Who to speak to?

Have a name and a job title
You can get names through the organisation’s website, trade press (find out who’s doing what and get a relevant name from there) or receptionists. If you can come up with a point of reference, then so much the better, for example, If you want to work in television, get the name of the producer of the BBC News at Ten, and contact them.

Go for people at all different levels
Someone in their first job could give you all sorts of helpful hints based on their recent experience
A senior manager within the organisation could give you great insights into the field at the moment
Middle managers would be able to give you a clear idea of what opportunities are out there, and what they would look for in a new recruit.

Approach your ‘warm’ contacts
Although you may not know anyone working in the field you’re aiming at directly, it may well be that there is someone helpful in your extended network.
Have a think about your friends’ friends, your family’s friends, and your colleague networks, and see if there is any potential help for you there.

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How to approach them?

Email, post, phone or face to face?

• In general, it’s fair to say that the best way to engage someone and ensure that they remember you is to meet them face to face, the next best is by phone, and then lastly email or post.
• I think I would probably favour a phone call to arrange a meeting, with perhaps with perhaps and emailed CV to confirm the meeting the day before.
• If you phone, always check then that it’s an OK time for them, explain how long your likely to want to talk for, and then stick to it.

What to ask for?

• Feedback on your CV or portfolio
• Advice on where to look for jobs (where do they advertise) or how to approach organisations
• What’s going on in the industry at the moment
• What they look for in a new recruit
• What their job is like and how they got there (never underestimate how much people love to talk about themselves!)

And if this still sounds terrifying?

• Prepare a ‘script’ – just a few bullet points to ensure that you don’t dry up and don’t forget anything crucial.
• Stand up when you call – you will feel and sound more professional and confident.
• Email them first - tell them when you are going to call. This will make your conversation on the phone easier to start as you’ve got something to refer back to, and it will also force you to make the call when you promised to – no chance for procrastination!
• The more you do, the more comfortable you will feel - Get a list of ten people to call, and do them all on one morning. By then end you will feel much more blasé about the whole thing.
• Use a go-between – If the person you want to contact is a ‘warm’ contact, then there is an obvious intermediary (for example they are a friend of a friend). You could always ask them to approach the contact on your behalf to see if they would mind you contacting them direct.
• ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ - If they say no, they say no.