When you know what (not) to say, reaching out to strangers for your job hunt becomes less awkward and more effective.
当你知道该说什么（或不该说什么）时，联系陌生人来寻求工作机会就不会显得那么尴尬，反而更加有效了。
Maybe it’s been a few months since you’ve graduated and you’re getting anxious to land a job. Or maybe you’re further on in your career and looking to move into a new industry. In either case, there’s one major hitch: You’ve heard how helpful it can be to reach out to people outside of your network. But the idea of cold-emailing old contacts and people you don’t know at all seems awkward, uncomfortable, and–let’s be honest–pretty much hopeless.
或许你已经毕业好几个月了，渐渐地，你开始有些焦急地想把工作落实。又或者你想在事业上更进一步，希望踏入一个新的行业。无论是哪种情况，都有一个主要的难题：你听别人说在自己的社交网络之外与人多做接触非常的有帮助。但是，你认为发送陌生邮件给你根本不认识的人似乎有些尴尬，还令人不舒服，而且不得不诚实地说——几乎没什么希望。
It doesn’t have to be. In truth, contacting strangers for networking opportunities and, ultimately, job leads can actually pay off–just as long as you know what (and what not) to say. And since your goal is just to clinch an opportunity for an offline conversation, the emails you need to write are probably more straightforward–and effective–than you may think.
其实不必如此。事实上，与陌生人联系很可能会获得社交机会以及最后获得工作机会，只要你知道什么该说（什么不该说）。既然你的目标只是想让自己有机会和对方进行面谈，那么你需要写的邮件内容可能比你想象的还更直接、更有效。
THE INTRO EMAIL
介绍性电子邮件
Your very first email should be the most thorough, but that doesn’t mean it should be long. Here’s a template you can adapt:
你的第一封邮件内容应该是最详尽的，但这并不意味着它很冗长。这里有一个模板供你修改：
Dear [first name],
亲爱的[对方的名字]，
My name is Samantha Daniels, and I’m a recent college graduate from the University of Southern California, which I saw you graduated from as well.
我的名字是萨曼莎·丹尼尔斯。我是一名刚从南加州大学毕业的大学生，我知道您也毕业于该校。
I’m reaching out because I noticed from my research on LinkedIn that you work at Edelman, and your career journey is so inspiring. I’m impressed by how quickly you’ve been able to move up within the last four years after starting as an intern before. That would be a dream come true for me.
与您联系是因为我在领英上注意到您在Edelman工作，您的职业生涯是如此的鼓舞人心。在过去的四年里，您从一个实习生晋升到现在的职务，如此大的提升让我印象深刻。我也想像您一样实现自己的梦想。
It would be great to learn more about your experience in the PR industry and the qualities you feel have helped you become so successful since graduating from USC. I’d especially love to hear what it was like starting out as a recent grad and finding your way in the industry.
要是能了解更多关于您在公关行业的经验，还有从USC毕业后，您觉得帮助您在工作中获得成功最重要的品质是什么，那该有多好啊。我特别想听一听您刚毕业在这个行业里找到一条属于自己的路是什么感觉。
I would be more than happy to meet you for coffee or at your office or wherever is more convenient for you. Or if you’d prefer a conversation over the phone, please just let me know. I’m very flexible, and even just 15 minutes of your time would be invaluable and greatly appreciated.
我非常乐意能在您办公室附近或者任何您方便的地方请您喝杯咖啡。或者如果您想通过电话交谈，麻烦请告诉我。我的时间非常灵活，就算是您的15分钟对我来说也是非常宝贵的，对此我深表感谢。
Would it be possible for us to find a time to chat？
我们可以找个时间聊聊吗?
Thanks so much,
非常感谢，
[Your name]
[你的名字]
There are three straightforward rules to remember for writing introductory emails like this one:
写这样的介绍性电子邮件有三个直接简单的规则:
1. Keep it short—four paragraphs tops—and specific. The purpose of this email is to explain how you found them, why they caught your interest, and what you’d like to discuss with them, without overloading them with too much information.[/en
]1 .尽量简短，最多四段，并且还得要具体。这封邮件的目的是为了解释你是如何找到他们的，为什么他们能引起你的兴趣，以及你想和他们谈论什么，而不是给他们提供过多信息。
[en]Start off with who you are and what you have in common. This helps the person feel comfortable and (hopefully) makes them want to continue reading. Plus, relaying why you’re attracted to the person will make later conversations and interactions more sincere and authentic.
从你是谁以及你们有什么共同之处开始。这能让对方感到舒适，而且有希望让他们想要继续读下去。另外，表达你被对方吸引的原因会让以后的谈话和交流更加真诚和真实。
But to be clear, your reason for reaching out should be more than, “Can you help me land my dream job?” or, “Will you hire me?” Avoid any wording that sounds like you’re asking for a job interview.
但要清楚的是，你与对方联系的原因应该不只是“你能帮我找到我梦寐以求的工作吗?”或者“你愿意雇我吗?”避免任何听起来好像你在要求面试机会的措辞。
2. Do your research and share what caught your attention. It could be something that inspires you, intrigues you, or motivates you about their career journey. By being explicit about what caught your eye, you’ll have greater chances of building mutually beneficial and genuine relationships with the right people–rather than firing off dozens of scattershot messages to the wrong ones.
