Informational reconnaissance opportunities abound at job fairs

Job fairs are wonderful places for #mpits or military professionals in transition to practice informational reconnaissance.

Keith Cassant, ๐™ˆ๐˜ผ๐™Š๐™‡, ๐™Ž๐™‹๐™ƒ๐™, ๐˜พ๐™€๐™ƒ, one of the Military Transition Roundtable facilitators and advisors, posted that he was traveling to El Paso for a job fair.

I reposted Keith’s post so that others could see this opportunity, but I also used this to share some key thoughts on what I would term as informational reconnaissance or “info recon.”

If you are someone in transition and attending a job fair, here are some basic steps to make a quality connection with someone like Keith.

First, look up Keith’s LinkedIn profile.(https://lnkd.in/gsrswUxa).

If you are going to attend this job fair, write a connection note with something like this:

“Keith, I’m a soldier who is retiring next year. I am working in information assurance and would like to meet you to discuss post-military opportunities”

Second, show a little patience.

It may take Keith a couple of days to respond to your connection. While I know my friend is usually responsive to LinkedIn messages, not everyone reads through their connection requests every day. If I wanted to truly connect with Keith, I might look at his corporate profile and send an email.

If there was more than 10 days before an event like this, I might even send him a short note.

Even better, if a friend knew Keith and had his phone number, I’d call Keith and mention that his friend suggested I call him.

Third, make sure to talk to Keith at the job fair and then follow up with a note.

May I suggest something like this: “Keith, thanks for taking the time to meet with me about the path I need to take to get the training I would need to qualify as a candidate.”

Fourth, suggest a follow-up meeting and bring something of value to the conversation.

Perhaps, it’s a referral to something Keith needs like the name of other candidates who may be available before your departure from military service.

Or, you heard that Keith had a son or daughter who wanted to go to your college. Maybe, you know a recent graduate that could assist Keith’s child make an informed choice about college or a major.

Now that Covid-19 is over, #mpits will see more chances to meet professionals like Keith in person. I have to admit that not every recruiter will respond like him, but my experience is that you’ll find some truly amazing resources during your transition.

 

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