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#7 – Expect the reject

December 15, 2008 by

No matter how strong the referral or relationship, some people will simply not respond.     They are too busy, do not think they can help you, do not like to network, or maybe they do not really like the person referring you, etc.   There are a myriad of reasons over which you have no control or no knowledge of when you reach out to them.

So be professional and persistent, but if they do not respond after three tries, just move on.

Expectation setting #7: Expect the reject, just don’t take it personally.

Filed Under: A. 12 Search Expectations Tagged With: ,

It was Curiosity, not Persistence that Killed the Cat

December 15, 2008 by

Some of my best networking meetings came after repeated attempts to connect with the person.  I mean two e-mails or calls with no response.

Even if the connection is strong between the person being contacted and the person who referred you, it does not mean an immediate response.   Your e-mail/call may on hit them on a travel day, in budget meetings or vacation.   So don’t assume the worse, try again.

Only rarely did I get an e-mail back that the person did not apologize for being slow that was quickly followed with an offer to get together.

Looking at it another way, what employer would want an employee to quit working an issue at the first roadblock?

Filed Under: F. Getting Out There Tagged With: ,