On Connecting

It is so exciting when you find people who want to help and who take an interest in your goals and desires. And who are willing to share their expertise and even open their networks for you. This isn't easy. It takes a plan and a clear sense of what you want from the meeting or interaction.It also requires curiosity, assertiveness and persistence. Being able to find a commonality or an interesting data point from the person's background can help to break the ice. Recently a student of mine was preparing for a conversation with a NY investment banker and in doing his research discovered that this person was instrumental in helping the company rebuild after losing 60% of its workforce in the twin towers on September 11th (not something that was obvious on the guys linked in profile or the company website). This student had to dig a little deeper to find this. If the student wasn't nervous enough to be speaking with a senior IB executive, he found this human story from the gentleman's background to be so compelling, but also even more intimidating. Should he bring this up? I told him to see how the conversation goes. If he found a point in the discussion that seemed appropriate, he could ask something about greatest challenge he encountered rebuilding after losing so many colleagues? While it wasn't necessarily relevant to the role of an investment banker, it gave the student a chance to acknowledge something human and personal from the gentleman's background and at the same time, demonstrate that he did his homework. Of course the gentleman was impressed and more importantly, eager to share the story. This is another point I should emphasize, people love to talk about themselves, their background and their experiences. 

When making connections, seeking informational interviews and networking it is important to carefully construct your outreach message and script. You should always be prepared for the question "tell me about yourself?" "what are you looking for?" This is often referred to as a 30 second commercial or elevator speech.This should be part of your toolkit along with a resume, linked in profile and other branding/marketing materials. I find this is the area where candidates needs the most help. Contact me if you know someone who needs assistance with this.

I tell my students to start with their alumni networks to identify individuals with some commonality who they can approach seeking information, feedback and advice about their career field. My go to sources for research on people within alumni networks is LINKED IN. There are some definite strategies/tricks using advanced search techniques and Linked In premium membership services. For Corporate contacts or Company info I suggest both company website>about us>leadership and Zoominfo. Students should also check with their career center  and alumni office to see if there is an alumni database that can be accessed and what is the protocol/best practice for students contacting alumni. Once the connection is made, there are some easy icebreaker questions and techniques for getting the most out of informational interviews and networking meetings. More on this in future posts. I hope you are working well today.