Yesterday I discussed the promotional and networking benefits that blogging can have for career changers.

To keep the networking theme continuing today I thought I’d relate an anecdote from a few years ago, once more about my web design career transition.

As I mentioned yesterday, the quirky nature of my personal website had garnered quite a degree of unexpected, but welcome, attention from a number of professional web designers locally.

As an aside, the researcher at the disposable razor blade company I mentioned yesterday, was but one of my web “identities”. Another “character” was a web designer, who featured in an on-going series of fictional stories that chronicled his various up and downs socially, personally, and as a freelance web designer.

I would subtly allude to various aspects of web design in these stories, using knowledge I was gathering about the workings of the web industry as I was going along.

As a result I would literally meet people who already thought I was a web designer, and was simply producing the fictional series as some respite from a hard day’s work designing websites!

I was able to deploy my expanding knowledge in more purposeful ways however, and it was one conversation in particular with the director of a design studio that resulted in a web design job offer coming my way.

It’s no secret web designers like to party, meaning there were always regular gatherings and social events around town, which I’d often get myself along to. It was not only a way of doing some serious face-to-face networking, but also of having some fun at the same time.

At one such function I met, for the first time, a studio director I had been corresponding with by email for the past few months. He went on to tell me about some of the projects he was working on, and a particular problem he was having with one website that was being produced to a very tight deadline.

Without having to think, I immediately ventured a possible solution which he was very interested in. A few days later he emailed, thanking me for the suggestion, and told me it was working perfectly!

I replied back telling him I was happy to have been of service, and partly humourously, to consider me for any job vacancies he had. I was surprised when he wrote back saying that while he had no openings presently, he had mentioned me to the Creative Director of another design studio who was looking to hire.

About ten days later I was starting work as a web designer, having virtually been head-hunted into the role!

And a large part of my success in this regard had been the way, albeit slightly creatively, that I had managed to build up name for myself, as someone who knew what he was talking about when it came to web design.

While you don’t have to go creating multiple identities, or writing works of fiction to get yourself noticed, there are a still some lessons that can be learnt from this experience.

Firstly, avail yourself of every opportunity to network face-to-face with people doing the sort of work you would one day like to.

As I mentioned yesterday, a blog (or personal website) is a great vehicle with which to introduce yourself, and go about creating a network of professional contacts, but it’s not the be all, and end all, of the process.

It’s the personal, or face-to-face, meetings that can really make the difference though, and often the value of putting a “face to a name” is often under-appreciated.

Also, keep you finger on the pulse. Be “up to speed” with the industry buzz. Subscribe to industry newsletters, blogs, and magazines. This will also give you some conversation starters at networking functions, and allow you to make knowledgeable contributions to the discussion.

And some informed conversation might be all it takes to bring about the job opening you have been looking for.