20/05/2022
এই পোস্ট টি শেষ পর্যন্ত পড়লে আপনি শিখতে পারবেন কিভাবে মানুষের কাছে হেল্প চাইতে বা নেটওইয়ার্কিং করতে হয়।
𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗠 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗘𝗧:
If you go through these 18 tips, I bet you'll be a pro at reaching out to people.
For the last couple of days, I’ve been receiving so many texts from strangers asking for help. So I thought I'd share this so that others could learn from how I used to get help from others.
Every day, I get many message requests that do not merit a reply. To help people get more replies through cold texts, I wanted to type this up.
If you read till the end, you'll even learn about how I used to get help from most of the people that I’ve reached out to.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗥𝗨𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚/ 𝗔𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗣:
1. See if a mutual acquaintance can connect you two. There's a statistical theory that says any two people are separated by 7 degrees of loose connection. You may need 7 referrals to get a selfie with Lionel Messi.
But don’t worry too much if you don’t have anyone to get you connected; a helpful person will help you still!
2. Be short and precise. Just ask precisely what you want. DO NOT ask GENERIC Questions.
𝗡𝗼𝘄, 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰?
If your question needs you to disclose PERSONAL information about yourself, then it is a private question that you should inbox to us.
For instance, X thing happened to me. What can I do about it?
What is 𝗡𝗢𝗧 a generic question?
𝘼 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙢𝙪𝙨 𝙏𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨:
Ask yourself ---
Do I need to give personal details?
Can a quick Google search EASILY answer this?
𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
How to do well in the SAT, where I can I learn programming, how can an athlete get admission to Y university, what ECA is helpful for someone interested in statistics--
all these questions can be and should be asked publicly through a group post or on Google.
Also, "What ECA do I need for Harvard?" is a terrible question. Firstly, I do not go to Harvard.
Secondly, as we have said many times, there is no minimum threshold. You should do ECAs according to your interests and hope that some universities will like what you offer them.
They are not looking for a secret sauce. In fact, copying someone's ECA is a BAD STRATEGY because it makes you look the same. They want novelty in an auction of students where you are one of many other students.
𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙄 𝙥𝙝𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 (𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙣-𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙)?
If you have a question, please give a brief introduction and ask your question. Do not just message 'Hi' and expect people to reply. We do not know who you are -- it is likely we will not reply.
Just drop your question, make it BRIEF, and do not expect us to engage in adda before or after. Remember, personal vs professional.
Example: "Hi, I am James Bond. In 2019, I performed badly in grade 11 exams because I broke my left arm while protecting the Queen's Guards posted in Casablanca. How do I explain this to my admissions officer?"
3. If you do not know some bhaiya/apu and you are asking them a question, politely introduce yourself and drop your question in their inbox.
Do not send 'Hi/Hlw/You there?/What's up etc.' as a lone statement. Put your question first and your introductory pitch second.
Make sure the question is scannable in one scroll. They shouldn't have to scroll down long paragraphs to understand what you want to know.
4. Before you ask the person any personal questions, try to know if they are even comfortable with sharing that personal information with you. DON’T force them.
5. Just dropping your question keeps the exchange precise, and you are more likely to get a quicker answer than asking for a real, intimate conversation.
6. Your self-introduction should be at most 1/2 sentences. Prepare an elevator pitch (but in text). Contrary to popular belief, rambling about your CV for 200 words won't get you a reply.
But if your question is short and polite, it will. A Facebook message is too impersonal to build rapport or come across as impressive. So, speaking on and on about yourself will not help.
7. Be courteous and professional. Please remember that no one is obligated to help you. So, you have to be polite in how you reach out.
But that does not mean you write 200 words to be courteous. The precision and clarity of your query are the most important parts.
8. Make their job easy. You are more likely to get a quick answer if you make it easy for them to help you. You do that by getting straight to the point.
9. Understand that you have finite shots. No one will answer 17 questions in 3 minutes. Use this opportunity to ask only the most relevant and important questions.
My golden rule is to never ask more than the 3 most important questions. Bullet points are better than paragraphs.
10. Ask for strategies and opinions instead of facts. Research the facts. Before you ask something, ask yourself first: Did I search for it on Google?. 9/10 times, the internet will give you a better answer.
11. Try to ask specific questions instead of vague ones. "How was your experience at X college?" is vague. "Is it possible to major in CS without any high school CS coursework at X college?" is more specific.
It's a toy example, but you get the point. If you have to ask broad questions, make them interesting. Example -- "What are 3 pieces of advice you might give to your high school self?" is better than "Do you have any advice for me?"
12. Write short paragraphs. I try to write 2/3 sentences max in my paragraphs if it's over social media. Long paragraphs are harder to read.
13. Reach out to many. Don't expect any replies. Don't get angry or sad if you don't receive replies. A statistically proven callback rate is 5% for many sales teams.
14. Try to optimize for their time. If you text something during their workday, you lower your chances of getting a reply. But if you text them during their weekend or evenings, you might get a reply.
15. If they are in the city, offer to meet them at their place of choice. Offer to buy them coffee or invite them over (if you know them well). [If it's for me, you should get Shakes and fries instead of coffee : p]
16. Understand that just because someone likes to help at scale (i.e. through podcasts, blog posts, YouTube videos) does not mean they can help everyone who reaches out. Facebook is a private space for people to stay connected to friends and family.
17. Understand what game you are playing. If you are just trying to connect, complement their work and ask for specific advice.
If you are looking for a job, understand that their referral bonus or recruiter bonus is tied to you (or some other applicant getting the job through them), so you better present 2/3 of your best points for them to refer you.
18. End with the magic question, "Who else do you think I should talk to about this?"
Finally, don't try to be their friend, be respectful. If they are your seniors, address them Bhaiya/Apu or whatever is appropriate.
I won't lie. Many people were kind enough to mentor me/give me extra advice on their own terms after I reached out.
But it was on their own terms. I did not pester. I simply tried to present myself as honestly as possible, and they thought it was worth taking a shot at me.
𝙎𝙤, 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 .𝙉𝙤𝙬, 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩?
-- Just because you have asked a question, does not mean you will get an answer *immediately*. Most people are busy with grinding their academic/work life, personal life and a lot more, so expecting immediate answers is just entitlement.
--- If someone does not answer immediately, politely remind them five or six days later (maybe on the subsequent weekend because that's when most of us are free).
DO NOT SEND '? / ??? / koi??? ' etc. every two hours.
If they don't answer at all, ask someone else! For every evil person, there are lots of great people like me. 😛 (pun intended)
If you don't get a reply, assume charitably that maybe they just forgot to reply or are having a bad day instead of cursing them.
Most people want to help if you make it easy for them to help.
This is because anyone who is successful received a lot of help to get there.
The question is, how do you reach out in the most courteous and efficient way so that they want to help you.
---
Pronob Sarker Rahul
***This post was first written by Srijon Sheikh Bhai. I modified and edited it by adding more tips and insights from my side.***
Let me know in the comments if you want me to post more tips like this!
