The Common Ground Networking Hack
Break the ice before you ask, and strangers become allies.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 90%
Jonathan Javier's Common Ground Hack is a method for warming up cold outreach by leading with a shared attribute instead of a request. He argues that any point of overlap — a matching first name, the same alma mater, the same ethnicity, a mutual connection, or engagement on the same LinkedIn post — creates enough comfort to break the ice. Because everyone shares something with you if you look hard enough, the tactic scales to almost any target. The shared detail lowers the recipient's guard and shifts the exchange from transactional to human, which dramatically raises response rates.
Origin
As a student from a non-target school, Javier couldn't rely on campus recruiting, so he engineered his own way in. He literally searched 'Jonathan' at Google and networked with every employee who shared his first name, using the name itself as the common ground. He repeated variations of this across Snapchat, Google, and Cisco.
Core principles
- 01People help people they feel connected to, so lead with something shared before you make an ask.
- 02Common ground can be manufactured from almost anything: name, school, ethnicity, mutual connections, or even the same microphone.
- 03The goal of common ground is comfort — it moves the conversation beyond transactional work talk.
- 04Everyone shares something with you if you look for it, because at minimum you're both human.
How to run it
- 1
Pick your target person
Search a role you want (e.g. 'program manager Tesla') and identify a specific person at that company to reach out to.
Pro tip Start from the company's jobs page so you target people attached to roles that are actually open.
- 2
Hunt for a shared attribute
Scan their profile for any overlap: same first name, same school, same background, a mutual connection, or the fact you both engaged with the same post.
Pro tip A unique shared trait (an unusual name, a niche school) makes an even stronger hook because almost no one else will mention it.
- 3
Open with the common ground
Lead your message with the shared detail rather than a request, e.g. 'I saw you commented on Jonathan's post — I did too, would be great to connect.'
Watch out Don't jump straight to asking for a referral; the overlap has to land first.
- 4
Let the ice break, then steer
Allow a short exchange about the shared thing to build comfort, then move the conversation toward your career goal or an informational chat.
Pro tip Aim for an informational interview or phone chat rather than an immediate ask.
In the wild
In college, Javier searched 'Jonathan' at Google and reached out to every employee sharing his name, using the shared name as an instant common-ground opener.
→ He built connections at Google that helped him understand and eventually break into the company.
Before recording the podcast, Javier asked the host what mic she used, guessing she had a Yeti like him, so he could open with a shared detail on top of their similar backgrounds.
→ Within five minutes of talking they had three things in common, which broke the ice and warmed up the whole conversation.
Common mistakes
Leading with the ask
Opening a cold message with 'please connect' or a request for help gives the recipient no reason to engage; the common ground has to come first.
Assuming you have nothing in common
People skip outreach because they can't find an obvious link, but overlap can be manufactured from name, background, or shared post engagement — everyone shares something.
Is it for you?
Best for
Job seekers and early-career professionals doing cold outreach on LinkedIn or at events.
Not ideal for
People who find manufactured connection points inauthentic or who are networking within an already-warm circle.
From the transcript
“find a common ground with them which could be in regards to your school university even your background even your name”
“everybody has common ground technically ... that's important because it breaks the ice”
From the episode
Jonathan Javier: Networking Hacks to Land a Job in the Pandemic
Jonathan Javier