But, strangely enough, his e-mail did not yield any results. So, he was definitely on the right track. Now, I’ll be the first person to point out the effectiveness of reaching out to your network first in fact, 70% or more of jobs are found through networking, and the vast majority of these will be found not through friends, who typically swim in the same pond as you do, but rather, through acquaintances. His hands - like my own - were tied!Į-mail Was Well-Intended, BUT Not Effective "Help me help you " that we realize how little this Sports Agent can do without a little help from the other party. I was reminded of a quote from the 1996 classic "Jerry Maguire," when Tom Cruise says to Cuba Gooding Jr. I wanted to help him, but I didn't know how. Wouldn’t that include almost every company from here to Timbuktu? Of course I know people in PR at companies, and I know people who do other things in the PR industry, and I know a lot of people at a lot of companies on the East Coast. Recently laid off, he had the right idea to reach out to his network to seek help, asking his former colleagues, friends, neighbors, and anyone else who would listen if they had any contacts that could benefit from a smart guy like himself.įirst, he inquired if anyone had any contacts at DC-based PR firms (given that his first priority was to work in a PR agency) next, he asked if they had any contacts at any companies that hired PR professionals in any capacity anywhere on the East Coast (as the e-mail wore on, he became a bit more anxious and did not want to rule out a move).Īs I read the e-mail, it was as if an actual question mark found its way to my head. Earlier this week, I received an e-mail from an acquaintance of mine, asking me (and about 75 others also copied on the e-mail) for help in his job search.