If you ask young professionals who they would love to sit down with for an informational interview they will reach for the sky. They will say something like; my state’s governor, a Supreme Court Justice, Tim Cook, Kobe Bryant, Sheryl Sandberg etc. Now let’s suspend reality for a moment and imagine this conversation. What relevant advice can that professional provide that young fellow? The best that they can do is provide some generic inspiration that anyone could find in their book or with a simple google search.
The point that many information seekers miss is that the person that has the most value is just one to two steps ahead of where they think they want to go.
By asking these people “what do you wish you knew when you were in my shoes?” these meetings can help provide immense clarity. This network of people were just in her shoes a few years ago and their advice is going to be infinitely more relevant than someone 50 or even 20 years down the line.
The world is changing so quickly that we can’t depend on information or advice that is irrelevant.
Instead of only focusing on thought leaders and swinging for the fences, try finding people who are doing what you want to do right now. Use networking app Shapr to find others in your field working at interesting companies who have job titles that intrigue you and ask them to coffee. Learn from them. Ask questions and then ask how you can help them in their own careers. And for the seasoned veterans, there is a lot you can learn from the up and comers.
Guest article contributed by Ammar Shallal, a Shapr user based in New York City. Ammar leads Business Development at Eleven Eleven PR and has 10 years of career development experience.
Want to meet and learn from others in your field? Download Shapr, the free professional networking all for iOS and Android.
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