Reconnect With a Former Colleague After Years of Silence

Last week you inventoried skills, identified learning resources, and explored adjacent capabilities. All internal work. This week you test whether your professional network still exists and responds.

Today you reach out to one person you used to work with or study with but haven't talked to in over a year. Not to ask for anything. Just to reconnect.

Dormant relationships are valuable during uncertain times. Someone who knew you when you worked together three years ago still remembers your capabilities. They're in different companies now, connected to different people, aware of different opportunities. But only if you've maintained some level of contact.

Why Dormant Connections Matter

Your current colleagues know what you do. Your close friends know you're talented. But neither group expands your options much during a job search or career transition.

The people you worked with two, five, or ten years ago are now somewhere else. They have different networks, different insider knowledge, different awareness of opportunities. If you've stayed in touch even loosely, they're accessible. If you haven't contacted them in years, they're effectively strangers.

Research shows most job opportunities come through weak ties - people you know but aren't close to. Former colleagues are perfect weak ties. They remember working with you but aren't in your daily circle anymore.

Reaching out now, before you need something, keeps these connections alive. If circumstances change and you need your network later, it still exists.

Pick One Person

Think back through previous jobs, internships, graduate school, or professional programs. Who did you work well with but haven't spoken to in a while?

Good choices:

• Former colleague you collaborated with successfully
• Manager or mentor from a previous role
• Classmate from professional program or certification
• Someone from an internship or early career role
• Peer from industry conference or professional group

Criteria:

• You worked together or knew each other professionally
• You had good working relationship (not someone you clashed with)
• It's been over a year since you last spoke
• You have a way to contact them (LinkedIn, email, phone)

Don't pick the person you think is most useful to your career. Pick someone you genuinely worked well with and wouldn't mind hearing from again.

Write a Brief, No-Agenda Message

Keep it short and genuine. Don't pretend you have a reason for reaching out. You're reconnecting because it's been a while.

Three-part structure:

1. Remind them of your connection "We worked together at [Company] in [year/timeframe]" or "We were in the [Program] cohort together."

2. Brief personal update or observation "I've been at [current company/situation] for the past [timeframe]" or "I recently [something relevant you did]."

3. Simple invitation to catch up "Would be good to hear what you've been up to. Free for a quick call sometime?" or "Would be great to catch up if you're open to it."

Full example:

"Hi [Name] - We worked together at TechCorp back in 2021 on the platform migration project. I've been at DataCo for the past year working on similar infrastructure projects. Would be good to hear what you've been up to since TechCorp. Free for a quick 15-minute call sometime in the next few weeks?"

Another example:

"Hey [Name] - We were in the Product Management cohort together in 2020. I remember we worked on the final project together. I've been working in fintech PM roles since then and thought about you recently. Would be great to catch up briefly if you have time. How's life been?"

Length: 3-5 sentences. Under 100 words.

What Not to Include

Don't immediately ask for a favor. "We worked together years ago. Are you hiring?" is transparent and off-putting. Reconnect first. If something relevant comes up naturally during conversation later, that's different.

Don't apologize excessively. "I'm so sorry I haven't reached out in forever and I feel terrible about it and I know I've been a bad friend..." is awkward and makes the other person uncomfortable. Just acknowledge it's been a while.

Don't over-explain why you're reaching out. "I've been thinking about my network and realized we hadn't talked..." sounds calculated. Keep it simple: "Would be good to catch up."

Don't write a long life update. Save that for the actual conversation. The message is just to initiate contact.

Where to Send It

LinkedIn message: Works for most professional reconnections. People check LinkedIn somewhat regularly and expect professional contact there.

Email: If you have their personal or work email and that's how you used to communicate, email works. Check LinkedIn to see if they're still at the same company before using old work email.

Text/phone: Only if you have their number and texting or calling was normal in your previous relationship. Don't call cold out of nowhere if you only ever emailed before.

Which to choose: Whatever communication method would have been normal when you worked together. If you always messaged on Slack at work, LinkedIn message is the equivalent now.

Expect Mixed Response Rates

I've done this consistently over the years - reaching out to people I worked with at previous companies with no agenda beyond reconnecting. Some responded within hours, genuinely happy to hear from me and eager to catch up. Others took a few weeks but eventually replied with positive, warm messages. And yes, some never responded at all. That's just how it works.

The point was never to get a 100% response rate or to extract value from these people. It was to maintain connections with colleagues I respected and enjoyed working with.

The relationships that did reactivate have been valuable, not because they led to specific opportunities, but because those people are back in my professional circle.

When you reach out with genuine intent to reconnect rather than a hidden agenda, people can tell. And the ones who respond are usually the ones worth staying connected to anyway.

Some people will respond enthusiastically. Some will respond briefly but positively. Some won't respond at all.

This is normal. People are busy, miss messages, or don't prioritize reconnecting with old colleagues. It's not personal.

Your goal is to reconnect with a few people, not everyone. If you reach out to five former colleagues over the next month and two respond positively, that's success. You've reactivated two weak-tie relationships.

If They Respond: Have the Call

If they respond positively, schedule a brief call. 15-20 minutes is sufficient.

What to talk about:

• What they've been doing since you last worked together
• What you've been doing
• Industry observations or changes you've both noticed
• Mutual former colleagues if relevant

What not to do:

• Turn it into a job search pitch
• Ask for introductions to their network
• Complain extensively about your situation
• Keep them on the call longer than you said

The call's purpose is to reconnect, not accomplish a specific transaction. If they mention opportunities or offer to help, great. If not, you've still reactivated a relationship.

Why This Feels Uncomfortable

"It's been so long, they'll think it's weird" People reconnect with former colleagues all the time. It's normal professional behavior. Most people are pleased to hear from old connections.

"They'll know I'm networking because I need something" Maybe. So what? Networking when times are uncertain is smart. Most people understand this. And you're not asking for anything in the initial message.

"What if they ignore me?" Then you're in the same position as before - not in contact. Nothing lost.

"I don't actually want to catch up, I just want to maintain the connection" Then don't do this inauthentically. Pick someone you actually wouldn't mind talking to. If you're forcing yourself to pretend interest in people you don't care about, that shows and doesn't work.

Send One Message This Week

Identify one former colleague or classmate from your past. Write a brief, genuine reconnection message using the three-part structure. Send it.

If they respond, schedule a call. If they don't, that's fine. Next week you'll reach out to someone else.

Over time, this practice keeps your dormant network alive. You're not constantly networking. You're occasionally reconnecting with people you used to work with. That's normal professional behavior that happens to also maintain weak-tie relationships that matter during transitions.

The people who navigate career uncertainty successfully aren't always the most skilled. They're the ones who maintained relationships before they needed them.

One message this week starts that practice.