利用networking找到梦想的工作

几天前在ES210W的课上，Lou做了主题是利用networking找工作的presentation。可以说这个presentation是二十多个里面对我触动最深也影响最大的一个。

先说说Lou这个人。前一次的演讲，他没有做任何准备，演讲前用了大概五分钟构思+在网上搜了一下数据，演讲时沉稳淡定，气度不凡，吐字清晰，声音有磁性，内容精彩感染了大多数人。后来我在LinkedIn看他的主页，发现他的经历远比我以为的丰富得多。他现在算是大四上，还有一个学期毕业。在大学期间，他在三个hedge fund有过三次实习经历，在三个投行有过三次实习经历，六次实习经历短则一个月，长则达一年。我看到这些的一刹那觉着我的生活和他相比简直就是幼稚园和博士后站的差距。
在那之后我与他有过一次几分钟的聊天，聊了聊美国和新加坡的生活，聊了聊以后的发展。令我惊讶的是他在新加坡也待过一段时间，因为当时他的女朋友的父亲是新加坡一家hedge fund的founder。我不知道是他因为这个背景才选择了这个女朋友还是碰巧是这样，不过我相信Lou这样有规划和雄心壮志的人应该是前者。

我对Lou当时的presentation记忆深刻还有一个原因。根据我的观察，Lou这个人虽然不属于沉默寡言，但绝对不是说废话的一个人，而且不会轻易帮助或者与以后不相关的人打交道。但是这次的presentation却很有内容，非常具有启发性。

以下是我总结的他演讲的内容，希望对以后能有帮助。

首先他给出了一些很吸引眼球的事实。70%的工作是通过networking找到的，应该时刻准备好在任何地点和任何人networking，networking与其说是技术不如说是艺术，因为那是你独有的方式。
然后他讲了networking具体的实施。Initial contact应该用邮件，发邮件的目的是去set up一个informational interview，寻求advice而不是一个job。确保这封邮件concise，甚至在一个黑莓的屏幕上也能读完。讲出你是谁，为什么发这封邮件，简单说一下你的背景，并且提前感谢。这封邮件从头到脚都应该保持formal并且谦逊。如果一个星期都还没回邮件，就打电话。电话是问他们是否收到你的邮件，然后电话内容和那封邮件的内容保持一致。
在成功set up informational interview以后，把它当做正式的Interview来对待。
先写下你希望谈到的topic，把问题变得更像聊天，好好研究一下公司的背景，谈话对象的背景，还有整个行业的大概情况。最好也要知道这个行业最近发生的大事。把所有问题都准备好以后，确保这些问题是open-ended，so that谈话对象可以谈谈自身的情况和achievements。比如以下的问题：
Did you do an internship before you held this job full time? Did it help prepare you?
Why did you choose this firm over any other firm?
What kind of changes are going on in X industry right now that my impact jobs in this field?
What advice would you give someone in my position?
Don't ask for a job interview - ask for advice!!
尽力展示出自己独有的personality。

How to ask for a reference letter (by Great on the Job)

希望在离开vanderbilt之前能够收获一两封reference letter.

摘自 http://greatonthejob.com/2010/04/800/

In the 2009 film “Up in the Air,” Natalie Keener decides she can no longer stomach being part of a corporate firing squad and quits her firm. Her mentor, played by George Clooney, behaves as the magnanimous gent we all know him to be: he writes a glowing reference letter on her behalf, addressed simply “to whom it may concern.”

In the real world, getting a reference letter is far more difficult and often a source of much anxiety. Whom to ask, how to ask, what to say?

But getting an outstanding reference letter is entirely within your control and easier than you think, even if you don’t have a benevolent benefactor at your back…

Here are three tips to ensure your mentor, former boss, or academic counselor writes you a rave review:

1.Highlight their qualifications

2.Provide a template

3.Offer a “no questions asked” policy

Let’s look at each of these individually:

Highlight their Qualifications

When reaching out to ask for a letter of reference, explain up front and center why it is that you value that person’s opinion and respect their professional expertise enough so that you chose them (of all people) to vouch for you in your next professional endeavor.

Beyond mere flattery, show why you think that person is uniquely qualified to accurately assess and communicate your personal contribution to your future organization. Why did you enjoy working for them, and why do you value their opinion? Why do you look up to them? How do the qualities match your own, or speak to the authority you want your recommendation to convey?

Provide a Template

It’s almost impossible to get a good reference letter from someone if you don’t provide the tools necessary for them to actually write a good letter. It’s also terribly inconsiderate not to give ample guidance. The last thing anyone wants to do is spend hours or days thinking about and drafting a letter which you yourself could have composed far better and more readily in about half the time.

Providing a template, therefore — an outline, bullet points, or even a fully-baked draft — of what you’d like the reference letter to say is the most effective (not to mention generous and thoughtful) approach to asking for a letter of reference. The goal isn’t to put words into your former colleague’s mouth or to co-opt her into vouching for you in an untrue or disingenuous manner; it’s simply to do some of the work for her and provide all of the pertinent data points that you’d like included in the letter. Moreover, as boastful, bragging or full of yourself you may feel writing your own referral, often people will be even more generous than you will when talking about your skills and contribution to an organization. So go ahead and toot your own horn.

