As we've discussed, meeting people, forming relationships, and having conversations are the key pieces to getting your foot in the door at any company. It's important to be proactive in your approach to outreach and networking, so it's necessary to make a plan for what you'll try to further your networking.
Identify a contact you will reach out to by the end of this module. This could be a mentor, alum, or anyone from your current network. Describe:
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Who your contact is, why you want to connect with them, and what you want to talk about My contact is Grant Nessler. He was a graduate of the 1608 Front-End program. I am interested int speaking with him for a few reasons; he lives in the Austin area which is a place I have considered looking for jobs after Turing but is also a place I have never been to. I'd like to hear his perspective on the general feel of the city and what sort of opportunities he thinks there are for Junior FE devs out there. Also, he works for a scripting company, meaning he is likely a combination of developer and IT. Coming from an IT background myself, I was interested in looking into ways I might increase my value with this combined skillset. I don't know much about the dev side of IT so some tidbits on that would bne excellent.
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When you will contact them by and how you plan to meet Since he is in Austin, I don't think we'll be able to meet in person but I have shot him a message on LinkedIn introducing myself and explaining why I am reaching out.
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What your follow-up will look like once you've met with them Once we have made first contact, I'd probably try to check in with him in an unobtrusive way, such as over Slack and feel out whether he would be open to periodic check-in video chats
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What other steps will you take to start building a stronger network in the tech community? I have been seeking out former contacts I was friendly with at past companies to see which relationships from my past might bear some networking opportinities now that I have changed fields. In addition, I plan to do to the upcoming Startup Week and try to glean some info about the general landscape of what working in the industry might look like, as well as try to strike up conversation with potential new coding friends and contacts.