This thread really doesn't require any responses--I just wanted to let people know that a cold email can actually work pretty well. I'm in the process of trying to move home to Kansas City, but of course I need a job in KC. As far as high-level finance or commercial real estate, there is an extraordinarily small industry in KC. I've had a pending offer (pending corporate approval of the position) for nearly 2 months now, but whether or not it will come through is uncertain at best, my girl is in KC, and I'm blue balling.
Given that there are few public opportunities available in KC, I've taken to doing my own research and cold emailing for opportunities. So far I'm 3 for 3. Got one interview at an investment bank (I was the first person interviewed--process will take several more weeks), got a return reply with some nominal interest, and tonight I cold emailed a big name in the industry at a big name firm and got a positive response praising the initiative and asking for my resume and saying he will call me. Completely cold.
Just my advice to some job seekers who have hit a road block: cold email. Targeted, specific emails indicating how you can make your boss' life easier = 3 for 3. Granted, I have a good resume to throw around. But still. Linkedin, firm website, etc. for emails. You've got nothing to lose.
Were they alumni or just random people you looked up?
This shouldn't be surprising, especially if you are a student. As an mba student I've received replies from people who would never have given me the time of day 6 months ago.
In your opinion, when you are cold-emailing, which email addresses typically work best?
1) Linkedin email address (sometimes this option is not available) 2) general company contact/HR address 3) specific person's address - usually high up 4) others
I know the above strategy would hold better for smaller-sized companies than BBs, and I'm interested in regional HFs and boutiques.
Well... I guess there's no email address of those senior MDs in the website. Hence to get a MD/princpial address will be tough unless you know the person specifically?
Or are there other ways to do this?
Just "random" people. But not so much random, but targeted based on research, if you know what I mean. But not alumni.
I'm actually 4 for 4. I'm 2 for 2 with linkedin and 2 for 2 with email addresses, so in my experience, both have worked equally well, although my stronger leads are coming from direct email addresses--although I think that's the function of availability of opportunities rather than method (linkedin will go to personal address most of the time).
Yeah, I'm generally talking to persons higher up because as an analyst, I've been contacted and I'm willing to help but am really only of nominal assistance at my level. So knowing my own situation, I'm avoiding lower level people and going for the MDs/VPs, etc.
2 contacts I messaged through linkedin. The other 2: I emailed the HR contact for one of them (the IB), who forwarded my email to the hiring manager, who responded by bringing me in for an interview. The one tonight I got by emailing the general mailbox of the company from my email address of my current company asking for the person's email address. They sent it to me within 5 minutes because it had the appearance of "official" business.
In sum, just be creative in hunting down info. My messages are generally confident, focused on my ability to help the boss get the job done, are respectful, and emphasize willingness to work very hard. With linkedin, your resume information is already available. For strictly emails, I've not been attaching my resume but have been indicating a willingess to send it to them if interested and so far both have wanted to see it.
1 SB for you. That's a great way! How do we go about doing so if we have no prior experience in the industry that we want? I think for your case it wil be easier as you will be doing something similar after you move and hence you can talk of your ability to get the job done. Any advise for those trying to get into a different industry?
For me I'm thinking of going into alternative investment but have no specific experience in this area. Any tips will be appreciated.
Well, I'll admit name dropping my fairly big time companies and positions is probably very helpful, but it seems to me that I'm getting positive responses based on "initiative". I'm not overly polite, I just get straight to the point (250 words or less or something around there)--be respecful of their time by keeping the note brief and to the point, indicate a willingness to work hard. Indicate that your skills/knowledge/understanding will allow you to be a benefit to your boss because you can hit the ground running. Indicate you are willing to do all kinds of work, glorious and ignominious. But I guess nothing about my emails seems "cold"--I've done the research before hand, I know who I'm writing to, I know what type of positions I'm interested in, what type of jobs the company likely has, how long the person has been involved in the company, etc. I'd also say a good outcome is not necessarily a hot lead a the firm, but a positive response with internally-specific information and maybe a lead to another opportunity.
I guess it's not JUST cold emailing--I've also followed up on resumes submitted. The one I followed up with the hiring manager was like, "oh, I don't think I even saw your resume." Well, he did when I followed-up and called me in.
And yes, people in the Midwest are way polite.
