Hubbs Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 So, there's a company I very much want to work for, and as it turns out, one of its employees happens to be an alum of my alma mater. I've never met the guy, have no other connection to him, and his class was pretty far removed from mine (more than a decade). He's got a pretty prominent position. The company has a few entry-level positions open. I'd really, really like to maximize this connection, but I've never "cold-called" someone like this, for lack of a better word. (Yes, I'm planning to use email.) The guy isn't in HR, but he's been with the company for a while, so I would guess that he'd at least be able to put in a good word with someone. The problem is that I'm struggling figure out a way to contact him that would inform him why I'm getting in touch without trying to immediately push him into vouching for someone who, for all he knows, is a Nigerian prince with a complicated bank account. (Not that I'm trying to pull one over, I want the job for all the right reasons, I'd be willing to put in 12-hour days and I think I could knock it out of the park.) What I need is a way to break the ice, and then get from Point A to Point B. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 How did you find out this info about the guy ? How do you put in a good word for someone that you don't know at all ? You have to meet him somehow and go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I would suggest stalking him for awhile...maybe compromising pics Does he have a pet? added gonna be tough w/o a direct referral,but perhaps ask for his opinion about working for the company as a favor to a Alum,and build some type of rapport from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bliz Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 How did you find out this info about the guy ? How do you put in a good word for someone that you don't know at all ? You have to meet him somehow and go from there. What he said Don't apologize for what you're doing. Be upfront with him about who you are and how you found him, and ask him if he would be willing to meet you for lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 As a fellow alum, tell him you are very interested in a particular position and would really appreciate any pointers on what the company looks for in entry-level candidates. Sell him a little on why you think you are a good candidate and maybe he'll hand carry your resume to the hiring manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 The strongest play is the combination play. you use a few strategies in parrellel. (1) do you know his major? If so can you track down any teachers he might have had and get their recomendation; because they know you or would vouch for you. That would be instant credibility. One if you can get the teacher to write a letter of introduction for you. ( you write it and the teacher signs it)... second best you ask the teacher if you can use him as a refference name when you introduce yourself. Third best pick out a few of those teachers, prefferable ones the dude got good grades in; and drop them in the conversation yourself. Not as reffereces but just I had Mr Smith for calc and he said to say hi.. sort of thing. Refferenceing classrooms and classes, 8am cellular biology at Building C-645 for example is weak; but it's better than nothing. Here you are trying to connect with the guy and re-enforce the fact that you are just like he was a few years back. This is kind of a hail marry play. The most powerful moves are accomplished less proximal to job searches. (2) If the guy is moderately high in the company he very likely attends trade shows or some sort of public networking gathering. If you can engineer to meet him at one of these and exchange cards. That's a very powerful way to set yourself apart. You can definitely contact an executive's secretary and ask which trade shows they frequent. Or better yet contact the trade shows and ask if the company attend that show then contact the secretary and ask if he would be with the companies deligation. You can get his schedule from either the secretary or the trade show and even schedule a meeting with him; or since you are so young; perhaps just stop by his booth when you know he will be there and introduce yourself. It's very important here you exchange business cards. If you don't do that it's not nearly as useful. Because exchanging business cards gives you basically an open inventation to contact him; thus this meeting becomes a meeting you can refference in future correspondence. (3) Your biig problem here is timing. You want a job soon, and you are establishing contact proximal to the search. That is inherantly week. Not unrecoverable weak, not embarressingly weak, but a little obvious. The alumni tie helps you. But the strongest move is to pick out a few guys in your field at a few different companies and engineer meetings with them at trade shows before you are looking for work. Don't talk business with them. Just a meet and greet. I'm new to the field and like your work sort of thing. Then you absolutely follow their careers and send them notes of congradulations when they advance or reach milestones in their careers.. Always refference your first meeting or previous correspondence with them when doing so. These are the kinds of communications which will get them following your career too. These are the kinds of connections which transend isolated job searches and make career resources of these contacts. (4) At 24 I'm not sure you are ready for the masters level networking class yet. And I don't know your field, so I'm offering targeted advice when generic advice is called for perhaps. But the ultimate power move is to determine the 1 or 2 top head hunter firms in your field. They are typically in NY and establish contact with them. Then every year you travel to ny and take your contact at this firm or firms ( no more than 2)... to lunch. you don't talk business. Talk about hte yankees whatever. When new jobs come up; they will know you and they will consider you. Over time you will get stronger and stronger; and they will mentor and give you intermediate positions to bring you along. When Ibm was looking to replace John Akers as CEO how do you think they came up with Louis Gerstner the ceo of RJR/Nabisco who was making cookies and didn't know anything about technology at the time? Simple. Gerstner knew the head hunter who IBM asked to conduct the search. The top firm in NY. He had worked with them for decades. That's how you become the inside man. foresight, and thinking about such things when you are 24. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinfan2k Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 i always thought talking about sports and the college teams are always a easy icebreaker. at my work, most fans were a lanyard of their favorite team so i just start talking about that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubbs Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 How did you find out this info about the guy ? How do you put in a good word for someone that you don't know at all ? You have to meet him somehow and go from there. Ran a search with the company's name and my school's name, knowing that most of the staff have what's essentially a "profile page" in which they usually mention the schools they've attended. Figured that knowing there's a fellow alum at the company is better than not knowing. I can apply without getting in touch with the guy either way, but at least now who to contact if there's a good way to play up the alma mater connection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterMP Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Unless you can identify a teacher that he'd know and be comfortable with that will also vouch for you, I think it is pretty meaningless and wouldn't even waste my time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Unless you can identify a teacher that he'd know and be comfortable with that will also vouch for you, I think it is pretty meaningless and wouldn't even waste my time. Always do your research when networking. Any way you can show you've done your homework will magnify your connection with the guy. Strong moves are better than weak moves; but weak moves are much much better than just handing your blind reseme over to the Personel folks. Again, at 24 and needing a job now, is much harder to achieve a connection. It's much more powerful to establish these connections over longer periods of time, which span a meeting and multiple connections over years. I would also suggest you consider reading a favorite job search book of mine. "Notes from the Underground" by Dostoyevsky. The take away from this book is sometimes when folks are mean or a-holes to folks looking for a hand up; it has nothing to do with the folks looking for the hand up. Sometimes it's because the guys you are contacting really have no power or authority and don't want to admit it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenaa Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 This guy may not be favored within the company either. Risky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 This guy may not be favored within the company either. Risky. Which plays back into the Dostoyevsky suggestion. Still it's not dangerous or risky to have connections which aren't helpful for a job search. Keep on top of them and it's very likely they will be helpful in the future. bottom line though you are correct you can't know who is or will be important. You also can't follow and develop hundreds of such contacts. What you do is pick a few folks and make them your hobby; knowing that someday they will pan out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnhay Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I personally wouldn't do it, but maybe you could apply and then ask the guy for some advice about getting the position? That way, he wouldn't feel too burdened to help out a guy he doesn't know, and it might leave a good impression that you're willing to put in that extra effort. I don't get the whole alumni helping each other out thing, but if that can help you I wish you good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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