Ya Aly’ Madad —
The Ismaili Professionals Network offers a wide variety of resources to assist in progressing your career. Some of these resources include events and webinars in your local region, webinars to gain knowledge about new industry trends, opportunities to network with other individuals in your industry through our Alliances, curated membership database of Ismaili professionals, resume reviews, as well as a platform to facilitate 1-1 connections with specific criteria.
For access to the following resources, please visit ipnonline.net
- In-Person Events
- Online Events and Webinars
- Email SIG Groups
- Social Media Groups
- And direct access to the membership itself by member search
IPN Connect
IPN Connect is a 1-1 facilitation service to help you get connected with relevant professionals via IPN members and their extended network. Understand that these are general guidelines and that your specific situation may require different or additional steps. The following steps are intended for someone who has prior work experience, is authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship, and is actively looking for a new role. There are two ways to utilize IPN Connect:
1) Looking for a specific introduction to learn and gain advice:
In this case, the more specific the request the better. If you found an interesting individual through IPNOnline – that’s best. If not (and you are unable to find them) in your ask request please include the company, location, industry, seniority – the more specific the better – although a few options help.
2) If you are looking for a job:
If you you have attempted all the offline and online networking you can, applied to numerous jobs, and are still having challenges – IPN connect can potentially be of assistance to introduce you to individuals who can provide you specific industry-appropriate advice. Please be prepared to answer the following:
- What sector/industry do you want to work in?
- Public (think government)?
- Non-profit? Private (think everyone else)?
- Technology? Consulting? Education?
- What size firm are you looking for?
- Do you fit into a Fortune 500 company or a startup?
- Which are you better qualified for?
- Can you explain why in an interview setting?
- What do you know about the industry?
- Can you name the top 3 players?
- Have you researched some challenges the industry faces and who stands out to you as successfully addressing those challenges?
- If you are in school, have you visited your career services?
- What relationships does your university have in the industry you want to work in?
- Is your resume up to date?
- Did you use the above links to make sure your resume is well formatted and polished?
- Does your industry have a specific standard for resumes?
- Have you applied to any positions?
- Did you receive or ask anyone for feedback if you did not get the position?
- Where in the U.S. does this firm have an opportunity for you?
- Are you willing to relocate anywhere?
- What type of networking have you done already?
- Have you exhausted LinkedIn or your college alumni/career services?
- Who have you approached for help? What have been the challenges?
Once you can succinctly answer a few of these questions, then you are ready to start formulating a proper ask for the IPN Connect team.
Here is a rough template for your ask:
Ya ‘Aly Madad IPN Connect Team,
My name is (insert name). I am currently (state current occupation) in (state current city/state). (Insert 1-2 lines about industry you are interested in and why it peaks your interest).
(Insert 1-2 lines about the challenges you currently face, your goals, and how you have attempted to overcome those challenges).
(Insert 1-2 lines about the types of individuals you want to connect with and why you know they are the best people for you to reach out to).
Sincerely,
IPN Member
Tips for Honing in your ask:
Many requests IPN receives are very broad. To enable the IPN Connect team the best chance of success in finding connections, we request that you please make your ask as specific as possible.
Example of what NOT to say:
YAM,
I am looking for a job in any IT or technical related field. I currently have a bachelor’s degree. If you know of any job openings please let me know.
Regards,
Job Seeker
Rather…
Ya Ali Madad,
I am looking currently looking for a job in front end web development. I have a bachelor’s degree and 5 years of experience doing front-end working at company XYZ. Working at such a large company XYZ made me want to have more ownership over my work, so I’m very interested in startups. I am currently in Atlanta but am willing to relocate to Texas.
I have applied to companies ABC and received interviews with one. I unfortunately didn’t get the position and the feedback I received was that they were looking for someone more senior. I have now starting looking at Startups A, B, and C in Texas that look like they would be a match for the type of environment where I want to work as well as my experience level. I interviewed at Startup D which is similar to A, B, and C, and I did not get an interview. If there are any IPN members within the network at those companies I would love to connect with them and learn more about what it takes to work at one of those companies.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Job Seeker
Here is another example of an ask that needs work:
YAM,
I am currently look for an internship in the clean energy sector in the engineering field for summer 2018.
Regards,
Ismaili Student
After putting more time and thought into her/his ask, Ismaili Student’s ask should be more like this one:
Ya Ali Madad,
I’m a junior at Texas A&M studying electrical engineering. Over the course of my studies and my extra-curricular activities I’ve realized I am passionate about the field of clean energy.
During my internship search I have been using my school’s career resources to get resume advice, networking tips, and internship interviews in the sector. One area that my school’s career resources have been lacking is ties to companies in the clean energy sector on the west coast. If there are any members of the IPN on the west coast working in the clean energy sector I would love to connect with them. I have a list of specific companies on the west coast I can share as well.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Ismaili Student
If you are a job seeker that is having a very difficult time honing in on an ask for the types of individuals you would like to connect with, think about the story you’re trying to tell employers in job interviews. Most job seekers have a handful of stories each for different jobs they are applying for. Before you reach out to the IPN Connect team, please try your best to have as specific a request as possible before reaching out.
Reaching out to the IPN Connect Team
Once you have honed in on your ask, and have reviewed IPN’s curated job search resources please reach out to the IPN Connect team by submitting a request to [email protected]. Please ensure that you are responding to the IPN Connect team in a timely manner (24-48 hours between emails). The IPN Connect team responds to requests promptly and expects the same from IPN members who are serious about utilizing this service.
