Extant Jobs - The Thursday Dispatch
Tips to network your way into that six figure job you've always wanted
šØ Big News! šØ
After many requests from you all for personalized job search help, to help you land that $100,000+ role, we are happy to share that we will formally launch our ājob consultingā service soon.
We are putting the final touches on our new website, which will give us another forum to interact with you and showcase all the ways we can help you get the most out of your job search.
We will have some giveaways and an in-depth analysis of our new offerings soon, but feel free to check out the website for more info!
Today, weāre talking about a part of the job search that most people dread: networking.
To some it may sound worse than a root canal at face value, but we promise we will help make it fun, and even include some templates to get you started. When reaching out over LinkedIn or from a warm introduction, we like to follow these rules:
Be specific: Asks and conversations that lack explicit purpose can be awkward and donāt lead anywhere. Be specific with what youāre hoping to learn to make the most of everyone's time. That shows preparedness and respect - those are
the types of people that others want to rally around.
Make it actionable: Conversations that lead to action generate positive returns. Follow up and tell your mentor or peer what you learned from the conversation and how youāll put it into action. Donāt forget to close the loop!
Be gracious: Show up on time, say thank you (obviously!), and return the favor: ask how you can help them (and follow through on it). Thatās how you build relationships. If you are just starting out in your career and are speaking with a high-level director, there may not be anything you can help with, but you never know!
Donāt be afraid to follow up: Life is busy, and inboxes are fuller than ever. It never hurts to send a friendly follow-up, but donāt pester.
Donāt get discouraged: see above, but itās okay to only hear back from 1-2 out of every 10 emails sent. If you arenāt getting any responses, consider tweaking your message and having someone proofread it.
And now, to the templates!
To learn from someoneās professional experience:
Hey @ name!
Iām [your name], a current student/alum of [x]. To give you some context on me ā¦ [describe your career in 1-2 lines]. [Add in 1 line about why their experience is relevant to you.]
I'd really appreciate 15 mins of your time to learn from your experience [at X company, in X role, or in X sector] - in particular: [X, Y, Z]
Include something you'd specifically like to learn from them. This part is critical - donāt get lazy here.
Please let me know if thereās a time in the next two weeks that work for you. Thanks so much!
To learn how someone landed an amazing role:
Hey @ name,
Congrats on the new role at [company]! [Add a sentence on why their new role resonated with you - for example: that youāre interested in climate tech and that company stood outā¦show that youāve done your research].
To give you some context on me ā¦ [describe your career in 1-2 lines].
I'd really appreciate 15 mins of your time to learn from your experience making that pivot - in particular: [X, Y, Z]. Iād love to find time in the next two weeks to connect!
To ask for a referral for a job:
Hi [Contact Name],
I hope you are well. Iāve recently been applying to jobs in [industry/job type] and discovered a position that would be a great fit: [position name with link to it] at [Company Name].
I noticed that youāre connected to [Target Name], who is a [job title] at [Company Name], and was hoping that you could introduce us. If you feel comfortable doing so, your referral would mean a lot to me.
As a quick background on my career, (1-2 lines here). Iāve also included my resume to provide context. Please let me know if thereās anything else I can provide that might be helpful.
Thank you for your help!
[Your Name]
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