I'm not sure how relevant the following suggestions are since it's not clear to me if you've narrowed down the field you're targeting.
If you're still narrowing down: You can learn a lot from Google searches, The Muse and other career sites. Try not to ask people for info you can learn just from Google, YouTube, or TikTok. Also, many universities have career center websites that the general public can access, and they often have articles available that give a primer on different fields. They're written for students who don't know what they want to do, but they're often not behind a paywall or anything so anyone can access them. Also, talk to entry-mid level folks in these fields if you want general information, not the leaders. This might be a starting point.
Try reaching out to people that you currently know, in your social and professional circles, to see if they know anyone who works in the field you're interested in and can set up an introduction. I've had way more luck meeting people this way, than cold-calling them through LinkedIn messages. At the end of the conversation you can ask them to recommend resources for you to learn more, and ask if there's anyone in their network they can introduce you to for a conversation, and this way your network will slowly expand. Don't try to get something for nothing, always plan to buy lunch and/or coffee for the other person if it's an in-person meeting. Also, if you plan your basic questions out in advance and use the time well, people will have enjoyed the conversation and be likely to want to try and connect you with someone they know.
You might be hesitant to talk to the folks at your own company, but that's also a good starting point if you're in the exploring phase. You could frame it as, "I'd love to learn about what you do so that I can get a better understanding of what your role is here at [company name]. Can I buy you coffee/lunch one day and chat about it?" I'd recommend you frame it as wanting to learn because of curiosity, rather than looking for a pivot.
From these conversations, you'll be getting an idea of the vocabulary and language that is common in the field, and you can take that into future interactions and you won't appear so green. You'll be able to ask better questions once you know the lingo better also.
Once you've narrowed down the field, the above suggestions also will help with connecting.
To reach strangers on LinkedIn:
I've had a bit of luck using this basic message to reach out to people on LinkedIn. I send it when I invite them to "connect"
Hi Mr./Ms. [name], I'm a grad student at [university name] pivoting into [field] and I would love to set up an informational interview with you. Do you have 15 or 30 minutes to connect in the next two weeks? Thank you"
If I don't hear back, I send one more follow-up message and then move on. Interestingly, there have been several people who add me as a connection on LinkedIn but never responded to my message.
Some professions are generally friendlier than others, so depending on the field you're pivoting into, this could be a help or a hinderance.
Think like a chess player. It's always easier to start lower in an organization and then keep getting introductions that gradually over time work your network up to include higher and higher ranked people. LinkedIn shows when you have a mutual connection with someone, so trying to build those mutual connections with "leaders" before you reach out to the leaders themselves may give you a better response rate.
I've found that I have a significantly higher response rate from folks who would not be considered industry "leaders," but have mid-level positions or are newer to the field (after pivoting). They often seem excited that someone wants to hear their thoughts, and unlike the leaders, they don't have hundreds of strangers clamoring for their time. I've found that someone relatively fresh from pivoting themselves has a lot more relevant, practical "how-to" advice for me than some of the leaders that I've talked to.
When talking to a leader- try to ask them insightful questions relevant to their position, instead of general questions. For example, one I used recently with an SVP was along the lines of asking how he approached profit-minded stakeholders when advocating for the DEI changes he wanted to implement (which was his area). It was a strategy-level question using his lingo that was appropriate to his specific area of expertise, rather than asking him the more general "what do I need to do to start working in this field?"
Is your LinkedIn profile set up to make you shine? Specifically the "About" section" so that someone can get a quick idea of your intent and what you are bringing to the new profession? And does the profile use the language of the new profession you're moving into, vs. the old one you're coming from? It may be worth talking to a career coach if not. People make it their livelihood to help others transitioning careers, so the industry leader may thing it's wildly inappropriate you're asking them to do some of this labor for free. (It may not seem like it, but sharing info is always labor! It takes time to write those emails thoughtfully!) If a career coach is out of the budget, you might get lucky- lot of the mid-level folks I've talked to have volunteered on their own to look through my resume, so once you start making those connections, you may find people willing to help. The pivot narrative has to make sense - people will be more likely to talk to you if it does. There's always a way to spin the story so that it makes sense.
Finally, make sure that you plan your questions out ahead of time! The shorter the interview, the more targeted your questions need to be. For a 15-min info interview with a leader I'll spend an hour combing through someone's LinkedIn in order to come up with 2-3 fantastic, targeted questions. For a 60-min info interview I'll spend maybe 20-30 minutes researching the person and have an idea of what questions to ask, but I'll let the conversation go in a much more organic way. Along those lines, what if when you reached out to one of the "leaders" you've been trying to contact, what if you asked them the 2-3 specific questions that you wanted them to answer? Pleasantries + 2-3 good questions + can you recommend any resources/people to talk to/ final parting thoughts? is about a 15 min info interview with an industry leader. Approaching them with thoughtful questions signals that you value their time and expertise, and makes a really good impression. (The more people you talk to, the easier it gets to think of questions, you can start a "question bank" file to keep track of everything you ask so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time).
Make sure to always send a thank you email or message the next day. If the person you talked to mentioned a big project or deadline coming up, make a note of that, and then you can send them a quick "good luck" or "congrats" message when that date nears. Remembering those details will make a huge impression on someone.
(Final note for my situation, I'm aware that being a grad student at a name-brand university is probably opening the door for me as much as anything else I've listed here. My biggest takeaway from the uni lectures on networking we've had is that it's all about what you give, not what you get. Think of networking as playing the long game and building relationships over time, and try to always start with what you can give if possible. Later down the line after you've given a lot, then you can do a little of the "getting.")
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