I recently received an email from someone I don’t know who said he was interested in learning more about a firm I have a connection with.
Hi Stephanie,
Sincerely,
NAME WITHHELD
Annoyed that this person, who is asking me for help, did not even bother to take the time to:
- give me a reason as to why I would want to,
- provide me with ANY information about himself, or
- provide me with a direct link to his LinkedIn profile; rather, he expected me to hunt it down myself.
I was then further irritated when I took the initiative to find him on LinkedIn, only to discover that HIS PROFILE HAD BEEN REMOVED.
At first I thought I would write a snarky blog post about all of this (shocking, I know), but I decided instead to use it as an opportunity to help anyone who feels inclined to reach out to a recruiter (or ANYONE) and ask them for help.
- Don’t make the person you want something from have to go and research to find out who you are. Introduce yourself right up front, and provide some background. Give them a reason to want to know a little more about you.
NOTE: This is especially true for LinkedIn invitations. One of my biggest pet peeves is the default LinkedIn invitation. It’s just rude.
- Know something about the person you’re reaching out to and prove that by mentioning it in your introductory note.
- [Genuine] compliments are even better.
- Include DIRECT links to things you want people to see.
- Be sure these links will present you in a professional light. For example I do not recommend providing a link to your MySpace page that has pictures of the keg party where you passed out in the bathroom all over it. Also if you provide a few links people will read what you want them to read about you rather than Googling you and finding your attrocious MySpace page.
- Be interesting. Provide some insight or a brief, interesting story.
- Be personable and friendly. Nobody wants to read a stodgy, stuffy anything.
- Thank the recipient for their time and consideration. It’s polite.
If you want to see a shining example of someone who did it right, check out my previous blog post, Being interested in the human condition and being interested in you isn’t the same thing, babe.
Scridb filter{ Comments on this entry are closed }







