How to Cold-Contact People to Learn about Getting Out of Academia (By Greg Stoutenburg)

By Greg Stoutenburg (@LinkedIn, PhilPeople)

A few years ago, I wrote a piece for this blog about my own transition out of academic philosophy and into a role in industry, in which I tried to provide a high-level overview of how to make the same transition. You can see it here: How to leave philosophy (Guest post by Greg Stoutenburg) - The Philosophers' Cocoon (typepad.com)

Having just read through it again, I’m struck by just how much is squeezed into those ~3,000 words. So, I wanted to write a follow-up about one part that surfaced in the comments for seeming particularly impractical or anxiety-provoking: cold-contacting people for the purpose of learning from them.

I’m going to now ignore everything else involved in a career transition from academia and focus just on this one thing.

What is a cold contact?

A cold contact is someone you’re contacting and have no prior relationship of any kind.

Why are we talking about cold-contacting people?

Because a conversation with someone in a job you may be interested in is a fast way to gain knowledge of that career path. At the end of that conversation, you may be much more enthusiastic about that path or have been successfully persuaded that you are not interested in that path. (For me, it was usually the latter.) Either way, you’ll have acquired that knowledge in about 15 minutes, which is much better than if you just tried Googling it.

Why do I need to cold-contact people?

Because you are an academic philosopher and you only know other academic philosophers, and you already know you don’t want to be on this path. So unless you have a source of contacts that someone can introduce you to – and that would be a ‘warm’ contact – this will be an important way for you to talk with people to gain the knowledge you're after.

Why should I listen to you about this?

I moved from my full-time, non-tenure track position to a job in tech in 2021 and I wouldn’t go back. The move was successful and I’m glad I did it. It was a struggle, though. From about 2018 onward I desperately wanted to get out of academia, but I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know how to move past “I want a non-academic job” to having a direction. Having made the move myself, I want to help provide guidance on moving from that first step.

One important part of taking that first step is getting on the phone with people outside of academia.

Enough preface, tell us how to cold-contact people now.

Okay, here’s what to do. And you’re going to have to actually do it and not just read about it. The career change clock starts ticking when you begin taking action.

1. Start with contacting people who have explicitly or implicitly signaled they’d be happy to talk

Marcus shares blog posts from career changers regularly. Contact them! That was one of the first steps I took. I reached out to people who wrote pieces for this blog on this topic and had several very helpful conversations. I won’t list their names because I haven’t asked for their permission. But if you want to get this process going, pause now, find the names of three people who have written a post here, and email them and ask to talk about their careers now. Then resume.

Not sure what to write? Use this template. Copy and paste it into a new email and edit as necessary:

“Hi [NAME],

I saw your post about [CAREER CHANGE TOPIC] in Philosophers’ Cocoon and found it really helpful! [STUFF ABOUT YOURSELF THAT MAKES CLEAR WHY THAT POST WAS HELPFUL]. I’m currently a [JOB SITUATION] and looking to make a change. I took a look at your background, and I’m interested in [WHATEVER IT IS THEY DO]. Would you be open to a 15 minute conversation about how you ended up in that position and what you do and don’t like about it? No pressure, I’m just looking for ways to clarify my direction. Thanks, and thanks again for the blog post!

Best,

[YOU]”

You could also get started by reaching out to folks on the APA’s Philosophers In Industry list: https://dailynous.com/2024/08/23/philosophers-in-industry-office-hours/

And use Marcus’s list: Philosophers in Industry | marcusarvanphilo

After they say “yes” to your request, be the one to initiate scheduling. Propose 3-5 times when you are available on distinct days. Once the time slot is confirmed, create a meeting invitation and send it to them. If you prefer a video meeting, send a video link with the invitation. If you prefer a phone call, ask for their phone number and say you’ll call them. Principle: you shoulder the burden of making this happen, because they are doing you a favor.

2. Search using what you’re initially interested in.

Is there a job title in the back of your mind that you’ve been curious about? (“Marketing Analyst,” “Data Analyst,” “Learning and Development Coordinator,” “Trainer,” etc.)

Is there a certain skill you have that you’d like to use at work? (“Research,” “teaching,” “event coordination,” etc.)

Whatever leading point(s) you have, write it down. Create a fresh document or a piece of paper and write down each of those categories that interest you. What you’re interested in pursuing is going to change significantly as you go through this process, so think of this as a whiteboard. You’ll throw this away eventually. It’s not sacred.

I should acknowledge at this point that getting as far as “what you’re initially interested in” took me some work. But I’m trying to stay focused in this blog post. I have an approach for that as well, but need to leave it and a lot more out for space. (But see the link in the comments.)

With your search terms (job title, skill) handy, follow these steps:

1. Go to LinkedIn.com
2. Type the title or skill you’re interested in in the search bar by the LinkedIn logo on the top of the page
3. Check the results. They will contain people whose profiles mention those terms you entered. They will also be prioritized by other connections or interests you share. (So build your LinkedIn network!) Find someone on this list that you would like to contact. Click and read their profiles. Tip: if someone is a LinkedIn Premium member, you can probably message them directly. If not, you will have to create a message as part of a Connection request. Do that. Alternatively, they may share their email address on their profile or be easy to find using an internet search.
4. Write a message like the one offered in the previous section. Say hello, state how you found them, what interested you, and ask for the call.
5. Engage with whoever responds and forget about the ones who don’t. It’s not personal.

3. During the call

They agreed to talk to you. In twenty minutes you have to initiate this call by phone or video. You’re sweating and you feel stupid and you’re worried about your ego and sounding smart.

You’re treating it like an upcoming conference talk.

Good news: it’s not an upcoming conference talk. It’s a designated time for someone else to talk about themselves, and you’re going to facilitate it. Everyone loves talking about themselves. Just be friendly and let it ride and learn as much as you can. It gets easier the more you do it.

Here’s a way to start the conversation:

“Hey, [NAME]! Thanks for talking to me today! [INSERT OTHER CONVERSATIONAL STUFF AS APPROPRIATE, OTHERWISE SKIP AHEAD.] I really appreciate your time! Since I saw you’re [THING YOU FOUND THEM FOR] I wanted to ask you these three questions, and please don’t hold back: how did you find yourself doing the work you’re doing?, what do you like about it?, and, if you’re willing to share, what don’t you like about it?”

You’ll learn everything you need to with those three questions and the discussion that follows. If you prefer, roll those questions out one at a time. If you don’t prefer, roll them out all at once. Either way, stay engaged. Don’t worry about proving yourself, worry about learning from them. The odds are that you will decide you don’t want to do what they’re doing, but you will learn a lot along the way.

As you talk, take notes, and be as selfish as possible about what you write down: the goal is for you to figure out which path you want to take. Record the parts that matter for your career change.

Respect whatever timeframe you agreed on initially. If they said “yes” to 10 minutes, don’t exceed 10 minutes unless they explicitly invite it.

4. Do it!

Just do it, three times, today. Maybe that seems intimidating. Just do it.

From talking to others who have made a transition out of academia, it seems that the biggest limitation people face is spending too much time wanting a change and too little time taking action. Going through this process will make you more tolerant of risk but also more confident in yourself. If you want a change, start now.

Want more?

If you’re interested in a comprehensive, hands-on walkthrough from “I want a non-academic job” to being interview-ready for a career change, check this out: Career Change Accelerator for Academics

The first five Philosophers’ Cocoon readers get access for free with code ‘THANKSMARCUS’

Let’s connect on LinkedIn: Greg Stoutenburg | LinkedIn