I will be beginning an internship work term in January lasting for 8 months until the end of August (I am currently in my final semester of 3rd year) and will be beginning the application process soon.
I have made contact with a "friend of a friend" who worked for a very large office that I am extremely interested in working for. I contacted someone I use to work with saying I was interested in working for this office, so he then contacted a friend of his who has worked there and asked if he could perhaps be of any assistance to me in obtaining an internship.
I just received a response from him this morning giving me detailed instructions of who to contact, when to call, and how to refine my portfolio to help be a preferred candidate in their internship selection process. He also said that because I come so highly recommended from the friend of his (the person who I use to work with and who I contacted) that I can use his name in I guess my cover letter and when I contact the office by telephone.
What I am wondering though, is how to go about wording it my cover letter and on the telephone. Something a little more elegant than: "yea, I know this guy who knows this guy that use to work for your office. Wanna hire me???". Perhaps someone has some suggestions for a more formal and appropriate way of wording it which might help.
"Your former employee Person X, who was introduced to me by a shared acquaintance, felt my skills are a good fit for your office and suggested I send my resume blah blah..."
I screwed up my etiquette hierarchy (forgive me Miss Manners!): since you are of lower status than Person X in this relationship, it's not he who is introduced to you, it's the opposite. So it should be:
"Your former employee Person X, to whom I was introduced by a shared acquaintance, felt my skills are a good fit for your office and suggested I send my resume blah blah..."
Business Introductions: In business, introductions are based on power and hierarchy. Simply, persons of lesser authority are introduced to persons of greater authority. Gender plays no role in business etiquette; nor does it affect the order of introductions.
For example, you would say, "Mr./Ms. Greater Authority, I would like to introduce Mr./Ms. Lesser Authority." However, the person holding the highest rank may not be Mr./Ms. Greater Authority. A client, for instance, always takes precedence over anyone in your organization, as does an elected official.
That's beautiful... some of the phrases I had started to consider before writing this post would have definitely had my application package tossed out the window.
Make sure you at least have some contact with this person! Start an email conversation about the office, ask them a few questions... just in case someone brings them up in conversation, you have something to talk about! Know what they look like, too.
I once interviewed for a job when I was younger through a "friend of a friend," whom I had never met... disaster struck when we bumped into each other during the interview and had now idea who the other was! Whoops!
Thanks cakeyp, we've started emailing back and forth now and I'm sure we'll be keeping in contact. Unfortunately I've never met him in person, but I am familiar with the work he's done, and the work he's done in the office I'm interested in applying too.
Thanks again
Oct 5, 10 5:35 pm ·
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Proper wording for "A friend of a friend"...
Dear Archinectors,
I will be beginning an internship work term in January lasting for 8 months until the end of August (I am currently in my final semester of 3rd year) and will be beginning the application process soon.
I have made contact with a "friend of a friend" who worked for a very large office that I am extremely interested in working for. I contacted someone I use to work with saying I was interested in working for this office, so he then contacted a friend of his who has worked there and asked if he could perhaps be of any assistance to me in obtaining an internship.
I just received a response from him this morning giving me detailed instructions of who to contact, when to call, and how to refine my portfolio to help be a preferred candidate in their internship selection process. He also said that because I come so highly recommended from the friend of his (the person who I use to work with and who I contacted) that I can use his name in I guess my cover letter and when I contact the office by telephone.
What I am wondering though, is how to go about wording it my cover letter and on the telephone. Something a little more elegant than: "yea, I know this guy who knows this guy that use to work for your office. Wanna hire me???". Perhaps someone has some suggestions for a more formal and appropriate way of wording it which might help.
Thanks.
"Your former employee Person X, who was introduced to me by a shared acquaintance, felt my skills are a good fit for your office and suggested I send my resume blah blah..."
WAIT!
I screwed up my etiquette hierarchy (forgive me Miss Manners!): since you are of lower status than Person X in this relationship, it's not he who is introduced to you, it's the opposite. So it should be:
"Your former employee Person X, to whom I was introduced by a shared acquaintance, felt my skills are a good fit for your office and suggested I send my resume blah blah..."
I verified this mistake via Etiquette International. I love this stuff:
Business Introductions: In business, introductions are based on power and hierarchy. Simply, persons of lesser authority are introduced to persons of greater authority. Gender plays no role in business etiquette; nor does it affect the order of introductions.
For example, you would say, "Mr./Ms. Greater Authority, I would like to introduce Mr./Ms. Lesser Authority." However, the person holding the highest rank may not be Mr./Ms. Greater Authority. A client, for instance, always takes precedence over anyone in your organization, as does an elected official.
You could also use colleague instead of acquaintance, which sounds more formal and perhaps more accurate.
That's beautiful... some of the phrases I had started to consider before writing this post would have definitely had my application package tossed out the window.
Thanks Donna.
Make sure you at least have some contact with this person! Start an email conversation about the office, ask them a few questions... just in case someone brings them up in conversation, you have something to talk about! Know what they look like, too.
I once interviewed for a job when I was younger through a "friend of a friend," whom I had never met... disaster struck when we bumped into each other during the interview and had now idea who the other was! Whoops!
Thanks cakeyp, we've started emailing back and forth now and I'm sure we'll be keeping in contact. Unfortunately I've never met him in person, but I am familiar with the work he's done, and the work he's done in the office I'm interested in applying too.
Thanks again
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