Informational Interview, Attach resume during initial contact?
When e-mailing an alumnus for an informational interview, should I attach my resume? Should I wait until the alumnus explicitly asks for my resume before sending it to them?
If I don't attach my resume, I run the risk of them thinking "Hey idiot, show me the darn resume."
If I do attach my resume, I run the risk of them thinking "What a pretentious jerk, thinking his resume is so amazing that he's shoving it in my face."
All advice is appreciated.
When you set the call/meeting up attach your resume saying "I have attached my resume just to give some background information on myself". It's not too pushy, but they will have it and if they like you they will pass it on.
I generally avoid attaching my resume on initial outreach unless they specifically ask for it. I think since it's still months before recruitment there isn't that sort of urgency to throw my resume in every direction quite yet. That being said, there seems to be little downside to attaching your resume to an email and the upside is likely better- so either way can work.
Upside downside. If you think your resume is so good that it will overturn someone's propensity to say no, then do it. Otherwise, try to meet the guy and get him to like you before showing him your weak resume.
Do you have any IB internships? If so, attach the resume. I used to do this and was told several times that people (alumni and random) helped me because they knew that my internships gave me a legitimate chance of breaking in.
I've got a big 4 internship and a PE internship. Do you think I should attach my resume to my emails to network or wait?
I would wait.
Thoughts on Attaching Resume to Informational Interview Requests? (Originally Posted: 12/26/2013)
What are your thoughts on attaching a resume when I send email requests for informational interviews to my college alumni? FYI, I am a sophomore at a non-target, but with a 3.93 GPA, 3 business-related internships so far, and executive board positions in school organizations, including the investment banking club. Based on this, my initial thought is that a quick glance at my resume will increase the banker's perception of me as well as hopefully increasing the response rate. Please let me know your thoughts!
I would say about half of the emails I get from kids who want to network have resumes attached. Personally, I think it's a good idea. Just say something along the lines of "I attached my resume in case you needed more information ahead of our call/meeting..." at the end of the email.
I agree with Flake. I didn't do it when I was in college and going networking because I didn't want to seem pushy (and to some extent, I was genuinely interested in hearing what they had to say rather than trying to push my resume through). Having done a few from the other side, I would say go ahead and attach it - it's about all the background I have on you but is helpful as a starting point during the conversation.
I've had mixed results - sometimes I've had to attach my resume just to prove that I was somebody worth talking to, but I've had similar response rates either way. I don't think it reflects negatively on you, as long as you pass it off as something casual for your contact to reference.
I would say in general good resume--->attach, bad or mediocre resume----->don't attach.
You seem to have a good resume so I would think it would increase your response rate and let them know you are worth their time.
I disagree with the posters above. This should be about the person you are trying to get information from, so make it about THEM, not YOU.
If you reach out to an alumni/connection to setup an informational interview, I would refrain from attaching it in the initial email. Your first email should be polite and lean. Just briefly summarize who you are (i.e. I'm John, a sophomore from Columbia majoring in finance and heading up our school's investment club - that's it, don't make it about YOU) and then ask if they would be able to connect (coffee, phone, whatever).
Put in a simple sentence or two about why you want to speak with THEM (as opposed to the other people you could reach out to).
After you have talked with them or met with them, they will likely ask you to send the resume. If not, just follow up with an email thanking them for their time and attach your resume at that point. Ask them if they wouldn't mind looking it over and providing feedback. That is a way to get your resume in front of them without pushing the notion that you want a job.
Just my thoughts...
That definitely makes sense...except sometimes I want to know if it's even worth my time to meet with someone, especially if they ask me to refer them to a different person (to other alumni at the firm, someone from a different division, ER central management, etc). Why the hell would I want to refer this kid to someone and associate myself with that person if he/she is not somewhat impressive?
That is true. I just get bored with alums that talk about themselves and what they think they want to do.
the rule I generally follow is, if I'm making a direct ask in the email (e.g., I'm very interested in a summer position with xyz, asking about full-time hiring, etc.), attach. if not, while it probably doesn't matter much, I prefer to err on the side of not seeming presumptuous and coming across like my only interest in the person is in what they can do for me. if they want it, they'll always ask for it. I doubt just always attaching it would ever really hurt you, but I tend to min max as much as possible
I've only networked with alums, but I always attach it. My success rates were much higher once I started doing so. One alum explicitly told me he only responds to a handful of emails from students and only those who have the credentials to back it up.
i don't like attaching my resume because i feel like it seems a bit presumptuous, but once I name drop where I'm working vs just saying I'm interested in learning more about their experiences, my response rate skyrocketed.
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