informational interviewing & digital communication create and foster your network

Informational Interviewing & Digital Communication

Create and Foster your Network

Informational Interview & Digital Communication

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Why? #1 Way to find an internship or full time

position When you want a job in January, you want a

whole network of people to help you. You can learn about what they do before you

even start your career You can create a life time of a successful

network.

Who you gonna call? Scenario 1: You know

what you want to do Scenario 2: You have no

idea what you want to do Scenario 3: You have an

idea of the area you want but not sure which position is right for you

Informational Interviewing and Digital Communication

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How do you find them? Take your list of 50 companies – start from

there…search by title***

*** See Career Tip in Monday’s MF Weekly

Call? Email? Connect on LinkedIn?

What do you think?

Informational Interviewing and Digital Communication

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How do you start? The approach

Why would a stranger want to do you a favor without even knowing you?

Goal of first call? – schedule an interview to get to know them. You are creating your network…NOT asking for a job or internship…..

1. Why are you calling?

2. Why are you calling this person in particular?

3. How do you ask?


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How do you ask? Goals? Be genuinely interested

If you’re not interested in me, why would I be in you?

And why would I help you?

Goal – Establish an ongoing business relationship or even a friendship if it works out that way.

Create future reasons to communicate

You are relationship building – not looking for a job or internship at this point.


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What if you get voicemail? State succinctly why you’re calling. Speak SLOWLY and CLEARLY and ENUNCIATE Leave your phone number, slowly, twice during the

message. Leave your email once – slowly and clearly Thank them and state that you’re looking forward to

hearing from them and that you appreciate their busy schedule or something nice to say

I like to say, I appreciate your help and look forward to connecting soon. Thank you.


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Script sample (do not read when calling – practice first)

Good morning,_______ My name is Cris Nigro(slowly and clearly) and I’m a graduate student in Boston University’s Mathematical Finance Graduate Program. My number is 617(pause)358(pause)05(pause)42. I’m contacting you because I’m interested in what it really means to be a Portfolio Manager and I was hoping to ask you some questions about what you do. I’d really appreciate your help and am looking for just a few minutes of your time at your earliest convenience. Please feel free to contact me any time at 617(pause)358(pause)05(pause)42 or if email is easier, I can be reached at [email protected]. That’s cm(as in Mary) n(as in Nancy) [email protected] Thank you so much. I look forward to connecting with you and, again, I appreciate your help. Thank you.


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Script sample (do not read when calling – practice first)Second Voicemail (different day of the week, different time of day)

Good morning,_______ This is Cris Nigro(slowly and clearly) from BU’s Mathematical Finance Graduate Program. I left you a message a few days ago and was hoping to connect. I can be reached at 617(pause)358(pause)05(pause)42. I was hoping to learn more about what you do at JP Morgan to see if it’s something I might like to do in the future as well. I’d really appreciate your help and am looking for just a few minutes of your time at your earliest convenience. Again, my number is 617(pause)358(pause)05(pause)42 and my email is [email protected]. That’s cm(as in Mary) n(as in Nancy) [email protected] Thank you so much. I look forward to connecting with you and, again, I appreciate your help. Thank you.


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Script sample (do not read when calling – practice first)Third Voicemail (different day of the week, different time of day)

Good afternoon,_______ This is Cris Nigro(slowly and clearly) from BU’s Mathematical Finance Graduate Program. I’ve left a couple of voicemails and I don’t want to bother you. I will send a message to connect via linked in. If you have a few minutes, I’d love to hear from you. I can be reached at 617(pause)358(pause)05(pause)42. Thank you for your time. Again, my number is 617(pause)358(pause)05(pause)42 and my email is [email protected]. That’s cm(as in Mary) n(as in Nancy) [email protected]

I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you so much.


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Where is the love? I’ve left three voicemails, different times of the day, 3

business days apart…and no reply. Now what?


