"Hey, $FRIEND! I hope you've been well; long time, no talk. I see you're at $COMPANY now. I'd like to join. Can you intro me to the hiring manager?" is how I'v

"Hey, $FRIEND! I hope you've been well; long time, no talk. I see you're at $COMPANY now. I'd like to join. Can you intro me to the hiring manager?" is how I've done it. Worst case, you get ghosted. Best case, you get an interview.