Page 195 - Talane Miedaner - Coach Yourself to a New Career_ 7 Steps to Reinventing Your Professional Life (2010)

STEP 7: MANAGING THE TRANSITION SMOOTHLY 183

opportunities for you. The number one way that people get jobs
is through their friends, family, and contacts—not by sending
out thousands of résumés or by submitting online applications
through various career websites. So, here is what you need to do:

1. Get your elevator speech down pat. When asked what it is you
want to do, you don’t want to be caught off guard as I once was and
left speechless or muttering something horribly vague about being
a people person. Fortunately, after doing all the prior exercises, you
should be pretty clear about what you want to do. Now the ticket
is to take a few minutes to distill this goal into a maximum of three
sentences. You might want to try this formula: “Hello, I’m
(your name). I love to (thing
you love doing) and am interested in exploring the field of
(fill in the blank). Do you know anyone in this
field with whom I could have an informational interview?”
2. Have informal interviews with people, and ask, ask, ask
questions. The rule is: Never ask for a job! When you ask someone
for an informational interview, make it clear that you are not asking
for a job, but are doing research on the field. When you are granted
the chance to meet or to speak over the phone, just ask the person
questions about the particular field. Most people love to talk about
themselves and their work, especially if they are happy in their jobs.
The following are some trusted openers:

→ What is the thing you love most about your work?
→ Describe a typical day.
→ Tell me how you got started in this industry/field/line of work.

Be sure to ask anything you really want to know. Thank people
for their time when you have finished, and follow up with a thank-
you letter. In that letter, you might say something like this: “It was a
pleasure speaking with you the other day. I really enjoyed hearing
about XYZ and can see that you are passionate about what you do.
You’ve helped me clarify my own career direction. Depending on
your circumstances, you could add: “If you know of any openings
in this field, I’d be grateful if you would pass on that information.”