Networking

They say the key to getting a good job is knowing someone on the inside. Well, with one company so far, that's backfired on me. The folks looking at my resume decided I was getting too much help from my friend on the inside and so declined my application. But it is still true that connections more often help than hinder.

Two weeks ago, my mom and step-father went to his forty-year high school reunion. There they ran into an old friend of his who just happens to be a cardiologist living in Greenwich, CT. Greenwich is the next town over from Stamford (and even more wealthy). He told my parent's to have me call him, and so I did, thinking that it'd be nice to know someone else in this area. He then told me about all the high-profile patients he has and how he'd love to drop my resume to them. He asked me to email him my resume and meet with him for lunch last Thursday so he could get to know me.

Well, apparently, he forwarded my resume the same day he received it to a friend of his who runs a hedge fund across the street from his office in Greenwich. This guy then calls me to talk about how to apply my mathematical skills to the financial world. I'm thinking, wow, how wonderful of this guy to call and chat with me and give me all this information simply on the word of a friend of his whom I have yet to meet! But that's not all; the hedge fund guy then asks me to come in to his office and meet with him before lunch with the doctor on Thursday. He says he wants to talk about my resume, my experiences, and my skills.

It sounded like an interview to me, but I still thought perhaps he was just being helpful and preferred to talk in person. But I went, with extra copies of my resume, and met with him. I drove down to his office. He was incredibly personable and friendly, smiling and making jokes about the decor of his office. We talked about his hedge fund, how it works, and how I could fit into that picture. We talked about ballroom dancing, he's also a competitor. We talked about my schooling, my research, my interests. He even gave me a tour of the whole office, and introduced me to some of the other folks working there. Then he asked for some writing samples, and told me he'd talk to his team about hiring me! Could this possibly be true?

After my meeting/interview, I went and met the doctor for lunch. He was also very nice, and took me to a small seafood place for lunch (where he knew half of the other patrons there). We also talked about my past, present, and future, and he offered to help me in any way he could. He knows a lot of people working in and around Greenwich, and took some copies of my resume to hand out to them. He even offered to help my girlfriend land a singing gig with a wealthy, opera-loving lady in the area.

I am so lucky to be meeting such genuinely good people.