Business Cards
This one should be a no-brainer, yet so many of us forget the importance of the very first piece of presentation about ourselves. Of course, simplicity is of great importance when it comes to business cards, however, balancing out elegance with creativity might just get yours stand out in a pile. Work out the font that best represents you; invest your time in developing a logo; be innovative! Think out of the box: choose an interesting format or insert a QR code so it takes the
possible employers straight to your website just by scanning it with their phone. Be critical. Is it easy to read? Does it portray your skills in the best way? Would you keep a business card like yours? Once you are done, show it to a couple of girlfriends in the industry and keep an open mind to suggestions!
Events
Curling up on the couch with a book and a nice glass of red often seems more tempting than any outside activity after a hard day. But, if you got your business cards on the ready and by now spent a fair amount of time on perfecting its appearance, unfortunately, there is none out there that will hang them out for you. You do not have to attend every single gathering, presentation or a coworking event. Choose wisely. Whom are you planning to meet? Are you ready to present yourself in the relaxed surrounding outside of work? Be curious. Take a girlfriend from whom you can learn communication skills or if you feel awkward standing around by yourself. Sometimes, with a little bit of luck great chances will appear in your life. Get yourself out there and stay confident!
News Letters
You will be surprised by just how many positions may arise in your inbox. Make a list of your favourite companies and their websites, figure out if the newsletter is available and click sign up. Beside the weekly updates on your preferred industry, many platforms also send out job and internship placements via e-mail. Keep your resume updated and make sure that your cover letter is personalised depending on the company. Be always on the look out!
Reach Out
Connecting is not an easy task and it will take more than one cleverly written e-mail in order to
expand your career opportunities. Stay positive: seek out mentors, influencers or partnerships.
Make a habit of dropping down a couple of lines towards an acquaintance, a recent contact or a
colleague that you wish to work with or collaborate. Behind a computer screen it is not as daunting
to present your ideas and in the long run it will pay off.
So glad you’re talking about this! Building genuine relationships is key to a thriving career! I would add that in-person time is crucial, and by meeting up for coffee or chatting with others wherever you find yourself is a great opportunity to add value to others and start to get noticed!
I actually write all about this over at The Leading Lady ( https://theleadinglady.co/ ), where I provide tons of free resources to female entrepreneurs wanting to grow killer networkings and thriving careers. I even have a FREE 36-page guide “The Female Entrepreneur’s Ultimate Guide to Small Talk” to help women who need a confidence boost when it comes to networking!