Could it also be that you're emailing people in KC, where people are generally more friendly and just plain nicer? I only say this because I went to school in NE but spent some time in KS with one of my buddies who's from there. Being foreign, I could really tell a difference, as I'm sure most can, between ppl on the east coast and the Midwest.
Either way, cold calling for me has worked in the past and people have appreciated the fact that I tried to track them down using multiple avenues i.e. called their main office, then called the local office, sent an email etc. If they see that you're coming at them through all available channels, I think they will be very impressed... or freaked out!
Kudos for your method and message, which is similar to how I've approached cold calls, I hope they all come through for you so you can get rid of them blue ballz :D
...and you forget the wonders of Linkedin...
Do any of you LinkedIn fans pay for that upgraded stuff? I haven't used it too much but I tried to send a message to someone that I wasn't "connected" to yet and it said I had to pay $10 or something since I'm not an "ultimate" member or whatever they call it.
get the phone ap. it lets you do it all for free. also i always wondered about switching to a smaller market. there must be a lack of legit labor, so I could see them being excited. i assume its a big pay cut in KC.
At least KC is your home and you're not coming off like that girl in 'Up in the Air' who moved to Omaha just because her boyfriend got a job there at ConAgra...Good advice.
Honestly, I think it may have to do with the fact that it's a friendly area geographically and it's your hometown. People in my very friendly hometown have been MUCH easier, on average, to talk to than anyone on the east coast. Sometimes I even manage to get people to talk to me without having any sort kind of connection except geography, and that's really tough to do on the east coast, especially if you’re not already living on the EC.
Not trying to shit on your post. I agree being aggressive is the thing to do. I'm just sharing what I've found through my experiences.
Fair point. I'm by no means an expert--40 for 40 would be expert. 4 for 4 in a friendly region is simply that. But yeah, the point is, just be aggressive.
I'm an associate at a U.S. boutique bank, and I'll be applying to all of the bulge brackets to lateral to their London Office. As I don't have any contacts in London, I'll be submitting my resume through their online application systems as well as cold emailing them my resume.
My question is, how high up the ladder should I target? I'll find someone that works in the group I want to work in, but at the bulge brackets, there can be upwards of 5 layers of management. Should I target the guy at the top of the group (i.e.the Senior Managing Director), or will his assistant just sweep my app aside? Should I aim a little lower, like a VP?
My guess is that you should target the most senior person in the group you're targeting to join. Anyone less senior will simply move the message to the decision maker up the chain in a best case scenario.
All great points. I got a PWM internship and later FT offer at a bulge bracket bank just by cold e-mailing people off of LinkedIn, getting them on the phone and convincing them to introduce me to more people. Of course, that's what PWM is all about, but I also know people who have successfully done this for IB, Research and IM.
Just wondering, if people reply to your cold email saying there won't be any opportunities this year, do you write them back to say thank you?
Yeah I definitely would. It would take 2 minutes.
Glad its working out for you, but should be noted that cold emails in Kansas City and cold emails in NYC are two horses of an entirely different color. The success rate is going to be much, much higher in the sticks.
I think this is very true, at least it has been in my prospective-monkey experience. I also think it's much more true with networking, as opposed to job searching.
In fairness, there are plenty of opportunities in NYC. I live in Washington, D.C. and get email updates every single day with opportunities in NYC. If you need to cold email in NYC for opportunities, then you've probably got fundamental problems with your candidacy--no experience at all, poor grades, crappy school, poor English skills, non-target or likely a combination of those things--and cold email structure is the least of your problems because a cold email will be irrelevant in overcoming a combination of those hurdles. There are about 5 opportunities per MONTH in KC and about that many in NYC in a given HOUR. So it's an apples to oranges comparison.
Um, why don't you stop shitting on people b/c they don't have big city connections? Thanks.
Some people went to non targets in the sticks and busted their asses to build a resume with relitively solid internships...but that doesn't mean they can just call up powerful connections in NYC - they cold email, and I don't see what's wrong with that as long as they're also networking as much as possible.
Thanks for sh*tting on people b/c they don't have NYC connections. I don't see what's wrong with cold emailing as long as you're also networking as much as possible. You gotta hustle for opportunities however you can. Although cold emailing is painfully ineffective, true....
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