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Online Networking Success w/ Jacob Cass

I'll just introduce jacob cass who are is quite well known but for those of you that don't know him jacob cast is an established graphic designer who runs the park popular design blawg just creative it doubles as an award winning design and branding firm his clients include the likes of jerry seinfeld, disney nintendo powerade and has even being declared the top graphic designer in new york city by the new york post he has had he has currently over seventy one thousand twitter followers and his web sites have been viewed over three billion times the man himself jacob cass how's that for an insurer he's also my fellow ozzy okay now lives every yeah he's very much I think he's on his lunch break so thanks like thanks jake it for joining us are incredibly on it for you to be here we'll jump shade into it and I've got a couple questions for you to start the first is how important is it to network online in terms of getting the design job you want? Can you share a story in your experience t...

hat, uh networking online has helped to leading you to where you are? Of course the first thing that comes to mind is actually how I got to new york and that was through twitter back in the day but that I started tweeting back in two thousand seven I think when it first came out seven years ago that's part of my mouth was probably l spit. I started I was your followers just like everyone else, and at the time, I had a block, which is just creative, which is right. I still work by freelance business and I loved a lot. A man on dh traded a lot and that's really how I got here, I, um I got offered the job through twitter from designing to see here in new york on dh I said yes to that job. They found me through my blogger and three trading I wasn't actually looking for this job, but all I was still studying. I had six months left to go off my study studying design on, and I said yes to them under the circumstances that have to finish graduating on dh. Then I moved up to new york, and I don't know anyone here. I know I just packed up my bags and master. Any reason that happened was because of the online network and that it was during so gently question hundreds and his battle, you have to have an online presence, and you have to be you have to be so sure you have to network with people, you have to make those connections, and others will see those connections as well and that's, how you get a following yeah I love along without along with others other tips as well but just being an unknown why you want to do it is it's key I love that yeah and for those of you that haven't heard his story he got a job through twitter from australia couple skype interviews if I'm not mistaken and next you know I was working in new york and he's been there for over three years you happened nearly five years nearly four is like went crazy I wasn't meant to be over five years but it's amazing city and the people here in the designers and the whole community is really what makes me stay here and the clientele as well like like you introduced me with it somehow that access and especially in new york it's such a tight knit community there's so many people and the connections can be made to be honest when I first came here I went to a lot of meet up groups and I got to know people because I didn't know anyone now I do it all online hardly going to a made up groups upgrade these friend connections and I have that base now how about foundation to go on and when you have follows the people I will do the promoted for you because you kind of have that snowball effect maybe they are hard at first the very first six twelve months I'd say it's very difficult because you you didn't have that I return on investment yet but you have to stick to her then you have to know why you're doing it not just like sharing photos of your breakfast or whatever you need you need a no idea if you want to jump in the agency or if you want to just meet people I'm going to have different strategies to do that so whether or not it's being following agencies or calling other designers or connecting another way you really needed their wives that's awesome yeah I mean jake it is pretty much hit the nail on the head is not repeating that I should be doing he's pretty much touching all the points that I've said so um I just love hearing that from a person that's living it but to such an extreme high level and if they're doing it it's a great example for you guys um so the next question I have for jacob is ah mmm there's so many I have what stand out online platform for you is the most powerful to increasing employment opportunities if you had to pick just one platform in your opinion in increasing important employment so what he do another says that business platform I I personally haven't had much I don't on linked in, but I wouldn't say that I would recommend it entirely for looking at jobs I think having um I want a long connection with someone you want to work in the agency is a better way to establish rather like going through I went and I think that's a good thing to have in mind it's a standard so people can look at it on dh see what you have been up tio but I think twitter is a very easy way to connect with people and very quick and it's informal and you can build up a relationship over time and you always top of mind that way where is linked in is a lot of what all people in yeah, I would say twitter better definitely still have a lengthy yeah, I think jake, it brings up a very good point because uh the thing is the immediacy of twitter is so fast and I also encourage that remember how I said okay for me it was linked in and twitter that were up there for sure linked in it gives you more of it in death uh, you know, knowledge of of who you are, so if they're like a twitter you want your tweet and that was quite impactful, they're gonna want to know more about you so it's important I think they complement each other really well so for jacob he's got a huge twitter following and ah so he in my opinion his brand presence is so strong that that just speaks volumes in itself but sometimes you know you're just starting out so um you gotta have that balance. I think so the next question I have a jacob is what would you say are the pros and cons to networking online versus networking offline? I think I briefly touched on that when I first got here. It's not about meeting people and seeing the face to face and you can easily do that and networking events and you can have a bit of dutch courage with some beverages and you kind of forced it in that situation of meeting people I got like a business card stack about this this big of from the past five years of just meeting people and it's you can made thousands of people but it's about the follow up and connecting with them on online as well. So it's a mixture of hey, I met you in your life I'm still going to talk tio break that's a bit further and you can become friends off I mean business partners I think the pros the pros of meeting in person is that you get to meet them and you