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 B

most useful.” Also, make sure you know if
you
are supposed to contact a lead directly or if your intermediary is planning on doing it herself. Ask what the intermediary prefers; a heads-up call or e-mail from the intermediary to the lead is often best.
7. Don’t Pretend You’re Applying for Only One Job
    W HEN YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A JOB , there’s no sense in pretending you’re applying to only one company; everyone knows you get jobs by talking to lots and lots of people and applying for more than one position. Monogamy is not expected until you accept an offer. If someone asks with whom you’ve been speaking, where else you’ve applied, or if you’ve alreadyhad other interviews, be honest. He’s only trying to help, and he may know people where you’re interviewing; he may also be trying to get a sense of how much of a go-getter you are, in which case it won’t hurt to show that you’ve been making the rounds.
    WORKING IT: A MODEL OF EFFECTIVE NETWORKING
    Jonathan was moving from Boston to New York City and looking for a communications job. He e-mailed me his résumé; the first line of his cover letter read, “Dottie E. recommended I contact you.” “Dottie” was the magic word—she was a colleague I had adored working with over the years, and anyone she referred to me got red-carpet treatment.
    I invited him to my office, spoke with him about his career history, and sent him off with a list of the organizations I worked with to see if any of them sounded interesting. He did some research and identified three; I forwarded his résumé to people I knew there. While I knew he was looking for a job, I made my request as general as possible. I didn’t ask my contacts to find him a job, I asked them if they knew anyone who would be willing to talk to him. Within twenty-four hours I heard from all three parties, all willing to provide a contact name or grant an informational interview.
    As he pursued other job postings, Jonathan would contact me to find out if I knew anyone where he was interviewing. I was able to pass along more names: the sister of a colleague who worked at one organization, a college friend who knew someone who knew someone. All of this was done via e-mail, and within a month he had several interviews lined up.
    What Jonathan did right: He gathered names before he moved to New York; he reached out to the names he was given with a résumé and an opening line that explained his personal connections; he focused his search; he followed up on the leads he was given; and he kept his contacts in the loop.
    It helped that Jonathan was personable and ambitious, but you don’t need to be Mr. Popular to network. The truth is, most people remember how they got their jobs, and they’re willing to help a young candidate find his footing.
    What’s more, when Jonathan landed his job and proved himself as a valuable employee, it reflected well on all of us who had passed his name along.
8. Be Appreciative
    B E SURE TO THANK THE PEOPLE WHO HELP YOU . Show them you’re making progress and following up on their leads by keeping them in the loop. Acknowledge the efforts they make on your behalf; don’t take their help for granted. When you get an interview or job—or even a rejection—through someone, let her know with a quick e-mail. “Dear Ms. Lerner: I just found out that I didn’t get the analyst job you told me about at Number-Crunch Company, but I wanted you to know how much I appreciated the introduction to the HR person there.” If you don’t use a contact or take a job offered, be sure to let the intermediary know. This way she won’t feel let down.
    Thank the people who help you … and once you get your job, be sure to share the wealth.
    Toward the end of the process, think about whether you should send a handwritten thank-you note in addition to an e-mail, or, depending on how much trouble the person went to, a small gift like flowers, cookies, or a bottle of wine.
9. Return the Favor
    W