It's All In Who You Know

   Finding a job can be the hardest thing of all, but then sometimes, in just 5 weeks, a person can find their dream job. While looking for a non-profit blogger, I stumbled upon what I think to be the perfect match for me in this assignment. Josh Gold has been writing his Nonprofit Gold blog for six years and just recently got a job with a nonprofit organization. Not only is this convenient for me to find someone who knows and writes about the subject, but while looking for him, I found this article as well.

   

   Five week networking is what it took for Josh, aided by his 'career coach' to get connections, put out applications, take on the interviews and land his dream job. What did it take? Making connections, listing off the connections you have for whatever area, in this case, non-profit. After you list your connections, you ask them for a meeting, try to get more connections from them and then follow up with both a written and face-to-face thank you. That's all it takes--at least that what worked for him. I couldn't help but notice, though, that this is exactly what we're being taught to do for beat reporting. 

   Having connections seems to be the most important thing in life. You can get ahead so easily by just knowing the right people, and in the end, it can really pay off. In order to be a successful beat reporter--no matter the beat--you must go to the people you have already met as well as secure multiple new sources to gain new information. The easiest way to get more sources is to ask the ones you already have to shoot a couple names your way, and that's when the true networking starts. If you're lucky, all of the sources will cooperate with you and give helpful information, but if not, try to keep reliable sources on hand if others fall through. With these tools and skills, there's no way a person can truly fail. It just may take some time to find your flow, but once you do, it's likely unstoppable.