Tips for phone call with alumni

So I have setup calls with some alumni from my school - I have chatted with guys I legitimately knew from my early college years, but also with people who I don't know at all, and the only connection we have is the school we went to. What kinds of things do you usually talk about when this is the case? With this guy I knew, he was very straightforward and we just kind of talked for a bit, and then he said "yeah I'll make sure your resume gets thru to HR", without it feeling like a burden at all. He genuinely wanted to help me out, but then again, we were buddies in college for a year. How should I approach this for other people whom I didn't know/may be older? 

2 Comments
 

Try to be as personable as you can (I know it's already very hard via a phone call). If the person mentions one of their interests, maybe follow up a bit later in the call and say, so what got you into XYZ? Really listen to what they say because people appreciate talking about themselves and we like to know people listen and are interested in what we have to say.

I come from a non-core school and almost every one of my connections were via a cold email and we had next to nothing in common. It's definitely more difficult to connect with the person, but jump on any occasion you can and bring enthusiasm and excitement, these go such a long way... nobody wants to talk to a bored / tired person!

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