Now what?

[resonant]

OK, networking experts, question time.

A former co-worker of mine has given me the name of her contact at an employer in New City, "if you are inclined to reach out to her with your talents." The contact is not a hiring manager; she's director of PR. The work I seek is very much not in PR, which the ex-co-worker knows because she's been talking to me about whether I would enjoy doing the same job SHE does.

-- so what am I supposed to do with this info?

Comments

networking is always good

[via_ostiense]

Email the contact to say hello, explain that former co-worker gave her name to you, and could you take her to coffee sometime to talk about the work and culture at X Company? If you're interested in working at the company but in a different division, it's still good to chat with someone on the inside just to get a sense of things and more importantly, to know someone there. Although this person works in PR, she can pass your resume on to the hiring manager and say, "Hey, I met resonant, she's interested in ___, can you follow up with her?" and your resume will get a longer look than if you submit it yourself without the referral from a current employee.

Re: networking is always good

[princessofgeeks]

yes, this.

Re: networking is always good

[lightgetsin]

+1. For further advice on how to conduct the coffee or whatever other contact follows, google "informational interview," since that's what you're doing. There's not a huge amount of etiquette to it, but there are ways to make it more graceful and compelling. The important parts are to (1) learn if the company actually is a good fit for you, and (2) at the end of the coffee date, if it feels appropriate, present your resume or ask her to put you in contact with the hiring people.

And if all of that is too much extroversion (trust me, I understand) an alternative is to ask the mutual friend to conduct an email introduction for you. Say something like, "hey, thank you for giving me your friend's name. Do you feel comfortable emailing her to introduce me? I'd like to approach her about [learning about her company [picking her brain regarding other jobs in the area] [whatever]."

I have done this for people, and have had it done for me. It's useful because if your friend does it, she's putting her stamp of approval on you more concretely than you just dropping her name. It is a genuine favor she's doing you, more so than merely offering up a name, because there's more of her reputation at stake in personally referring you. So she might say no -- I have -- but if you feel comfortable asking, it's definitley worth it.

Re: networking is always good

[resonant]

if all of that is too much extroversion

Yes, that's precisely the problem!

Re: networking is always good

[resonant]

So helpful -- thanks!