“No Questions Asked”

Finally, once you provide your reviewer with a useful template and make it clear that your intention is to make this process as painless as possible for her, then it’s time to hand over the reins and offer a “no questions asked” policy. First, give your colleague an easy “out” to decline your request for any or no reason. Then, assuming she agrees, give her ample leeway to change, modify or edit your letter as she sees fit. You want to convey a sense of trust in her and give her an opportunity to write a letter she is entirely comfortable with.

Let’s take a look at what this request might actually look like:

Highlight their Qualifications

Dear John,

Hello, I hope you are well. I am writing to ask a huge favor — I’m applying for a senior marketing position with Merck and I was hoping you’d consider writing a letter of recommendation on my behalf. I always appreciated your perspective and judgment while working together. You have so much credibility within the product development space that I thought you’d be a perfect person to act as a reference.

Provide a Template

I have included a list of bullet points along with a draft letter you might consider using as a template. I’d like to make the process as easy as possible on you and I know it’s hard to recall details about the many different projects we worked on together in 2007 and 2008.

“No Questions Asked”

If for any reason you don’t feel comfortable writing a letter on my behalf, I completely understand. If you are willing to do so, however, please feel free to take the attached sample letter and use it as a template however you see fit. I have tried to address my core strengths as a strategic thinker and team player and I have highlighted several marketing campaigns I’m particularly proud of. To the extent that you’d like to make any changes or modifications to the letter, please go ahead and do so. I trust that you’ll include only those topics you feel comfortable commenting upon.

Further, I would welcome the opportunity to see a copy of the letter, but I of course understand your position if you’d like to keep it confidential.

Finally, finish your request with all the grace and charm you can muster — thank the other person profusely for their time and help and offer to make yourself available for any further questions he may have.

Stay tuned for next week’s post on how to write that template and make your reference letter stand out from the pack.

Last week, I wrote a post on How to Ask for a Reference Letter which gave three steps for asking for (and getting!) a great letter of recommendation.   The second, and arguably most important step, is to provide a template for your reviewer of what you’d like included in the letter.

Recently, an elementary school teacher told me that her former principal had failed to respond to her request for a letter of recommendation.  I asked if she had included a template for her principal of what to say, to which she replied no, and then admitted sheepishly, “Honestly, I wouldn’t have any idea how to write the letter myself.”  At the risk of stating the obvious, if you can’t imagine writing the letter yourself, how do you think someone else is going to write it for you? 

When you are asking for a recommendation, take the time to create a template for the person writing the recommendation. This can be a draft of the letter itself or a simply a roadmap—a set of points that provides them with an outline, the context and content for their note.

A strong ready-made template hits upon three key points: your motive, your credentials and the impact you expect to have on your new organization. To be most effective, you need to answer three key questions:

1. Why are you applying for the position or academic program? (Motive)
2. How or why are you uniquely qualified for the position? (Credentials)
3. What will you contribute to your new organization or program? (Impact)

Let’s see what this might look like in a particular case:

Alex Wallace was a human resources professional who worked in financial services for ten years.  Alex earned her MBA from a top tier school and most recently covered the multimedia team at Reuters.  After two years at Reuters, Alex decided to make a major career shift and jump from human resources to broadcast journalism.  Alex reached out to the head of HR at her former employer to ask for a letter of reference for her application to Columbia’s Graduate School of Broadcast Journalism. She included the following bullet points in her template to assist her former boss in writing in the letter:

Motive: Why Are You Applying?

• Throughout my career, I’ve lived and worked abroad have always had a strong interest in business journalism and international affairs.   
• My work at Reuters has inspired me to make a leap I’ve considered for a long time and which I believe will tie together many diverse aspects of my career.

Alex gave both a personal reason and a professional motive—her work in HR in the news industry ultimately inspired her to make a change.   Why are you applying for a new job or program? Are you hoping to learn a new skill, make an industry, firm or career switch, or are you, like Alex, following a life-long dream of doing something you’ve always wanted to do but were never sure how to?

Credentials: How Are You Uniquely Qualified?

• I have a strong background in both finance and business issues, having spent ten years on Wall Street supporting finance professionals and two years at Reuters learning about the news industry
• In my current role,  I am responsible for managing employee issues related to ethical standards of stories, quality of writing and knowledge of key figures and trends in the news industry
• I am strong writer, a skilled presenter and a quick learner—I am able to discern the important and relevant pieces of information from large amounts of data and make decisions quickly and effectively

Alex highlighted both her relevant experience and her inherent skill-set.  Together, these combine to make her an excellent candidate for the program.   As you think about your own qualifications, consider coursework and academic programs, relevant work experience, extra-curricular or volunteer activities, or even your own natural talents or strengths that will be better utilized in your new endeavor.

Impact: What Will You Contribute?

• I believe that the reporting and writing classes will give me the tools I need to become an outstanding broadcast journalist
• With my quick grasp of the issues and my in-depth understanding of finance and news organizations,  I hope to bring a unique perspective to the program

Alex’s impact—her unique perspective—could even be more compelling if she talked about how her news coverage would be different or unique from what exists today.  Regarding your own contribution, what is your vision of how you will impact your new organization—do you have new ideas, better ideas, a different way of thinking about things or a richness of experience that will impact your new environment?

At the end of the day, your goal is to give your former boss or colleague a clear-cut outline of what to include in your reference letter.  By providing a thoughtful and well scripted template, you’ll greatly increase the chances of getting your reviewer to agree to write the letter of reference and make that letter of reference communicate and convey exactly what you want.