Archive for advice – Page 2

Networking

One buzz word you’re likely to hear a lot during your time at SIPA is “networking.”  We talk about the power of networking and its importance all the time, but even the most experienced SIPA student can feel intimidated at the prospect. Networking like any other skill, improves with practice and the better you get, the more comfortable you’ll feel using it. Here are some tips to exercise your networking muscle:

  1. Network Before You Need It.  Networking is not about “using” people, it’s about fully participating in your professional community. One of the great joys of my professional experience has been connecting people. A former intern wants to go to intern and the state department and I happen to know a SIPA grad who works there. A classmate wants to work for the Sierra Club and I attended a training session with someone who works there. Not only have I helped my colleagues find jobs or staff, but I know that there are competent people working for the causes in which I believe. By building a network before you need it, you enable yourself to help shape your professional community and people are more than happy to return the favor when the time comes. (And you’ll feel better about asking).
  2. Value Yourself and Your Experience. You have every right to reach out to your colleagues and people you’ve done good work for.  Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. If a friend of a classmate wanted to pick your brain for advice or you were in a position to forward your former intern’s resume, wouldn’t you be happy to help?  Why shouldn’t you expect the same professional courtesy?  Public policy people tend to be especially giving in this capacity because we understand what it takes to be a committed and effective advocate and we want to promote those traits. Assuming you’ve done good work in the past, there is no reason for them not to help you unless a) they are insanely busy b) they are being a jerk or c) they don’t feel you’ll use their time wisely (see below).
  3. Ask For Advice.  People like when you ask for their advice. It makes them feel admired and important. (Hello, advice column I am in the midst of writing.)  Asking career advice is a great way to get useful information and establish a relationship at little cost to the advisor. Good questions to ask include, “Who should I be talking to?” and “If I want x job eventually what kind of experience do I need?”  Asking these questions is a useful exercise in and of itself.  You should only ask questions to which you genuinely want the answer. That said, you may find that your questions are rewarded with an offer to help. If not, once you’ve established a relationship you can follow up with “That’s a great idea, do you know anyone there? Would you mind forwarding my resume?” etc.
  4. Do your homework.  I will let you in on a little secret, it drives me CRAZY when people email or message me asking questions that I have already answered on my blog.  Likewise, when they ask me questions that could be answered by Google. Don’t get me wrong, it is my absolute privilege to be a resource to my professional community, but as such I get a lot of requests for help or advice and I expect my time to be respected. Value the time and energy of your prospective sponsor or mentor. Don’t ask questions you could have figured out on your own. Don’t go on an informational interview without having done a little research on your interviewee or their company and…
  5. Follow up.  Just like it takes time to give advice, it takes time to do a favor. If I offer to look over or forward your resume, don’t take a week to send it to me.  If I respond to your email by offering advice, follow up thanking me. If you don’t, not only will I feel disrespected, I will doubt your professionalism and therefore be disinclined to link my name with yours. The way you treat someone after they do you a favor impacts the likelihood that they’ll do you one again.

I hope this helps get you thinking about ‘networking’.   Remember, you are worth it! Be respectful and I’m sure others will be more than happy to help!  Happy Hunting,

 

Top 10 Communication Tips 2011 – #1

We do our best to keep up with the volume of inquires our office receives but the reality is that size of our staff and the number of inquiries/applications makes it hard to keep up.  In past years the blog has featured a top 10 list with the intent of helping applicants receive the most efficient service possible from our office.  We know you want answers quickly and we want to do everything in our power to make that possible.

Each year this list is updated in an effort to make communication with our office as easy and efficient as possible.  10 entries will be featured over the next couple of weeks and then compiled into a single entry for easy reference.

In reviewing all of the entries please understand this is not an attempt to  dissuade you from contacting our office, rather the hope is to provide information that will allow you to receive a response as soon as possible and avoid delays.

Number 1 – Always use the same email address when communicating with our office – this includes the email you use when you start your application. In addition we recommend NOT using an employer email address and always including your email address in the signature of your message (below your name).

It is common for people to have at least three email addresses:  personal, work, and school (e.g. an alumni account).

We highly recommend that you pick one email address and use it for your application and all communications with our office.  Doing so helps us to research your situation in the quickest and most comprehensive manner possible.  With several thousand people applying, just finding someone’s record can be a challenge.

The first thing I do when I start to research an applicant’s inquiry or question is to plop the email address into my search bar.  If all of the emails are from the same account the process is greatly simplified.

Also, I cannot tell you how often applicants email our office with a question and use a different address than the one on their application.  When looking someone up in our system  I do so by email address.  Thus if you email with a different address than the one you used when applying it takes much longer to pull up the appropriate application record.

From personal experience I recommend against using an employer email address. The primary reason is that if you are admitted to SIPA you are going to leave your employer and your email account will be terminated.  Using your personal email address will avoid complications that can arise when you might request an email address change.  While it is possible to update your email we have several software systems so it can take time and possibly lead to missed communications.

Do not be tempted to use an email address that you think will impress us.  For example you might feel that you should use your work email address because the company name is “impressive.”  Please use the email address that you consider to be your permanent address and one that you check frequently.  It is far less impressive to have to amend your record in our systems over time – consistency is what impresses us.  Plus, we will see your employment history in your resume.

The following are two bonus tips.

First, please include your email address in the body of your email – for example below your name (an email signature with your email address included is highly recommended).  Sometimes emails get forwarded to other parties and only the body gets sent along.  If I just get the body and the header is left off, we have no email address to respond to and this leads to delays while we try to track down email contact information.

From my experience this is a very common problem when people forward me emails from their Blackberry or mobile phone.  I cannot tell you the number of times a SIPA faculty or staff member has forwarded me a message and there is no visible email address.  So, just to make sure, I recommend setting up an email signature that includes your full email address.

Second, make sure to check your junk mail box every now and then.  Every once in a while someone will send me a message and it will inexplicably end up in my junk email.  I recommended that you add our email address to your “approved sender” list and check your junk mail every once in while to ensure our messages are not being sent to where you will not be able to view them in a timely fashion.

"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."

—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs

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