Someone cold emailed *ME* asking for advice
A reflection on the other side of the mentoring table.
Takeaways:
- Prove to your mentor that you're motivated, and not a waste of time.
- It is not necessary to have novel or sophisticated questions. They may appreciate simple, "low ball" (but good) questions.
- Don't be overly worried about taking their time. If you show motivated and have reasonably good questions, they will be happy to help.
After many cold emails sent seeking advice while building Timestamps, I was surprised to receive a cold outreach (via Twitter) myself earlier this week. A young engineer noticed an announcement for a talk I'm giving at the Audio Developers' Conference, and reached out.
We chatted a bit, and then he asked for a call. I guard my time closely, so I was wary, but after remembering everyone who has taken time to help me, I obliged. I'm glad I did.
Being only four years out of college myself, I don't see myself as someone with extensive industry experience. I didn't think I had much to offer.
But during the conversation, I surprised myself with how opinionated I was, and how much I had to say. In truth, I have learned a lot along the way, and can indeed offer guidance for people starting in tech. He asked quite straightforward questions like "What advice do you have for standing out when interviewing for an internship?", which I actually appreciated. I didn't need to think hard about this - I immediately had advice to give.
The takeaway is that your questions to mentors don't need to be novel, clever or particularly sophisticated. It might even be better if they're not.
It felt good to help because this individual was clearly motivated. He hustled to get in touch with me after all! It didn't feel like I was wasting my time, and I was happy to stay on the call a bit longer than I planned.
When I'm the one reaching out, I always feel overly worried about taking the other person's time. I need to get over that. If other people are as happy to help as I was, then this is nothing to worry about.
