Revolutionize your Gmail with Rapportive

December 15, 2011 Disqus Comments and Reactions

This is a new series on the best networking services, tools, and add-ons we can get our hands on. The first post in the series is dedicated to a service I couldn’t live without: Rapportive.

What Rapportive Does: Gets you rich contact profiles right inside Gmail.

Rapportive is an app that sits inside your email, right next to your opened messages. (Picture below).  Every time you open an email, Rapportive gives you detailed information on the person who has emailed you.  Information like their professional title and history, latest tweets, and even facebook pictures automatically populate next to your email.

It’s unbelievably powerful. When I have inbound from people I don’t know, I can very quickly get an idea of who they are (Facebook info), what they do (LinkedIn info), and what they’re passionate about (latest Tweets).  This data informs how I respond, by giving me the data I need to build rapport.  An example is that if I have an inbound message from a user who just tweeted about Klout, I can either make mention of Klout in my response, or tweet out to them and engage them in another medium.

It takes 2 minutes to install, and your inbox will forever be revolutionized.

philip

Travelling Serendipity

November 22, 2011 Disqus Comments and Reactions

Travelling is awesome because it’s an amazing way to connect with people you otherwise never would have. We all live structured lives: we wake up in the morning, say hello to our significant other or roommates, head to work, and come back. Those of us just out of college may get a bit more serendipity through going to gyms or bars on weekends, but chances are even then you’re not really meeting a ton of new interesting people on the time.

That’s why travelling is special – you’re given a unique opportunity to turn to the person or people next to you at a lounge or on the airplane, and strike up a conversation. (You don’t have to be loud and bother people around you, but you can still chat). What’s magical about that moment in time is that you’re presented with all the conversational topics you need to break the ice:

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philip

Email Etiquette – Everyone Hates Work

November 15, 2011 Disqus Comments and Reactions

Nothing peeves me more than getting a reach-out email that says:

Hey Philip,

I saw your site, Meeteor, and would love to talk to you.

- John R.

Really? Is that the best you can do? How would you feel if you got that email?

Here’s how you can do better:

1) Agenda, agenda, agenda.

Tell me why you want to chat. Even if it’s just to chat, tell me that. It’s totally fine to simply want to connect, but even in that case, try to give me an idea of what you want to talk about. Are you interested in the networking space and want to learn more about our vision for the industry? Do you have a startup and you’re simply looking for some early-stage pointers? Both of those reasons are fine, but at least make it easy for me to understand why we’re talking and where my mind should be when we do connect. The last thing I want to do is get on the phone and be hit with a topic I’m not prepared for. Ideally, you’d send me a list of questions you’d like to go over before connecting. That helps me come to the table with specific ideas to share, and it brands you as an action-oriented person.

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philip

Behavioral Interview Questions

November 13, 2011 Disqus Comments and Reactions

Since the majority of networking being done at this point of the year is related to job-searching, we thought we’d give you a hand.  Below is a comprehensive list of behavioral questions we’ve seen over the years.   Any MBA should be ready to answer each of these questions on a whim, and be able to draw from more than one example for each.  If you’re looking for fellow consultants to do practice interviews with, don’t forget to enter “consulting” as an interest in Meeteor – we’ll go ahead and schedule times for you to meet up and do practice cases!

Goodluck all!

• What do you want to do as a career (both immediately after graduation and long-term)?
• How would you rate your quantitative skills?
• How would you rate your verbal skills?
• Why should we accept you as opposed to the other qualified
•  candidates?
• Why should we take you as a sophomore when there are so many other juniors who are applying for an internship?
• Are you applying for any other internships? (Say that you are or that you will be. Don’t look like you’re only applying to X Firm.  If they
•  ask whether or not you think you’ll get those other internships, say yes.  However, make sure they understand that X Firm is your first choice.)
• Do you have any questions for us?
• Is there anything you wished we had asked you?
• Is there anything else you’d like to tell us or anything you’d want us to know?
• Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
• Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.
• Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
• Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
• Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone’s opinion.
• Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
• Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.
• Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
• Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.
• Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.
• What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
• Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked
•  you (or vice versa).
• Tell me about a difficult decision you’ve made in the last year.
• Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.
• Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.

chris

Ass Kicking Action Verbs For Your Resume

November 9, 2011 Disqus Comments and Reactions

Last week I posted a general guide to help all you hungry job-seekers best organize the information on your resume. In the coming weeks I want to take the time to elaborate on some of these topics more specifically. Today we’ll talk about using action verbs to describe past experiences to employers clearly and confidently.

Start Strong

Potential employers will almost always look at the professional experience listed on a resume before anything else, so do yourself a solid by describing the responsibilities you’ve held at each previous job in a punchy, concise manner. The easiest and most efficient way to do this is by bulleting your job details with short phrases that begin with an action verb. Doing this eliminates fluffy clauses that are unnecessary when conveying the most relevant aspects of past responsibilities. These verbs should be written in the past tense unless you are describing a position that you’re currently holding. Clean bulletpoints and a consistent tense will create a smooth, cogent flow to your information and increase the overall elegance of your formatting.

Like I stressed last week, each of these bullets need to highlight tangible ways you contributed to your past employer. Describing specific contributions displays value and will make any applicant more memorable to his or her target firm than an applicant who just vaguely recounts past experiences. Even better would be to quantify your value by citing how your work improved sales by __% or raised ‘x’ amount of dollars.

