How much can connections help you

Hi monkeys!
My question is pretty straight foward: lets say I have a family connection who's a MD at a BB (head of a group) , how much can he help me if I'm looking for an internship? What about a VP?

 

I think it's a sound approach! You just need to be fairly confident that your connections actually like you.

Also, make sure not to seem too obvious because no one what's to be used in an obvious way!!!

Do what you want not what you can!
 

Yeah, these sorts of loose connections can be incredibly helpful. This is why it's so important to let everyone you meet (not in an annoying way or anything) if you're looking for a new job. You never know who they know, or who they might have heard of that's looking for someone with your background.

 

This is actually one of the topics covered in "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi. I read the recommendation to read that book from an AMA here, by a consulting recruiter, and it was an outstanding book recommendation. Turns out that distant connections are typically more helpful in helping to find jobs. I just ran into this phenomenon today, when someone I met just once on a trip offered to help put me in touch with some people at a company that I want to work at...surprising since I barely know the guy, yet he was willing to go out of his way.

 

The part about close contacts not really helping that much and mere aquaintances going to bat for you has been my experience as well. This is why you go hunting: you're taking that long shot in a strange place, and that's where the meat is. Had I realized this earlier, I'd probably be an MD. This is why I do not "keep up with the Jones' next door"...they don't matter, they won't help you when you really need it, and you're better off having a small inner circle and regarding everyone else as a 'connection'.

Congrats and good luck on your job dude!

Get busy living
 

Great post! I received my job based on a peripheral connection as well. Although I still do not understand why those connections can be more fruitful then the more intimate ones I have. Alas it is still a very real phenomena.

Malcolm Gladwell touched on this in Tipping Point. In his research,over 80% of the people who received jobs from a connection were helped by people they had minimal contact with.

http://www.businessinsider.com/malcolm-gladwell-tipping-point-connector…

 

I had a really similar experience. I was actually on a plane back from a super-day, sat next to a HF dude, and we chatted and he offered to put me in touch with a buddy of his if I was looking to do something different. The guy sent the email literally the next morning. I wonder why too, but I think it has to do with two things: (i) they don't carry the baggage of the entire relationship, i.e. negative things they may have built up, or secretly hoping you never do better than them, and get just the first fresh view and (ii) Lower risk for the helper - i.e., hey, I just met this guy, and seems good on first glance, and I know you may be looking, but btw it's not my head if he sucks because I am not his best friend. When it is a long-time friend/relative all the baggage gets in the way of the natural inclination for people to help each other.

 

good lord you have a great in with her husband as a Sr. Director. Take her out to lunch preferably, coffee at the least and ask her about her career path blah blah, tell her you admire Capital One and it's mission blah blah it's you dream to work there (make up a personal story how they gave your grandma credit to buy a frig when no one would etc).

Summary take her out to lunch, tell her about the skills you learned interning and how they apply to Capital One. (you have to have a clean story and resume ready to go). Ask if she would be comfortable putting in a good word for you or putting you in touch with her husband to navigate HR.

26 Broadway where's your sense of humor?
 
  1. don't lead with the ask, catch up, find out if she remembers you, what's going on in her life, etc.

  2. assuming nothing major has changed, mention you remembered she said something about Capital One, and that you're still curious about working there. then say something like "doesn't your husband work there? what division is he in?"

  3. assuming his division is something relevant, I'd ask "do you think it'd be alright if I reached out?" if she says yes, ask if he'd mind if you called (believe me, it's a lot easier for her to just give you his phone number than it is for her to tell him to call you and have him actually do it).

good luck

 
biznazzman89:
I've made several contacts within HR across banks while in pursuit of a SA position however I'm sure that simply contacting these people will not secure me an interview.

You sure about that, Einstein?

 
gsduke:
biznazzman89:
I've made several contacts within HR across banks while in pursuit of a SA position however I'm sure that simply contacting these people will not secure me an interview.

You sure about that, Einstein?

Thanks for the helpful response gsduke, that really pointed me in the right direction.

 

Let's not use the word "leveraging". That makes it sound like you are going to blackmail them or rough them up. If you have legitimate contacts in HR, feel free to connect with them as you see fit. By legitimate contacts, I mean someone who will remember your name when they see it in their inbox and not go "Who the hell is this?"

When you are great, people will often mistake candor for arrogance.
 
biznazzman89:
Ok great thanks for the response! Yea these are HR contacts that have returned my emails expressing interest and have encouraged me keep in touch. Thank you for the input.

That's kind of HR's job, Sherlock.

 

but if i don't follow up he completely forgets. like i said, it took me 6 back-to-back emails to set up a coffee meeting. i'm already in panic mode. should i wait another week or so to follow up? and what should i say? he apparently met with his contact last weekend... would it not be appropriate to ask him how that went this week?

 

^^ agreed. when people get emails constantly all day, they might just read your email, get distracted for 10 minutes and when they come back to their computer they have 10 more emails to read and you just get pushed aside.

Call

 

I don't know man get a conversation going and then ask ' You heard anything from your contact?'

The guy sounds a little wishy washy though - more like he is trying to impress you when he can't really - I mean who the hell calls some of their contacts while you are sitting in the roomm..... that sounds a little austentacious

 

I summered at a top 5 group this summer (think UBS Los Angeles, MS M&A, GS TMT etc) from a core west coast school. We had two 'contact' hires who both had about 3.3-3.5 GPAs from non targets. These guys were able to force an interview then impressed to get an offer.

I also had numerous friends with subpar GPAs from UC schools (not berkeley or UCLA) network their way in to first rounds.

If you have family contacts those are all the more powerful.

 

How much time elapsed between the initial correspondence and your application?

I would just shoot him an email and say just wanted to let you know that i came across (the job posting) and applied. blah blah.. I realize that you and your team are very busy, but I would welcome the opportunity to spend 15 minutes discussing the position with you or one of your associates. THX BRAH.

 

This is exactly why you network, so you can take advantages of opportunities like this. Congratulations, sir, you are a Networking Ninja.

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

id go the son route too. thats prob the easiest way to ensure you will get a shot, considereding the dad may just turn you down.

"...the art of good business, is being a good middle man, putting people togeather. It's all about honor and respect."
 

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"...the art of good business, is being a good middle man, putting people togeather. It's all about honor and respect."
 

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