One of the most common recommendations I give to young professionals is to ask more experienced people for advice. After all, there’s no better way to know how to do something than to ask someone who’s “been there, done that.” This is also known as informational interviewing and it’s a great strategy.
However, what I’ve been observing lately is that a lot of students and recent grads don’t know how best to ask for advice and guidance. The better your ask, the better the answers you’ll receive, so here are some tips:
1. Make it easy for someone to say yes to your request for help. When you ask someone for advice, be specific about the kind of help you need (job hunting advice, career change advice, etc.), request a specific amount of time (15-30 minutes is usually appropriate) and offer to call the person or meet at his or her office at his or her convenience. Then, be sure to confirm 24 hours in advance so the person knows you’ll show up.
2. Do not ask to “pick someone’s brain.” Okay this one is more about how not to ask me in particular for advice. Some people don’t mind this phrase, but I definitely do. Why? First of all, I think it sounds kind of gross (think about it). Second of all, it is very one-sided: if you are picking my brain, what’s in this conversation for me? It feels as if I’ll be left brainless afterwards. My advice is to always request advice in a way that makes the ask-ee feel respected and like he or she will leave the conversation with something, too.
Read the rest of this post on my “College to Career” blog at MyPath.com…
Do you have any other dos and don’ts for asking more experienced people for advice? Please share!
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