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philip

How To Write Cold Outreach Emails

November 8, 2011 Disqus Comments and Reactions

Your introductory paragraph should be a small rehash of the subject line, but with more words. This is your opportunity to try to establish a relationship with the person, and get them to want to see what your “ask” is. I generally start with my name and why I believe it’s ok for me to reach out:

My name is Philip Cortes and I’m reaching out as I’m a fellow alumni of Wesleyan University (Class of ‘06).

In that first sentence I try to help the person identify where I’m coming to them from, and why they should read more. My second sentence usually centers around how I obtained that person’s contact information, and a hint as to why I’m reaching out. : “I found your profile and contact information in Wesleyan’s alumni database, and considering your experience in the startup sector, decided to reach out.”

The third sentence can be a bit of a summary, and a lead into what it is that you’re “selling/pitching”. In this case, I would say,

Below is a little about my startup and where we’re headed.

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philip

The Power of Weak Ties

November 3, 2011 Disqus Comments and Reactions

In the search for a job and career that fits our interests and accommodates our needs, we often turn to the connections we have developed meeting people throughout our lives. Perhaps you contact a friend who can somehow utilize his contacts to arrange an interview for a lucrative job or maybe you use your alma mater’s alumni database to get in touch with an alumnus in your industry. Although these options prove to be quite useful at times, we usually look over one aspect of our social network that can be utilized for job leads that we would have otherwise not known about.

The strength of weak ties

Mark Granovetter, currently a sociologist at Stanford University, published a seminal research paper in 1973, titled ‘The Strength of Weak Ties’. Interviewing people who had switched jobs to find out how these people discovered new job opportunities, Granovetter surprisingly found that his interview subjects found their jobs through contacts that were classified more as distant acquaintances rather than as close friends. A surprising finding considering that you would think that your close friends would have more of a connection to you and would thus be more compelled to find you job opportunities that best suit you. The reasoning behind this intriguing phenomenon is rooted in the way in which social networks are set up.

Figure 1: A social network representing the effect of ‘friends of friends’ on job leads

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philip

Resume Optimization, An Introduction

November 2, 2011 Disqus Comments and Reactions

Most of us know that building an effective resume is the first step towards landing that summer internship or finding permanent employment post-graduation. Whether you are applying to opportunities in finance, public policy, technology or design, it is important to create a resume that is tailored to the needs of that particular job. This means showing off the applicable skills – relevant coursework, previous employment, awards – that give the potential employer an idea of how you might contribute to their company.

What Employers Look For:

Human resources will review an individual resume at each step of the hiring process. Therefore don’t think of a resume as just an admission ticket into the interview. Employers look at a resume when developing interview questions and will expect applicants to elaborate on past experiences, so practice discussing the information listed so that you come off as comfortable and confident when making your first impression.

Style & Organization:

A crisp, clean and well-balanced resume exudes professionalism and will flatter whatever qualifications you choose to present. Some industries like finance or consulting will expect a strong, traditionally formatted resume; others such as graphic design or advertising may appreciate a more creative and unorthodox style. Regardless of style, all applicants should include their most recent and relevant experience first. Also be sure to play up any transferable skills that you may have developed in the workplace or elsewhere. Leadership, languages, technical expertise and other personal attributes may apply directly to your target company’s open position.

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philip

Email Etiquette: Subject Lines That Stand Out

November 1, 2011 Disqus Comments and Reactions

At some point of our lives, we’ve all had to send an email to someone we didn’t know. Whether we were introduced to them through a friend, or found their contact information, the process is always slightly awkward. If its’ any reassurance to you, everyone feels the same way! It’s a dance we all have to engage with at some point of our lives though, and this “Email Etiquette” series is designed to help make that process a bit easier.

The Subject Line is a vitally important aspect of your email. For someone you don’t know to want to engage with that email instead of automatically sending it to the trash, you’re going to want to make it as catchy and direct as possible.

Length

Although email clients today can display longer subject lines, that’s not advisable. A long subject line suggests that a long email is buried below. (ie..a good incentive NOT to open it!). Try to keep your subject lines between 3 to 5 words.

Wording

What we’ve found helpful when reaching out is to break the subject line into two parts. The first part should indicate who you are, and however it is that you’re linked to the individual. If you both attended the same school, for example, that would be a good place to signal that. If you’re both members of the same professional organization, I would put that.

The second part should detail what it is that you’re looking for or what your need is. If you’re a job seeker, generally seeking out advice from people is a good way to get your foot int he door. People will understand that you might be seeking for a job, but psychologically they are more likely to be open to the idea of giving you advice (everyone likes to talk), versus giving you a job when they’ve never met you.

If you’re trying to sell a product a service, (or a startup looking for capital), it is ok at this point to simply state what your business is without necessarily signaling that you’re looking to sell something. Remember, you’re trying to give as much positive information as possible, so that the individual wants to open your email – it’s hard to fit in a full pitch of your service in the subject line. That having been said, don’t lie here – if you’re a salesperson, don’t ask for “advice”, then spring a service you’re selling on the call….honesty is key here.

Below are some examples to help get you started:

Wharton Student, Seeking Advice

Wharton Startup – Seeking Mentors

Rotary Club Member Seeking Expertise

Sarah Jones Referral: Salesforcing.com

philip