Your past customers, competitors, and suppliers may have jobs that you would be able to do well. They would know about where jobs are from a different perspective than you would.

A supplier has probably been calling on similar companies, your current or previous companies’ competitors. From their own sales records would have a perspective on which ones were doing the best job in the market.

A former customer may benefit from your product knowledge or understanding of how other customers do things.

A competitor would see you as already trained and knowledgeable. These are contacts you would research to learn if they are hiring, but they also are excellent contacts for informational interviews to learn more about your industry.

Job titles can show you paths for skills you have never thought of. LinkedIn is a tool for finding new job titles. Find the person you might report to in a new job at the potential companies’ people overview. Click on that person and see the job title that person had before obtaining their current position. That is likely something you would be able to do but may not have even thought of the job title.