As many polls already conclude, such as the one by Lou Adler on Linkedin, 70-80% of job opportunities are found through networking. The assumption I make here is that the job they found was either:
Hidden. A job that was not posted on any website yet and they got there before there was much competition. This includes approaching headhunters who know about confidential opportunities before they are made public.
Posted on a website, but they came through the back door. The candidate somehow connected with the decision maker directly without going through all the HR filter, gaining a competitive advantage.
Created after meeting the candidate. The job seeker identified an opportunity for the company, contacted a leader who decided to bet on the candidate’s ability to create value. For example, my friend Dave offered mid-sized companies in Spain, the opportunity to sell their products in Latin America thanks to his personal experience and contacts. He started as a free-lance to later work under contract to open international markets for the company's products.
Whichever way, what is common is that the candidate came forward proactively and was able to create a strong and positive impression. Finding a job through networking can sound intimidating, so let's introduce a better term for it: informational interviewing. Contacting people for information feels less intrusive than contacting them to ask for a job. The final result can be the same: people will either hire, connect, or refer you ,and provide great insights and tips for you to succeed in your job search.
There are several great books about the using the art of networking to find opportunities: Dalton’s “2-hour Job Search” dedicated to MBA graduates or “Never Eat Alone” by Ferrazzi (here is a list of more). However in this article, I would like to share some of my main tips to help you get started with your informational interviews:
1. Find connections that you have something in common with, school, professional experience, major degree, company, country of origin, etc. This is a good ice-breaking topic and a fact that may warm their hearts. The target contacts could be someone in:
Your dream role
Your dream role in a different industry
A different role in your target industry or company
A role that is related or works closely with your dream role
2. Never say you are looking for a job, but rather express that you are only looking for information. When you send the contact an email or are in a conversation, it is best not to ask to be hired, but to ask for insights about an industry, company, department, role, or career path. It takes the weight out of the conversation, as they do not feel committed to considering you as a candidate or offering you a job if they don’t want to. If you are too direct about it, contact may just say "ok, send me your CV", and after you send it, if there is nothing that fits your profile at that precise moment, your CV may get lost. The objective is to leave a vision of what you are able to offer, and clarity on your direction and profile relevance, so if they hear about an opportunity, they call you for a longer interview or refer you to someone.
3. Keep your communications simple and direct. People receive many emails, so your first introduction message is not a cover letter about your background and skills. It is just a simple “I am Mai, I found your profile very interesting because I am interested in learning more about Marketing careers in the pet food industry. Could we speak for 20 minutes so you can share your personal experience and insights? I understand you could be busy, so I am happy to schedule a later time if it is best for you….”
4. Prepare your questions in advance and research the person you will speak to. Have a script of the call, but let the conversation flow naturally. Listen attentively and write notes. "I saw the article you posted about digital marketing, is this a main focus on your job or a main challenge?"
5. Prepare a 20-second introduction about yourself to answer the question “Tell me about yourself”? This speech must say 1) What is your general background 3) what are your interests and 2) what is the purpose of your call. “I have 5 years of experience in financial consulting at Firm X, but I now find myself very interested in transitioning to Marketing after a course I took. I am fascinated by the idea of launching new products and finding market opportunities. I think that my analytical background could be of leverage, but I am not all aware of what Marketing does in a company like yours…”
6. Don’t talk too much about yourself. The conversation is 80% about them, 20% about you. You connected not to “sell yourself”, but to truly listen, learn, and then relate to what they share. The selling comes from you acknowledging their honesty and insights to then find a match with your personal experience or future desires. “I see how that can be a tough challenge, it reminds me of my experience at x, where we had to face that and decided to take strategy z” or “that sounds like the kind of project I would love to embark on because it fits with my interest in becoming an expert on y.” In a very short and concise way, you hit them with an interesting fact about you.
7. Don't forget the goal of the call. The objective of the call is to gain insights that may help you in your search, but also to get 1-2 contacts that can provide you with more insights. The more people you talk to inside your dream role, company, or industry the greater the possibilities to find that hidden opportunity. This is what creating a network means.
8. Be on -time. If you said 20 minutes, have a timer to make sure you are on time. They may be flexible, but make sure you leave the last 5 minutes to talk about the next steps: connecting on Linkedin and getting new contacts.
9. And remember:
Be generous: ask how you could return the favor or send them an article or post you think would interest them.
Be thankful: a next day thank you letter and future message on how your job search is going is appreciated.
Be energetic, natural, and smile. The more your connect on a personal level, the more the contact can picture themselves collaborating with you and offering their help.
10. Follow-up. If a contact does not respond, follow-up after 1 week, and a second time a week later. If by the second you are ignored, move on to the next contact. Keep track of your progress on an excel sheet with a list of your target companies and contacts identified. Keep it mechanical and don't put your emotions into the process. If someone ignores your message, don't take it personal, just review your communication to make it more effective. There are plenty of fishes to speak to out there.
As you progress and have those insightful conversations, the more natural it will become, and the more you will integrate what you have learned in your interviews. In the process, ask yourself:
What skills and experience are relevant and can I transfer to the target role?
What companies, industries or roles are becoming most attractive to me and why?
What should I watch out for when applying to roles?
How can I stand out?
I have personally evidenced the power of information interviews in the job process. Job seekers I advised who went through several of these conversations, recalled feedback such as: "You sound like someone who has worked in our industry before, although you come from a different sector. I am happy to hear your passion in what we do and an understanding of what this work is all about. "
I hope these tips were helpful and please share yours!
Thanks for reading.
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