At Parker Dewey, we love connecting college students and recent grads with companies offering short-term, paid, professional projects! We also love when we can help bring these two groups, along with career service professionals, faculty, organizational leaders, recruiters, and hiring managers, together to share knowledge that helps our entire network!

Our monthly feature: You Asked, They Answered, helps those looking to launch their career get the inside scoop on all things related to finding the right job after graduation.

This month's question:

"What is the best way to reach out to a recruiter you haven't met before? (i.e. example a recruiter, alum, or another professional you found on LinkedIn)"

To answer, we tapped our network of early career and career service professionals. Here's what they had to say.

Sean Lynott, Senior Campus Recruiter, T-Mobile: 

"I love it when students ping me on LinkedIn to introduce themselves! One piece of advice: ask the recruiter if it’s all right to email them for future questions instead of trying to schedule a 15–30-minute phone call. While we love talking to students, most of us don’t have enough time in the day to speak with all the students who reach out to us. Email is much more manageable."

Linda Harvey, Founder and Principal of Linda L. Harvey & Career Development

"Start following that person on LinkedIn. Comment on their posts if they have any. Look for relevant content of potential interest to them and then use that as a point of entry to start a dialog via email. Be specific when asking them for advice and counsel—make it easy for them to help you connect to info, to others in the organization and to opportunities. Avoid being too general in your ask because they won't have the time or inclination to think about how to help you and may ghost you instead. Use your own interests as an opening to try to connect with them as a resource and then always offer to return the favor and help them in any way that you can." 

TL;DR: Make it as easy as possible for recruiters: be mindful of their time, get specific in your ask, and don't be afraid to reach out via LinkedIn. For tips on navigating LinkedIn (plus much more), check out our new Career Launcher LinkedIn group!