Whether you’re new to Los Angeles and looking to establish yourself in the community, or a long-time resident with big career aspirations, meeting your fellow Angelenos and building relationships is crucial. And no better place to accomplish this than a meeting specifically organized and structured for professional connections: the networking event.

It’s no surprise that a metropolis like L.A. offers an abundance of fun, unique and enriching opportunities to mingle. From super-casual to super-professional — with artsy, nerdy, gutsy and more thrown into the mix — finding a get-together you’ll dig and benefit from is easy.

Here are 10 great events to consider. (Click here to tweet this list.)

1. NetParty

Socialites, unite! With a massive global membership of over 200,000, NetParty gatherings are well-attended and heavy on the entertainment factor. Rub elbows in swanky nightclubs, chic lounges and gorgeous mansions as you “combine business networking with social fun” at these fantastic congregations, featured in Forbes and U.S. News & World Report.

Membership is free and events are surprisingly affordable, and while the atmosphere is party-like, the focus is conversation — music is always kept to a no-shouting-required level.

2. Young Professionals in Energy LA

If you work in the energy industry, the Young Professionals in Energy LA group is a must-join. Highly organized leadership combines with highly engaged membership to create a remarkably positive member experience. YPE emphasizes professional development and advancement, aiming to produce an environment conducive to sharing knowledge and experiences and considering career opportunities.

Open to all energy professionals, membership is free, along with most events; the LA chapter hosts about one every two months at various locations.

3. Downtown LA Young Professionals Happy Hour and 4. DTLA Happy Hour Crew

Interested in exploring the city and making new friends while logging your networking hours? The Downtown LA Young Professionals Happy Hour and DTLA Happy Hour Crew Meetup groups are for you.

Go bowling, play billiards and hit up rooftop bars with other 20- and 30-somethings, many of whom work or live downtown. With over 1,000 young professionals in each group getting together almost monthly, you’re sure to make some interesting connections.

5. Philanthro Los Angeles

Here’s a deal for you: For (typically) $15 or less, attend hip and meaningful events like art shows, black light parties and pro-environment city clean-ups with the camp of over 300 volunteers at nonprofit Philanthro Los Angeles.

Made up of early-career adults set on supporting good causes, members seek to encourage their peers to get involved in philanthropic social and leadership volunteer activities by hosting these exceptional gatherings. Building relationships and doing good? That’s a bargain.

6. Writers With Drinks LA

There’s a lot to love about the Writers With Drinks LA community. Comprised of nearly 600 accomplished writers and literary professionals, members convene monthly for free social get-togethers, as well as “book panels, readings and discussions featuring award-winning writers in many genres including fiction, memoir, screenwriting, TV writing, journalism and playwriting.”

But the best part? The panels include free snacks and sangria.

7. Ambitionista

Wondering if you’ll fit in with the Ambitionista crowd? Here’s the equation: Female + 20-something + Ambitious  = Ambitionista.

And while the group name can sound fabulous at first read, these ladies mean business. As founder Mira Johnson writes in the group’s Meetup profile, “This is NOT a ‘fluffy’ spa party or wild and crazy nightlife meetup. We are serious about success and personal growth.” Membership is free, as are some events, which include friendly networking and support assemblies, as well as a monthly speaker series.

8. Westside Geeks & Nerds

Nerdy, geeky and/or dorky workers, LA has a group in which you can feel right at home: Westside Geeks & Nerds. Obsessed with a particular topic? Passionate about learning in general? A bit socially awkward, perhaps? Connect with your people and stimulate your brain at WGN’s monthly themed outings, held at art galleries, museums, game stores and other intellectual-friendly spots.

With game nights, book discussions, movie showings and more, bonding with the club’s 1,000+ members promises to be as engaging as it is beneficial.

9. Women Entrepreneurs Club of Los Angeles

Enjoy monthly talks on highly relevant topics in the female entrepreneur’s world, as well as relaxed periodic happy hours, when you join the Women Entrepreneurs Club of Los Angeles.

This group of close to 300 “dynamic, creative, educated and forward-thinking Los Angeles women” organizes regularly to share ideas and experiences, announce events and collaborate on projects. Membership includes admission to an exclusive social media group focused on strengthening offline relationships between like-minded professionals.

10. Downtown L.A. Toastmasters

No networking opportunities round-up would be complete without mention of the local Toastmasters chapter. Join a group of motivating L.A. professionals working together to enhance their individual communication and leadership skills every Friday at 12 pm at Southern California Gas Company.

There’s a $20 fee for new members, plus international dues of $36 every six months and reasonable club-level dues. The payback? Better public speaking and presentation skills, good quality contacts… and maybe even that promotion.

