Courtesy
Guestlist- don't ask, if someone offers amazing. But you don't really wanna be that guy do you? The band/manager has so many friends hitting them up with texts already. If you do score a regular guestlist spot show you're gratitude with a drink for them, buying their merch and supporting their band.
Etiquette- Phone & Email
Phone: Be polite, smile and be concise over the phone. Always be respectful to the receptionist, staying on their good side will likely lead to more information about whatever you need. Try calling during a less busy time of day perhaps 1-3pm when everyone is usually back from their lunch but not rushing through their tasks to finish before the end of day. Early morning could also work depending on the day. Monday is always best avoided as offices are catching up on their weekend emails. Which brings me to emails.
Email: It is said that the best time to email is a Tuesday night so that the receiver can get it mid week when things have slowed down since Monday catch-up. Friday is the worst time to send an email and expect a response. It will likely get lost in the hustle of the weekend. Plus if it is a cold email, it will have the lowest priority during the busiest time. Keep your email brief, polite and to the point. Professionals usually have little time to spare for cold emails. With this in mind - try writing your email with the receiver's attitude in mind. What can you do for them? Why are you contacting them? What would you like and what can you give in return? Who do you know that gave you their contact information? Always be patient and polite. Give the person time to get back to you. This can be frustrating but worth it in the end. Thank them for their time and find a nice signature that works for you (i.e cheers, best etc.) I like to have an additional signature below with my contact information and my blog addy.
Interviews:
- Be prepared- bring your cover letter, resume, filled-out application in advance.
- Be extra prepared- read about the company you are applying for. Research their website, look up the team members. Try and find out if you know some of the same people. Come to the interview with enough knowledge about the company so you feel comfortable talking to your interviewer.
- Be early so you're not frazzled, don't chew gum, smile.
- Look tidy and a little trendy. Where a topic piece that will make you stand out. Don't look dated you want the interviewer to feel like you could fit in with the vibe of their team.
- It's said that 25% of advancement in the workplace is technical ability. The other 75% is interpersonal skills and image. People want to be around others similar to them, keep this in mind.
- Be a human being not a robot- talk to your interviewer like you've met them before. Ask them how their day is going. While an interviewer asks questions to tons of job prospectives all day they rarely get asked questions themselves and hey we all need to talk about ourselves a bit!
- Buy the coffee- this is something I had to read for the light to flash on, of course! They are giving you their time, the least you can do is buy the coffees. This goes for coffee dates with professionals and friends helping you out.
Tools
Business cards- My business cards cost me $11 at Kinkos. I got around 60 printed to start out and had the help of a designer. It helps to know someone who can design or help you learn how to design a business card. These people are around! And if you sweet talk em maybe you can do it in trade. Once it's designed just bring the jpeg down on a USB to Kinkos (call ahead to find out the spacing and how many cards per sheet to line up on your file). Grab an exacto knife and a ruler to avoid the cutting fee.
Aboutme.com
Recently I had a coffee date with my friend Scott Honsberger (Artist consultant from yourbandsbestfriend). He gave me a few words of advice about getting myself out there. One gem was Aboutme.com, which is a website that introduces the world to you and directs them to all your social media sites- twitter, myspace, linked in etc. I love it! feel free to check mine out here. I've kept mine simple with my Linked In, Blog and Twitter links only. Facebook to me is a personal place where I only add contacts if they've bridged the gap from professional to buddy buddy. (This usually entails a drink or two and a conversation longer than the 2 min. nice to meet you greet). All in all this is a valuable site, it's free, so simple to set-up and becoming more commonly used on business cards.
Facebook vs. Linked In
Both these accounts are useful if used correctly. Linked In is great for job information, familiarizing yourself with professionals and their track record. It's great for informing those in your network of your experience and job status. Linked In is basically an online resume where as Facebook is a smorgasbord of distractions and endless connections. Everyone is on Facebook whether they like it or not. If you keep yourself informed then you are probably aware that businesses will peruse your profile before they hire you sometimes. The things I don't like about Facebook are 1. The distractions and 2. The drama. Steer clear of both these things if you want to stay on people's good side. Don't send spam or over-notify others with events you're promoting. Also try and keep your posts pleasant, if you're consistently telling the world about interesting things and events that you enjoy or are involved in then this is what they will remember you for. People like helpful tips, they don't like hearing you complain. Try and keep your posts un-offensive (if you're partner's mom can read them then you're probably in the clear). All I'm saying is once you put it out there you never know who's reading it. You always want to give off an air of confidence and success. All in all facebook is great but it's not totally necessary for the business world to see and that's why I left mine off my aboutme.com.
The Career game is a lot of work but it has it's perks. Play the game or get left behind.
