How can I take advantage of a good inside contact?

Question:
I've applied for a position that would be a nice step up for me. I just had lunch with a friend who used to work at the target company. My friend has a contact at the target firm, but that person is in another department. How can I make use of this contact? I can't say that I consider myself terribly good at networking.

Reply:
Suggest that your friend visit the contact at the target company, and go along. You could have lunch in the company cafeteria, where you can be introduced, express your interest in the company, and ask for advice. Keep it casual; keep it friendly.

Or just have your friend call the contact and ask if it would be okay for you to call to get some advice and insight about working at the company. Believe me, most people love to talk about their company. The contact may even stand to earn a referral fee for helping bring you on board.

Don't think of this as something you have to conspire over or as something that the contact will resent. Be friendly, open, and inquisitive, and you'll get all the help you'll need. The bottom line is this: The company wants to fill this position. If it can get some useful information about a candidate from someone it trusts, it might be able to fill the position sooner, and everybody wins.

One tip: Do not ask for an interview. That's presumptuous and it will turn the contact off. It's the fastest way to make the discussion awkward. Ask for insight about the company and for advice about how someone with your background can best prepare to interview there. If the contact likes you, he or she will make an introduction or recommend you to the manager. And that's what this is all about, right? Go for it.

Best,
Nick Corcodilos
Ask The Headhunter�

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