# 7 - Greeting Cards or Can I Have a Job?

I was pleasantly surprised one afternoon last week by a small envelope in my office mailbox. Given the time of year I anticipated that it was a greeting card… Another reminder that I needed to purchase cards.

When I opened the envelope and pulled out the card, I realized that this wasn’t a Christmas card, but a handwritten Thank You card. It was from a student that I befriended during the summer. She thanked me for my advice on post-graduate education.

Sending thank you notes to recruiters or potential employers after an interview is a mandatory step in the application process. However, I was not recruiting this student for an open position but serving as a resource. Our meetings were neither formal nor frequent, but I recognized that she was different from other young people I had met. She was very enthusiastic and willing to accept good advice.

Her thank you card stamped such a positive impression into my mind that I am willing to keep in touch with her and help her in the future however I can. Her card is even hanging on my wall.
Are you leaving that kind of impression with your mentors, employers, recruiters or whomever you are reaching out to for professional help? If so, how are you doing it?

Here are a couple DO’s and DON’Ts to consider:

DO send thank you notes or cards. It demonstrates to the people who have taken time to give you advice that they didn’t waste their time on you. It keeps you fresh in their minds, especially if they display your card in a prominent place. (Beware that you may not be at the forefront of your recipient's mind, but it’s better than being an afterthought or forgotten.)

DON’T be insincere. People can see through artificial displays.

DO acknowledge how his/her help has been beneficial to you in the past and that you would welcome any help they can provide in the future.

DON’T beg for a job. Please don't tag onto your note, “By the way, do you have a job for me in your office?” That negates the purpose of your note and adds pressure that may turn your recipient off. Instead, follow-up with an email to ensure your recipent received your note and let him/her know that you could use some advice as you search for a job.

DO add a personal touch, such as a picture you took together or recant a joke you shared. What excited me about the card I received was that she included a picture we took together. The image of us together gives me a warm feeling each time I glance at my wall.

DON’T be generic. Reading “You were a nice person” or “stay cool” in your high school yearbook was annoying then and it still is as an adult in the workplace. If you don’t have anything meaningful to write maybe you shouldn’t be writing anything at all.

What you want is not to be forgotten and a card is a great way to be remembered. Just be careful that the card does not do more harm than help.

*** Updated***
An astute reader also added to the list:
"DO make sure you get the correct name AND spelling of your [recipient(s)] - Especially if their name is an unconventional one, or you are not certain of the spelling, ask them for a business card or confirm the correct spelling with them... While getting it right might not do a lot for you, getting it WRONG will certainly take a lot away."

#2 - Worthless Career Coffee Meetings or The Networking Virus

Have you ever taken time out of your schedule to meet someone for "COFFEE" in hopes of getting a contact name, career direction or career advice?

If you live in DC I think it's inevitable. Even if you don't live here we at some point all have fallen into that trap.

Maybe a friend met someone at a party who did something similar to you and passed your name along to them. As an obliging person, you blindly set up the meeting only to find that you don't do similar things and you have more to offer than that other person.

It's not their fault really. Nor is it entirely your friend's fault. I chalk it up to the NETWORKING VIRUS. It's an INFECTION that people catch at different stages of their life. Like chicken pox, once it enters a class or circle of friends, in no time everyone has it. It thrives in certain cities like DC and NY.

At first you're host body, like me accepting contact emails from random people, but then you become a PREDATOR spreading your business cards to new VICTIMS or to others who already of the virus. Unfortunately, it never leaves you're system entirely.

At varying stages, its SYMPTOMS wane, but facing a job loss or career change and suddenly it's back with a vengeance. Instead of waiting for invitations to receptions and networking events, you go on the prowl scanning websites and chatting up strangers at the grocery store looking for the business card that leads to the name that leads to the unadvertised position that leads to your SUCCESS.

Even when you're settled in your CAREER, your energy shifts entirely to spreading the virus to the next generation, your children. Instead of "Here's my card and please keep me in mind if anything arises or feel free to pass my name along to Mr. X in that department," you start to say "my daughter is a high school junior interested in journalism, maybe you can use her help around the office filing or something."

In any case, the benefit of the networking virus is that it BUILDS your immune system. It makes you stronger, more confident and expands your pool of resources for career, finances, real estate, education and general advice.

Maybe my coffee meeting wasn't worthless after all. If anything, that's another person who knows my name and face in an organization that I may want to get into in the future.

One day, I'll be in the other seat passing on the virus to some other pure host body.