Have you reached out to a college alum that you don’t know personally to discuss a role at a company you’re interested in based on connections on LinkedIn? Maybe even ask for a referral?


Curious if anyone has had luck with that approach in a job search?

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It is always a GREAT idea to set up coffee chats with people in your industry or in a company that you are interested in. I have not done this as much as I should have, but I have cold messaged people on LinkedIn and had short conversations online

I've done this and it works better than you'd think—alumni connections have a built-in icebreaker. Keep the message short: mention the shared school, say you're exploring opportunities at their company, and ask for a 15-minute informational chat (not a referral upfront). Most people are willing to help if you're respectful of their time. After the call, if it goes well, then ask if they'd be comfortable referring you. I got two interviews this way last year. Pro tip: personalize every message—mention something specific from their profile so it doesn't feel like a copy-paste blast. People can tell when you've actually read their background vs. just hitting up every alum at the company.

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