When you're less familiar with someone, call him on the phone, explain your situation and ask if you may send him your resume to see if he can arrange interviews for you. Also tell him that you've compiled a list of companies with which you would like interviews and ask if you may enclose the list. Conclude the conversation by stating that you'll call back in a few days to follow up. During this subsequent conversation, you may decide to ask for referrals to other people for similar assistance. Whether or not you do will depend on how helpful this person is and how many interviews you have already arranged. When deciding the order in which to approach people, call them according to their ability to help you, not according to how well you know them. Often your best referrals will come from people you know the least. If there is someone whom you don't know well enough to call on the phone, but who could be extremely helpful, you can write a letter to this person instead of calling. Ideally, asking personal contacts to arrange interviews for you will produce the meetings you need to get the offer you want. As already discussed, though, if business conditions are poor and companies aren't actively adding personnel, this approach might not be as successful as you would like. In this case you can work with your contacts in a slightly different manner.
Ask your contacts to arrange appointments for you for the purpose of getting advice about which companies to see, and not for a job interview. This will enable you to meet many more people than you would by trying to set up job interviews. First of all, people don't have to have a job opening in order to agree to meet you, and the likelihood is that at any given time there won't be a vacancy for someone with your background. Second, most people are willing to chat with someone as a favor to a friend. When setting up these interviews, your contact will explain to the person he wants you to meet that you're looking for a job, but don't expect to be interviewed for an opening at his company. He will make it clear that your reason for meeting him is to get his advice on people to contact. His phone call could go something like this: "John, I recently spent some time talking with a fellow named Jack Bartello. Jack's very capable, and he's looking for a key marketing slot in industrial products, preferably chemicals.
Would you meet with him for a few minutes? You might have some ideas of good people for him to contact." Sometimes, though, a contact might ask you to set up this advice interview. Your success in arranging this meeting will often depend on how close a relationship your contact has with the person he suggests you see. (Always get this information in advance of your phone call.) If the two are on close terms, you probably won't have to do any more than mention the name of the individual who referred you and explain why you're calling. However, if the relationship isn't a close one, you might have to be more persuasive during your call. An effective approach would be: "(First and last name of the person who referred you) suggested I call you. He told me about your years of experience in (name of his field or industry) and how knowledgeable you are about the companies and people in the industry I'm looking for a new position, and since networking is the most effective way to set up interviews, I'm using it as the crux of my job search. (First name of the person who referred you) thought you might be able to help me by suggesting people for me to contact. Briefly, (describe your background and the type of position you're seeking).
Can we arrange a time to get together?" If you go on enough of these interviews for advice-including interviews for advice that are set up as a result of these initial interviews-you'll meet people who will make you offers. They'll either have an existing opening, create a position for you, or want to hire you at this time instead of an unknown person at a future date. There are two important questions to ask during these advice interviews: "Do you know of any companies that are growing right now and that might be adding personnel?" and "A couple of my choice targets are - you know anyone who works at these companies?" (If this person seems eager to help you, then show him your complete list of target companies.)
At the beginning of a meeting for advice, always give your new contact a copy of your resume so that he'll have a good understanding of the position you're seeking and your qualifications for it. Also, if he doesn't know anyone who will meet with you right now, ask if he can refer you to one or two people for getting this kind of advice. When trying to set up interviews for advice, not everyone will agree to see you, of course. Some people will tell you that they're just too busy. When this happens, there are two approaches to take. You can say something like: "(First name of the person who referred you) told me that you're extremely busy and that your time is limited. Instead of trying to find a time during the business day, could we get together for ten or fifteen minutes after work, perhaps over a cup of coffee?" A second possibility is: "(First name of the person who referred you) told me that you're extremely busy and might not have time to see me. He also said that of all the people he suggested I call for advice, you were at the top of his list. Could I fax you my resume and call you back tomorrow? Perhaps you'll have some ideas of people for me to contact."