can put the face the name and have ah more meaningful conversation but online it's quick it's fox you can connect a lot of people who want at the same time so it's it's about using both both methods of networking absolutely the cigarette and start completely agree thie next question I have which a lot of the viewers will benefit from how can the audience not to build and online presence for themselves have you got any practical tips on starting out? Well how I started out originally was blogging and I wasn't really doing it too I don't know why I was during those suits recording my studies of design school and from that blogging it kind of led into social media I didn't know what social media was at the time was pretty new started tweeting and all of that and um I think tips to start is just get in and do it and know why you're doing and I think I said this before but having a reason for doing it and well that I did create a strategy that will make you allow you to get your goals yeah exactly I said thinking first questions yeah and I love you and the fact that jacob himself is reaffirming those two things what did he say he said uh pretty much knowing who you are and what you want that is why it's so important for personal analysis looking inwardly and defining that to the most minute detail and secondly he said just do it just just start isn't it likely to say and you'll find the same consistencies with bloggers that are that are doing quite well they just started not to be ah you noted to have an overwhelming weight on their shoulders that it's going to be this huge thing just start and improve as you go yeah I just wanted to add something creating value when you you're sharing online is another q tip I think my strategy for my strategy I provide a lot of mints to design it is and resource is and I provide value that way and people more likely to share about value that you're creating no sharing so if you're sharing like his his ten top resources for whatever it might be a bill like likely retreat that was shared and then your name your followers and everything accumulate it will be slow it stop but soon is that staple effect happens and your name ok up there and you get more followers and it'll go on so yeah that's so good you know I think for those of you that are unaware of what jacob posts out he is so on point with the type of consistent value that he posts literally like jacob will post at least I'll once a day or two two times a day you know something that I will be able to use it could be some icon collections awesome some cool fun it's that he's tracked down or a good deal that he feels would benefit us as designers so he's actually touching a really important point and I think he takes value too valuable there's a difference I can give value, but in order for me to be completely engaged with you, I need something that's valuable that I can access in use. And jacob does that so well with the post that he curates and he thinks about what he sends out he doesn't like I said, just post a photo of his breakfast you know, he really gives people something that they can use, so I've done that once he has been a culture of that I think we all have now I think I've got tio jump to the final question because I want you to answer this in a zoo as much time as possible, but the final question I have is what would be one main piece of advice to overcoming a common obstacle when it went in regards to getting the design job that you want is a standout obstacle that you had that you can share with us that you can be the biggest office so I had was when I come into the states is a getting a visa from they wouldn't let you yeah, that some of these issues but it's ok, now um I have to get over that I know a lot of people it's a very common question I get is how did how did you rivera she's and start working on erin? I tell us about that I saw this is very different for different countries I'm just telling from this train perspective this different types of diseases and all of that I contacted some lawyers on dh help me with that help with me with the agency every here who had never really I'm hired I've seen people before generally beer companies how will have done that multiple times but small mid size businesses that haven't really said I got in contact with some ways you helped out ah little price to buddy what it worked out in the end and I've really pricey straw for students it is but it's not like by thousands and thousands of dollars it's around like two thousand three thousand mark just to give you numbers obviously it's going to different everywhere but you don't have to do that there are other ways around it and it just depends who your employer is if you have an employer that wants to hide it then it's going to be they're going to try their hardest to get you sick I know that that's not valuable than it shouldn't be yeah I think that's one ofthe yeah I mean that's a that's a obstacle that a lot of people have trouble with them they want to work overseas they want to do them and visas these huge parlor and we won't get into the intricacies off that that I r rating long yeah because there is actually a portion of of jacob's story where he actually and correctly from mistaken hey had to be, you know shifted off to canada for a certain point. So that was like just like villa go there's like a limbo period and he had to be shifted off to canada and I'm sure canada's amazing place I've not been there myself but hey was there for what? Like ten days or something and then he was allowed back in the country and ironically I when I was in ottawa in kind of about I was staying in a jail cell which is converted from a hostile converted to us so I should say so it was kind of ironic him down in the end I went on to austria, got a new visa and then came back to the states but that was after my wife have to bring all my belongings to canada. Yes, I think you know guys it just goes to show a big obstacle no matter what it is is is a persistence exactly existence and if you know what you want get itt's possible exactly and he's reaffirmed that again. Know what you want? What is that job that you want? How does it look like where is it? Why do I want it? Why? Because that is going to get you through going through prison literally on on and all these other hardships. Not that being shipped off to canada is hard by any means. But, you know, like just organizing staff and and, you know, organizing paperwork, we lawyers for us, you know, if you know lawyer were not used to that so it can be tough. So jake, my friend, thank you so much for being with us. It's going to take a big round of applause. I just want to say real quick that jacob is, of course, available on his website. Just creative dot com. Or about came all the cool things that he's mentioned already. Check it out. Just created dot com, check out facebook, dot com slash just creative design and, of course, engaged with them on twitter. Uh, I think I might have to get in line. Just creative is his twitter handle and also the same for his instagram. So, thanks again, jacob. Thank you. Spend time with us.