:
- LangChain Discord
- LlamaIndex community
- Framework-specific (Next.js, etc.) — often have #ai or #llm channels
- Role-specific (e.g., data engineering communities)
Open source:
- Contribute to a project you use. Docs, bugs, small features. Maintainers notice. So do employers.
- Start small. One PR. Then another.
Meetups:
- Local AI/ML meetups
- General dev meetups with AI talks
- Virtual: many conferences have Discord or Slack for attendees
Twitter/X and LinkedIn:
- Follow people in your space. Engage with their posts (thoughtful replies, not "great post!").
- Share your work. Reply to others. Build in public.
AI-Specific Communities
| Community | Focus |
|---|---|
| LangChain Discord | RAG, agents, LangChain ecosystem |
| Ollama Discord | Local LLMs |
| r/LocalLLaMA (Reddit) | Self-hosted, open source models |
| AI Engineer Summit community | AI Product Engineer types |
The Intro Ask (When It's Time)
When you've been helpful and built rapport: "I'm exploring roles in X. If you hear of anything or know someone hiring, I'd appreciate an intro. No pressure."
Short. Clear. No guilt trip.
'Hi, I'm job hunting. Can you refer me?' Cold. No prior value. Relationship = transaction. Cringe.
Click "Networking right" to see the difference →
Quick Check
What's the rule for networking without the cringe?
Do This Next
- Join one community — Discord or Slack. Lurk for a week. See the norms.
- Answer one question — Or share one useful link. Give first.
- Attend one meetup — Virtual or local. Say hi to one person. Follow up on LinkedIn.