The Five Emails You Need to Send Before New Year’s to Boost Your Career
为了事业，年底你需要发这五封邮件
There’s no better time than now to refresh your roster of professional contacts
一年当中，没有哪个时候比现在更适合更新事业人脉了。
Ray A. Smith / Rachel Feintzeig
雷·A·史密斯、雷切尔
Yes, you’re busy checking off your year-end, to-do list. But here’s an easy item to add that could pay dividends down the road: connect with five people who, in different ways, could boost your career in 2023.
是的，眼下你正忙着核对自己的年底任务清单，但如果此时在清单中加入一个简单的待办事项，将来或许会让你受益匪浅：联系五个在2023年可能以不同方式对你的事业有所助力的人。
There’s no better time of year than right now to power up that roster of professional allies. So many people have changed jobs, and entire careers, recently that even the strongest networks need some tending. And while the job market remains strong, the number of companies embarking on layoffs is climbing, and many business leaders predict more job cuts are coming.
说起强化职场人脉，一年之中最合适的时候莫过于当下。最近很多人都换了工作，甚至转行，数量之众，哪怕是最稳固的人际关系也到了需要维护的时候。尽管就业市场依然强劲，但越来越多的企业开始裁员，不少商界领袖纷纷预测，更大的裁员潮还在后面。
It can be daunting to message someone you haven’t spoken to in years or develop a distant contact into a relationship. Here are five people to email, with scripts to do it gracefully.
无论是给一个若干年都没联系过的人冷不丁地发去信息，还是把一个不太熟的人变成好友，感觉都有些冒失。本文不仅建议给五个人发送电子邮件，同时还给出了避免尴尬、措辞得体的方法。
1) A member of your inner power circle
1）你的核心权力圈成员
These are the professional Samaritans for when you need urgent advice, job leads or referrals – and fast. Ask yourself who could help if you were suddenly laid off, and get results?
当你迫切地需要有人能提供建议、工作机会或是为你引荐时——而且反应要迅速——他们就是职场上的乐善好施者。问问自己，如果你突然要被裁，谁能够帮上忙，又能得到结果？
Try this quick exercise to figure out who belongs here: Imagine you’ve just learned your job is on the chopping block. Take five minutes to write the names of six to eight people you would email first for help.
若想知道这个问题的答案，不妨试试这个快速办法：试想你刚刚得知，自己的岗位要被裁掉。花五分钟写出六到八个人的名字，这些人是你首先会通过电子邮件来寻求帮助的。
These are folks who know you well – close colleagues, former co-workers, mentors. Focus your list on the half-dozen who are enthusiastic networkers and have a proven record delivering good intel on industry developments.
他们都是熟知你的人——关系好的现同事、前同事以及被你视为导师的人。然后，把这份名单缩减至六人，保留那些热衷于社交、并且提供过有用行业动态的人。
Pick one person to email. Remember, this is someone you’d have no qualms asking to tap his or her network on your behalf – so don’t sweat the email too much. Ask them to lunch or a drink in the new year, or a 20-minute catch-up call.
挑选其中一人来发邮件。记住，这是一个不会让你觉得不好意思让他为你利用其人脉的人——因此在邮件中，措辞无需过于刻意。你可以邀请他们在新的一年共进午餐，或是一起喝点东西，或者打20分钟电话叙叙旧。
Be clear about why you want to connect. You’re considering ways to grow your career, and would love his or her advice. Or, you want to hear about his recent transition to a new field because you’re interested in a similar move.
一定要让对方清楚你主动联系的用意。你正考虑如何推进事业，因此很想听听对方的建议。抑或，你想听对方聊聊最近的转行经历，因为你也有意作出类似举动。
2) The influencer
2）有影响力的人
Next, pick a strategic contact you know could be helpful to your career…if only you had a more solid rapport.
接下来，挑选一个你知道可能会对你的事业有所助益的重要联系人……要是你们的关系再硬一点就更好了。
Don’t waste valuable words in the opening on compliments or lengthy explanations.
下笔时，不要把宝贵的字数浪费在恭维或是冗长的解释上。
Make your ask, quickly and politely. And please avoid the cliché phrase, “Can I pick your brain?” Instead, try one of the following:
礼貌且开门见山地表明自己的请求。避免刻板的套话，例如，不必说“我能请教您一下吗？”，可以试试下面几种说法：
“I’d really appreciate your insight because you’ve been there.”
