Bearings · A worksheet Independent · 2026

Work out what you need before you look at what exists

Eight statements. There is no score and no recommendation at the end — only a picture of which of the three networking tasks your answers point toward, so you can read about that one instead of all of them.

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low emphasis high emphasis Reach — being findable Depth — peers and craft Search — an active hunt EXAMPLE PROFILE — NOT YOUR RESULT

Example illustration only, shown so you know what the output looks like. It is not your result and represents no data about you or anyone else.

The eight statements

Answer for how things are now, not how you would like them to be. Skip anything that does not apply.

I have a specific role or contract I am trying to find, with a rough deadline.
People in my field would recognise my name without being reminded who I am.
My work is judged mainly on artefacts I could show — files, code, writing, drawings.
I regularly want to ask a technical or professional question and have no good place to ask it.
Opportunities in my field usually arrive through people rather than through applications.
I can reliably give this two or more hours a month for the next year.
Strangers with relevant opportunities need to be able to find and contact me.
My field has an obvious professional body, conference or community that most practitioners know of.
0 of 8 answered

What your answers lean toward

Reach
Depth
Search

How to read the three bands

Reach
Being findable by people who do not know you yet. Built slowly, lost slowly. Usually served by one broad, current, accurate profile plus a page you control.
Depth
Conversation with people who do what you do. Built by returning to one venue rather than joining several. Pays off over years, not weeks.
Search
An active hunt with an end date. Volume and filtering matter; tools used here can reasonably be switched off afterwards.
All three low
A legitimate result. It usually means the honest answer is to change nothing this year and revisit when something specific comes up.

What this worksheet is. A private reflection aid. It applies simple arithmetic to your own answers and reflects them back grouped into three categories. It does not assess you, diagnose anything, measure any ability, or evaluate, rank or recommend any product or service.

Nothing is collected. All calculation happens in your browser. No answers are transmitted, stored, logged or shared, and this page sets no cookies and contains no analytics or tracking.

Educational information only. This is general educational content, not career, employment, financial or legal advice. No hiring, income or career outcome is promised or implied by any result shown here.

Independent and unaffiliated. This site is not affiliated with, sponsored by, authorised by or endorsed by any professional networking, recruitment or software company. No platform is named, ranked or recommended anywhere on this page, and nothing is sold here.

© 2026 Bearings Last reviewed August 2026