Effective Writing for Online Networking in Data Science
How you can make cold emails and messages work
The world is about networking today. The more people you know the easier it gets to navigate careers, find jobs and live your life, to be honest. But gone are the days of local meetups, conferences and networking events. Thanks to the great online platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) which have kept us connected even the world shut down due to Covid.
In my career, I attribute most opportunities or interviews I received, to networking or approaching people on LinkedIn or through cold emails.
This post is all about what I have learned while approaching people online. What increases and decreases your chances of getting a reply. My experience is mostly based on emailing and LinkedIn but I am sure the tips apply to any platform and field. These would help you get the most out of your connection.
Things to not do while approaching someone
This section is very subjective and based on my own opinion. But following these have definitely helped me get replies which have lead to productive discussions.
Using salutations
To avoid accidentally offending someone before you know their preferred pronouns, it’s important to use gender-neutral pronouns. Unless the person has identified himself/herself as male or female, it’s best to address the person by their name.
Like in this case the person addressed me as sir. This is a very common mistake when we are mass emailing.
Don’t send just greetings
I am not sure how and why to reply to messages without a body. I got these on LinkedIn which is a professional networking platform. Don’t waste your time sending Hi, Hello messages and expect a response. Actionable items will always help in keeping a straightforward conversation.
Writing long unstructured messages
The only problem I have with this message is its ill structure. The message could have been better framed by writing it in one single point.
Hey, do you mind answering the following question-
How to get into Data Science — Learn to use libraries or focus on the basics?
Understanding that everyone’s time is precious and framing the questions in a better way would save time(both yours and the person you want some value out of). I could have answered the question in a better way if only it as framed better.
Keeping the email/message short and in points makes it readable.
Asking for mobile number
I have been asked this multiple times and eventually, I just ignore such requests. I understand that sometimes asking for number is not coming from a bad intention but still respecting someone’s privacy should be very obvious. Most of the time the person states the best way of contacting them. Is not you could politely ask ~‘What is the best way I can reach you?’
Asking abstract questions
Of course the message started with a ‘Hi Purvanshi’ to which I was not sure how to reply to. The second message is more targeted but isn’t specific.
- Little bit about my experience ~ professionally? already everything is on my LinkedIn or was this for the grad school application process? If that’s the case what exact questions were the person looking for? Help in choosing the Universities? Or is it catered towards the visa procedure? Basically, the missing point is experience related to what?
- My profile at the time of applying ~ Again not sure what part of this is not on my LinkedIn profile. Maybe the person wanted me to list my experience before applying to Grad school?
Such open-ended questions are confusing and difficult to reply to. Asking clear specific questions is the best way to go.
How to construct messages/emails
The psychology behind approaching a person is important. Hence, always think the other person’s time is precious and you want to grab his/her attention in crisp, short messages. Constructing to the point messages is the key.
Writing in points
If you have questions, to ask write in the form of points.
If you have multiple things to discuss, write in points.
If there are unrelated topics you want to write about — break-in paragraphs.
You can also give bold titles to your paragraphs. Points not only help in skimming fast but also are better to reply to.
This particular message has targeted questions with points that makes it easier for someone to reply.
Giving a common reference
Sometimes giving a common reference like same University/ same company or if you have met the person in a conference helps in grabbing attention. A common reference could also be a topic that the person works on/ software he open sourced/ paper he wrote which you are also interested to learn about.
Here is an example -
This email has a good starting reference, broken down into paragraphs which makes it easier to read and finally has actionable content ‘If you don’t mind hopping on a call’.
The person doesn’t make assumptions that I would be ready to take the call and asks politely.
Improving the quality of questions
The more the questions are targeted and specific, the better value you can get out of the conversation. Here is an example —
Someone asked me on a call the other day ~
Can you talk about culture at Microsoft
Nothing is wrong with this question but I replied it’s good, people are so supportive and so on. Not much value was extracted.
To make it more targeted I would have asked -
- On average how many hours do you work?
- How hard are the deadlines? Do you have to be on call at times?
- How much does the team consider your personal choices in the work allotted to you?
These are more targeted and probably will provide you with more information.
Conclusion
Online networking is a skill and if learned the opportunities are endless. No one is restricted to approach anyone but doing it the right way which benefits you is something to learn. These are some of the tips I have learned from my experience. If there is any other which was useful for you, feel free to message me on purvanshi.mehta11@gmail.com and I will include in this post with credits.
