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Stop Asking to “Grab A Coffee” to Land a Job Interview

By August 20, 2020No Comments
J. Kelly Hoey - Build Your Dream Network

If you think reaching out to request a meeting over coffee will result in a job interview, think again. This job search advice is definitely out of date (and frankly was never considerate networking guidance to begin with). In this episode of the Build Your Dream Network podcast, Kelly outlines 5 steps to take before reaching out cold to a prospective employer or networking contact, along with three essential things to include in every cover letter you send. Instead of pursuing the dead-end “coffee date” approach, follow these steps to customize your communications and significantly improve your job search prospects.

Key takeaways:

  • Asking to “grab a coffee” is an outdated approach to networking
  • A customized approach to reaching out to prospective employers will likely be more successful 
  • Research the industry and companies you’re interested in and keep up with their current projects
  • When you boost your interview IQ, you can more effectively tie your skills to the interests of the company

What to listen for:

00:38    Why your “coffee date” is unlikely to result in an interview

03:03    A more effective way to reach out to prospective employers

04:30    How to boost your industry intelligence

05:22    How to demonstrate your industry IQ and hustle to potential employers

06:20    The Build Your Dream Network bottom line

Quotes:

“The person you’re reaching out to cold may very well need your smarts and hustle, so demonstrate that you have both by your carefully crafted customized outreach.” [06:07]

“Take a hard pass on well-meaning but out of date networking advice. Customize every employer communication.” [06:25]

More Resources:

J. Kelly Hoey

J. Kelly Hoey is a problem solver who believes that most professional challenges—whether funding, landing a board position or getting a new job—are solved by tapping into networks.Kelly is a popular speaker on networking, community building and investing issues, especially as they relate to women, and has worked with the IEEE, PGA, Bank of America, Apple and countless others. Follow Kelly on Twitter @jkhoey and on Instagram @jkellyhoey and join the #BYDN community at www.buildyourdreamnetwork.com