(first part of this post can be found here)
My very first job came about from this networking system! A woman who had spoken to us was the president of a small publishing house. Her publicity director was looking for a new assistant, my email was forwarded on, I scored an interview, and landed the job!! It was a beautiful amalgamation of work, diligence, and strong networking abilities.
When my NYU program ended, I heard a few people mention that they hadn't sent out thank you's to the people who had spoken to us 'yet'. Yet?! I was astonished that they had let these amazing opportunities slip on past when they were falling right into their laps.
It's important to realize that successful networking bears hefty sacrifice. I had never been to NYC before and I didn't go out clubbing, sightseeing, or shopping my first several months there. I was too busy ironing clothes, reading up on the person who was to speak the next day, and compiling questions.
But you have to ask yourself why you're there and what's most important to glean from this experience. There will always be a million and one things to see and do in NYC, and that won't change! Just know that every opportunity to meet, introduce, reconnect, or sell yourself that you let slip by, someone else will use to advance themselves. There are a lot of people fighting for minimal publishing jobs, so make sure you are in the forefront of their minds!
The tips and tools you employ for this process will go on to help you throughout the rest of your career. You will portray eagerness, confidence, and independence to any potential employer. And believe me, anyone in NY can be a potential employer! You just never know...
A Twitter friend will be attending a publishing program in NYC soon and I can't help but spew advice to her via 140 characters. I've been thinking back to the publishing program I did at NYU and am diligently impressing upon her the importance of networking. She noted to me that she is terrible at networking, so I wanted to help her out a bit with some of what I learned along the way.
It's not easy! Successful networking is a lot of work, but the results are enormously beneficial. I will now channel my mother as I suggest to her that she sit up front, pay attention, and ask questions. But you know what? Mother really does know best. ;-)
At my program, we had guest speakers, representing every area of publishing, visit our group. Every day, there I was, front and center, professional business attire, noting the speaker's physical description. (Sounds silly, but is so key! You will forget who is who a week after they speak and it's frustrating as anything trying to reimagine that person.)I would ask one or two questions during their talk and write down the questions I asked, as well as the answer that was given. Afterward, I would hang behind the crowd a bit. Many people rush to meet the speaker, giving them minimal time together as they attempt to acknowledge everyone. I preferred to wait for the herd to thin, so that I would have a more extended chat. I would then approach the speaker, offer a firm handshake, hold eye contact, and introduce myself. I would ask a follow up question that referenced the talk, thank them for coming out to speak with us, and ask if they would mind my emailing them a resume.
That evening, I would hand write personal thank you notes to those who spoke and drop them in the mail on my way to class in the morning. (It's crucial to illustrate to potential employers that you have a working NY mailing address.) About a week later, I would follow-up with an email, reminding them of some tidbit we had discussed at the talk, outlining my publishing interests, and attaching my resume.
(the second part of this post will be published May 14)
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(first part of this post can be found here)