- “我真的很看重您的见解，因为您是过来人。”
“I heard you speak/enjoyed what you wrote/liked what you said at the meeting, especially___. I would love to hear more.
- “我听过您的发言/我很欣赏您写的东西/我很喜欢您在会上的讲话，尤其是___。我还想进一步倾听您的见解。”
“I’ve followed your work closely. What you did with____really resonated with me because I’m doing something similar.”
- “我一直在密切关注您的工作。您和____所做的事情让我产生了深刻的共鸣，因为我也在做类似的事情。”
Point out any shared experiences, and be specific. You went to the same university, or are both women who trained in civil engineering. Mentioning commonalities might give them a better sense of how to help you.
但凡有任何共同的经历，都不妨点明，而且要说得具体。你们曾就读于同一所大学，抑或你们都是学过土木工程的女性。提到彼此的共同点或许能让对方更好地明白如何帮助你。
“If you’re an Air Force Academy grad and you ask for time, I’m going to find it,” says Trier Bryant, co-founder of workplace consulting firm Just Work and an Academy grad who spent more than 15 years in the military.
“如果你是美国空军学院（Air Force Academy）的毕业生，你问我有没有时间，我会为你抽出时间。”职场咨询公司Just Work联合创始人特里尔·布莱恩特（Trier Bryant）说，他曾毕业于美国空军学院，军旅生涯超过15年。
3) The VIP
3）VIP人物
This is a higher-level professional with the ability to open the right doors, or get you to someone who can. It could be a fast-rising executive in your network. The former boss of your boss. That entrepreneur who commented on your LinkedIn post.
这是级别更高的专业人士，他们能为你开启合适的大门，或是将你引荐给有能力这么做的人。此人可以是你的人脉中正处于迅速上升期的管理人士，可以是你老板的前老板，也可以是在你的领英（LinkedIn）帖子下留过言的企业家。
If you’ve never met, can a mutual acquaintance connect you? If so, offer to craft the note, or go ahead and send a brief paragraph on your bona fides and goals to guide them.
假如你们素未谋面，你们之间有共同的熟人能帮你们牵线搭桥吗？如果有，不妨主动提出起草邮件，或是直接发一段简短的文字来表明自己的诚意和目的，供他们进行参考。
Get to the point quickly about who you are and what you want. The goal is to have your target respond “thoughtfully, in the moment, rather than delaying it indefinitely,” says Dorie Clark, an author who teaches executive education at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School.
直接亮明自己的身份和目的。这么做是为了让你的目标人士能够“在当下深思熟虑一番后作出回应，而不是无限期地延迟，”作家多利·克拉克（Dorie Clark）说，他在杜克大学福库商学院（Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business）和哥伦比亚大学商学院（Columbia Business School）教授高管教育课程。
For example: “I’m looking to go in this direction in my career and would like your advice.” Or, “I’m interested in how you overcame this business challenge as I navigate this industry.”
例如，“我打算在职业生涯中朝这个方向发展，我想听听您的建议。”或者，“我也在这一行打拼，想知道您当初是怎么克服这项业务挑战的。”
Make it easy for them to accept your request. “If you ask for a phone call, make it a 10-minute phone call,” Ms. Clark says.
要让你的请求容易被人接受。“如果你想打电话，就把时间控制在10分钟左右。”克拉克说。
4) That long-lost contact
4）久未联系的人
Cue the awkwardness! You haven’t talked to this person in years and suddenly you’re parachuting into their inbox, hoping they’ll remember you and, ideally, forget how much time has passed since you’ve been in touch.
尴尬预警！你已经好些年没跟这个人联系过，却突然空降在此人的收件箱里，希望Ta不仅记得你，最好还忘了你们上一次联系是什么时候。
Don’t dance around the fact that it’s been a while, just embrace it, says Aimee Cohen, who runs Minneapolis executive-coaching and leadership-development firm ON Point Next Level Leadership. She’s opened notes with “Blast from the past,” or “I know you might faint at seeing my name in your inbox but___.”
