Monday, January 20 - "Should I Use Email for Networking?"

Happy Monday!

Here’s what’s on the job description for today:

1. New roles from the largest consulting firm on the planet.

2. Today’s Question: “Should I be directly emailing those I want to network with or is there a better way to get in touch?”

IN HIRING

Accenture

• With so many acquisitions globally, Accenture is huge and hiring a lot, making it a great place for a wide variety of candidates to get into consulting.

• The firm is not only hiring consultants but also for those roles in their other business units such as human resources.

• Here are a few of the most interesting roles available

  • Management Consultant, Insurance - Click here for full details

  • Management Consultant, Software & Platform - Click here for full details

  • HR Transformation Senior Manager - Click here for full details

Click here for the company’s career page

TODAY’S QUESTION

“Should I be directly emailing those I want to network with or is there a better way to get in touch?”

Recommendation: I’ve heard this idea being tossed around by those who work in the hiring space and here’s how I’d think about it:

• First, it’s enticing to go down the path of doing anything to get in touch with people. It feels like you have nothing to lose if you’re not getting many people on LinkedIn or other platforms responding to your messages.

  • While it feels the outcomes of a connection request or message are either they respond or they don’t, there’s a third option: you make a lasting negative impact.

• Second, I would think about how you best like to receive messages from those who want help or information from you. This will guide you in how comfortable you’d feel in sending a specific type of communication to a potential networking target.

  • If you feel “the ick” doing something, I would highly recommend you just steer completely clear of that activity. Unless that activity is sending applications, the other stuff is optional.

• Finally, the most important thing regarding networking (as most things in life) is not the strategy you take but the execution of that strategy.

  • Whether you network via email, LinkedIn, or not at all, you can still find a job.

  • I find cold emailing for networking purposes to be awkward but some candidates find wild success doing it. If you can make it work and come off naturally, then you should follow that feeling and double down on it.

Conclusion:

While this type of communication is not something I recommend, it can be a good way to get the attention of someone, and if you feel comfortable doing it, I would recommend keep doing it. Otherwise, find something that is a better fit for you.