Submitted by dwaeschle on
in
Forums
I have listened to the manager tools podcasts for quite some time however, I am new to the web site and new to the fourms.
A little background I am leaving the military after 20 years of service in April. I am also working on completing my MBA and have 20 years work experince in telecommunications and information technology. While taking my son to Taekwondo lessons I was talking to a lady who I had spoken to many times before and we got to talking about odds and ends. We got to a point where we were talking about me leaving the service and where I had been submitting resumes and she mentioned she knows the CEO of a new foriegn firm coming into town to start up a new manufacturing facility. I gave her my resume and cover letter to pass on the following Thursday.
It has not been a week yet, but is there anything I can do to make sure I am on the "short list" and that I get an opportunity to come in and interview?
Excellant networking opportunity fell in my lap
First, send her a hand-written thank you note. That keeps that line of communication open.
I would try to find out who to call to set an interview. Since she's your initial point of contact, ask her. When you do, thank her again for her kindness, and just let her know you're interested in pursuing this opportunity. It's not pushy, it's grateful.
Excellant networking opportunity fell in my lap
Thank you Mr. Duke for your valuable feedback. I saw my contact again yesterday evening at my son's practice. She informed me the chief executive person that she knows has been in Europe ( the corporate hq is based in Germany) for the past week and that he would recieve my resume today.
I did indeed thank her for assisting me. Perhaps good things will shake out of this and new opportunites will present themselves.
Of course I do not have anything yet, but having an opportunity to get in on the ground floor and help an organization gain market share and build value for surrounding future customers using technology is definatly an exciting possibility. I am trying not to count my chickens before they hatch though.
Thank you again for your input.
Excellant networking opportunity fell in my lap
I'll second Will's comments - be polite, thankful, persistent but not pushy and most importantly, be genuine.
Even if this opportunity doesn't work out, maintaining a relationship with your contact will be a valuable thing. Maybe for her, maybe for you.
I think you understand well when you say you're trying not to count your chickens - that's a wise understanding to have. And as Mark and Mike say often in their podcasts, when it comes to job hunting, until you have the offer, you have nothing!
Take it one step at a time, and follow the same ideas when you do get an audience with the new CEO. Write a thank you note and follow up!
All the best,