stevehs17's picture Submitted by stevehs17 on
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Career Management

 I was laid off a couple of months ago and have been looking for work. My question has to do with finding people willing to provide information to help with my job search.

I've had the following happen several times. I'll email someone who responds by saying he/she is happy to talk to me or provide information by email. I then send a second email to schedule a time to talk, or, if they prefer email, ask my questions -- and I never hear back.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I could say that would increase the likelihood of getting a response to my second email? Also, if they don't respond to my second email, would it be appropriate for me to send another email? What could I say that would encourage them to respond without making them feel like I'm hounding them?

Thanks in advance for any advice you might have.

On a different topic:  I haven't posted before, but I've been looking at the website for a while (thanks to jhack) and have gotten a lot of useful information from Mark, Wendii and other people in the community. I used the resume review service, and got excellent feedback from Wendii, as well as some additional very helpful advice. (I'm hoping that Mark will do a podcast on informational interviews.)

Steve

ashdenver's picture
Submitted by ashdenver on Thursday April 16th, 2009 6:24 pm

Are you sending a long list of questions / in-depth detailed questions in the second email?

Are you asking to schedule more than 30 mins with the person in the second email?

Usually when someone initially agrees to assist and then seemingly drops off the face of the planet, it's because they've realized they bit off more than they were willing to chew & they're hoping you'll forget they never responded to you.  If I agree to give someone information, I'm thinking a few superficial questions and answers sufficient to allow them to determine if they're willing to go the distance for a full, real job interview.  I'm NOT expecting to conduct a full-blown 2-hour interview, exploring financials, P&L statements, marketing strategies, etc. 

I suppose I should also clarify the resource pool in which you're fishing.  Are you looking for generic assistance - resume proofing, mock interviews, etiquette lessons, etc.?  Or are you looking for specific job or company information - what does it entail, how is the group structured, what is the general job description, work environment, etc.?

(I've assumed the latter but upon re-reading realize it could be the former.)

stevehs17's picture
Submitted by stevehs17 on Friday April 17th, 2009 4:04 pm

 Thanks for the post. I think you may be right that I was asking for too much information. I just got a reponse from someone when I sent a short email in response to theirs.

I'm looking for generic information: advice on my resume and on my search strategy.

 

 

asteriskrntt1's picture
Submitted by asteriskrntt1 on Friday April 17th, 2009 5:05 pm

Hi Steve

If I read your last posting correctly, you are looking for advice on your resume and search strategy in informational interviews?

Nope NOpe NOPe NOPE

 

You ask for advice on your resume and everyone will give you different advice, leaving changing your resume hundreds of times for no good reason.

You ask them for advice on your search strategy and they will say, hey, what am I, a job coach?

Informational interviews are mostly to get you face to face with someone in a company, to meet the person and learn about the company/industry etc.  It is not about asking for a job or search strategies or resumes.  It is about building relationships and your network. 

Sometimes, you hit a home run and the person likes you.  That may turn into a job or a referral.  You increase your odds of this by preparing for the informational interview like you would a regular interview.

And try mixing in some phone calls.  A phone call often carries more weight than a blind email.

*RNTT

 

 

 

 

 

 

stevehs17's picture
Submitted by stevehs17 on Tuesday April 21st, 2009 3:25 pm

 Hi RNTT,

Thanks for your suggestions. I think you're right generally about getting feedback on my resume -- I've been finding that different people look for different things. In some cases, though, more than one person has made the same criticism or suggestion, so I take those criticisms more seriously.

I also think you're right in general about seeking advice on my job search strategy. I've been finding, though, that some people are willing to be a sort of job coach. This has been the exception rather than the rule, so it seems to be important not to force the issue. And I've gotten some useful advice about how one looks for jobs in a particular field -- e.g. asking a technical writer how to look for technical writing jobs.

And I think you're absolutely right about seeing informational interviews as a way to build relationships and network.

It turns out that some of the people who I thought had ignored my second email eventually responded. So it's a good thing I waited for them to respond rather than sending more emails.

In general, I've been finding that short emails work better than longer ones, and that I get a better response from a person if I leave him an out.  For instance, people seem to be more receptive if I say things like "There are some follow-up questions I'd like to ask, but I don't want to wear out my welcome," rather than just saying "There are some follow-up questions I'd like to ask." It also seems to help if I offer something in return, like buying lunch. And being humble, polite, and gracious seems to help too.

Steve