明尼阿波利斯（Minneapolis）高管培训及领导力培养公司ON Point Next Level Leadership的运营者艾梅·科恩（Aimee Cohen）指出，不要老围着“好久不见”做文章，只需承认便好。她在邮件开端会写上“来一波回忆杀”，或是“我知道你在收件箱里看到我的名字可能会晕过去，但___。”
You can also play on the pandemic whirlwind of the past few years: “I know that it’s only been three years but it feels like 100 since we’ve last connected.”
你也可以拿过去几年的疫情说事儿：“我知道距离我们上一次联系才过了三年，但感觉就像是过了一个世纪。”
Make clear that you remain clued into their interests and expertise, and could be helpful. For example: “I’d love to catch up and hear more about what you’re on the hunt for these days.” Or, “I know it’s been a while, but I saw this podcast about triathlons and immediately thought of you. Are you still competing?”
要让对方清楚地知道，如今你依然了解他们的兴趣与专长，并且还能提供帮助。例如，“我想同你聊聊近况，听你说说最近你在物色哪方面的人才。”或是，“我知道有段时间了，可我看到了这个关于铁人三项的播客，我马上就想到了你。你现在还参加比赛吗？”
The classic error is to reach out after a significant amount of time with a direct ask, such as wanting help with a job search or a recommendation. You want to be approaching them, “from a position of power, not panic,” Ms. Cohen says. Explain that you’re not looking yet, but would love to learn more about their role and experience.
最典型的错误是很长时间不联系，一联系就直接请对方帮忙，比如帮忙找工作或是写推荐信。你这哪里是“在困境中请人帮忙，分明是以居高临下的姿态让人做事，”科恩说。你可以解释说，自己暂时还没有开始找工作，但你愿意多多去了解他们的工作与经验。
5) The departing co-worker
5）离职的同事
When a co-worker says goodbye, it’s an opening. “Leaving a job is a moment of vulnerability” no matter how fabulous their next step is, says Michele Woodward, a Washington, D.C.-area executive coach.
当有同事离职的时候，也是机会来的时候。无论他们的下一步如何精彩，“离开现在的工作都是一个脆弱的时刻，”华盛顿特区高管培训师米歇尔·伍德沃德（Michele Woodward）说。
Reaching out immediately is best, but responding to a goodbye note from further back can work, too. Try starting with, “I made a note to ask you what the first 90 days was like,” Ms. Woodward suggests, or, “I made a note to ask you how work is going.”
第一时间取得联系固然最好，但事后再对告别信作出回应，依然有效。试试以这样的方式起笔：“我想问问你这前90天过得如何，”伍德沃德建议，或是“我想问问你最近工作感觉如何？”
You could also pose a timely question such as, “How are you all handling return-to-office over there?” The goal is to reconnect, picking up where you left off and moving the relationship forward.
你还可以抛出一个应景的问题，例如，“你们那边是怎么处理回归办公室这种事的？”目的就在于重新建立联系，在哪里中断，就从哪里重新开始，推动这段关系继续向前。
Plan for the Future
筹划将来
Master the cadence of keeping up with different kinds of contacts. Here’s how often Ms. Cohen, the executive coach in Minneapolis, recommends touching base:
针对不同类型的联系人，要掌握好不同的节奏。对于不同人群的联系频率，明尼阿波利斯的高管培训师科恩给出了以下建议：
Close contacts (your team colleague turned friend who left for a different company): Monthly
- 关系好的联系人（团队同事兼好友，后来去了另一家公司）：每月一次
Midlevel contacts (The boss you worked with for a year before they got transferred to another department): Quarterly
- 中级联系人（共事过一年的老板，后来调去了其他部门）：每季度一次
Extended contacts (The guy from accounting you used to joke with by the water cooler): Twice yearly
- 外围联系人（会计部门的那个家伙，过去你经常在饮水机旁和他开玩笑）：一年两次
Acquaintances (A vendor you worked with once, years ago): Annually, sending them a note around the holidays, for example
- 还算相熟的人（若干年前你合作过一次的供应商）：一年一次，例如节假日给他们寄张卡片
Set a goal of contacting three contacts every week. They can be someone already in your network who’s due for their check-in, or someone new you’re adding to the rotation.
给自己定一个目标，每周联系三个联系人。他们既可以是你圈子里到时间该联系一下的旧友，也可以是联系人名单中的“新人”。
（晋其角 译）
