Ask Questions: 5 Honest Career Tips for 2019
Tip #2 in our Career Tips for 2019 is *drum roll*… Ask Questions!
We heard it as children, and we’ll hear it until the day we retire: “If you never ask, the answer will always be no.”
- If you found someone on LinkedIn that’s doing something you want to do, ASK!
- If there’s something you want to learn but aren’t sure how to get started, ASK!
- If you’re not sure if your socks are black or navy blue, ASK!
Let’s pretend you’re interested in Sports Management and you want to send an email to someone who is working in a role you’d like to explore. Here’s an example of how you could message them using LinkedIn:
Hi X,
My name is Y and I’m currently studying Sports Management. I’ve noticed that you work at Z Company as a Media Relations Manager. I’m very interested in learning more about this field and was wondering if you would be available to have a quick chat with me about how you’ve progressed in your career and any potential tips you may have.
Thanks so much for your time,
(Sign name)
We’re not going to lie and say it’s easy to send a message on LinkedIn; sometimes asking takes a lot of courage. But answer this truthfully: would you rather spend five scary seconds asking a question or 5 years working a job you don’t like? These are other great tips for connecting on LinkedIn.
You might be thinking “Ah! What if they don’t answer me!” or if you’re feeling a litttleee over confident, “They can’t not reply to me!” Regardless of how comfortable you feel asking a question, remember to draft the question, re-read it, send to someone you trust for feedback, and THEN ask. It takes courage to do the asking, but it also takes control, maturity, and care to hold off on blurting out the question.
If at first you’re too nervous to ask, that’s okay! Do an online search and see if you can find an answer or a source that can lead you to an answer. Don’t spend the rest of your professional life assuming; get out there and ask!
Check out our other Career Tips here.
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