How far back into the past can a viable connection stretch?
September 10, 2010 12:51 AM   Subscribe

I have a connection from long ago that seems like it might be very useful indeed to my fledgling career; is it still viable? Details within!

Back when I was primary-school age, my family were excellent friends with another family. We hung out all the time, and I was best friends with their young boy, who was the same age as me. This went on for about three years or so, before both families moved abroad and went on to better brighter things.

Now, about fifteen years on, the father of the other family is the CEO of one of the world's largest multinational corporations, and I'm soon to graduate with a degree that was spent learning all about the corporation in question's primary suite of products. I'd love to get into their grad program: is it unethical or unrealistic to hope to somehow exploit my past with the CEO? If so, were I to make it into the grad program without reviving the connection, would it then be appropriate to make contact?
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot to Work & Money (11 answers total)
 
Totally. People do this all the time. Just send him a letter or email saying hello, explaining your situation and telling him you'd love to work for his company. It's very unlikely to get you a job - but there's a good chance it'll get you an interview at which point you'll get the job if you're good enough. I wouldn't worry about the ethics of it - it's not really any different to networking in other ways, which everyone successful does and besides, if you're not up to scratch, they almost certainly will say "thanks for your interest, but no thanks."
posted by rhymer at 1:25 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


Personally, I don't see a problem with this at all. Too much in life is who you know, for better or for worse, and there's no reason to squander a connection—if not necessarily for preferential treatment, then at least for advice, or just to take advantage of being able to discuss things with someone with experience and wisdom in the area you want.

If the father would remember you outright, I'd consider sending a letter re-introducing yourself and explaining that you're not only interested in his company's product, but actively engaged in pursuing a career in it, and you'd love to possibly take a few minutes of his time on the phone discussing the best course of action and any advice he may have.

If your parents happen to keep in touch, which it doesn't sound like they do, have them make the re-introduction, explaining that you're interested in the field.

Unethical comes into play more with pure nepotism: when someone who is unqualified or underqualified is brought in and given advantages they don't deserve, because they're related or very close to the individual in question. Making use of the contacts and connections you have when you're already interested in the field and otherwise capable is just good common sense.
posted by disillusioned at 1:25 AM on September 10, 2010


Be aware however that the chief exec of a large global company is going to be many tiers removed from substantive decisions about hiring grads. Were his office to intervene in this process, it would look highly inappropriate and reflect poorly on him.

Nepotism usually plays out by you being invited to intern in the team of your contact (or someone to who they're close). You do a good job and the internship is parlayed into a permanent job. It would be unusual for someone with that much clout to intervene in a routine, prosaic process - hiring grads - unless there were a strong strategic rationale for the business, child of primary client for instance. And even then the candidate would likely need to make the grade on a objective basis.
posted by dmt at 2:38 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: That's what I fear, dmt. This guy is A Big Deal, and it's not as if I can just shoot him an email without it passing through several layers of filters. He has an active LinkedIn profile, but even that's a bit of a long shot. Excellent point on his stature making things actually a bit harder.
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 2:50 AM on September 10, 2010


You may avoid issue of looking inappropriate by contacting the CEO for advice about who to talk to about the programme with his company, rather than for help getting in. He'll most likely tell someone else to follow up, but that's a great start. Any indication that the CEO thinks you are someone to consider (not necessarily hire on, but consider) is a big step in the right direction. Also, you haven't asked for consideration, just information about the programme.

This kind of thing is done more than you think, and as long as you are looking for professional advice and mentorship, it's not a negative. Great business people rely on their contacts and network to learn and find opportunities. Those that rely on the network to hire them without credential are going to look bad to somebody. You are not in that situation. Go for it.
posted by qwip at 3:29 AM on September 10, 2010 [7 favorites]


Note that if you have a web site showcasing your work, he may be curious enough to look at it.
posted by amtho at 4:17 AM on September 10, 2010


What happens with many large companies is that internally recommended CVs will get past the screening stage but won't have any advantages at the interview stage, it certainly isn't unethical.
posted by atrazine at 4:51 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


Did you keep in contact prior to needing a job?
posted by gjc at 5:13 AM on September 10, 2010


Seconding what atrazine says. I handle some recruiting for my department (an elite, small group in a multinational company), and we very often do initial interviews with people whose resumes are sent to us by Senior VPs (and higher) from elsewhere in the company. We don't give them any special treatment besides getting that first interview.
posted by telegraph at 5:16 AM on September 10, 2010


Parents tend to have fond memories of their kid's playmates. Especially if their kid is grown up and out of the house. It's definitely an exploitable connection. I'd send him an actual letter, though, not just an email.
posted by empath at 5:32 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


What about contacting his son, who you used to play with? He's probably more accessible and could give you a feel for how helpful his father might be.
posted by earth oddity at 10:31 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


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