collaboration is essential…

Friday morning I had the opportunity to join multiple bloggers/creatives/marketers/technologists at #CIB or Central Iowa Bloggers, held very informally at Panera Bread. This standing meeting, every first Friday of the month, is literally a standing affair, as I did not sit down for the entire 1.5 hours I was there. It was a pleasant surprise to find that many people genuinely interested in networking with strangers and collaborating on multiple projects with other creatives, all while holding a coffee in hand.

It again bolsters my confidence that social media/online community is a great tool for building relationships, but it cannot replace #IRL meetings. In Real Life the digital fascade is gone and the pimples can’t be airbrushed away… if business is all about relationship, than successful business is all about the hand shake.

Case in point: Yesterday, I received an email telling me in so many words that I didn’t get the job I had applied for… Today, I met an employee of that company who has influence over the hiring. During our conversation he said, “now that we have met face-to-face and I like your shirt, I’ll go back and check out the resume I skimmed over earlier this week.”

I love this! It tells me two things:

1. My resume is unimpressive
2. It’s always better to meet the one who is doing the hiring face-to-face

So. I guess my post for today is two-fold in purpose, I want to remind everyone that Social Media is great, but will never replace a handshake and in-person conversation over coffee. And secondly, go look at your resume, I know I’ll be spending some time this weekend making sure it has a little more pop!

- samwell