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Be ready If they say, great, I have a few minutes now – be ready

with questions (samples next slide). Closing the call

How do you ask for a referral? Ask how they prefer to be contacted


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How can I let them know tastefully I’m looking for an internship? You can, during the conversation, state that you’re

trying to decide which positions to apply to for your summer internship so you want to learn more about various positions in the industry.

You can also ask, if I want to be a ______(eg: Portfolio Manager) in a few years, what would position me best during a summer internship next year?

If I wanted to do what you’re doing in the future, what internship position would you look for? Any particular companies that would be your top choice?


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Questions for Informational Interviewing How did you know you wanted to be a ______? What other positions did you consider? What was your career path before you doing this? What were your priorities in life when you decided this is what you

wanted to do? IE: money, family, personal time, etc? How long have you been going this? Do you like it as much as when you first started? Where do you see yourself in five years? What do you see as your biggest obstacle in the next 6 mos – 1 year? What could be your biggest success if you accomplished it in the next

year?

continued……


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Questions for Informational Interviewing What advice do you have for someone with the academic background

and a little experience entering this field? What would you put on your reading list? What kind of project(s) would help me to best prepare for my career? What are the personal attributes you think someone needs to be

successful in a position like yours? What about at your company? Have you seen many changes in the field over the past few years? What do you see being the most desired skills and talents in the industry

to continue to contribute to it in the future? Is there anything you could have done differently that if possible, you’d go

back and change it? What has been your biggest success thus far?

continued……


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Questions for Informational Interviewing Did you have any failures(or difficult challenges) along the way?

Which ended up helping you the most? Who do you know that I could talk to that might also be

beneficial to learn more about this type of career? Would it be ok to stay in touch?

Do you prefer phone or email? (if they say phone, ask: Is there a best day and/or time of day to contact you?)

I really appreciate your time, willingness to help, and expertise. I look forward to staying in touch!

Be sure to show appreciation to the person

Taking time out of their life to help you!!!!!


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Stay organized I prefer software to track my network connections, like

ACT! but you can track your conversations and keep notes in your contacts in Outlook or Excel.

I tend to forget unless I have a tool that reminds me it’s time to connect with someone.

Immediately schedule follow up on your calendar and be disciplined or if you use ACT!, then set up a follow up activity in ACT!

Make notes of your conversation and how you can keep the conversation going.


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Digital Communication Goals Appropriate Correct level of “politeness” Elicit a response


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Greetings – First Communication Dear Sir/Madam --- Correct? Dear Nigro: Appropriate if you write to me? Hello, my name is……… - Correct?

Greetings – Follow up Communication How did the person respond? Did they sign, “Sincerely, Ms. Nigro” ???? Then don’t follow up, “Dear Ms. Nigro” If I responded and signed off as “Cris”, then your next

email should be, “Dear Cris” Full name v. shorter name? ie: Michael v. Mike ?


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Closing and Signatures Sincerely Very sincerely Most sincerely

Kind regards Respectfully Respectfully yours

Name at Bottom (email signatures) Initial Contact: First and Last name with full signature of

how to get in touch with you. Follow Up Contact: If you are addressing them by their

first name, then sign off with your first name only as well. Match their formality. Maintain a full signature with your full first and last name below that and full contact information. It makes life easier for them so they don’t have to look you up each time.

Warm regards Warmly,

Email Signature IdeasCristine Nigro

Mathematical Finance Graduate Student

Boston University, Questrom School of Business

617.358.0542 | [email protected] |

Available Summer Internship 2016

Cristine Nigro

Mathematical Finance Graduate Student

Boston University, Questrom School of Business

617.358.0542 | [email protected] |

Available Summer Internship 2016

Quantitative Analysis | Algo Trading | Market Making

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04/19/23

Your name – Email from Laptop, Phone, Notebook, etc.

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04/19/23

How do you change it?

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04/19/23

This is typically where you change it – this is an iPhone.

