How to approach a big-shot Alum
Okay, so here's the skinny. Right now I'm unemployed watching the Maury show with zero job prospects. I recently graduated from a ultra non-target school in the middle of nowhere. Future governors, senators, and MM banking pioneers once graced the campus' hallways, but now it is notorious only for its ridiculously bad cost to job placement ratio.
I graduated 3.7 in econ, prez of the investment club, frat treasurer, zero relevant finance experience. Basically, my resume is laughable.
My only hope for any kind of career outside of insurance sales is going to be through some heavy duty networking. This is complicated because my college has ZERO, literally zero presence on "the street" or anywhere else for that matter. However, I spotted a ray of light thanks to some google ingenuity. I found one alum that just happens to be a managing partner at a private equity firm with (apparently) over $2billion of capital.
Now, I would really like to contact him (for networking, job help, advice, whatever) but it's a touchy situation because a) I really have no business talking to him, and b) I don't want to fuck this up, like I have with previous alum networking attempts.
Does anyone have a good way to approach this situation? I have found a possible email of his, and would like to use it, I'm just not sure what to say...
I would skip the email and call him up. You are both alumni, he will probably be happy to talk to you. Call him Tuesday-Thursday. It is most likely that he is either a)busy on Mondays and wont want to talk, b)not working on Fridays, or c)Vacationing during the summer (August is dead). I think you put the personal touch on it and call him. The only way I ever got interviews or sat down in front of people was by the phone. We seem to have a very similar background (although I had PE internships) with the whole fraternity thing, grades, and school situation. The only way to get into this is if you bust your ass by calling everyone possible or you go to a top school and get recruited.
Hope this was helpful. You really do need the drive if you don't go to a top school. No one is going to just come and offer you a job.
Thanks for the advice, but idk, I kind of have some bad experiences trying to contact alum through the phone, though. I usually end up in secretary hell (I'm sorry sir, he's in a "meeting").
When I actually get through to one they always seem rushed, confused, and on one occasion downright rude. Generally unsolicited calls seem to be a painful experience for all.
Maybe I just don't have great phone skill...
No, I don't think it is wise to initially contact the alum via phone. E-mail him giving him the usual bullshit about you being a recent grad from XYZ and want to reach out to Alums for guidance etc. Ask him if it is possible for him to answer some questions regarding career path, etc via a phone call at his convenience or a follow-up e-mail. If he wants to help, he will ask for your resume or take charge.
I work at a PE shop and everyone here prefers to communicate through email. My boss would be much more receptive to an email than a call. I emailed alums when I was a senior and had good feedback.
I agree with Chim Chim.
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I'd say email first, wait ~1 week and follow up via email and then call.
Just to answer cruz12, how I screwed some other networking opportunities...
Previously, I was responding to an add for a hedge fund (which happened to be founded and run by an alum) internship position that our school career services had posted to our website. Enthused to have this rare opportunity, I was told (by the ad and career services) to contact the fund directly through phone.
This was a big mistake! I spent 3 months trying to get past secretaries to no avail.
Finally, after telling one receptionist my situation, she patched me through to another partner (not an alum), who acted as though a mere mortal like me calling him was akin to shitting on the black stone of Mecca. Apparently, in the hedge fund world this is a major no-no as I get a call from the alum saying "I'd prefer you'd deal directly with me next time, sorry the position is no longer available." AKA have a nice life.
I'd like to avoid networking nightmares such as this in the future...
Sounds like you suck at bullshitting/sweet-talking secretaries. And I can't believe it took you 3 months to get through to someone. That's pathetic. For this situation, just send an email and ask to set up a call; he's obviously not going to give you a job, so there's less pressure, you can just ask for advice and add him as a contact.
If you do call anyone important though, never ask for them. Ask for their EA. It will make the EA feel important (you probably called them secretaries, which would be a big no-no). Ask the EA if you can set up some time to talk with the MD. They will be busy, anyone who has a real job is. There have been meetings I've bumped or had bumped twenty times before arriving at a time that worked. Just get the EA to like you, and recognize the EA's time is also more valuable than yours (or at least she'll think so), so keep it short.
Drexelalum, come on, do you really think I would actually call someone a secretary? I may be a fuck up but I'm not a fool...
It didn't have anything to do with bullshitting, this particular person simply didn't except incoming calls (probably because his firm was going through some legal troubles). I left messages with both the front desk receptionist AND his EA (who was out on a pregnancy sabbatical for a large portion of that time). Never, after 3 months did he return my messages. He wasn't busy, he simply didn't want to talk to me. At least not until I started harassing the firm 3 times a day and started talking to his partners. THAT got his attention. :P
I don't care how "busy" you are with your "meetings" or how much money you made last year, it's simply unprofessional to post an unpaid internship on your alma mater's school website and not have the decency to return the prospect's phone calls and spend 2 minutes to tell them the position is filled.
Why not email him then? Every firm (except for KKR and a few others) has a standard email structure, if you know his name you can figure out his address pretty easily
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