How A Bible Major Got Career Advice From 7 Senior Business Execs.
Think of a position you would love to hold someday or a dream you would love to see come to fruition.
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Maybe you want to be a doctor, or create a business. You might want to be a business exec, just like the people I talked too. Who knows, your dream might be janitorial service. Whatever you want to do, your road there will be shorter with advice from those at the top of that game. And,
IT IS FAR EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO GET IN CONTACT WITH THEM.
I’m a college student studying theology. However, I recently realized I may be interested in combining ministry with entrepreneurship. As such, I wanted to figure out a.) if that would work for me and b.) how to make it happen.
I’ve since decided on a plan to end up with two Master’s degrees and two years of work experience by the time I turn 25, and then create a business/church/service initiative all in one. My inspiration came from seven business executives, as well as people outside the business world. I had anywhere from thirty to ninety minute phone calls with each of those people, and they were the ones to nurture my dreams into an actionable vision.
Now I’ll be upfront with you here.
You want to know my first steps to getting career advice from a bunch of senior executives? I called my dad. He’s a consultant with 15+ years working at various firms.
I basically just said “Hey, I might want to do either an MBA or an M.Div. Got any friends who’ve done one or both?” Within a month, I had a bunch of administrative assistants CC’ing me on Google Calendar appointments for “Career Call with Lorne Jaques”.
Frankly though,
There is far more to this story. Yes, my dad was the one who asked people to talk to me, but getting in touch with people is the easiest part of this process. If you want to do the same thing, you need to know why those people agreed to talk to me.
Here’s the thing. One guy I called is the VP of Oil and Gas at a major company. Another co-founded a major tech firm in Boston. A week ago, I called someone who literally had to put me on hold so he could approve a huge purchase. Needless to say, all of these guys are exceptionally busy.
Frankly, there’s nothing special about me to motivate successful business people into talking to me. Yet, each of them committed an hour of their lives to talk to about MY career. To make sense of why, we need to step back a little.
I’m a senior in college.
I’ll graduate within the next year, and at that point, the world is open. I don’t know why the future after college captivates my imagination, but I know it does. I cannot wait for the next few years of my life, and I’m invested in making sure those years are used in the best possible way.
The last guy I talked to had a senior position at a top consulting firm. While we were talking, he kept harping on how many options I had before me, and how much fun there is in a place like that. Frankly, every person I talked to stressed that.
- The first reason a bunch of busy businessmen said yes to hour long phone calls with a 20 year old guy is because their twenties have come and gone. The world is wide open to me, but theirs is closing down. Whether they realize it or not, these guys see a little bit of their younger self in me.
- Second, people are naturally inclined to teach others. I was talking to my dad about this recently. He said that whether they’re parents or not, most people in their forties or fifties have some parental instincts. People have a natural desire to pass along knowledge that they’ve gained in their life.
- Finally, I essentially invited these people to play interview tee-ball. Everything was set up perfectly for them to hit a homerun. Sure, I asked them about their profession, but the questions were more pointed at the big life choices they made, why they made them, and whether their choices were the right ones. They’re obviously the biggest experts on their own life, and everyone loves being able to talk about what they know and are passionate about.
So what now?
You say you want to do the same thing? Well, it’s easier than you’d think.
Step 0: Remember the worst thing someone can say is no.
It can be scary reaching out about stuff like this. At the end of the day though, you have literally nothing to lose and everything to gain. So get started, and don’t let fear keep you down.
Step 1: Identify your people.
Think of that job you want or that thing you want to create. Figure out who’s doing it already, and then figure out which of them is doing it best. Like I said, this part started out easy for me; all I had to do was call my dad. Your research may start on Google or Linkedin. Just start somewhere and find some people.
One guy I wanted to get in touch with was Ben Arment. He made the transition from being a church planter to running a major conference to now writing a novel full time. He sounded super interesting to me, and I wanted at least some feedback from him.
The thing is I read about him in a book, so I had no connections to get me started. I just wanted to get an answer to a few questions, so I sent them over email rather than trying for a phone call. We’ll walk through what I did to get in touch with him in a way you can replicate.
Step 2: Get in contact.
Like I said, this is the easiest part.
- If you have a mutual connection with a person, ask that connection to introduce you to them.
- If you don’t have connections with a person, you can find a way to get in touch pretty quick.
In Ben’s case, he had his own website, and after maybe five minutes I found his “email me” button. Just about everyone has at least one way to get in contact with them, and it won’t take you long to find either. Again, Linkedin, Facebook, and Google are great places to start.
Step 3: Make their life as easy as possible.
Introduce yourself clearly, and explicitly state why you want to talk. If you want to schedule a phone call, assume they’ll say yes to their request. Give them dates and times that you’re available. It makes scheduling that much easier for them. This is an example of an email that got me an hour long phone call.
Also remind people how they know you, if you know them at all. Additionally, give them some direction as far as what you want to talk about. If you don’t know them, that requires a slightly different form.
This is my email to Ben. I introduce myself, and use that to transition into how I heard about him. Then I give context to my questions. Neither of those questions start with “why” but both of them address his motivation behind making certain choices. That makes his answer a lot more open ended. I end with a little description that tells why I want to know about what I’m asking. As much as the questions are open ended, my background directs his answers to my particular interests.
Ben’s response was a few paragraphs long, and he actually encouraged me to keep in touch with him.
In short, give them just enough info to know why you’re talking to them, and then ask them what you want to know.
Step 4: Keep trying.
I promise you that most people are open and willing to talk about this kind of stuff, especially those who are a little older. However, not everyone is. You may have people who never respond or say no to talking.
At one point, I emailed a senior exec to talk, and our phone call was one of the better ones I had. His response to my first email said he would have his administrative assistant set up a time for us to talk, but he didn’t CC her on the email, and I didn’t hear back for another week.
I initially thought it may have been his way of saying no to talking, but I emailed him again, and we ended up finding a time to talk. A second email a week or so after the first is a tasteful way to remind people that you exist and want to talk to them.
In conclusion,
You can freaking do this. Anyone can, and at the end of the day, you literally lose nothing by trying. If you have any success as a result of this, let me know.
