Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?: A Crash Course in Finding, Landing, and Keeping Your First Real Job by Ellen Gordon Reeves Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ellen Gordon Reeves
Tags: Self-Help, Non-Fiction
You’ll meet interesting people and learn a lot along the way. If you’re too paralyzed by shyness to get any enjoyment out of the networking process, I have two words for you: FAKE IT.
3. Be Prepared
If you meet someone through a chance encounter and find out that she works in a place or field you’re interested in, be prepared to break out the pitch. Read her cues to determine how involved she wants to get. Ifshe wants to keep talking, fine; if not, thank her and move on. If she asks to see a copy of your résumé, make sure you get her business card or contact information and determine her preferred mode of communication so you can follow up. Ask her directly: “Is a call or e-mail better for you?” Note her preference on her card right away, but not in front of her. Have your business card on hand to give to her, too (see box, page 27).
EASING YOUR WAY INTO NETWORKING
If you’re intimidated by the networking process and don’t know where to begin, make it easy on yourself by starting small. Let’s say you recently graduated or are about to graduate from college. Use the Rule of Three and start with three people closest to you: parents (if they won’t hassle you), a roommate (she may have parents, relatives, neighbors, or family friends you should talk with), and other relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings). Next, you’ll move one layer out: a professor, an academic advisor, a boss at a summer job or somewhere you’ve volunteered. Once you see how easy it is, you’ll be emboldened to broaden the scope of your networking efforts.
The good news? The more people you talk to, the more you’ll have to say on your next call. Your questions will become more informed and specific. Without name-dropping or being indiscreet, you can use each informational interview to inform the next: “Last week I was talking with a dean at the Fashion Institute who’s a friend of my aunt’s, and he suggested I look into the Bloomingdale’s training program. Do you know anything about it or perhaps know someone who does?”
4. Foolproof Your E-mails
I F YOU’RE COMMUNICATING WITH A POTENTIAL HELPER BY E-MAIL —especially someone older who may not be as computer-savvy as you are—make everything as simple as possible.
Don’t give busy people the opportunity to forward messages you don’t intend for the recipient. If you attached your résumé to an e-mail that said“Can you send my résumé to that cute guy I met at your party last night? His dad runs a contracting company I want to work for,” wouldn’t you die if I sent it on without editing it? Don’t make me edit it. The same goes for your cover letter. It should be addressed and tailored to its intended recipient (see chapter 4 for more on this subject).
5. Don’t Go Too High Up the Food Chain
C HOOSE THE RIGHT PEOPLE, AT THE RIGHT LEVEL . If one of your connections knows the head of a company you’re interested in, sure, meet her if the opportunity is offered. But be aware that, depending on the size of the organization, the head may not be in touch with some of the more day-to-day aspects of the organization. If you get the sense that this might be the case, ask if the head of the company would be willing to put you in touch with someone in a specific department or with an HR person. Do enough research to know which people you should be talking to.
6. Follow Up
F OLLOW UP ON EVERY LEAD , and don’t ask for leads if you’re not going to pursue them. I don’t like going out on a limb for people (especially people I don’t know that well), asking others for favors and then finding out that the job-seeker never contacted the people I alerted on her behalf. If you don’t want to talk to a person suggested by someone in your network or think you won’t really follow up, just say so: “I know I won’t have time to contact everyone; of all the people you mentioned, the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of X, Y, and Z would be
3. Be Prepared
If you meet someone through a chance encounter and find out that she works in a place or field you’re interested in, be prepared to break out the pitch. Read her cues to determine how involved she wants to get. Ifshe wants to keep talking, fine; if not, thank her and move on. If she asks to see a copy of your résumé, make sure you get her business card or contact information and determine her preferred mode of communication so you can follow up. Ask her directly: “Is a call or e-mail better for you?” Note her preference on her card right away, but not in front of her. Have your business card on hand to give to her, too (see box, page 27).
EASING YOUR WAY INTO NETWORKING
If you’re intimidated by the networking process and don’t know where to begin, make it easy on yourself by starting small. Let’s say you recently graduated or are about to graduate from college. Use the Rule of Three and start with three people closest to you: parents (if they won’t hassle you), a roommate (she may have parents, relatives, neighbors, or family friends you should talk with), and other relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings). Next, you’ll move one layer out: a professor, an academic advisor, a boss at a summer job or somewhere you’ve volunteered. Once you see how easy it is, you’ll be emboldened to broaden the scope of your networking efforts.
The good news? The more people you talk to, the more you’ll have to say on your next call. Your questions will become more informed and specific. Without name-dropping or being indiscreet, you can use each informational interview to inform the next: “Last week I was talking with a dean at the Fashion Institute who’s a friend of my aunt’s, and he suggested I look into the Bloomingdale’s training program. Do you know anything about it or perhaps know someone who does?”
4. Foolproof Your E-mails
I F YOU’RE COMMUNICATING WITH A POTENTIAL HELPER BY E-MAIL —especially someone older who may not be as computer-savvy as you are—make everything as simple as possible.
Don’t give busy people the opportunity to forward messages you don’t intend for the recipient. If you attached your résumé to an e-mail that said“Can you send my résumé to that cute guy I met at your party last night? His dad runs a contracting company I want to work for,” wouldn’t you die if I sent it on without editing it? Don’t make me edit it. The same goes for your cover letter. It should be addressed and tailored to its intended recipient (see chapter 4 for more on this subject).
5. Don’t Go Too High Up the Food Chain
C HOOSE THE RIGHT PEOPLE, AT THE RIGHT LEVEL . If one of your connections knows the head of a company you’re interested in, sure, meet her if the opportunity is offered. But be aware that, depending on the size of the organization, the head may not be in touch with some of the more day-to-day aspects of the organization. If you get the sense that this might be the case, ask if the head of the company would be willing to put you in touch with someone in a specific department or with an HR person. Do enough research to know which people you should be talking to.
6. Follow Up
F OLLOW UP ON EVERY LEAD , and don’t ask for leads if you’re not going to pursue them. I don’t like going out on a limb for people (especially people I don’t know that well), asking others for favors and then finding out that the job-seeker never contacted the people I alerted on her behalf. If you don’t want to talk to a person suggested by someone in your network or think you won’t really follow up, just say so: “I know I won’t have time to contact everyone; of all the people you mentioned, the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of X, Y, and Z would be
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