You will be able to ask for an informational conversation in a way that is easy to say yes to, and then run it.
Ask one person for twenty minutes of advice about how they got into their field, and keep any mention of a job out of the request. Put that way, most people are surprisingly willing to say yes, and the chat that follows is one of the most effective tools you have in a career move.
That chat is called an informational conversation: a short talk, usually twenty to thirty minutes, where you ask someone about their work and how they got into it.
Arjun, a secondary school teacher, is exploring corporate learning and development (Arjun and the other people here are an invented example). Arjun had already found someone worth contacting, a former teacher now working in learning and development at a hospital group. Arjun opened LinkedIn, typed the start of a message and then stopped. Arjun could not see how to write to someone they had not spoken to in years, or had never met, without sounding like they wanted something, when they did want something. The way past that awkwardness is to make the request small, specific and easy for the other person to give.
The rule that matters most is to ask for advice about the person's path and say nothing about a job. Ask for twenty minutes to hear how they got into the field and what the work is like day to day.
Asking for a job leaves the other person stuck. They may have no opening to offer, and turning you down is uncomfortable for both of you. Advice is something almost anyone can agree to give. People generally like describing how they got where they are, and being asked for advice is flattering.
An advice request is also a more honest reflection of where you are. You are still testing directions, the idea from Lesson 1.3, "Test a direction before you bet on it", so what you need to learn is what the work is like, which skills matter and how people get in. Whether there is an opening is a separate question for later, if it comes up at all.
Twenty minutes is the size of the ask, and you should hold to it. A small request with a clear limit is easy to accept, and keeping to that limit earns their trust.
Tell the person how you came across them, then use a line or two to say what in their path made you want to ask. A message that could have been sent to anyone usually gets the reply that kind of message deserves. Keep yours short and specific, make it easy to answer, and leave out any job.
Arjun's first message went to Priya, a former colleague from the school. It mentioned that it had been a while since they were both there, and that Arjun had seen on LinkedIn that Priya moved into L&D at the hospital group a couple of years ago. Arjun explained they were thinking about a similar move and would value hearing how Priya had done it. The message asked for twenty minutes, over a call or coffee in the next few weeks, and offered to fit around Priya's schedule.
When you don't know the person, a mutual connection can open the door. Later Priya suggested Arjun contact Marcus, who had gone from teaching into training at a bank. Arjun had never met Marcus, so the message began with Priya's suggestion to get in touch. Arjun then described themselves as a secondary school teacher looking into corporate L&D, noted Priya had mentioned Marcus's move from teaching into training at a bank, and asked whether Marcus would be open to a twenty-minute call in the next few weeks. The last line said Arjun would love to hear how Marcus had approached the switch.
Once they agree, prepare three or four good questions. Use this test: if ten minutes online would give you the answer, the question does not belong in the conversation. "What does your company do?" uses up their time and tells them you skipped your preparation. Aim your questions at what they have actually experienced, such as:
What does a typical week look like? What surprised you most when you started? What skills turned out to matter more than you expected? What do people coming from my background usually find hardest? If you were in my position, what would you do first?
Wei Ling spoke with an analyst at a retailer and asked, "What part of the job do people underestimate?" The analyst said most of the work is cleaning and checking data before any analysis begins. Wei Ling's view of the role shifted after hearing that, and the point came up in Wei Ling's interview answers months later.
As the conversation nears its end, ask: "Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?" Asked well, that one question turns a single conversation into three. By then the person understands what you are looking for and often knows someone who could help, and a reply is far more likely when the introduction comes from them than when you send a cold message yourself.
If a name comes up, ask whether they would be comfortable making the introduction, or whether you should mention their name when you contact the person. Send that next message within a few days. Arjun reached Marcus this way, through Priya.
Stay inside the time you asked for. When the twenty minutes have passed, say so and offer to let them go. Plenty of people will decide to keep talking, and they will register that you respected their time.
Let them do most of the talking. You are there to learn, and most of what you came for is in their answers. Jot down a few notes, but keep your attention on the person in front of you. Following up after the conversation is covered in Lesson 7.3, "Stay in touch without being a pest".
Sending the first message is the hardest part of the whole process. Write your request to one person on your list in the activity, and send it.
Pick one person on your list, write them a request for an informational conversation, and send it.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).