March 2010

Learning How To Be Professional

by Marian Schembari on March 17, 2010

Part of my charm and sparkling personality is, well, my lack thereof. Lately, I’ve decided to eff it and just be myself – this is a piece of what they like to call my “personal brand.”

During my job hunt I found that following the rules got me nowhere. The blog posts that get the most hits and comments are the ones where I spew my opinions like a vomiting frat boy at a kegger. The jobs I’ve gotten recently haven’t involved suits or resumes or professionalism. I pride myself in that ability to collect business left and right without “playing the game.”

But am I biting myself in the ass? Is my complete lack of professionalism actually bad manners?

Personal Branding 101

Earlier this month I wrote a guest post on Ryan Rancatore’s blog: Personal Branding 101. Here’s a little snippet:

Sometimes one person’s definition of “unprofessional” is another’s idea of innovation and cleverness and fun. So keep that in mind whenever you worry about censoring yourself.

Example: Today I met a woman who has the word “shit” on her business card (my kind of girl!). She also gets around 100 comments per blog post and has over 20,000 followers on Twitter.

Be yourself people, and while everyone else takes that cliche and proceeds to be what they think everyone else wants them to be, how about you actually be yourself – warts and all – and watch your personal brand take a new, exciting and more successful shape.

I had a lot of fun writing that post, especially when I later found it inspired quite a bit of discussion. One commenter wrote: “Your speech should be a reflection of your intelligence and education. The ability to articulate and communicate effectively with others is hindered by profanity and use of slang, especially others belonging to another generation.”

Eh. I’d like to think my language is colorful. Colorful = not boring. I also 100% disagree with said commenter; her views are outdated and a little prejudiced given that everyone’s education (and therefore speech) is different. Intelligence also does not necessarily equal education. That aside, I can’t ignore the fact that many people feel this way, and there are many jobs/clients I wont land because of how I “talk” on my blog and my general unprofessionalism.

But what the hell does that mean?

What I’m struggling with right now is the definition of professionalism. I’m not going to go running around insulting people, but I’m also not going to censor myself. I think my honesty and lack of bull shit is something I have going for me, but potential (high-end) clients might not see it that way. Should I change the way I act for the sake of professionalism? Or should I continue my distinctive – but authentic - personal brand, hoping there are enough awesome clients out there who like that part of me and can keep me in Ramen and shoes?

{ 22 comments }

The Ultimate Guide to Finding Information Online. Part 1: People

by Marian Schembari on March 15, 2010

Every day the internet becomes more and more important for businesses, and from my experience – both job hunting and later in publicity (which is basically a more technical term for job hunting) – I’ve learned some hardcore ninja moves to find who and what you want.

As part of a two-post series, I’m introducing the Ultimate Guide to finding relevant people and blogs online through a variety of sites and methods. Please feel free to add your tips in the comments section – the goal is to make this the biggest one-stop-shop for getting that info!

The first step is to get names. Applying for a job and you need the name of the hiring manager (sometimes calling just doesn’t cut it)? Putting together an invitee list for a specific event? Doing PR for yourself or a client?

You can find these people a bunch of ways:

Jigsaw. Get an account with them, it’s free. Once you’re signed in you can sometimes see the names of certain people who work there without having to “purchase” anything. For big companies this is usually the case.
LinkedIn. Go to a company and just browse the employees. Usually you can see the names for the first 10 pages or so. Some people choose to block their names for whatever reason, but you can get a few this way.
ZoomInfo. VERY infrequently you can get the names of the head hanchos at big companies, but more important than the names is the information you can get. Company history, press, title, events attended, sometimes even contact information is all available in one place.

Getting Contact Info

And speaking of email, the next step is to get their contact information, which is surprisingly easier than getting names. All you need is one email address. This is the email formula. I just usually “purchase” this via Jigsaw. For example: Mary Smith is president of Bank X. Because Mary Smith is a big deal, her email is nowhere to be found. So I go to Jigsaw and find the name of the SVP of Sales. His name is Bob Jones. So I purchase his contact info. His email is bjones@bankx.com. Therefore, Mary Smith’s email is (90% of the time): msmith@bankx.com. Get this picture?

After a while, you start realizing the formulas are completely unoriginal. It’s usually some variation of msmith@bankx.com, mary.smith@bankx.com, mary_smith@bankx.com, or, if it’s a small company: mary@bankx.com. Usually after the @ is the name of the company, but sometime is differs. Like Deutsch Bank is @db.com (again, I say usually).

