Once you have developed your skills securing and completing information interviews with members of your network, you are ready to take this process to the next level: prospective employers. Let’s backtrack a bit.
You secured information interviews with business owners by:
- Every week sending emails detailing the work you were seeking and identifying target organizations to 7 – 10 names on your email database
- Asking them if they knew and have personal/professional relationships with business owners or C-level executives
- Asking your network members to introduce you to these individuals, stressing you are asking for information, not a job
Note: You should not use this technique if you are considering applying for a posted position. To accept an interview would place these key individuals in situations where they face a conflict of interest.
Now you have an opportunity to meet a man or woman with the power to hire you. You have an opportunity to gather key information about the person and the organization. How are you going to utilize this opportunity? You cannot afford to waste the time of your interviewee.
This is where you need to plan and rehearse how you will act, what questions you will ask, what impression you will leave behind.
At this juncture, I strongly encourage you to recruit someone to mentor you through the process. A career coach is best, but you might also ask some business professional in your network to rehearse the scene with you.
If you need my help, please click on this site’s contact tab and send me request. I never charge for the initial consultation.
Good luck!