How to respond to email introduction?

A good friend's family member offered an introduction to someone in the industry i'm looking to find a job in. He later forwarded a message from the introduction who said he'd be happy to give advice.

How should I go about this? Is there anything I should or shouldn't do? Should I assume he's willing to take a phone call/meet for a drink?

I was thinking of forwarding the email from the friend's family member and saying something along the lines of "Hi XYZ, following up on [friend's family member]'s email, I wanted to reach out to you to see if you had any time to chat over the phone or a drink. I just graduated from XYZ College with a XX GPA and am looking for some advice on the XYZ industry. Let me know what works for you."

EDIT: Should I list my GPA and some credentials, or should I just say where I graduated from and attach my CV?

12 Comments
 

Would you recommend I list some credentials in the email (e.g. my GPA, and any relevant qualifications I passed) or should i state my alma mater and hope he asks for my CV?

and as to the meet up, should I directly ask for one, e.g. "let me know if you have time to meet up and when would be convenient for you", or should I speak more indirectly, e.g. "i'd appreciate the opportunity to ask you for some advice on the industry"?

 
Best Response

If you have a stellar GPA I would lean towards saying something like 'I graduated summa cum laude from XYZ school'. If you have a non-stellar GPA I would not mention it in the initial email. Instead tryto highlight your interest in the industry 'I got interested when I met my mom's friend's husband's daughter's boyfriend's aunt who also worked in this industry'. Keep the first email short and sweet.

your tone in asking for a meetup depends on how "senior" that guy is to you.. the older he is the more formal you should be.

 

I don't think it makes sense to meet people and let them know right off the bat that you are not interested in what they do. What you could have done is something more along the lines of, "one area i'm interested in learning more about is trading; is there anyone that you would recommend I talk to?" Then you haven't necessarily burned an entry point into a bank.

 

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