2. 做好调查研究，分享引起你注意的东西。它可以是一些事情，激发了你的灵感，引起了你的兴趣，或者刺激了你的职业生涯。通过明确什么东西吸引着你，你将会有更大的机会与合适的人建立起互惠和真诚的关系，而不是向不合适的人发送数十条分散的信息。
3. Always close with a question. In the last paragraph, be sure to always make the ask. Ask to meet in person if you live in the same city, or suggest a phone call if that would be more convenient.
3 .最后总是以一个问题结束邮件。在最后一段，一定要提出一个请求。如果你们住在同一座城市，可以要求见个面，或者如果更方便的话可以建议通个电话。
When asking for a meeting or phone call, you want to make it as easy as possible for the person to say yes without having to do too much thinking. Remember, this person is probably busy. The last thing you want is for them not to respond because you made them think twice about how easy it’ll be to fit you into their schedule. That’s why closing the email with the question, “Would it be possible for us to meet?” works, because they can easily reply, “Yes!”
当你要求见面或打电话时，你要尽可能让对方说“是”，而不需要太多的思考。记住，对方很有可能非常忙。你最不想要的就是他们不回应，因为你让他们再三考虑如何将和你见面放进他们的时间安排里面。这就是为什么以“我们有可能见面吗?”这样的问题结束邮件最有效，因为他们很容易回答，“有!”
Don’t worry about the specific time and location of the meeting just yet; you just want them to agree to talk with you first. Fingers crossed, once they do, you can then share times that work best for you.
不用担心见面的具体时间和地点;你只需要让他们先同意和你谈谈。幸运的话，如果他们同意了，你就可以与对方分享你最合适的时间。
THE SCHEDULING EMAIL
关于行程安排的邮件
If you reach that stage, congrats! The key here is not to overthink it. Once someone has offered to meet up or chat, keep your second email limited strictly to pinning downlogistics. Resist the temptation to dig into any of the topics you’re planning to discuss face-to-face (that will be your chance to impress them, not right now). Try this:
如果你到了这个阶段，恭喜你！这儿的关键是不要考虑太多。一旦有人主动提出要与你见面或聊天，将第二封邮件的内容严格限制在商定行程安排上。控制自己不要深入谈论你计划面对面讨论的话题(这将是你给他们留下深刻印象的机会，但不是现在)。试试这个模板：
Hi [first name],
嗨，[对方的名字]，
So great to hear from you! I would love to meet next week. I’m happy to find a location that’s most convenient for you. I’m free after 5 p.m. on Monday and I’m pretty flexible on Tuesday and Wednesday, but if another day works best I can work around your schedule.
很高兴收到你的回信!我希望下周我们能见个面。我很乐意去找一个最方便您的地方。周一下午5点后我有空，周二和周三的时间更灵活，但如果您有更好的安排，我愿意配合您的时间。
Looking forward to meeting you soon,
很期待能马上见到您，
[your name]
[你的名字]
Done! Leave it at that.
好了，就这样放着吧。
THE FOLLOW-UP EMAIL
后续跟进的邮件
However, if you don’t receive a response in one to two weeks, don’t take it personally, and don’t be afraid to follow up. Chances are the person may have gotten busy, or your email could’ve been buried in their inbox. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve followed up with someone and received an immediate response. Here’s what to say:
然而，如果你在一到两周内没有收到回复，别太在意了，也不要害怕再进行后续跟进。很可能是这个人很忙，或者你的邮件可能淹没在他们的收件箱里了。我是不会告诉你有多少次我发送了后续邮件后就得到了即时回应的。你可以这样说：
Hi [first name],
嗨，[对方名字]，
I hope your week is going well. I wanted to follow up with you to see if you’d be interested in meeting with me. I’m so impressed by [the reason you stated you were attracted to them in the first email], and I’d love to learn more about [the key thing that you initially mentioned].
希望您这周过得不错。我再次发邮件来是为了看看您是否有兴趣和我见面。我对您的***（第一封邮件中你提到被他们吸引的原因）印象深刻，我也想了解更多关于***（你最初提到的关键问题）的信息。
I’d be more than happy to meet with you whenever is most convenient for you. However, I’m sure you’re busy, so if your schedule does not permit, I completely understand.
如果您方便的话，我非常乐意能与您见面。不过，我知道您肯定很忙，所以如果您的时间安排不允许的话，我完全理解。
Many thanks again,
再次致以感谢，
[your name]
[你的名字]
Be sure to also include the previous email beneath your follow-up email to make it easy for them to refer back to it in case they missed it the first time.
一定要在你的后续邮件下面附上之前的邮件，让他们可以很容易地回来查看，以防第一次他们错过了这封邮件。
The scary part is drafting an email and pressing “send.” But when you know exactly what to say–and what to avoid–reaching out to people you don’t know becomes a whole lot easier.
可怕的做法是一写完电子邮件和立马按“发送”键。但是，如果当你知道确切地该说些什么，以及避免谈及什么，那么与你不认识的人接触也就变得容易多了。
（本文首发于沪江商务英语公众号，扫码关注，即可获取更多商务英语资讯。转载请“沪江商务英语”后台联系！）
