We all pretty much know by now that people hire people, not resumes. Networking is a beautiful thing. It’s meeting those people that can be tricky, and finding out who there are in the first place. Some tips:
LinkedIn: A relatively easy tool. Type in the name of the organization you want to work for, and magically you get a list of names. Figure out the company email formula and plug it in. How to use this effectively? I used LinkedIn to find assistants at publishing houses and asked them to guest blog on how they found their jobs. Super easy, got lots of responses. Everyone was nice, offered advice, and told their story. Win-win. Whenever I found a job a wanted, I sent it to the hiring manager, but also to the head of the department of the open position.
Blogs you like: I have some blog idols: Penelope Trunk, Chris Brogan, Jessica Valenti, Michelle Goodman… I heart them. But in the blogosphere many people heart them too. But I’ve written them all emails to tell them that. You want to write for their blog or get some advice? They can only say no, but when they say yes, that’s when you’re golden. I just wrote an article for Penelope Trunk’s blog and I actually got to speak with her on the phone. Let’s just say I almost had a heart attack – but I tried to play it cool ;-)
Organizations: I can’t plug the WNBA enough, but this tactic is true for whatever industry you want to be in. Join the organization of your choice and offer to volunteer. You get closer to people that way, rather than scary networking, and you can help out and learn the ropes.
Mediabistro: Pay the $50 and get a proper membership. They have SO MUCH info I could cry. An awesome resource they have is the revolving door. There you can learn who’s joined or left a company. Write them an email to say congratulations. Not only is it a small connection you’ve made, but it’s also just plain nice. Regardless of how important they are or the fanciness of their job title, I promise they’ll be flattered.
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