Networking Tips

Happy Monday everyone!

Do you remember the first networking event you attended?  It seemed innocent enough at first.  You walk in and use the bathroom, re-touch your make up.  That killed about 5 minutes.  You walk out into the crowded room with a look like a deer in headlights, but then you spot the wine and cheese.  Excellent!  You help yourself to a plate of cheese (and you know it was a full plate of just cheese) and ask the waiter for a glass of Pinot Noir.  You're feeling good.  These networking events are great!  What a nice cheese selection!  Now you look back to the crowd and what to do?  Here are some tips.

1. Don't be scared or shy.  Everyone is there for the same reasons as you.  They want to meet you and learn about what your work is like and how you can potentially collaborate.  Scope out the room and find a single person or group of 3 that you can introduce yourself to.  I would avoid approaching two individuals talking as you might be interrupting, but a group of three allows you to eventually break off into pairs.

2.  Worried about an opening line?  Again, remember you're all there for the same reason.  A simple, "Hi, My name is ____ and I'm new to this event" will suffice.  Make sure you know your elevator pitch, though.  That's the next thing that inevitably your new networking acquaintance will ask.

3.  Don't get stuck.  If you find the conversation feels forced or it's not going in the direction you want, excuse yourself and start fresh with someone else.  The whole point of networking events is to meet people who have some connection to your business and can be a good partner or ally in the future.

4.  Always have business cards on hand and in convenient reach.  Oh, but you have a glass of wine in one hand and a plate of cheese in another!  Mistake!  Keep it to either a glass of wine or a plate of cheese, but not both.  Always make sure your right hand is free so you can shake someone's hand and grab your business cards.  A lady should keep her business cards in an outside pocket of her purse or an inside pocket like the ones that fit your cell phone for easy access.

5.  Follow up with the people you met.  I suggest following up the next day with an email.  Also put a reminder in your calendar to follow up with this person in a few weeks and suggest to meet up so that you maintain the relationship.  It was hard enough networking in the first place, so don't lose the valuable connections you made.

I hope these tips help next time your at a networking event!

written with love,
Leslie

photo from wecannetwork

5 Days a Week

Happy Friday everyone!

What a busy and wonderful week!  Here's my weekly round-up for the first full week of May!

1. The week started off in the outskirts of Philadelphia.  As a born and bred city dweller, it is so refreshing to step away from the hustle and bustle and visit greener pastures.  I was really inspired to amp up my garden after seeing these tulips.  Aren't these tulips beautiful?

2. The Wall Street Journal had some solid shopping advice this week.  The bucket bag is back!  Did you all know that the first bucket bag was debuted by Louis Vuitton in 1932 as a champagne carryall!? I'll take both, please :)

3. As a person who is socially conscious and interested in real estate, this was a big week for me.  New York City's new Mayor, Bill de Blasio unveiled his Housing New York plan.  It is very ambitious and I hope that all parties can work together to make it happen.  Bloomberg News gives us a good round up of his plan.  And here is an interesting "reality check" on affordable housing from Forbes.  The article, written by Erin Carlyle, is 100% on point on how New York City is fit to serve opposite ends of the income spectrum but fails the middle.  Can this be why some young professionals move out of New York City?  This WNYC podcast nails it.   

4. I am really happy to see this partnership between Kate Spade and Rwandan women.  This is the kind of social investments we should be seeing more of out of top designers.  

5.  And finally, I am going to see Cher tonight!  It's amazing she can put on a great show at her age, 67!!!  60s definitely are the new 50s!  

Affordable Interview Suit

Hi all!

As graduation season approaches, I thought I would bring you an idea for an affordable interview suit.  You don't need to go and spend $300 on a suit you'll likely wear only a few times.  I am a huge fan of mixing and matching blazers and trousers for work rather than wearing stiff suits.  When it comes time for an interview though, the more formal the better.

Some tips for buying an interview suit:

Go for black, navy blue or grey.  You don't want to distract your interviewer with your outfit.  You want them to focus on what you can bring to their business rather than distracting them with your amazing fashion sense. :)  On this same note, keep your accessories to a minimum and make them classic, not "statement" pieces.

For winter or fall interview, go for a pant suit and for spring or summer try a sheath dress or pencil skirt with a collared or high neck shirt.  Don't risk wearing anything low cut or that would require a camisole.  Those shirts tend to shift around and you don't want to be worrying about tugging at your blouse when you need to focus all of your attention on the interview.

As for shoes and purse - I recommend wearing heels, even if they are low heels.  Heels just always manage to give you the right sense of authority.  Make sure they are comfortable for you though.  And for the purse, I would recommend a basic black or beige tote that will fit a folder full of your awesome resumes!

Here's an example of an affordable suit I put together.  When creating a suit ensemble, make sure that the blazer and pants are the same shade of black, navy, or grey.  When you shop within the same store, it's easy to make that happen.

[Blazer: H&M old, similar here | Pants: H&M old, similar here | Blouse: Old Navy old, similar here | Shoes: Payless | Bracelet: J Crew Factory

Tote bag options: H&M shopper | H&M handbag | H&M shopper bag

My suit pants, blazer, and blouse alternatives linked above total less than $90!  AND the best part is that you can then pair the blazer and heels with some jeans for a great going out look or with flats to meet a friend for brunch with all the money you've saved!  That's a lot of bang for your buck!

Hope this helps some new grads out there!  As always, these views are my own.

written with love,
Leslie