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It is time to breathe. You’ve sent that email, and you’ve got to wait for their reply...which as you feared, may never come.
Don’t, and I cannot stress this enough, do not take it personally if you get no response.
These people are so busy, this industry is hectic, and if they’ve got a million emails to go through every day it’s very easy for one like yours to get lost in the pile. In fact, if they don’t reply: FOLLOW UP THE NEXT WEEK. They could’ve just missed it. And if you feel like they’ve ghosted you again, follow up ONE MORE TIME.
Stay polite, stay professional, but ask them a total of 3 times if they’d be willing to chat to you. If you’ve still been aired: fine, leave it, and move on. Don’t let it get you down. DON'T. Don’t let it define your mood for the next week, either. The amount of times I’ve got a response along the lines of:
“Hello [redacting my name], so sorry for the late response, it’s been a busy week of pitching. Yes this sounds great, I’m free blah blah blah blah.”
It can happen, just be understanding, because in reality, these people are doing you the favour by meeting you.
When the day finally comes, you’ll obviously want to make a good impression. Like I said before, treat it somewhat like a date. No cockiness, no arrogance, no entitlement, just good vibes, curiosity and passion. Although the idea of reaching out was suggested to me as a way of ‘getting a job’ (and it could very well end up that way), I never took that mindset when meeting a mentor.
I saw it as an opportunity to learn. To learn about potential career paths, about what I could be doing to succeed, and I saw it as an opportunity to learn about the world in which I wanted to start my professional life. If you’re curious, passionate, and genuinely a nice person to drink a coffee or a pint with, your mentor will help you out in more ways than one. They’ll give you advice, they’ll tell you what you’re doing right and wrong, they’ll open doors for you that other people can’t, they’ll introduce you to friends who may need some help, and they will give you so much new information that it might seem overwhelming. Overwhelming, but incredibly empowering, so take a pen and paper, ask lots of questions (within reason) and take notes.
One meeting won’t necessarily change your life, but I’ll be surprised if you leave that conversation without a clearer idea of your next steps. If you thought the conversation was really beneficial and you got along with who you just met, make sure to keep in touch with them regularly. Whether it’s through email or Instagram or LinkedIn, drop them a note every now and then because these regular real life meetings will really help. If they’re into it, they’re more or less your mentor, and you can never have enough people guiding you to greatness.
Chase that bag, send that email, step out of your comfort zone and I'm certain you'll feel a little more secure about your future. Many people are in the same boat, but decisions like this is what's going to set you apart from everyone else.
You are amazing, skilled, clever, witty, confident, curious and empathetic. Just remember to never let that rejection define you.
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