Dig The Well Before You're Thirsty
The best time to look for a job is when you already have one.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 88%
Dig The Well Before You're Thirsty is Javier's philosophy of proactive relationship maintenance. Because everyone starts networking only when a position opens, the people who built rapport beforehand can simply ask an existing contact for a referral the moment a role appears. He keeps a list of influential people and reaches out on a regular cadence — sending quarterly updates about what he's up to with no ask attached — so relationships never go dead. His summarizing belief: the best time to look for a job is when you have one and aren't even looking, because your network is your best insurance policy.
Origin
The phrase comes from podcaster Jordan Harbinger, who after being pushed out of his multi-million-dollar business used his network to relaunch as the Jordan Harbinger Show and surpassed his old podcast within two months. Javier operationalized the principle by sending 500 update messages to contacts he'd nurtured over five years.
Core principles
- 01Build relationships before you need them, not when a position opens.
- 02The best time to look for a job is when you already have one and aren't even looking.
- 03Maintaining relationships on a regular cadence keeps them from going dead.
- 04Your network is your best insurance policy against sudden loss.
How to run it
- 1
Build the relationship before the need
Network with people at target companies and get on calls to build rapport before any position opens.
Pro tip When a role later opens, you can immediately ask that warm contact for a referral instead of starting cold.
Watch out If you wait until the position opens, everyone else does too and the role may close before you build rapport.
- 2
Make a list and set a cadence
Write down every influential person you want to stay in touch with and set a regular schedule for reaching out.
Pro tip Try a daily habit like messaging the last few people you haven't spoken to in a while to keep contacts fresh.
- 3
Send no-ask updates
Periodically send contacts an update about what you're up to, purely to maintain the relationship.
Pro tip A quarterly update to a nurtured list keeps you top of mind without ever needing to ask for anything.
Watch out Reaching out to someone only after ten years of silence reads as opportunistic and rarely works.
- 4
Draw on the well when needed
When you need help or a job, your maintained relationships are ready to support you.
Pro tip Remember the best time to look is when you have a job and aren't even looking.
In the wild
After being pushed out of the Art of Charm and left with nothing, Jordan Harbinger messaged his contacts to launch the Jordan Harbinger Show.
→ Within two months it became one of the biggest podcasts, surpassing his previous show and hitting number one on Apple in 2018.
Javier sent 500 messages to people he'd stayed in contact with over five years, sending each an update every quarter about what he's up to.
→ Those maintained relationships all appeared on his speaker series and gave him access to big companies.
Common mistakes
Networking only when a role opens
Starting to build rapport after a position posts means you're competing with everyone and may miss the window before it closes.
Letting relationships go dead
Reaching out to a manager from ten years ago you never kept up with makes the ask feel hollow and gets you nowhere.
Is it for you?
Best for
Professionals who want a durable network that pays off during sudden job searches or career pivots.
Not ideal for
Those seeking an instant fix the week they get laid off — the method is preventative, not reactive.
From the transcript
“dig the well before you're thirsty ... start your connections before you need them not afterwards”
“the best time to look for a job is when you have a job and it's when you're not even looking”
From the episode
Jonathan Javier: Networking Hacks to Land a Job in the Pandemic
Jonathan Javier