I sent my resume to two former colleagues at the University of Colorado today.
I was working at SimAuthor as a network administrator. The resume described network engineering and network security work, and I asked to be considered for any administrator positions that might become available.
The note was short. I apologized for taking time to send the Word document, said I was extremely interested in administrator roles, and asked for any information or feedback they could provide. I also asked them to contact me when they knew a position would open.
The next day, one of the recipients replied that they would keep me in mind.
This was not a broad job application. I knew both people from my earlier University of Colorado systems and security work. Returning to that network meant asking directly and giving them an updated record of what I had done since leaving.
At SimAuthor, my responsibilities covered the office network, Windows and Linux systems, security, engineering labs, and an in-house data-center rebuild. Praxis Technology was still active beside the job. Those projects had expanded the range of systems I could put on the resume.
The message does not say I planned to leave SimAuthor immediately. It also does not show an open CU role or an interview. It records an early step: send the current resume to people who know the work and ask them to call when the right position exists.
The attachment itself is useful because it captures how I described my experience in January 2006. I was presenting myself as a network engineer and security officer, not as a product or technology executive. The work was still centered on administration, security, infrastructure, and keeping systems available.
I would send a larger batch of job applications in March. In January, I started with people I already trusted to give me an honest answer.