Leveraging your network for networking
I'm an early-career professional trying to transition from academia to industry. I have a couple of close connections who have said they'd be open to sharing connections with me/they're invested in helping me land a job, but I feel a little silly not actually knowing where to go from here.
First guess was to look on LinkedIn through my connections' networks, find 1-2 people who I'd be interested in talking to, and then asking my connection for the introduction. But does it come off creepy? Like, hey I was looking through your LinkedIn in a non-creepy way and saw this person and I want to meet them/learn about their experiences?
Wondered if another way was to look at companies on LinkedIn, find people in my field with title or title above I'd want, and see if there are any mutual connections. If so, ask connection for introduction.
Any other ideas for maximizing networking through people who really want to help? Just unsure what is normal in networking vs. what is like invasive or creepy haha, and would love some perspective.