It’s a lot of guessing and you’ll definitely get some returned messages. Sometimes I plug in a guessed email address in to Google like this “mary.smith@bankx.com” (use quotes when searching for email addresses, this prevents sites with the person’s name and company name without the address from popping up) and see if anything comes back. Sometimes her email will be on some online database that you can then access.

Dig Though Old and Future Events

Sometimes conferences or seminars will give the contact info for their speakers. At the very least, they’ll give their names. So Bank Conference might say: “We’re proud to be hosting a Lunch Seminar with Mary Smith, President and CEO of Bank X”. Make sense? So when you start running dry, Google “bank conferences for women” or “business lunch seminar” etc etc. Google every variation you can think of.

Also, when you find a name you can plug it into ZoomInfo. If they’re important enough you should get a decent amount of info to make sure they’re appropriate (see #3 above).

Random Tips I’m Too Lazy to Categorize

There are a lot of business directory services that you have to pay for but some will give you a free trial. Lead411 is a good one.

Googling titles also works sometimes. Ex: Google “CIO of Bank X”. Sometimes articles will show up that include the person’s name.

This is a lot, but you sadly can’t get all this stuff from one place. It’s a lot of surfing around for hours (I know, lots of fun), variations on search terms, and serious digging.

Notes

*A note on “purchasing” — take advantage of any and all free trials. You don’t need to pay upfront, just make sure to cancel before they charge you. As for Jigsaw, for every contact you input, you can then “buy” a contact with those points. So add your contacts OR do the community tasks. You usually get cut off at around 5 contacts unless you’ve been a member for a while, so I have about 5 accounts with them. As I write this I realize I’m exposing my little scam, but I’m sure I’ll survive the scandal.

**A note on spam — Don’t.

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Book Review: “Social Media 101″ by Chris Brogan

by Marian Schembari on March 12, 2010

Because I’m a huge dork, my dad saw this book lying around at work and thought I’d love it. The dork part comes in when I squealed in delight while proceeding to ditch my parents so I could read Chris Brogan’s latest book. Le sigh. How I love me some social media business-y literature!

Despite the fact that I read Brogan’s blog regularly and feel like I’m more at the 201 level, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. C-Broges is accessible, easy-to-read and has lots to say. However, since I usually write the intro to my posts last (it’s a quirky thing, don’t ask), I’ve actually listed as many cons as pros. Ignore that. The book really is excellent, but does seem a little haphazard. I haven’t (yet) read Trust Agents, co-written with Julien Smith, so I don’t know if this is Brogan’s usual style. Regardless, here’s my brief little review of Social Media 101 (damn, I need to set up some affiliate links).

Pros:

When it comes to social media, Chris Brogan reigns supreme. Seriously. As I know I’ve mentioned several times, I’m a little bit in love with him. Basically meaning the information he’s got going on is fabulous. It’s chock full of helpful information and anyone who loves his blog should read this book.

While not technically part of the book itself, Brogan has set up a post on his blog where readers can comment and provide feedback (to which Chris pretty much always responds) on the book. He writes:

If you’re here, it means you’re part of the conversation. If you’ve yet to pick up Social Media 101, it’s more like a reference book for the revolution than it is a breakthrough. I’m proud of the book. It’s comprised of some of the best of my writing from this site. I’d love for you to be part of it.

And he should be proud; if anything, the man seriously practices what he preaches.

Cons:

Navigation. Brogan says this book can be used as more of a resource guide than something you read cover to cover, but all 87 chapters come right after the other after the other. For someone who is all about ease and organization, the book could be better broken down.

This is kind of silly, but the footnotes drove me batshit crazy. I realize this book is really just an updated version of Brogan’s best blog posts, but because it’s a print book you can’t link. Meaning every single page is filled with footnotes that are really just links. My thoughts: if someone buys a book on social media, they usually know enough to understand how Google works. If they want to use a site or read a post listed in this book, just Google that shit, man. Otherwise, use endnotes. Footnotes are distracting.

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I’m finding I really love to read business and social media books, so if you guys have any recommendations, send them my way!

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Oh My Goodness, I Want This Job (and would rock it so hard)

by Marian Schembari on March 7, 2010

I’m in love. “Unconditionally and irrevocably.” With a potential job.

