How do in-house comms leaders really find their next role? Why your network matters more than you think

If you are a Chief Comms Officer or Director of Corporate Affairs, there is a good chance your role has required you to look inwards for years. You may have been immersed in transformation programmes, restructures, crises, M&A, regulatory change and board politics. You have been the person managing everyone else's relationships, with the media, company stakeholders, investors, regulators and employees, and doing it brilliantly.

But when it is time to make your next move, do you find yourself wondering “how do in-house comms leaders find their next role?” At this stage, many realise they have not been managing their own network at all. They have become highly influential within their organisation and almost invisible outside it.

In my work with senior in-house communications and corporate affairs professionals this year, I have seen the same pattern repeatedly. They have not nurtured their network for years and are now unsure where to begin and not totally sure how to go about their job search. The good news is that it is fixable, often more quickly than you might think.

The uncomfortable truth: most senior roles do not come from job adverts

Let us start with some reality. At senior level, the pattern from countless conversations is remarkably consistent: most roles, often 70 to 80%, are filled through networks rather than job boards.

That means they do not come through LinkedIn job adverts. They do not come through large generalist recruiters. Often, they do not even come through retained search. They come from someone you have worked with before. Someone who has seen you operate in a difficult situation. Someone whose Board or CEO asks: "We need an experienced corporate affairs leader. Who would you recommend?"

When I speak with senior in-house leaders who are between roles, they are often genuinely surprised, and sometimes slightly horrified, by this. It exposes how little they may have invested in their own network. That brings us to the emotional side of networking.

Why networking feels so awkward when you have been in-house for years

For most corporate communications leaders I speak to, the barrier is not intellectual. It is emotional. Common themes include:

"I feel rusty." They may not have had a proper networking coffee for years. Most of their conversations have been internal or limited to a close circle of agency partners and journalists.

"I do not want to look desperate." They worry that reaching out after a long silence will suggest that they have lost their job or are simply fishing for opportunities.

"I have been networking for the company, not for myself." They may have built excellent relationships on behalf of the brand, with regulators, media and political contacts, but rarely placed themselves at the centre of those conversations.

"I do not know where to start." With more than 20 years in the industry and a contact book full of CEOs, Chairs, bankers, lawyers, journalists and communications leaders, the choice can feel overwhelming. So they do nothing.

If this sounds familiar, you are not the exception. You are the rule. So let us reframe networking and make it work for what you need now.

The mindset shift: your network is an asset, not a favour you are begging for

The biggest shift I help leaders make is this: you are not asking for a favour. You are offering something valuable: your experience, judgement and results. You are inviting people into a conversation.

Think about how you have hired senior people yourself. Did you trawl job boards? Or did you begin by asking: "Who do we know who can actually do this?" Your network will see you in the same way, provided you remind them that you exist. That is where a clear strategy comes in.

A simple framework: Positioning, People and Plan

When I advise senior in-house communications and corporate affairs professionals, I return repeatedly to a three-part framework: Positioning (what story are you telling about yourself now); People (who exactly needs to hear that story); and Plan (how will you reach them consistently over the next 60 to 90 days). Let us take each one in turn.

1. Positioning: sharpen your narrative before speaking to anyone

Before sending a single email, you need a concise senior-level narrative. Not a list of job titles. Not a six-page CV. I encourage clients to answer three questions.

• Who are you now, in one sentence? For example: "I am a Corporate Affairs Director specialising in highly regulated, reputation-sensitive environments, brilliant at maxing complex business strategies, simple to understand."
• Where do you do your best work? Is it in private equity-backed businesses? FTSE companies? Private companies with complex internal audiences? Turnaround situations? Transformations? Cross-border matrix organisations? Global or UK-based head office?
• What problems do you reliably solve? For example: "We were facing regulatory and media scrutiny and needed to protect our licence to operate." Or: "We had to deliver a controversial transformation with employees and unions." Or: "We needed to shift perception among investors and ratings agencies."

Your positioning should sound more like a board paper than a CV: outcomes delivered, risks managed and value created. This becomes the foundation of every networking conversation. You are helping them make connections and matches.

2. People: build an A-list, not a broadcast list

Most leaders' instinct is to update LinkedIn and apply for roles. I would suggest turning that approach around. During your job search, around 80% of your effort should go into your network.

Start by building a focused A-list: former CEOs, Chairs, CFOs, COOs – essentially people who know you and most importantly, rate you; former line managers and C-suite sponsors from your most significant roles; senior journalists, bankers, lawyers or advisers who have seen how you operate under pressure; and a small number of specialist headhunters who genuinely understand senior communications and corporate affairs appointments, rather than a long list of generalists.

