Sending Networking Emails: From Work or Personal Address?
Pretty self explanatory question. I'm reaching out to a mixed bag of alumni and people further up the food chain in my specialty. I am torn between the officiality of sending these emails from my work address (not to mention the ability to template effectively)... and the safety/security of sending them from my personal address.
As a little background, I am pretty close with the tech support back office lead, and I know our emails are not monitored for content. We scan attachments for sensitive info, but that is all. So getting "caught" networking (as if that can't be spun into a good thing) is not a problem. Not to mention the email itself isn't like "OMG MY JOB SUXXXX GIVE ME A NEW ONE PLEASE BRO". I have received these emails and I still laugh (and then forward to select friends) when I receive them. So don't worry about that either.
I use my work email. Makes it more legit.
I still use my personal email for networking. After initially emailing to their work email, I always ask for their personal email to be used as default email, going forwards. The advantage of that is when you leave your firm, you don't need to email all of your contacts and the same goes for your professional contacts (when they leave their firms).
I meant as the email of origin (i.e. should I email FROM @work or @personal).
Great point about transitioning to personal email though. I will start migrating conversations with people I've started a nice rapport with.
[email protected]
This opens up a whole new can of worms, but has anyone created a gmail JUST for networking? Any advantage to NOT using your real personal?
I try to separate my professional and personal life. I have two facebook accounts, one for professional contacts and one for personal friends. Even within personal facebook account, I have privacy setting based on how close I am willing to share with each individual.
With companies like Rapportive: http://rapportive.com/, you can easily install this add-in to check your contact's social media presence. For example, if you have used your one personal email, [email protected] for all of your social media accounts, when you emails me, it shows up all the social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Skype and etc..) that you used. Therefore, I try to avoid running into problems like that.
I have set up my emails this way. All of them are consolidated into one main account. Within the main personal account, I can send emails from various personal email accounts. This makes it a bit harder for employers to track your social media presence.
Real Name: William Jeffrey Lee Facebook name: Bill Lee LinkedIn name: William J. Lee Personal email for personal contacts and gchat: [email protected] Personal email for professional contacts and LinkedIn sign in email: [email protected] On resume: [email protected] Facebook sign in email: [email protected]
Hope this helps.
I'll elaborate in my first post. If you network via a personal address you're telling the person with whom you're contacting one big thing: you want them for a job, there's no "I just want to learn about the industry" its "i hope my employer does find out i'm talking to you because i want to quit, and you're getting me a job". Personally I find that rude.
Sending networking emails on work computer trying to lateral (Originally Posted: 05/23/2013)
Currently an SA at a decently regarded firm. Is there anything wrong with sending networking emails about lateraling from my personal email from my work computer (presumably over lunch break)?
Heavily leaning with the work email route.
Allows for some nice templating (should be a word), in my instance there is extremely low risk (or punishment) for being caught, and Oreo's point is great about what sending the msg from my personal email really says to the prospect.
What's a lunch break?
Time period when you're eating lunch, or just in general if its acceptable. Thanks for the stupid comment though.
Do you also clock in and out?
What lunch break?
Seriously.
People get a lunch break? What is this? Amateur hour?
Do it. Take advantage of the directory
edit: Thought this was internal emails. I wouldn't do external networking through a work computer
Prob not a good idea. Some firms' IT groups flag key phrases on outbound communication. Just wait until you get home.
lunch break = running down to cafeteria / eating at desk while getting ketchup and hot sauce all over my keyboard
You got access to your personal email? If you do, probably not a massive firm, and they are probably not hi-tech for allowing something like that...
@daisuki: i'm a fan of those low carb choices. I actively avoid mayo
either wait until you get home or send from your personal cell phone. everything you do on firm computers is monitored
Email Address Etiquette - Which To Use? (Originally Posted: 08/21/2013)
Hi all,
Did a search and didn't find anything similar to my question.
I just started working for a BB in Finance and I'm trying to network into FO. Which email should I use to network with alumni also working in the same BB FO? I ask because work blocks all the other email websites and the only way to check is through phone (which doesn't have great service at work). Plus we sit very close at work so I don't want to seem like I'm always checking my phone.
Thanks!
Use your work email to set up coffee then go network in person
Thanks! What about emailing others working elsewhere to set up phone call/coffee?
Take your phone into the bathroom and email from inside a stall.
Networking using work email? (Originally Posted: 05/30/2010)
I think I will receive more response than I normally would using my work email but is it okay to do this? I will be networking outside of work and so it is highly improbable that anyone would even notice. If the firm do track email, I am unsure how they would perceive networking with people at competing places.
no no no no they will check
Definitely don't do it. Firstly, no one is more likely to respond because you use your firm's email - if anything, it's the opposite. Secondly, if you do get found out, it is a really stupid thing to lose your job over. Thirdly, if you do leave this place, everyone will have your firm email and not your personal email, and consequently you'll lose contact with most of them.
