As of now, get used to meeting with those experts who will provide you with access to the workplace. Most of them will share valuable information that can have important repercussions for you in terms of your studies, career choice and job search.
With the help of information meetings, you can now:
Moreover, you will learn how to interact with professionals. These lessons will be invaluable to you for interviews, and later on, when you start your new job.
Please note! Avoid asking for a job during the meeting. We will explain later, when exactly you should do so.
Some of the people you contact will not get back to you, but it’s in the interest of most to meet you before you even begin your job search. You can expect that those who were open to your solicitations for a job will also be very willing to exchange with you.
Friends, close relatives, previous colleagues, and neighbors: all your contacts can prove useful when it comes to getting informed. But to get the information you are seeking, you will have to target contacts well beyond that initial circle of acquaintances. Your success will depend on how you go about things: follow these tips.
Are you exploring a career that interests you?
Contact professionals who hold positions you are targeting.
Are you looking for a job?
Contact professionals who hold the type of position you are interested in, but also contact managers.
Don’t contact human resources unless you are seeking a position within that service.
Mobilize your acquaintances, regardless of their profession. Ask them:
Use the search engine LinkedIn. You can search by keyword (types of positions, businesses) and apply filters, for example, through the networks of alumni and current HEC Montréal students.
Participate in recruiting or networking activities that will allow you to meet professionals in the environments you are targeting: conferences, cocktail parties, pre-recruitment meetings, job fairs, etc.
Trust What Inspires You.Social environments offer numerous opportunities that you will know to recognize: volunteering (e.g. business volunteering), taking part in associations (e.g. student or professional associations), sports and cultural activities.
Indicate:
Note!
Subject: Request for professional advice
My name is…and I am a student in the D.E.S.S. in professional accounting- CPA at HEC Montréal. I obtained your name in the School’s alumni directory.
I would like the advice of a professional with experience such as yours working in large and small accounting firms. Our discussion would take no more than 20 minutes.
You are undoubtedly very busy at the moment. If my email remains unanswered, I hope you will allow me to contact you next week. It will likely be a more opportune moment for you.
Thank you for your consideration.
If you choose this approach, you can obtain a positive or negative response more quickly.
The advice is the same as for the email.
The information meeting can take place in various settings: an office, a café, or even on the phone. Regardless of the chosen venue, make sure you prepare your meeting in such a way as to obtain the best result and present a very positive image of yourself.
Your contact cannot fit you into his or her schedule for a face-to-face meeting? Offer to have the exchange over the phone or accept your contact’s offer if it is his or her suggestion.
Before going to the meeting:
Accepting to meet with you is a mark of the professional’s generosity. Take this into consideration during your discussions. He or she is now one of your professional contacts, a person who can potentially become a mentor, recommend you to a future employer, or recruit you. Even if you are not yet looking for a job, take the opportunity to showcase your worth.
Employment candidate: Your contact may discuss employment opportunities within the company. Show your interest by asking questions, but do not immediately apply, unless you are explicitly asked to do so. You can apply after the meeting.
If you are looking for a job, make sure you have your positioning statement ready, along with the answers to the three most important interview questions:
Send an email thanking your contact and indicating what you enjoyed about your meeting.
Employment candidates: You can show your interest in the company for which your contact works and attach your CV. You can also call back your contact to discuss your interest in the job.
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Career Management Services offers various individual services and workshops to help you network and find a job.
