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How to make networking work for you
It turns out that the life of a glossy magazine editor isn't all devilish Prada and bossing interns around, it' about smiling, connecting and working very, very hard. And remembering to phone your mum!
Sarah Ivens, Editor of US OK! magazine, has hob-nobbed with Hollywood stars and brilliant business brains. She's written The Modern Girl's Guide To Networking and recently stopped by the iVillage Life In The Workplace board to share the secrets of success.
'I work as a sub-editor on a local newspaper. I was just wondering what path you took to being the editor of a glossy magazine. Were you a writer first? What kind of publications did you work on before OK!? It is my ambition to be an editor one day. Do you have any helpful advice?'
Sarah Ivens: I started off doing work experience on my local and college newspapers before getting a graduate placement aged 21 at Tatler magazine. I've worked my way up over the last ten years to being an editor in America. My advice really is to know that so many people want this job - it really is very competitive - that you have to be the best, work hard, never say no, don't moan, offer to help others and to really love what you do.
If you really want to succeed, you will. I believe you make your own luck!
'I'm always aware of the personal space issue, whether someone's a bit too close for comfort or so far away that they seem stand-offish, and it makes me wonder how I come across to others. Is there a rule of thumb for this kind of thing in a professional setting?'
Sarah Ivens: Yes there is! Never stand closer than ten inches to someone (unless it can't be helped in a crowd situation). No one wants to feel like someone's breathing all over them! But likewise, don't be over-cautious and stand too far away, people will think you don't like them...or that they smell!
A good rule is when out at an event and you want to keep the correct distance, to hold a glass of something in front of you. This is an automatic barrier, without being obvious!
'How should you deal with stroppy emails? How do you know if it really is stroppy, or if it just comes across that way? And what is the best way to reply, without sounding stroppy back?'
Sarah Ivens: The first thing to do is take a deep breath. Don't just read an email once, assume the sender's meaning, and send off a stroppy reply straight back. Read it once, then go back ten minutes later, and be honest, are you reading something into it that simply isn't there?
Get a colleague or friend to give their opinion if it's still bothering you. Write a reply, save as a draft for a few minutes, then send once you've calmed down. And sometimes, it's best just to pick up the phone. A charming, non-confrontational phone manner can't come across badly!
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