the problem with “can I pick your brain?” by Alison Green on October 30, 2019 I was on Marketplace Morning this week talking about the problems with asking someone if you can “pick their brain.” (The short version: It’s vague and doesn’t explain what you’re really looking for, and the people you want to ask are often inundated with similar requests.) We talked why people ask this, better ways to […] Read the full article →
are these men hitting on me via LinkedIn or are they legit business contacts? by Alison Green on June 18, 2019 A reader writes: I’ve noticed in the past year or two there are quite a few people (typically middle-aged men) who are reaching out to me via LinkedIn (I am a 20-something woman) trying to recruit me. While I do have a lot of experience, I’m wondering if it’s odd that some of these professionals […] Read the full article →
I don’t want to help horrible networkers by Alison Green on June 3, 2019 A reader writes: I’ve been in my industry for eight years now. From the outside, it’s a very cool area to work in (and mostly it is…) and it’s definitely more on the map as a career path than it was when I started. Lots of grads are very interested in a job like mine, […] Read the full article →
what conversation starters can I use at industry events? by Alison Green on May 2, 2019 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: My industry requires me to go to a lot of events, especially when travelling. I work in sales so it is expected that I’ll use my time to mingle with people and build relationships. The trouble is that I have NO IDEA TO WHAT TO […] Read the full article →
do I have to help someone I can’t stand? by Alison Green on March 14, 2019 A reader writes: “Monica” is a few years younger than me and is a friend of my parents through a church community. Smply put, she irks the heck out of me. There are a number of little things that she does that get under my skin, so I just try to avoid her in my […] Read the full article →
should I pay a fee for a networking meeting? by Alison Green on February 21, 2019 A reader writes: Is it normal for someone to charge a client for a networking meeting? I’m in the process of looking for a new job and setting up informational interviews with professionals in my field. I emailed back and forth with one woman trying to set a time to meet, but kept getting responses […] Read the full article →
LinkedIn is telling strangers to ask me for referrals to jobs I have nothing to do with by Alison Green on January 28, 2019 A reader writes: This is 50% a question for you and readers’ general opinions, and 50% a request for advice. I recently got a LinkedIn message from a stranger asking if we could discuss a particular job opening in my company. It was a position I’d never heard of; I have nothing to do with […] Read the full article →
can I turn down a networking request? by Alison Green on September 13, 2018 A reader writes: I am three months into a great job at a huge organization in my field. A friend and former manager who helped me get the job (my first out of college) just reached out to me with a friend of hers who is trying to set up informational interviews for when she’s […] Read the full article →
we have a plague of overly aggressive networkers by Alison Green on April 30, 2018 There are people who get legitimately excited about the prospect of broadening their professional circle—and then there are the rest of us, who shudder and blanche when we contemplate “networking.” Part of the reason for this visceral unease is the scourge of overly aggressive networkers: those people who, once encountered, loom large in our memories […] Read the full article →
I’m being mentored against my will by a dude who’s my peer by Alison Green on March 26, 2018 A reader writes: I’ve been in my chosen career for about 10 years now. About three years into my career, I struck up a collegial friendship with someone who worked for a competitor. He’s maybe five years older than I am, but we were at a similar point in our careers. Fast forward to the […] Read the full article →