<p>I’m an intern and today I was chatting with my boss who is an alum of my college. Her husband and all of her kids went there.</p>
<p>Her family lives near me in rural VA, so out of nowhere, I asked her what companies their kids ended up working for after graduation, just to see if I was familiar with the companies. It turns out that her youngest son works for a company I want to work for, so we ended up chatting about that, my interest in the company, and how he got involved. She then said if I’m ever interested in the job, she’d put in a good word since she’s well-connected with them.</p>
<p>I feel kind of guilty bc asking what company they work for seems personal. Since I’m only a student, so I’m used to asking what school one goes too (which isn’t rude).</p>
<p>It’s not rude to ask. But if they’re giving off signals that they don’t want to talk about it, change the subject. Your boss clearly didn’t mind.</p>
<p>BTW, this is a great example of what we used to call “networking” – how your connections with people lead to possible future opportunities.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s rude at all. As a small business owner I go to local chamber of commerce events from time to time. It’s always rare to see young people there, but when I do I’m always happy to share advice. I think most older people would agree. The problem is that most conversations with young people are uncomfortable because the younger generation doesn’t communicate in person often enough. I know with my daughter a typical conversation is:</p>
<p>How was your day?: Good
Did you look for any jobs?: yes
Anything look promising?: not really
what else is going on?: nothing</p>
<p>It’s like pulling teeth! If you can initiate the conversation, even by asking direct questions, it’s better than speaking with only one or two words at a time. Now I just wish my daughter would take this advice from me and her mom. I swear if she hears the exact same advice from someone else she’s more likely to believe it.</p>