If you haven't figure it out...

I got a job! I suppose that was pretty obvious by my half-month absence -- I either found a job, got hit by a bus, or was kidnapped by a band of Central Park Ninjas and water boarded in a secret layer below Strawberry Fields... Thankfully, it was the first one.

Things have been really busy, but I promise to leave a grand, final bit of advice in the near future. Then again, what do I care? I GOT A JOB!

(Just kidding, I really do care. I'll put up that post soon.)

From the Mailbag (sorta)

My last post about what to do when you're not job hunting generated the following question:

What kind of things are you doing in your job search?

What a mighty fine question Jennifer. I mean, I suppose that is what I am here for. The answer, however, is far from universal. Everyone's process is different.

As far as I am concerned, the No. 1 priority for any job hunter should be fostering your network. As soon as you make the decision to come to New York send a personal Email to every person you know in the city. Nothing bugging them, just a simple, "Hey, I haven't seen you in forever, but I am moving to the city. We should grab drinks or coffee. Let me know when you are free." Start with your closest friends and move on down the list to looser acquaintances. But if you haven't kept in touch with somebody at all, they will most likely see right through your seemingly-friendly intentions.

More likely than not, your network is going to be the key factor in landing your first job, but that doesn't mean things can't happen another way. It's just less likely to pan out. That said, the next step I would suggest would be trying to schedule informational interviews with HR people at all the big publishing companies (Time, Hearst, Conde Nast, Meredith, Rodale, Bonnier, etc....). This gets your resume into people's hands, and employers start to become aware that you are available. Plus, there is less pressure when the interview is simply about getting to know you rather than seeing if you will fit at one particular place.

Lastly, work the Web sites. Ed has its Whisper Jobs, Mediabistro has a lot of listings (good and bad), and journalismjobs.com tends to have some smaller gigs that might slip through the cracks of those other sites. This is a necessary step, but don't let it discourage you. A lot of the work I put into blindly applying places was met with, literally, no response, but as was the case with my apartment, you never know what can happen. So this certainly shouldn't be ignored.

More than anything, it's important to remember that conventional wisdom is conventional for a reason -- but that doesn't mean there can't be exceptions to the rule. Yes, it's very hard to land a job in New York when you're not in New York. Yes, randomly Emailing or calling editors is generally a futile and fruitless effort. Yes, it's usually not "what you know, it's who you know." But that being said, I also know a Sophomore from my alma mater that took a trip to New York, randomly dialed up an editor from a travel magazine, met them for lunch, and scored himself a summer internship. And some advice givers would have told him not to even try that approach...

So take my advice for what it is -- advice, a reflection of my own personal experiences. And from those experience, mostly I have found that a positive attitude and an ability to stay relaxed and content are two of the greatest tools to helping you land a first job. I hope this helps, and I'll try to think up some more Friday Fun for everybody tomorrow.

Good luck, Jennifer! And thanks for reading.

The Sunny Side of the Street

To every Yin there is a Yang. With every cloud, a silver lining. And to every chicken, a nugget.

So it is for being jobless: There is no money, but there is loads and loads of time. To some this can be a source of madness, but just ask anybody with a job and they'll tell you -- these days of nothingness should not be taken lightly.

It's easy to stress and tell yourself every day should be spent furiously clicking through every job listing, Craigslist ad, and freelance opportunity. And yes, those are all very important things to do. But there comes a point where enough is enough. Think of the rational all your friends (or you) used to travel to Europe after graduation: "I'll never have an opportunity like this again."

Well the same goes for you Jobby McWantsone!

Just last week I took one of my free days and decided to visit the Met. I had never been there before and payment is optional (or that's the rumor anyway), so it seemed like the perfect adventure. It turned out I was able to get in without paying -- though I still don't know if that was allowed or not? -- and it ended up being a really inspiring experience. It was wild to view some of the pieces from a writer's perspective; trying to analyze how you could incorporate those same visual elements that make the piece work into a written medium.

OK, maybe a bit too deep for ya, but the point is there is all sorts of great trouble to get into around this city. And once you get a job, your options instantly become 1,294 times less available to you. Exactly. I did the math.

So don't get over zealous and forget your purpose -- finding a job -- but when you are all Emailed out, don't be afraid to be a tourist for a day. And if you are still bored, just listen to me already and figure out a way to watch King of Kong!!

What's Up with Ed??

So I did a little digging for those of you wondering about the status of Ed's main site (which has been down for about a week now). Apparently the service provider has temporarily pulled the plug for God-knows what list of reasons possibly pertaining to "over use" or some mumbo jumbo. Basically, yes, it's the man trying to keep Ed down.

