Hi Sue,
I want to apply for a position I found at Heidegger’s Transparency Institute. It would be for a policy research role. When I went on LinkedIn to find people who work there, I found that a former colleague who I got along wonderfully with, is on the Board of Directors.
I sent her a nice message, explained how I found her, wished the family well and asked if she would be willing to get coffee and chat about non-profits and policy. Eek! I wanted to make the connection between us, the work and the job opening without saying all that. I am really hoping that this was all proper etiquette.
One question, is: The job has been posted a week. Do I wait to hear back/hopefully meet before applying? Or go ahead and submit?
Thanks to you and the Action Accountability Group for helping me be a risk taker!
Sally
Hi Sally,
Thanks for your note. The nuances of managing job search and relationships take some thinking through to master them, just like you are doing.
Your approach to your former colleague is perfect and fills in the middle steps before asking if she knows of the opening, what they’re looking for, if she can advocate for you, etc. Please slow down about asking about the role. Sometimes there are other changes or information that is relevant to your desire to apply in the first place. Also, your friend can give you insight into how you might fit in there, or even other options unrelated to Heidegger that exist out in the community that may interest you. As you may recall, the first practice we adopt in transition is expanding our seeing of opportunity and where we might fit in.
If you get to talk with her, you may find there is a search committee or recruitment firm who is leading the process and that is additional information for you to use for navigating. Depending on the guidelines of this particular organization, as a Board or even committee member she may not be in a position to talk about anything. I know you don’t want to put her in a difficult situation. The gentle approach you’ve adopted mitigates the risk of her having to shut down contact.
Yes, it would be better to talk with her before you apply, which brings up the second part of your question: As far as how long you can you wait to apply –
Does the post say anything about when submissions need to be received? If it’s a month, then you get to wait to see if you and your friend can connect. You could wait till the second last day, if you know it, to apply, to allow you time to see your friend. I say second last because sometimes there are glitches in our timing or the system and that still would leave you a day to make changes, reload, etc.
Since this is a smaller organization, one option is to call and ask whomever answers the phone how long the position will be available. You would add that you are intending to apply within their window and would like to talk to someone you know about it so you can include more insight in your cover letter/application. The idea is to convey your excitement along with seeking knowledge.
When it’s a larger organization, you can try calling the hiring department or HR.
Since at this time it is just before the end-of-year holidays, we don’t know if the posting will be given a full month. If you are unable to find the date the job post is closing, I would apply by the last business day of the year.
It sounds like this could be a really good opportunity for you, using your favorite strengths. I can’t wait to hear what you find out and how the opportunity unfolds. So glad you’re pursuing it.
Hope this helps,
Sue Nelson
P.S. To those who are reading this blog post:
This column and article fit into a much larger coaching philosophy and practice that we can’t address in these pages. There are several blog posts tagged as coaching. Searching for that term will help you find other suggestions to help you in your transition. In the meantime, if you need assistance, or you’d like to know more about what coaching through The Job Search Center entails, please email me at Sue@TheJobSearchCenter.com or call 216.395.7433.