At my bank, all emails are stored for 7 years and random emails will be sent to our manager for review.
Don't do it.
I was actually using my work email to communicate with other companies when I was looking for a job. If you are licensed they will be watching your emails. Needless to say it was pretty funny when I was questioned about not liking where I was working anymore. I quit a month later haha.
If anything I would use the company directory as a way to fill in the gaps, find out the reporting structure, whatever. Then if you quit you will have the information at your fingertips.
Thanks for the response guys. The potential costs far outweigh the benefits so I am not really considering it anymore.
Networking With Your Current Company's E-mail Signature (Originally Posted: 07/10/2013)
Hi all, I'm currently looking for a new position and I'm wondering what the generally accepted consensus is when networking with your current company's e-mail software, which includes a company signature at the end of the e-mail. Is it considered to be unprofessional to use your current company signature when networking to add credibility? Thanks in advance.
Can you bring your own laptop into work and use it to send off personal e-mails?
Try that out if you can.
No. Chances are your email is monitored by your firm. Not a good idea.
Yeah definitely don't use your firm's email. I use my school's email when I'm at work since Gmail is blocked. Are you looking for another summer gig? If you're planning to leave your firm then use your own laptop for networking purposes.
I'm not explicitly asking for interviews/jobs/internships via my company's email - only to show interest in certain sectors and request coffee meetings locally. Is using my firms e-mail still a bad idea?
You are networking with the goal of landing another role, so yes this is a bad idea. Use your personal email and schedule coffee meetups without company knowing. I actually recently switched to a role I exactly wanted and through networking (mainly cold email), I always used my personal email (Companies track everything).
Do you own a smartphone? Use that.
Networking as a student- using work email to reach out? (Originally Posted: 12/19/2015)
Hey monkeys,
Have a quick question regarding networking with alumni as a sophomore. I have 3 options:
Which one would be ideal for reaching out? The only reason why I'm considering the work email is because its somewhat relevant to finance, but is it too "douchey"? Interested in your thoughts, thanks in advance!
School if you are trying to reach out to alumni. Don't over think this
The problem with a job email is when you leave the job you won't have the email. But honestly no one cares if you use a personal free email, although hotmail makes you look really old. And I'm old and have had a hotmail address since 1997 but switched to gmail years ago for personal stuff.
Really a nonissue. I've had identical response rates from alumni/non-alumni. People who take the time to take your call, in my experience at least, actually don't discriminate based on what school you go to. You either get lucky and land on the type of "banker that gives back" or you don't. I've actually gotten further in interviews from reaching out to non-alumni.
Use either the school or work emails. Personally I'd go with school for most of them UNLESS you have a work experience in common. The example that will apply to the most folks (out of any example I could use) is that using a .mil address to reach out to a vet is just one more thing that helps communicate that there's a shared connection before he decides to read it.
One other tip you can use: don't just search for alumni. Go to LinkedIN, pick a company you want to network at, and click the tab for employees. Once you're there drop down to advanced options and input "past company" and set it to the company you work at. It's a good way to find more contacts.
Network using work email? (at sophomore internship) (Originally Posted: 05/25/2015)
Hey pretty simple:
I'm in my sophomore summer internship right now.
Is it okay if I network/send a few cold emails to some contacts at firms using my work email, to try and set myself up for junior summer? During lunch break/downtime of course. I feel like the response rate would be higher. But then again this could be a faux pas.
Caveat is that I'm only in my Soph summer, so this place isn't really considering me for a return offer. It's not like I am trying to lateral behind my firm's back or anything. Then again, I don't want to piss anyone off here - is this seen in a really negative light?
Thanks!
As a summer analyst in your sophomore year, I think it would be fine to send out emails during your downtime. But in terms of stepping out to network, I would do that after work or during lunch hours if you have any.
Using your work email is a great way to catch people's attention in my opinion.
Don't mean to hijack, but since it is related, what about using work email for PE networking during an analyst stint? Do people usually use their work or personal emails?
From looking around before I posted this thread, it seems to be very frowned upon. Consensus from previous threads: don't do it.
People usually use their personal emails. Avoid using your work email for PE networking at all costs. If a headhunter hits you up on your work email, take the conversation to your personal email.
I am assuming you are at a name brand firm given that you think that it will improve the response rate. But, also, what is wrong with using your school email?
Great, thanks for the heads up!
Better to use work email to network into IB? (Originally Posted: 07/11/2017)
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I think it might be seen as unprofessional, looks like you are networking on your companies time. Not sure but could also be an hr issue. Are you emailing them for just a chat or advice? That's probably safe, but about specific jobs or something I would steer clear of using work email.
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