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Deety;1967355; said:
This has worked for me a few times. Find someone well-connected in the industry you want. Call that person and say you are trying to get an insiders' perspective on their field and that you were wondering if you could meet and pick their brain a bit. Suggest buying them lunch. Don't turn it into a job interview, but show by your questions that you've done your research. End by giving a few copies of your card and asking for suggestions as to who to contact for a job or more information.

That's how you get a mentor. The neat thing about mentors is that they become invested in helping you, because your success becomes their success. Every time I've done this, I've received some sort of help - a job offer, a lead on a job that wasn't advertised, or an offer to make a couple of calls on my behalf.
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That approach works better for women than men. :p
 
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Great experience for building confidence.

Deety;1967355; said:
This has worked for me a few times. Find someone well-connected in the industry you want. Call that person and say you are trying to get an insiders' perspective on their field and that you were wondering if you could meet and pick their brain a bit. Suggest buying them lunch. Don't turn it into a job interview, but show by your questions that you've done your research. End by giving a few copies of your card and asking for suggestions as to who to contact for a job or more information.

That's how you get a mentor. The neat thing about mentors is that they become invested in helping you, because your success becomes their success. Every time I've done this, I've received some sort of help - a job offer, a lead on a job that wasn't advertised, or an offer to make a couple of calls on my behalf.
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AKA the informational interview. Excellent idea for new grads, especially if your nervous about interviewing. Informational interviews are all about you interviewing someone with experience in a field your interested in to see what employers look for. As Deety said, it's not a job interview and really shouldn't be treated as such. You can ask them to critique your resume if they're comfortable with it but don't try to force it on them. This link explains it pretty well: http://www.quintcareers.com/informational_interviewing.html
 
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Deety;1967374; said:
I've mostly used it with women. :wink:
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Which definitely works better for women than men. If I call up a woman and ask her to lunch she's going to think I'm interested in picking something more than her brain. She just might be right, too. :biggrin:
 
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Jake;1967474; said:
Which definitely works better for women than men. If I call up a woman and ask her to lunch she's going to think I'm interested in picking something more than her brain. She just might be right, too. :biggrin:
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I think they caught on that Motel Six does not have a restaurant Jake. :biggrin:
 
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southcampus;1967148; said:
One thing I have done is network, regardless of industry. I've tirelessly put myself in situation I normally wouldn't be completely comfortable in order to meet new people and most of the time, I've been glad I've done so.
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Is that code for gay bar?
 
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BUCKYLE;1967640; said:
Is that code for gay bar?
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Worse. Mostly networking events ranging from a plethora of different places where I'm forced to act like I'm thrilled to be talking to some jackass piece of shit recruiter who has little to no knowledge about what attributes candidates should have for a career at "X" company and he/she is simply there to pet their ego and pass along names to people with real careers who can make use of said candidates. Basically.
 
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Deety;1967355; said:
This has worked for me a few times. Find someone well-connected in the industry you want. Call that person and say you are trying to get an insiders' perspective on their field and that you were wondering if you could meet and pick their brain a bit. Suggest buying them lunch. Don't turn it into a job interview, but show by your questions that you've done your research. End by giving a few copies of your card and asking for suggestions as to who to contact for a job or more information.

That's how you get a mentor. The neat thing about mentors is that they become invested in helping you, because your success becomes their success. Every time I've done this, I've received some sort of help - a job offer, a lead on a job that wasn't advertised, or an offer to make a couple of calls on my behalf.
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With so many people out of work right now, let me underscore what outstanding advice this is - no matter how old you might be.

I've come across 55-year-olds out of work to whom it would never occur to call a well-positioned 30-year-old to do just this. And older folks who need a job should realize that the best mentor for them just might be a young hotshot who is doing well and consequently has a great network to take advantage of. If you can put your ego into the closet for a while, it's amazing what you can learn - and then accomplish.

Great post, Deety!
 
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Got the job offer I wanted from a firm in Chicago. How, you ask? Simply networking the hell out of places. Honest to God, I was interviewing against kids twice as qualified as me from great schools all over the region. I feel like I got the nod because I had shown genuine interest all summer.
 
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southcampus;2020876; said:
Got the job offer I wanted from a firm in Chicago. How, you ask? Simply networking the hell out of places. Honest to God, I was interviewing against kids twice as qualified as me from great schools all over the region. I feel like I got the nod because I had shown genuine interest all summer.
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Congrats on the new gig, brother... get ready for late nights, weight gain, stress and the all-elusive closed deal :lol:
 
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southcampus;2020876; said:
Got the job offer I wanted from a firm in Chicago. How, you ask? Simply networking the hell out of places. Honest to God, I was interviewing against kids twice as qualified as me from great schools all over the region. I feel like I got the nod because I had shown genuine interest all summer.
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Congrats!

now... live like your still in college :wink: not like you just got a job that pays well:)
 
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