Networking Cards? Who Knew!

I'm sure the networking card is something many people in the corporate world are familiar with, but it was news to me until now. I recently joined the National Association of Professional Women, a huge networking organization for hard-workin' ladies, to increase my networking opportunities and receive mentoring from women who have already achieved a high level of success.

At my first NAPW event I discovered the best alternative to a business card, the networking card.

When you are brand new to an industry, fresh out of college or a career changer, it's hard to commit to a business card because things seem to be changing every few months. I may be an assistant this month and an entry-level editor six months down the line. But a contact I make today, may be even more valuable to me in the future, and I want the first impression I give them to have staying power.

If my job title or company phone number changes, then that business card is useless, and the contact is lost. So rather than pigeon-hole myself into a tight box, I kept it broad and simple. Instead of focusing on details that might change, I chose to highlight the things that stay relatively constant such as my personal contact information, key social networking sites, and a recent image of my face.

Last night I spent a few hours creating my first networking card on VistaPrint. I wanted something that would say "I am a professional". I needed the card to let people know where to reach me, or research more about me, and wanted them to be able to match my face with my name.

The front of my card has a small headshot, and it's the same one I use for all of my social media sites. This is a very simple way of branding myself, so that no matter where someone goes to look me up, they see the same smiling face. Next I included my professional email address and cell phone number, so if I relocate or change jobs, there's still a phone number where I can be reached directly.

In this modern job market, social media sites are likely to be one of the first places a potential employer visits to learn more about you. So I added the URL's for my Linkedin profile, my professional Facebook Page, and my Twitter account. Here they can see my work history, see the kinds of things I chat about, and get a feel for the the kinds of connections I'm making. (Just be careful, and make sure that you're a responsible social media user, no drunken pics, no rants about how stupid your current boss is, that kind of thing will come back to bite you.)

Finally on the back of my card I put a short invitation to visit this blog, along with the URL.

With just one small photo, a few URL's, an email and a phone number, the people that I meet have a clear and accurate picture of who I am, what I do, and how I can best serve them. The only challenge left is initiating the conversations that will land my card in their hands, and that will inspire them to learn more about me.

More on that next time, for now I'll just sit in the lobby staring at my mailbox, waiting for my little box of cards to arrive. Is that too nerdy?

~Michelle In Turn

Resumes Are Like Real Estate

Dear Potential Employer,


I am awesome. 


Stop wasting time and just hire me already, because while you may not know it yet, I'm the best in all the land. 


When do I start?


~Michelle In Turn

I am NOT a Literary Hustler!

Failure is Just a Mistake You Didn't Learn From

While I certainly cannot claim to have avoided failure all my life, I've fortunately managed to get at least a bit better at managing the chaos and rebounding quickly when it comes to potential failure.


If you ever have the chance to talk to my parents, I'm sure they'll be eager to tell you how I love to "learn things the hard way". Some people might view that as a negative, but I actually don't. You see, the reason I tend to learn the hard way is that I am of the breed who likes to take well-planned risks in an attempt to improve or enhance my life. Sometimes they work out, and sometimes they don't, but the key here is that I almost always choose to use those would-be failures as learning experiences and growth opportunities.


Take my recent endeavors for example. Here I am, at the start of a second career and eager to make a good name for myself in a tight job market and a tough economy. So in an effort to establish a reputation as a talented and capable publishing professional, I decided to put my talents, skills and passion out there as a "freelance editor". I thought this was a genius move, but yesterday I learned it was more like a ticking time bomb.


Man— I had NO IDEA that putting my name out as an editor without formal "in house" experience could be detrimental to my career and/or my professional reputation. Apparently literary professionals like in-house editors and literary agents actually steer their authors away from self-proclaimed editors like me, and after hearing my friend out, I was totally able to see her point.


But now that leaves me in a bit of a quandary, and here's why: 


I do have a very natural talent for editing in all its forms, and that natural talent was strengthened and honed via my years as an English teacher and my voracious reading. It was then validated through my internship at a literary agency, confirmed when I assisted a client with proofreading some client manuscripts, and even more so when I completed a manuscript for my first official editorial client. But at the end of the day, aside from my BA in English, I have no formal editing experience or credentials. 


While interacting with and guiding writers is something that brings me true joy, I wouldn't want to jeopardize a long and vibrant career by coming off like a literary hustler.


I am NOT a literary hustler! 


But, I am going to figure out how to make lemonade from this mess, and I've already started by revising my current job description on every site from LinkedIn to Facebook to Twitter to this blog. 


Until Next Time...


~Michelle In Turn

Rung #2

I'm happy to report that rung two on my publishing-career-ladder-to-success has officially been reached.

Shifting gears from teaching to publishing was a HUGE risk, and I knew that breaking into the industry wouldn't be easy for an "outsider" like me. But I'm of the mindset that thinks along the lines of "You've got to know the system, to beat the system." So, in a lot of ways I am still in learning mode— a sponge.

Over the past few months, since leaving my internship at FinePrint Literary Management, I've been fortunate enough to work with a pretty incredible woman: Stephanie Gunning. She's an independent book consultant, book coach, developmental editor, thought leader, innovator, self-publishing company partner and so much more. Partnering up with her has given me insight into the world of publishing that exists outside of the publishing house.

What I have seen so far is that the face of the publishing game is clearly changing, and only those who are innovators and one-step-aheaders will survive the complete overhaul of the old-school paradigm. I plan to be one of those stay-aheaders gosh darn-it!

One way I intend to reach my overall goals is to diversify. I think it would be foolish, at this stage of my life and in this state of industry-wide flux, to limit my experience to one specialty of mode or experience. So as I work as an independent contractor for Stephanie Gunning Enterprises, I'm also working to build my own freelance editorial business.

Presently, I am open to working with authors of both fiction and nonfiction in all genres. In fact, I've just had the pleasure of completing my first major freelance job for author Elizabeth Lions. Her first book, Recession Proof Your Life http://amzn.to/OSCaSV was a great success. Through Steph Gunning I was connected with Ms. Lions, and had the opportunity to edit the manuscript for her second book, I Quit! Working For You Is Not Working For Me. The subject of career change could not have been more appropriate, and the experience couldn't have been more validating.

I'll post a spot-light on the book when it's up and running, but for now I'll just keep smiling.

It's good to be back!

~Michelle In Turn