What does digital guruji do?

If I understand your question correctly, you are asking about information interviews. That is the term. People are cooperative and like to show off what they know (I'm doing it right now!). So let them. This isn't hard. Nearly everyone you call will be open to at least talking with you on the phone for a few minutes. You may have to schedule a time to call back or meet in person later, and that's fine. So say there's a job you want to do, you think, and you'd like to find out more about it. The funny thing is, the same job done at different companies can be totally different experiences because of cultures. So it's best to talk to three or four people doing that job at separate firms to get perspective. To find these people is not difficult. You can use LinkedIn. Or you can use a simple method called the Little Unsure technique, where you ask the receptionist, "Hi, I'm not sure who I should speak with...I'm looking for the person who does [whatever role it is]. But again, I'm not sure who that would be there..." and trail off. This method is very effective. You may get voicemail. 3/4 times the person you're calling won't be available to take your call. Don't take it personally. Leave a quick message or call back later now that you have the name. For messages or live answers, say you are doing some research, are interested in the role they have and are wondering if it's right for you. If they could speak with you for about 15 minutes, it would be very helpful. If now's not a good time, when would work? Have your questions ready. They may want to go ahead right now. I have had employees get time for such interviews in person approved by their boss...again, people want to be cooperative. Once in awhile you may find someone who is "too busy". Simply move on. No big deal. That person is probably not a fit anyway. The higher you go in larger organizations, the nicer the people you'll find. How did the leaders in most organizations get there? The Sales career path. They know all about cold calling. The appreciate it. Nearly all of the success factors here are getting past your fears. These fears are simply not valid. They don't hold true in the real world. Nearly everyone is flattered someone would ask their opinion. Go find out whether this job is really something you want. And you'll also find out what kind of different corporate cultures exist...which will play a big part in your job selection, if you're smart. Don't be in "I'll Take Anything" mode. Start sorting.

I have written hundreds of blog posts by interviewing amazing people. I have interviewed best selling authors, CEOs, entrepreneurs and more. Here are my five tips for getting the interviews... 1. Ask - most people want to be heard and they will grant you an interview if you simply ask for it. Sometimes the hard part is finding their contact info but I have had great luck using the paid version of LinkedIn and theofficialboard.com. 2. Always Be Ready! Recently I was at a networking function at a bar when I had the opportunity to meet The Bachelor from the season 4 show. I googled him on my iphone...found out a little about his businesses and approached him spot on for an interview which I published a day or two later on The Huffington Post. 3. Make it worth their time. Getting author interviews is easy because they want to sell books. I usually do those interviews in a live webinar format for my coaching clients so that the author can sell books and we get a great mix of questions. I then publish the webinar/teleconference on my blogs. 4. Be Prepared - I never go into an interview asking questions I could find on google. Always find out as much as possible about the person you are interviewing by researching them first. As well, if you are interviewing an author, never interview them without reading the book first. 5. How much time do you need? I interview many people who are extremely busy and so when I ask for the interview I make it clear that I will work around their schedule and I let them know in advance how much time I am asking for. I have never had to pay for an interview. I always share my content via my blogs. I always follow up with a thank you note and small gift.

Have an interview plan. What is the purpose of the interview? Don't be wishy-washy. Your two questions today could have used a lot more detail. I do many of these (and am an expert guest) on my blog at http://www.salestactics.org. Here's an example of several: http://www.salestactics.org/sales-expert-interviews/ Write out your questions beforehand. Of course one or two new questions will occur to you while conducting the interview; ask them, too. But have your base set up. Think about your request from their perspective: WHY would they want to participate? Yes, people want to be cooperative and helpful. But No, they do not want to create content for you (for example, I am asked to be interviewed all the time by people who are compiling such expert interviews to then SELL them...why on earth should I give them content so they can make money with it?!). So be clear about your purpose. You really must be looking for expertise, not digging for a job. Fake purpose will be seen through immediately and it will hurt your reputation. Collecting a series of these interviews online around a specific topic is a great differentiating factor for job hunting, however. This is positioning.

There's a fine line between persistence and simply being an annoyance, however I've seen some great examples of people balancing these properly. Usually this comes with the ability to be very human and personal. One way I've seen this done is with old school hand written letters. On a few occasions over the past few years I've had a vendor reach out to me with a hand written letter. You just don't see them anymore, so they really stand out. Within the context of the letter I'd consider making the ask for "feedback", not for the work itself. I would explain your situation very personally around how and why you are seeking feedback, and also make it very clear that you respect their time and understand that no answer is OK too. There isn't a 100% solution that always works. But making it short and personal could be a nice touch.