The fourth-annual Her Conference 2015 was this past weekend in New York City! The two-day conference consisted of several keynote speakers and session blocks, where attendees can choose from a number of panels to sit in. Each keynote speech and panel was followed by a Q&A, so that collegiettes had the chance to ask follow-up questions to any of the panel members. Panel members varied from many different positions, from entry level positions, to editors, to co-founders. Although there were many takeaways from the conference, I will boil it down to the most important ones that I found helpful, useful and inspring!
1. Network, Network, Network! Networking was the theme of this conference. Whether it was after a panel discussion, during transitions and lunch, everyone was networking at some point. Most of the speakers, if not all, emphasized the importance of networking because it’s one of the main reasons why they all got to where they are today. Networking can be as simple as walking up to someone and exchanging business cards. Once the exchange of contact information has been made, a relationship can develop through email or sometimes over the phone. It’s important to keep in mind that you never want to flat-out ask for a job on the spot. Potential hiring recruiters get turned off by that immediately, and the relationship can easily go down the drain. Instead, seek advice, ask questions, and inquire about how they got to the where they are currently.
2. Fail Forward. This phrase seemed to be a trend across many of the speakers at the conference. Many of them had to fail a couple of times in order to get to where they are today. This is mostly important for soon-to-be college graduates, who are about to start the transition journey into the “real world.” One thing to keep in mind when embarking on this journey is to remember that if you don’t get that first dream job that you applied to, or if you’re having trouble just figuring out what the next step is, everything will come into place in the end if you take it with a grain of salt. Accept that it’s not a failure, only another bump in the road to get to where you want to be.
3. Live, Breathe, and Eat Social Media. If you are looking for a career in journalism, it is essential that social media is a huge part of your life. Hiring recruiters in the magazine industry will almost always resort to your social media channels before inviting you back to an interview or offering you a job to see if your social media presence is alive. You can tell a lot about someone from what they post on social, so making sure that status updates/tweets/pictures are appropriate and also fun, will benefit you in the long run. Note: You should only have one Twitter account, as opposed to a professional and personal one.
4. Be Proactive. This phrase can be relevant in almost any situation: when you’re an intern, job hunting, or even at an entry-level position and beyond. Good things happen to those who take action, instead of those who sit around and expect great things to happen to them. For example, if you’re an intern who has no work to do at a current moment, walk to your manager, mentor, or even another employee and ask if there’s anything you can help work on. People notice this type of behavior, and will take note of it when a position becomes available. Same goes for almost any other position; employers want to see that you’re willing to take on any assignment, big or small.
5. Spread Positivity. When you walk into class or work with a smile, chances are you will make someone around you smile as well. It’s important to spread this kind of positivity at all times of your life, so people will look forward to hanging around with you. Don’t get me wrong, we all have our bad days; but learning how to control your emotions at the workplace will be beneficial to not only your career, but also in your personal relationships as well. The more you smile, the better you will feel!