As I write this I’m in my pajamas working from home – as per usual. I love what I do. I love working for myself… But damn.

Here’s the story:

This past month has been a little rocky. I left my part-time day job to devote myself 100% to freelancing. I was at that point where I was getting enough business that I could afford to work for myself, but not enough to live “comfortably.” But I did it anyway and took that leap.

Then I found out that I need to leave my current living situation, resulting in the first time ever in the history of the world where the love of my life (aka my roommate, Desi) and I will no longer be living together. This is depressing in and of itself. But add to that moving costs, finding another apartment (which will most likely be significantly less awesome than where I am now) and the fact that I couldn’t find a cosigner for my culinary school loan, and my dreams have been all but tabled.

Basically I was a teeny tiny upset.

However…

Then I wake up this morning and it’s 55 degrees and the sun is shining and not only do I have a seriously awesome apartment lead (it’s a sublet and there’s a piano) but the first thing I see on Craigslist is an ad for this job… at… wait for it… THE INSTITUTE OF CULINARY EDUCATION:

The Public Relations Associate position is a full-time position, reporting to the company’s Director of Sales & Marketing. The ideal candidate is eager to burst onto the Public Relations and food-scene. The candidate should be immersed in or passionately interested in the world of food, cooking, chefs, and restaurants – and appreciate the value of education.

By the Hammer of Thor!

I’m not even kidding you. This job exists. And it was literally hand crafted for me, I’m sure of it.

My Application

I’ve been spending all day working on an incredibly personal email to the Director of Sales and Marketing, crafting a bad ass cover letter, touching up my long neglected resume, tweeting about it, finding every possible spec of information on ICE’s online presence, writing this blog post as a supplement to my application AND creating a marketing plan. Too much? Honestly, I could care less right now.

Here’s a fun little excerpt from my email to the press office: “I’ve attached a more ‘traditional’ cover letter outlining my accomplishments and qualifications based on exactly what you’re looking for, but I just wanted this email to be a little more personal, a little more passionate than your stereotypical job application. And in case you want to see some of my ideas in action, I’ve attached a short proposal on how ICE can continue to grow in the media….

We can have videos on DICED of students preparing certain recipes and asking questions, interviews with chef instructors, book giveaways, contests/coupons on the Facebook fan page, tweets with special tips and sneak peeks for followers… the opportunities online are endless, fun and beyond exciting!”

Think I have a shot? Everyone keep their fingers crossed and if you know anyone at ICE, pass my info along, will ya?

Will keep you posted!

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How important is my blog’s design?

by Marian Schembari on March 4, 2010

About a month ago I considered paying someone to do my blog redesign because I felt it wasn’t snazzy or professional enough to do the job. Now that I’m 100% self employed I figured my website was THE most important thing I’ve got going for me.

Well, life happened, and I can no longer afford to hire a web designer, but I still stress that my site isn’t awesome enough to impress anyone.

I know my About page could use some work, my blog isn’t the prettiest thing on the planet and I keep reading that I need a mailing list/newsletter. You know, for the 12 people who would sign up. I also think I need some form of logo.

But am I obsessing for no reason? It’s not like people stumble upon my blog and decide it’s so cool they need to hire me. Most of my business comes from referrals via connections I’ve made on Twitter or through blog comments. Actually, hold on, scratch that. I’ve received two emails from random people who’ve stumbled on my stuff but they’ve either wanted me to work for free or join them in a sketchy business venture. No thanks.

Anyhoozey, the reason I started thinking about this post is because I generally Google people before I have meetings with them and the past two or three times I haven’t really found anything. No website or Twitter account. Which usually blows my mind – how can you freelance without this stuff? But they apparently do it successfully and are full of awesome and aren’t slaves to social media networking.

Yesterday I signed up for AWeber to start a mailing list (I actually have a cool idea for a promotion thingy – I know, super technical) but I can’t figure out how to put it on my site. Is it that hard? Apparently since I can’t figure it out or work HTML for shit. I feel like I should get Thesis but am nervous about losing everything in the process since I have no idea how to back my site up. I finally got Disqus to do my comments (which I think looks and works much better) but so far that’s the limit.

I heart technology so I feel like it’s bit of a disgrace that I don’t know how to build a decent website. Like I said in my last post, I’m not sure asking questions will result in the most comments, but I would really like your opinion. What would you add to my site? Take away? Blunt honesty always appreciated.

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