But worry not. Ed's crack staff is working diligently to try and get things back up and running. He even got a note from his mommy saying he could participate in all school activities.

Hope is to have things back up soon. But in the meantime, you can just hang out here. Fire's burning hot and you know I've got marshmallows. A friend should be here with some grahams and Hershey bars soon, and I heard Billy brought his guitar for some sing alongs....

Oops!

Ed is currently unavailable. You didn't think he worked a Spring Break into his contract?

I will try to get an answer to what is going wrong with the site and I'll get back to you when I hear anything. Until Ed returns, may I reccomend The King of Kong. It's a fabulous/hilarious/tragic/downright-nerdy documentary about the world's greatest Donkey Kong players. (Netflix subscribers: I was able to play it right on my computer)

Friday Fun -- Comments Please!

Man, you know what's a sad sight on this blog? Well, yes, that puppy from my Feb. 13 post. But I was referring more to the sorry state of my comment counts. I mean, scroll down this page and it's damn near binary code: 0-1-1-2-2-1-1...

And one of those comments was calling me out on an error. Sheesh.

But that ends right here. I'm opening things up in move that could either prove to be a confidence booster or a devastating dose of the reality that I don't actually reach millions (rw) thousands (rw) hundreds (rw) more than a few people outside my family (there you go).

So, what I want to know from all of YOU, my readers and fellow magazine hopefuls/employees: What's the best/coolest/most useful thing you've scored from work? (Those of you foreign to the wonderful world of product reviews, magazines get bombarded with free stuff ranging anywhere from Nerf guns to guacamole)

Obviously I haven't been working in magazines too long, but during my internship in New York I was able to leave with a superfly pair camouflage boots and, my personal favorite, turkey callers! Yes, as in little scratching pads that make turkey sounds. I actually got more use from those than the boots, as my roommates and I used to sit on our roof and turkey call all the people below that were walking back from the bars. (Indiana isn't called a party school for nothing!)

So lets have it people. Light up the boards, jam the servers, and let's break this streak of poorly commented posts. The ball is in your court now....

Come for the free coffee. Stay for the speakers

The words "conference," "seminar," or "workshop" tend to strike fear in the heart of any working man or woman. And to students, they generally spell a free day at home playing X-box. Unless they're required, in which case, well, at least you get to hone your art skills doodling all over the pamphlet they handed you at the door.

But as Ed's faithful servant of service to all those "on the hunt," I am here to say something potentially lame. Conferences can be cool. Yes, go ahead, dock me 15 "hipoints," but I'll stick by my word: Conferences can (legitimately) be great experiences. Especially when you are just getting started.

During my senior year, I had the pleasure of attending the Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism in Boston. Now, current students take note. I'll repeat, this time in color, current students take note!! I met with the dean of my journalism school and was able to get the school to finance my trip out east provided I came back and shared what I learned via some seminar or workshop of my own. Also, most conferences like this have either a scholarship program (such is the case for Nieman) or they are free to current students (at least reduced fees). What I'm trying to say is: Students, you can attend these bad boys totally free of charge. And believe me, as soon as you graduate, you won't see that opportunity again for a long time.

The key to picking the right conference is: 1. Knowing your own interest, and 2. Doing your research first. I mention the first because you want to make sure that the majority of the schedule will appeal to the specific direction you wish to pursue in journalism. Obviously, any magazine workshop will be good, or, if you are like me and have a passion for feature writing, something like the narrative journalism conference will also tickle your fancy. As for No. 2, it's important to read up on who will be speaking, what kind of topics they will be covering, and if those topics are unfamiliar, yet intriguing to you. Try to look into professional-level conferences and workshops as opposed to college-level ones because, after all, that's what you're looking to become.

If both of those apply, there is no such thing as moving too soon. Draft up a little pitch to your adviser or dean, do your research, put on your fancy pants, and convince them that your school desperately needs you in attendance for this event.

And lastly, being the habitual giver that I am, I'll hook you all up with a little 411 on just such a gathering taking place in New York this March. The Magazine Career Insight Conference is being put on by the Magazine Publishers of America and for anybody wanting to work in New York's magazine industry it certainly fits all the qualifications I mentioned above. So check it out, and who knows? Maybe I'll see you there.... Not that you'll know who I am... Or what I look like... Or what my name is...

POOF!! Puff of smoke and Ed's Guy disappears to the sound of distant maniacal laughter...