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Comment by adeaver | Hacker News Reader

I call BS. If she's asking for help, help. Figure out a way to help. I'm the same way. I'm industry agnostic and have worked in both large and small companies. When I talk to recruiters or friends looking for intros the ones that sit and talk to me for more than 2 minutes get a good idea what the types of projects I'm looking for.

By limiting myself to a certain industry (finance for example) I might miss out on a completely perfect project in BioTech or something. If I say 'small' companies, something in a big company might be skipped over because of it.

OP should have asked more question to find out what 'type' of work she likes and gone from there instead of dismissing her as unfocused or hasn't figured out what she wants.

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The point of this post isn't to judge how he handled the situation. His handling of the situation is a framing device for advice about how to ask for job referrals. Comments like this muddy the waters; his advice is obviously correct.

I agree. The point of this article is to refute the belief that a broad and open field of employment interests will increase your chances of finding a job. The reality is that a refined interest is better. Same goes for job postings; it's better to pick a company and hone in than it is to blanket resumes across a number of potential employers.

I will agree 100% regarding the job postings. 'Carpet bombing' companies rarely works. However the same doesn't always apply to dealing a recruiters and/or friends, your reality isn't everyones.

I'm only expressing that there is validity to not narrowing your interests, fields or industries and that dismissing someone out of hand because they are 'unfocused' is just as bad and unhelpful as dismissing someone because they don't have a degree. (an entirely different conversation)

There is value in being wide open to opportunities, but there is no value in being wishy-washy when asking for a referral.

You are imagining every conceivable conversation you could have with someone in a position to help you network for a job, and searching for something that breaks the pattern of "being specific and actionable". Lo and behold, there are cases where "specific and actionable" doesn't fit! For instance, if you're asking for advice about what kinds of roles fit your skills and interests, maybe you don't want to lock the conversation down to a specific title.

But that has nothing to do with asking for referrals.

You have to look at it from the other person's perspective. You have to help me help you. I need to be confident in my introductions. I know a lot of people so you need to help me narrow it down. And I would prefer to have a story.

I understand that however the point of my post was that I disagree with his process, and by extension the handling of the situation.

And no, his advice is not "obviously correct". It might work for some, but not all.

You totally missed the point of the article. By putting in a limitation, you are actually making it easier for other person (a good thing, no doubt). And to address your multi-talents, you use different limitations with different people.

My experience is exactly the same as the OP's: if you have little idea of what interests you, I am not eager to make introductions. It cannot be overstated: help people help you.

He is BS but his post is a fine reminder that when you're looking for a job, all those people smiling and nodding could be just like him. So in a sense his post is useful.

- And yes, it's quite precious to dismiss for being industry agnostic. Doesn't mean people don't do, so it's useful to at least know that.

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