A typical day in the job search involves me making the rounds to various Web sites. These include job boards, advice Web sites and networking sites. Yes, Facebook and MySpace can be productive.The Web site I use the most is called Ed2010. Fledgling editors started the it as a way to give advice, networking and job listings to anyone who needed the help. If you ever have a question about your cover letter, internship or that rumor you heard about who’s hiring, this is the place to go. It is teeming with industry insiders. Users beware. Everyone competes in the magazine industry, and the message boards can get catty.
The Web site also serves as a networking site. If you live in New York, it lists happy hours where you can meet editors. There are also city chapters everywhere from Chicago to Atlanta. Alas, no Indianapolis. That would be a pretty small happy hour.
I also lurk the media Web sites JournalismJobs.com and Media Bistro. Just remember, the bigger Web sites get more traffic and more applications. Finding the job is just the first part. Then you have to make yourself stand out.
Social networking sites are great for — duh! — networking. Instead of being angry that the girl who cheated off of you in copy-editing landed a job at Seventeen, compliment her. She knows exactly what you’re going through, and she knows you’re smart (why else would she copy off of you?) So she might be able to offer advice about how she got the job or any openings where she currently works.
I don’t do this with people I know peripherally on Facebook. I’m too shy about it, and if I’ve never written on their walls before, it looks awfully suspicious if the first thing a person says is about a job. But maybe you’re less shy about these things, and maybe you are willing to invest the time in a new friendship that might be beneficial to both of you. If so, good luck.
0 comments:
Post a Comment