my CEO wants me to send his relative’s resume to “all my contacts” by Alison Green on September 7, 2017 A reader writes: My first job out of college was in Washington, D.C. as an analyst in a three letter agency, a highly sought after experience. I don’t talk about it much anymore because inevitably, now that I am on the outside and in the private sector, I get asked to forward along resumes of […] Read the full article →
my contact wants to charge me for a networking meeting by Alison Green on September 6, 2017 A reader writes: Is it normal for someone to charge a client for a networking meeting? I’m currently in the process of looking for a new job and setting up informational interviews with professionals in my area. I emailed back and forth with one woman trying to set a time to meet, but kept getting […] Read the full article →
I received a networking email from a stranger who’s job searching for her husband by Alison Green on August 29, 2017 A reader writes: I received an odd email from an alum of my university (“Jane,” a stranger to me), asking for help finding her husband “Bob” a job in my state, where they were planning on moving. The email was bcc’ed, so I assume she searched for “wide job field” and “state” and sent an […] Read the full article →
business contacts say they want to ask my opinion, but it’s really a sales pitch by Alison Green on June 27, 2017 A reader writes: Your post last week about informational interviews made me realize I have a similar question. I’m a mid-career professional, and while I do sometimes get requests for the type of informational interview that that post was about, more often I get asked for a different type: the request for a phone conversation […] Read the full article →
what should I say to terrible networkers? by Alison Green on June 20, 2017 A reader writes: I work in a high-profile field that’s extremely hard to break into. As I’ve become more successful, I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me and ask if they can have some of my time to ask some questions. I’m usually happy to say yes to these requests, and either […] Read the full article →
do I need to give up an impressive business contact who’s hitting on me? by Alison Green on June 13, 2017 A reader writes: I need advice on whether I should give up on a customer senior executive as a professional resource and how to preserve the working relationship with him if his intentions are not completely professional. I’m on the negotiating team for a negotiation expected to last several months, where the customer’s senior executive […] Read the full article →
how to turn a request for free help into paid consulting by Alison Green on May 11, 2017 A reader writes: I has a pretty specific niche job. Most people who do what I do have PhDs, and finding a job like mine is rare and coveted. I was recently at a conference describing my position, and a leader from another organization came up to me to ask me how he could find […] Read the full article →
can I ask networking contacts to meet somewhere more convenient to me? by Alison Green on April 10, 2017 A reader writes: I recently got a couple of networking contacts who are in the part of my field that I’d like to move into at some point. I reached out to the contacts and they were lovely and offered to meet for coffee, but I didn’t realize that one person’s office is a 45-minute […] Read the full article →
how do I network with a senior person when I’m much more junior? by Alison Green on January 19, 2017 A reader writes: I am a fairly recent college grad (2013) who was hired by the local city government just a few months out of college into the job I’ve had for the last three years, the first two of which I was working part-time while juggling other jobs and internships. Now, however, I have […] Read the full article →
I feel guilty that I got a job through family connections by Alison Green on November 2, 2016 A reader writes: So I am a year and a half out of college. I work as a Teapot Package Designer (obviously not my real field). I’ve been in my job since May of this year and I’m definitely happy to be here. I like the work, my team is great, and I’ve learned so […] Read the full article →