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I have an opportunity to connect two people. One is a former colleague and is job-seeking, and the other is a person in my network. For context: both are very senior people in the banking industry (SVP). I am middle management in banking, about 2 or 3 levels lower than them.
I searched for a podcast on this but did not find one. Mike / Mark - a podcast suggestion?
I wondered what I should include, and what I should avoid.
Here is my proposed outline:.
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A (network member), please meet B (jobseeker). B is an associate of mine from my time at the bank. I worked with B on a number of projects and they are a delight to work with. B is currently job-searching now, and I thought that you may know of someone that may be hiring.
Times are tough, and good people are hard to come by. I hope that you will each find this introduction fruitful.
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Things I want to avoid:
my characterization of why B is job-seeking.
overselling B.
doing the introduction without B's permission.
Please give me your feedback on this approach. Anything I am missing? Do you have experience with this? Have you ever received such an introduction?
First of all, good on ya for
First of all, good on ya for trying to help out.
Perhaps you may wish to check with B first if they are OK with it. Then, personallly, I would not mention that B is job seeking. Let them bring that up once they strike up a conversation. You obviously think person B is the right fit for the organisation you are currently in, so there would be nothing wrong with mentioning that you worked together at XYZ and then let things develop from there. That is of course assuming person B is comfortable with raising their current situation during the conversation.
Just my thoughts.
First, what you've written
First, what you've written seems fine to me. A couple of observations I would add:
1. No matter what you say, an introduction is an endorsement and a reflection on you. As long as you're comfortable with that, I would go a step further and actually list a couple of attributes that made the person "a delight to work with" and contributed to good performance.
2. I don't see any problem mentioning that he is job seeking. It puts the introduction into immediate context which is OK. Ultimately if these two are going to have any kind of relationship they are both going to have to be willing to contribute. You can't "trick" anyone into making a new friend by sharing or witholding contextual details.
3. I would talk to B. I would ask for a copy of his/her resume. I would review it first and make comments on it and suggestions if I saw a way it could be improved. Remember this introduction, which is being made because B is job-seeking, is a reflection on you. That means that his/her resume is a reflection on you. How they perform in an interview is a reflection on you. Whether or not they invest in the relationship is a reflection on you. How they perform once they're hired is a reflection on you. Introductions like this are kind of like children - for their entire life, they are a reflection on their parents.
Like TUATARA said, good for you for helping out. Don't just dip your toe in the water. Give . . . Give . . . Give. Do everything you can to give this person a fighting chance if in fact you are comfortable with him/her being a reflection on you. If not try to help them get to the point where you'd be comfortable and then give them a chance.
Good Luck,
G.R.
You are over complicating this
Keep the facilitation simple. They ave both senior execs and they know the game being played. If they choose to meet and work something out, they will. Use the KISS method - Keep It Simple and Straightforward.
Bob, meet Jill. I worked with Jill at ABC bank where she was VP of Excessive Fees. Jill, Meet Bob. Bob is at 123 Bank where he is in charge of ensuring bonuses elicit appropriate public outrage. I think there might be mutual benefit to your meeting.
They are big kids and know what to do. Good luck.
*RNTT