How you communicate is key to landing the career of your dreams. No matter if you are fresh out of college or a seasoned executive. Your comms skills only get more important over time.

So let’s sharpen them together:

1. 📨 DM or email the person (or a company) you want to contact.

Introduce yourself. Especially over email. In 1 short sentence explain who you are, what you do, why are you contacting.

2. 🎯 Get straight to the point.

Ask what you wanted to ask. In 1-2 short sentences. Your last sentence should be a question.

⚠️ DO NOT only say “Hi” and wait for them to reply. You are wasting their time with unnecessary Hi-Hello ping pong.

3. ☎️ Ask them what THEIR preferred communication channel is.

“Would email work best for you?”

⚠️ DO NOT offer “let’s jump on a quick call” early in a conversation, before your contact showed a clear interest in your question. Even worse, don’t offer to meet for a coffee.

🎁 Bonus point:

Be patient.

People worth contacting have their inboxes full with messages just like yours. If the person does not respond in 2 days, send a follow-up on day 3. But not earlier.

P.S. Chance favors the connected mind. Thoughtful communication is how you get your mind connected.