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[kernalpanic]

Graduate student former lurker here -- I'm not sure where this post should go, but this seems like the most likely place (Admins - feel free to move)

I'm wondering about the etiquette of making introductions among colleagues and mentors from various schools. I'm currently in graduate school. My old undergraduate advisor is a fairly influential faculty/administrative position at my undergrad, a large school in a major midwestern city. A graduate colleague of mine, on the verge of finishing his diss, is moving to that city for personal reasons. I'd like to put them in touch, since I know that the university hires adjuncts in our field, and since they share some interests in common. However, I'm not sure how to go about it. In today's job market, I actually don't feel very awkward about writing "Dear Mentor, Colleague is moving to your city, perhaps you'd like to hire him?" Rather, my concern is the logistics of the act. Give Mentor my colleague's email address? Give the colleague the mentor's email address, while telling mentor that colleague will be contacting him? Send an email to both simultaneuously, introducing them to one another? Or some other option?

And no, our major conference doesn't happen for several months, so an in-person intro, which seems like it would be easiest, is out of the question.

Thanks in advance for your collective wisdom,
KP

[untenured]

It's good that you are open to networking and even better that you are willing to help out a friend.  Yet, what benefit does the friend gain from your contact?  I doubt that your mentor will be significantly influenced by your contact.  If it's a job a friend wants, then the friend should contact the school through normal channels.

Now, if you want to make an introduction just to give your friend a contact, that's an easier task.  If your old advisor is informal and receptive to such communications, I would politely email and emphasize how it might benefit your advisor.

So in short, if friend wants a job, what's the point of your contact?

[systeme_d_]

Email Mentor.  Tell Mentor that Friend will be moving to Undergradville.  Attach Friend's CV.

A few days later, Friend emails Mentor, also with Friend's CV attached, mentions your name, and inquires if Mentor's department has an adjunct pool, and if s/he might be placed into it.

[seniorscholar]

Email Mentor.  Tell Mentor that Friend will be moving to Undergradville.  Attach Friend's CV.

A few days later, Friend emails Mentor, also with Friend's CV attached, mentions your name, and inquires if Mentor's department has an adjunct pool, and if s/he might be placed into it.

Yes. I've received such e-mails ("my friend so and so is moving to Your City, and works in our field") with c.v. attached. If it looks good, I pass the c.v. along to the person in the department who hires adjuncts in that area; if it looks really really good (and comes from one of my former PhD's who I see often at conferences and so forth) I may also send a quick "PhD. has mentioned that you're moving here; get in touch when you're settled so I can let you know about the local monthly inter-college forum in our field and other things that might interest you.")