You do not need 300 people. Start with 20 to 40 names. Ask yourself: do they genuinely know how I operate? Would they take my call? Could they hire me, influence a hiring decision or introduce me to someone who could? If the answer is yes to any one of those questions, they probably belong on your A-list.

3. Plan: create a 90-day networking campaign

Once you have defined your positioning and identified your people, you need a plan specific enough to execute even when life feels busy or uncertain. For eight to 12 weeks, aim for something like this: three to five personalised outreach messages each week; two to three coffees, breakfasts or Zoom calls each week; and one meaningful LinkedIn activity each week, whether a post, a thoughtful comment or a direct message that leads to a conversation. Treat it as you would any internal campaign: with clear objectives, cadence and messaging. Face-to-face is always preferable to virtual if you can make the logistics work.

The first message: simple and honest

You do not need an elaborate script. The themes I encourage are straightforward: a brief context, "I have been head-down with X for the past few years"; a turning point, "I am now beginning to think about what might be next"; and a human request, "I would really value 20 minutes of your perspective on the market and where someone like me could add the most value."

You are not asking them for a job. You are starting a conversation. Then ask one important question during that conversation: "Who else do you think I should speak to?" This can turn every coffee into one to three further introductions. That is how momentum builds.

Follow up like a professional, not someone asking for a favour

After each conversation: send a brief thank-you message; share something useful where relevant, such as an article, market insight or connection of your own; and if someone has agreed to introduce you to another person, follow up gently if needed. Yes, you can nudge as people get busy; it’s ok to do so.

You already do this instinctively when managing relationships for your organisation. This is exactly the same skill set applied to your own career.

The channels that work best for senior in-house communications leaders

From what I see in conversations with senior leaders, several channels consistently do the heavy lifting at this level.

1. Direct, warm outreach. Personal emails and messages to people who know your work: former CEOs, Chairs, line managers, senior advisers, lawyers, bankers and journalists. Follow these up with coffees, breakfasts or early-evening drinks. Focus on real conversations rather than vague attempts at "keeping in touch".

2. LinkedIn, used strategically. You do not need to post every day. What matters is having a profile that reflects the roles you want now rather than every role you have ever held; a handful of high-signal posts over several months, since reflections on corporate reputation, regulatory trends, internal change or crisis lessons can remind the market that you exist while demonstrating how you think; and smart research habits, using LinkedIn to identify interesting companies and relevant people, then using your network to secure warm introductions rather than simply clicking "Apply".

3. Carefully chosen industry forums. You do not need to attend every event. Reputation councils, communications roundtables and peer forums can be valuable because they bring together senior leaders and peers whom you may want to work with or for. Sector-specific events also matter. Chambers of commerce, trade missions and industry conferences can bring together CEOs, CFOs, General Counsel and investors rather than simply other communications professionals. If you are going to give up an evening, go where decision-makers will be.

4. A small number of specialist headhunters. Headhunters are part of the picture but should not be the whole picture. Maintain warm relationships with a small number of specialist firms that understand communications and corporate affairs appointments and genuinely know the senior in-house market. Think of them as market radar, honest advisers on where you fit best and occasional introducers rather than your only source of opportunities.

What if you have not networked for years?

This is where many senior in-house clients find themselves when they first call me. There are several things I always stress.

• You are not alone. Most corporate communications leaders have spent years firefighting internally while under-investing in their external profile.
• Honesty works better than pretending. A simple line such as, "I have been head-down with X for the past few years and am now beginning to think about what comes next. I would really value your perspective," is far more powerful than pretending that you have been meeting regularly all along.
• Start narrow before widening out. Do not try to reconnect with everyone at once. Begin with 10 to 20 high-trust relationships. Momentum and confidence will build from there.
• Remember how you judge others. When a former colleague contacts you after several years away from each other's lives, do you think: "How dare they?" Or do you think: "It is nice to hear from them. How can I help?" Expect others to offer you that same generosity of spirit.

Final thought: you manage everyone else's reputation; now it is time to manage your own

If you have led corporate affairs for any length of time, you understand how value is really created inside organisations: through trust; through the right people having the right conversations at the right time; and through networks built long before a crisis or transaction arrives.

Your own career is no different. If you have spent years looking inwards, perhaps this is the moment to look outwards again: with a clear story about who you are now; a focused list of people who need to hear it; and a simple but disciplined plan for reaching them.

If this sounds like you but you are unsure what your first step should be: choose three people who already know your work, email them today, and ask for 20 minutes of their perspective, perhaps over a coffee or glass of wine. Then see where the conversation takes you. Good luck!

Sarah Leembruggen
MD, The Works Search

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