@radekmieBy Radosław Miernik · Published on
For years I considered networking something redundant and insincere. As a result, on a conference, I’d rather talk to a few people for longer than go on a networking spree just to maximize my reach. (Trust me, some people do that on purpose with various outcomes.)
I still consider it at least partially true – countless interactions with people that wanted to get my contact info (or rather, my Linked In profile) and moved on immediately afterwards only prove that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking anyone to talk to me. But if you’re the one starting such a “conversation” just to get “in contact”… Thanks, I’ll pass.
However, recently I was the one reaching out to people I know, even the ones I met only briefly. To be precise, it was a case of a few friends asking around for job opportunities, as their projects (or entire companies) got terminated.
I was hesitant at first. Like, I never actually reached out to “my network” for anything, let alone job opportunities. I wasn’t sure who to start with, and what the tone should be. Hell, I got stressed just because I thought “Well, I wouldn’t like people to ask me about it either”!
But when I started writing down a shortlist, I realized most of the people that came to my mind had already reached out to me in the past. So now instead of thinking who to talk to, I was analyzing how they do that.
Be honest. Concise. Open for feedback. It’s trivial, I know. You could think it applies to all communication, but note there’s one thing missing: emotions. Now, I’m not saying you have to be cold or inhuman. It’s more about making it a piece of information they could potentially forward to other people.
Here’s one I really liked:
Hi Radek!
A friend of mine is looking for a job as a full stack developer. She’s experienced with React (5 years) and Node.js (6 years), and has a solid fintech background. Here’s her anonymized resume: (link). Let me know if you’d like to get her contact info!
Straight to the chase! No “How have you been?” bullshit (“Oh, I’ve been good for the last three years since we last talked”), no “Let me know if you’d like to see her resume”… I don’t even have to open it – basics are already in the message itself.
Did I reply to all of those requests? Of course I did. Not because I always had something to recommend, but because I know how it feels to be ignored or ghosted. In most cases I replied that I didn’t have anything at hand. Sometimes I shared a link to some company I knew was looking for someone like them.
And once or twice I actually forwarded it to someone who I thought could help. In some way I feel that’s the most helpful one, as the more people it reaches, the higher chance of success, right? It’s even better if you forward it to a fellow recruiter – these people are built different and can flood you with offers.
Once I went an extra mile, as the person reaching out was important to me and I really wanted to help them. Instead of suggesting any person or company to reach out to, I helped them re-do the resume. I was happy that my lengthy On Why Resumes Are Terrible was actually helpful!
At first, this text was supposed to be a personal note I could share with my friends or students, but then I thought it may be easier for me to have it here instead. Let’s say it’s a memorial of me realizing such a basic truth.
We’re all constantly learning, huh?