A few weeks ago I was in the library in the business school. I was about to sit down on the couch and noticed a business card sitting there. It was for an HR manager at a company with an office in Boulder. This company also happens to be one on my short list (there are about 10 places I watch really closely). Unfortunately, they haven’t had any openings posted that are applicable to my experience and I don’t have any connections at the company. At least no connections, yet.
I held the card in my hand for a while wondering if I should toss it, hold onto it, or put it back. In the end I decided to send an email to this person. A “cold call.” The email went something like this (edited for brevity):
“I found your card. I like your company and want to work there. I have no shame in reaching out to people. The answer is always no until you ask. Here is some of my background and my resume is attached. Can we chat?”
I clicked send thinking that would be the last of it. But, about a week later, I received a reply and I have a call scheduled with this person in a few days to discuss my experience, career goals, and how they might apply to this company.
I have no idea where this call will go or if it will lead to anything beyond speaking with a person at a business of interest, but in the end taking the chance that it may lead to something is better than doing nothing and ensuring it won't go anywhere.
I could have made the choice to not send the email out of fear, laziness, or convincing myself it would go nowhere. But why? What am I risking? Worst case I get no reply and I move on. Better case I do get a reply and make a connection. Best case they have a position that may be a good fit for me.
So what are my key takeaways:
Don’t be afraid to "cold call" or email employees at a company you are interested in.
Be strategic with your contact. Give them a reason why they should care/reply/help you.
Cliched, but: you will miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, in this case you will miss 100% of the potential connections you don’t leverage.
If you are scared to cold call someone at a company you need to ask yourself why. And if you have no other reason than “because, or it’s scary” just send the email; step outside your comfort zone. The results may surprise you.
So, what do you do once you decide to take the leap (which you should do every time)?
Do your research. If there is a company you are interested in and you don’t know anyone there, don’t be afraid to look the company up on LinkedIn, find an employee there and send an InMail saying you are interested in their company.
Target someone at the company with whom you have something shared. Same college, from the same area, similar job experience/background, anything you can use to make a personal connection.
Simply sending an email blind to the first employee you find is "grazing." Be focused. Be strategic in your communications to up your chances of a reply. An HR manager once told me, "Ten focused and well written resumes/cover letters sent strategically are better than 100 just haphazardly blasted out." Yes, this means that EVERY resume/cover letter you send should be customized for the position to which you are applying or the connection you are making. I know that is a pain, but the more you do it the easier it gets.
Lead with that similarity/connection. For example:
“Hi, my name is Thomas, I found your profile on LinkedIn while looking at your company. I see you do ‘X’ there (or we have similar backgrounds, or worked for this company previously, anything you share in common). Please let me know if we can schedule a call so I can learn more about your company and potential opportunities in ‘XYZ’ there (even better, have a particular position/role that they posted to talk about).”
There are many ways to phrase this. What you are trying to accomplish is to show that you are interested in the company, have done your research (on the company and the person) and that you have specific interests and ideas as to why you might be a good fit there.
Think of it like a cover letter that, hopefully, will actually get read.
I will keep you updated on how the call goes and if it leads to anything. In the meantime, keep your chin up, keep applying, and keep networking.