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.