In any business, keeping a contact list of anyone & everyone you meet is vital! You never know when you might need to shoot them a quick note, for yourself, or as a means to help a mate or two out. With Email, Twitter, Lifestream, blogging and texting etc., keeping connected is getting easier by the second!
My father was awesome at keeping in touch with people. Not to get morbid but at his wake, there was an hour queue in the rain, just to say goodbye.
In November I met key people across various disciplines; Advertising, PR, & Marketing. One of the most effusive people I met was a planner for Saatchi & Saatchi. He was SO passionate about his career and life, I just had to meet him. This is where being your natural self pays off!
After he finished speaking, many of the young undergraduates raced up to him, resumes in hand and armed with many many questions. The one at the top of their list was, 'Can u hire me?!'
Take note: DON'T EVER EVER ASK THIS!
In creative industries, talent and your personality is what will get you hired! Simple.
I am not tooting my own horn, because of course I would have loved a job too, but I focused on why I enjoyed listening to him and why I would like to one day work for his company. I simply said hello and asked if I might buy him a glass of wine one day so I can gain some insight into the industry and his role within Saatchis. I went home and sent him the following email, no CV attached.
Dear XXXXX,
I so enjoyed your stories about Saatchi & Saatchi's creative approach to business problems with human feelings at its core. I understand that your time is highly sought after however, I would love the opportunity to hear more stories and have a chance to introduce myself properly over a glass of wine, later this week perhaps.
He emailed me 4 weeks later inviting me to coffee. I like to think that in my case, amidst a gaggle of yuppies, my personality made an impression both in person and later in email. I've had the opportunity to work alongside him many times, and it's fantastic! Through him I met even more amazingly talented people!
When you are networking to the movers and shakers, keep in mind they are really busy and might not have a chance to reply right away (even though your secretly hoping they will). It is OK to send quick follow ups when you feel it's appropriate and keep them updated on your activity, but do so with caution! The minute you seem annoying and desperate, the chances of getting your foot in the door diminishes by 90%!
Through my power of networking I have met dozens of the key players from Account Managers who can out wit a fox, a creative who loves Jack on the rocks and Bruce (let's be honest, who doesn't love that duo), to sharp shooting and insightful CEOs and really personable managing partners!
The most important thing is to keep an ongoing dialogue and create a relationship which suits you and your contact. This is because, the day you get hired (and you will) is the day these contacts become your peers and your new circle, for when you want to make a move to further your career on your own or with another agency.
I hope this helped and I would love some feedback. Treat these posts and an open Q&A and I will do my best to shed even more light on how to properly network yourself.
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