Click Your Mouse and Say,

Once upon a time, I wanted to intern at Seventeen.  Although websites like Ed2010.com list magazine and web-publication internship and job opportunities, there wasn’t anything up there when I was looking. Rather than send my resume to someone in Hearst’s HR department who would never read it, I flipped open the magazine and scanned the masthead.  I knew from my previous internships and from the many I’ve applied to that in the magazine realm, the person lowest on the totem pole—the Editorial Assistant— usually handles the hiring of interns.  I also already knew Hearst’s email format, so I shot off an email and waited to hear back.

Three days passed, and anxious, I decided to call (already had the number; I’m good like that). The Editorial Assistant picked up the phone, told me he’d passed on my resume, and the next day I went in for an interview. Although I was later offered the internship—and I imagine it would’ve been fulfilling and a good learning experience—I accepted one that was paid, and geared more towards my interests.

Although I already knew both Hearst’s phone number and email format, neither would’ve been too difficult to uncover.  With Google as a solution to almost everything, why not some of the roadblocks of a job search as well? Google, Linkedin, and Facebook:  these are now the tools of the trade.

Want to find out who heads the marketing department of a shoe company you’d like to work for? Google it to get his/her name and use Linkedin or Facebook to confirm it. Need an email address? Back to Google to get that company’s email format and you’re game. If you’ve been asked in for an interview and really want to ramp it up a notch, join the network your interviewer is in on Facebook—just for a minute!—so you see some of his/her interests and gauge his/her personality.

--Posted by Sophie Friedman, Vault Web Content Intern