Chuck Beretz ⋅ Carlsbad, CA Cloudforia ⋅ 20 years experience

I receive similar inquiries pretty frequently. Most I ignore because it is clear from the wording of the email that it was intended for a mass mailing and not for me specifically. The ones I reply to have the following in common:

1. The sender has clearly done their homework on LinkedIn about me and my employer. Mass emails tend to include a keyword like the name of my company but are so generic that their nature is obvious.

2. They are brief. The shorter, the better. Respect the recipient's time by being brief and relevant.

3. They are specific. A generally-worded question about (for example) my company's culture is not nearly as compelling as something precise and personal to you.

If the email comes via a personal referral I will always reply, although note that adherence to 1, 2, and 3 above will make a far more positive impression.

Best wishes on your search and many thanks for serving.

Jerry Welsh ⋅ Middleville, MI Master Military Transition Advisor/HPS GPO ⋅ 30 years experience

Good responses, probably the first was most to the point, BUT spoke the truth. You are seeking ADVISE and help or assistance on the career, not a JOB or a position-do your homework and never ask for more than 15-20 minutes, if it is fruitful and the person felt it was beneficial you can always hook up another time. Just like your elevator pitch, whether it spoken or written make it sincere and personal.

Morgan Hoogvelt ⋅ Helotes, TX Morgan Human Capital Management ⋅ 12 years experience

I did this when I first got out of the Navy. My goal was to work in professional sports and learn the industry so here is what I did...living in Tampa, FL, I picked a couple of local professional sports franchises and researched the leadership in each organization.

From there i identified one particular individual that I wanted to meet; by chance he happened to be retired Air Force. I wrote a hand written letter letting him know that i was interested in breaking into pro sports and would like to get his advice and mentorship if possible. In that letter, I set a future date and time at which I would call him in order to set up a meeting.

On that set day, I called his line and he answered and I told him who I was and what I was hoping to gain. He told me that he did receive my letter and was happy to meet me. Long story short...we set a meeting for the next week, we met in left field and he offered me a position which I accepted on the spot.

It doesn't always work out like it did for me on the first try, but it is a method that works; you just have to keep at it. People want to help.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me direct.

Thanks - Morgan

Susana Moraga ⋅ Hayward, CA California State University East Bay ⋅ 20 years experience

Jeremy,
As you can see by the prior responses, people will be more forthcoming if you do your homework first.
There is a lot of information both on Linkedin and Glassdoor about companies.
Seeking specific information beyond that is usually done in an informational Interview.
Whether you start with seeking out alums from your undergrad college or people in your chosen career field, presenting some connection to help them see why you contacted them specifically will help with gaining a response.
I would never recommend utilizing your first two prompts, but search those out and suggest how your skills align with their products or departments if not specific positions.
Good luck,

Brian Winters ⋅ Pittsburgh, PA Tyco ⋅ 25 years experience

Hey Jeremy, I suggest you use LinkedIn. It allows you to strategically choose industries and companies while allowing the employee to reply at their convenience. Also, I suggest checking out Indeed.com.
Regards,
Brian

Linda Dyas ⋅ Farmington, MN U.S. Navy, Petty Officer Third Class ⋅ 4 years served

Jeremy,
I have had a lot of success finding relevant company employees on LinkedIn and inviting them to connect by letting them know I am interested in learning more about the company and would really like to learn more about it from an employee.
Once they accept your invitation to connect you can pose a question or two but quickly get to a request to meet face-to-face for an informational interview. Before you go to that interview do your homework. Learn about the department/position that your interviewee works in and what they do specifically.
Learn about the facility, the advancement policies and the potential pay, make sure that this is a role that you are really interested in this company/role because no one wants to waste time. I embarrassed myself early on by requesting an informational interview and not preparing well enough. My questions were terrible and he didn't take me seriously. Painful lesson!

Linda

Mike Evan ⋅ Pittsburgh, PA BNY Mellon ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Jeremy--thanks for your service. I don't think your approach is a particularly good use of your time and energy. If you're researching a particular company and positions available, there is a ton of information available online. In terms of the culture, you can also learn a good bit from online forums, taking posts with a grain of salt that you'll get a lot of disgruntled employees venting. An HR rep's description of the company culture will probably align with a mission statement, etc and could be very different than the experience of people working in different groups and teams. I would suggest targeting a few companies and start networking with employees there--use your LinkedIn and military alumni networks to get introductions and arrange calls/meetings. From there you can get always get introduced to someone in HR if it makes sense and getting an intro from a colleague will be much more effective than writing letters or sending emails to folks in HR that you don't know.

Scott Goldman ⋅ Sudbury, MA KSQTherapeutics ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Jeremy,

You don't mention what industry you're interested in, but in my world (biotech, start-ups, and pharma) most people are happy to provide "career and industry guidance" when asked, even by complete strangers. It sounds like that may not be the case for all fields (from prior responses I'm guessing finance may not be the best place to try this!), but I think if you approach it from the right angle you can find what your looking for.

I agree with several of the prior posters about preparation - do your homework about the industry and the company, try to leverage connections to introduce you, be flexible and accommodate their schedules, etc. One point I'd like to stress is that everyone I know is usually willing to talk and loves to give advice, but very few people want to be saddled with the responsibility of helping a stranger find a job. To that end, I'd avoid the impression that you're just looking to build connections to find a position. In the past I've approached informational interviews as just that - a chance for me to learn from someone with experience int he industry with "no strings attached." Most of those interviews will be your first and last interactions with the person, but sometimes you'll click, and those meetings can (and have) ended up in job offers or valuable introductions to others in the field that are willing to help.

Two more pieces of advice:

1) Take advantage of every meeting/call to ask the person if they can think of 1-3 other people you should talk to if you want to learn more, and if they offer, allow them to introduce you.

2) Always, always, always follow up with a thank you e-mail.

Best of luck and don't give up. The perseverance you learned in uniform will serve you well in the civilian sector, too!

- Scott

Paul Tusting ⋅ Salt Lake City, UT Bond Arms Inc ⋅ 20 years experience

I've had the best luck doing my homework about the company and the people there. Once I identify who I'd like to talk with, I simply cold call. If I don't get them, I don't leave a message. If I get them, I typically phrase it as "Hi, my name is XXXX. I'm simply trying to learn more about a career in YYYY, and from my research your name keeps coming up. Do you have just a few minutes for me to ask you a couple questions? I know you're busy, so I'll make sure to be concise. If not isn't good, could I talk to you later or send an email, whatever is the most convenient for you."
The majority of the time, I've had positive responses. Make sure to have well thought out questions and keep them concise. Often if that goes well, they will offer more time (ideally they will let you take them to lunch (if local)).
Good Luck!
-Paul

David Akre ⋅ New York, NY A NYSE listed financial company ⋅ 25 years experience

Honestly I can't believe anyone would respond. Put yourself in their position. Why would they call you when they don't know anything about you?
People are very busy at work. If you don't offer them a solution to a problem, they probably won't respond. Best of luck.