In 10 days, I’ll be bouncing to Boston for the National Association of Black Journalists convention, thanks to you some of you for funding me!
This will be my third year attending, and now that I’ve finally gotten the hang of things, I’d like to offer up 10 things, one each for the next 10 days, other young convention goers should stop and consider before arriving.
And whether you’ll be attending this convention or not, keep in mind that these things can apply to any networking event you attend.
Stop 1: Be present with your online presence
These days, if you’re not online, you practically don’t exist. Sounds sad, but it is what it is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. And that doesn’t just mean to simply have a portfolio website. It means getting involved on social media and START. NETWORKING. NOW.
Frequent the #NABJ14 hashtag across social media. See who else is attending and connect with them. During my first convention, I attended multiple webinars and tweet chats in which I reached out to people such as Natalie McNeal, who took me in as her mentee, and she has helped me out tremendously to this day.
Oh, so you don’t do Twitter? You’re not a fan of Facebook?
If you’re opposed to having a specific social media account, that’s somewhat understandable. It can be challenging juggling all of them. But shoot, make one just for the convention. Turn it into a project. Sometimes, you have to go where the people are if you want to get to the people. They aren’t going to always come to you.
Plus, it’ll save you some time once you get to the convention. You’ll already be familiar with some of the attendees, making it easier to connect when you finally do meet in person. Try to remember names. That way, if you see someone walking down the hallway, you can call them by his or her name, and that’ll be a great first impression!
Furthermore, once people do find out about you, they will be all over Google. Make sure your online portfolio, LinkedIn, etc. is always on point:
- Updated headline/bio that includes who you are, what you do and/or what you want to do
- Links on links on links. (No broken ones though! Triple check ‘em)
- Nice front-facing headshot. Something that actually looks like you. No heavy makeup. No bare shoulders that give the illusion that you’re naked.
- Free from errors. Have someone look over your sites. No matter how many times you look over it yourself, you’re likely to miss something. Let a fresh pair of eyes see it.
I’m actually revamping my portfolio website now, and it’s not how I want it to be yet, but even if you are changing things around like I am or don’t have a lot of content, make sure you always have something up that is presentable and informs others about what you’re currently up to. Consider including a Twitter feed or something that stays “fresh” on the homepage. I’m not gonna lie, I snoop on people’s sites all year round, and I’m not even an employer, so just imagine…
Did I miss anything? Sound off in the comments below!
And if you’re excited about preparing for the convention, tweet this. By the way, I’ll be using the hashtag #NABJcountdown on my social media accounts.
Check back to pensandpumps.com for tomorrow’s tip!