SettingsMailClick on the account and make sure your NAME is in the “Name” field, not BU Email, not BU, etc.

Signature for Mobile Devices?Cristine Nigro, Mathematical Finance Graduate Student

617.358.0542 [email protected]

--- sent from my iPhone

Cristine Nigro, Mathematical Finance Graduate Student

617.358.0542 [email protected]

--- sent from my iPad

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04/19/23


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Pitfalls Overly aggressive

Turns off the reader Never order someone to do something…ask politely Never assume the person can respond right away –

ask to schedule something or what their timeframe for response might be unless discussed prior

Avoid the word “you” as it can sound like an attack Don’t demand, start sentences with “I would like” Do your best to sound neutral rather than

confrontational. Show you care and are interested in them


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Pitfalls Overly polite (who would think that would be a problem!?)

Dead give away that you’re not comfortable or understand work culture in the US – makes someone not want to hire you.

Keep your tone and manners in appropriate proportion to tone sent to you. If you’re apologizing for something. Say you’re sorry, and move on. No need to go into detail about how you may have inconvenienced someone or created something awful when all you did was respond late to an email. (this is only for those who are overpolite!...not the aggressives! )


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Do’s and Dont’s Use positive words, not negative words Examples of Negative words to avoid:

Cannot Damage Do not

Examples of Positive words to use: Benefit It is best to

Use “active voice” instead of “passive” Active: Employees need to wear safety glasses Passive: Safety goggles need to be worn by all employees

Active: The department increased sales Passive: Sales were increased by the department

Be Humble….amazing how far that can go

Impossible Little value Loss

Not Problem Refuse

Unfortunately Unable to Fail

Error Stop Mistake

Matter Progress

Success Valuable

Issue


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Please respond to my email! Why you chose them

Mention a sentence or two that shows why you are contacting them, specifically.

Show you did your homework If you’re asking for help, mention what you’ve done already. People tend

to help those that do their best to help themselves with more vigor.


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Please respond to my email! …cont’d. Uncommon commonalities

Going to the same school, program, same hobbies, similar history of some kind.

Keep your request specific, short, and sweet Do not write a book. Keep it brief for all emails. People do not have

huge amounts of time to spend reading these days. Make it easy for them to help you and respond to you.

Express gratitude Studies have been done on the difference in actually receiving help by

expressing sincere gratitude. In this example the student solicited help in two ways. The second solicitation included, “Thank you so much! I am really grateful” – response rate went from 32% to 66%

A little thanks goes a LONG way.

LinkedIn

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LinkedIn - Profile BEFORE YOU START WORK Make sure your activity is not being broadcasted or every change will

become a notification to everyone in your network! Click on your picture in the upper right hand corner…..Select below:

LinkedIn

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LinkedIn - Profile

LinkedIn

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LinkedIn - Profile CUSTOMIZE YOUR URL This little cog/wheel will show up when your mouse hovers – click on it.

Then on the right – customize URL If you’ve done it, linkedin.com/pub/…. Will become linkedin.com/in

LinkedIn

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LinkedIn - Profile CUSTOMIZE YOUR URL This little cog/wheel will show up when your mouse hovers – click on it.

Then on the right – customize URL If you’ve done it, linkedin.com/pub/…. Will become linkedin.com/in

LinkedIn

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LinkedIn - Profile Contact Information

LinkedIn

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LinkedIn - Profile Make sure your picture is professional with a slight smile Summary – talk more about your expertise, maybe your

story why you’re interested in a topic or specific part of the industry, what you’re passionate about. This area is to help people get to know you better. You can put screen shots of recommendations from

others if you have their permission Follow companies you are very interested in or are going

to apply to More space for Projects Short blurbs under Experience so you have something to

talk about, ie: leave a little mystery


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Questions?

Help? What do you do if you get into a jam or need

help? Schedule an appointment with me!

[email protected] or 617-358-0542

informational interviewing & digital communication create and foster your network

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