Cassie Nolan is a freelance writer and the blogger behind Alternative Badassery, where she covers career, health and writing topics. She also sometimes says cool stuff on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Get our best career advice delivered to your inbox. Sign up today!

The post Networking in Los Angeles: 10 Events for Meeting New and Interesting People appeared first on Brazen Life.

The team at CareerCast, a leading career resource and job database, has issued its annual Best Seasonal Jobs report, highlighting the top temporary positions available this time of year.

The 2013 list includes:

1. Santa Claus
2. Retail Salesperson
3. Material Recording Clerk
4. Parcel Delivery
5. Personal Shopper
6. Photographer
7. Chef
8. Volunteer

(Click here to Tweet this list.)

It’s no surprise the Santa gig makes an appearance on the list, but we are a little surprised that Saint Nick is tops. Is it the hours (presumably great), the pay (presumably not great) or something else? Spreading Christmas cheer? Working with kids? It can’t be the parents…

Not all seasonal jobs are created equal. Some may be better for your long-term prospects. Other seasonal posts may be desperate enough for employees that they could be more likely to hire quickly, saving you some of your valuable time.

How do you choose?

“The real question is: Why are you looking for a seasonal job?” asks Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast. According to Lee, anyone who’s mainly looking for extra income can choose freely, but if you have hopes of turning the temporary gig into a full-time position, your options are limited. Many jobs on the list “tend to be holiday-only,” Lee says.

Still, there are exceptions. UPS, for example, considers holiday help for long-term employment, presumably evaluating workers’ performance during the busy season. “Almost like an internship,” Lee says.

Other benefits of seasonal employment

Beyond permanent positions and extra paychecks, there are other ways to maximize a seasonal job opportunity.

“The key here is to look at transferable skills,” Lee says.

One example: A marketing professional looking to advance her career may take on a retail position, then volunteer her skills for marketing initiatives within the store, effectively “filling in [her] resume, staying active [in the industry].”

A culinary student could log professional hours during the holiday season, which might fall during her school break. That means real-life experience that doesn’t conflict with a study schedule.

See the full report here. As a bonus, each job listed includes available positions.

So, who’s ready to play Santa this year?

Cassie Nolan is the blogger behind Alternative Badassery, “A creative guide to being good at life,” where she covers career, writing and health topics. She also regularly disseminates awesome on Facebook and Twitter.

Get our best career advice delivered to your inbox. Sign up today!

The post The Best Seasonal Jobs of 2013, and How They Can Help Your Career appeared first on Brazen Life.

But is the role you’re going after right for you? Are you sabotaging yourself by not looking past the goal of landing a job?

In the current professional climate, it’s easy to focus on “winning” in the job hunt game and forget that a new role should be a thoroughly evaluated stepping stone in your career. In short: it’s easy to land the wrong job. Here’s how to do it:

Be a marvelous presenter

It’s no secret that communication skills are in high demand among employers, and for good reason: in many roles, it’s important to clearly articulate the value of your company’s product or service and to represent your organization professionally.

Hone those communication skills, but superstar communicators, beware: your talent could work against you. Presenting information in the best possible light seems like a smart strategy, and nowhere is this more applicable than in an interview. If you’re a fantastic presenter, you know how to read a room, how to get heads nodding and how to paint the picture of you as the perfect person for the job.

You could walk out of an interview having charmed the pants off of everyone in the conference room and influenced them to vote for your hire—but did you showcase your skills and talents accurately? Is your experience truly a good match for the job’s responsibilities? Did you sell yourself as the best candidate when someone with a different background would actually be a better fit?

It’s best for the employer—and you—to reign in the polish and carefully discuss the facts. Realizing you’re unprepared for the role after you’ve committed to each other is a disaster for both parties.

Be 100 percent agreeable

It’s important to resist the temptation to avoid questions or topics that are less than exciting or could steer the conversation into not-a-strong-candidate territory. It may feel uncomfortable to describe, for example, your preference to work alone when it’s becoming clear the role will require significant teamwork.

Everyone is better off, however, if you’re upfront about your personality from the get-go. The same is true for disclosing your actual strengths and weaknesses.

If you do manage to keep it honest, avoid glossing over the details or attempting to smooth any wrinkles if it means you’ll be, in effect, taking back what you just said. Don’t follow up an explanation of how a calm, quiet work environment is best for you with a contradicting statement about how you could be quite productive in a fast-paced office because you never miss a deadline. (That may be true, but will you be functioning optimally?)

An interviewer motivated to fill the position might latch on to the part of your answer that indicates you’d do well in the hectic environment and forget the rest in a subconscious effort to make you into the perfect candidate. If this happens, both of you lose.

Be a “Polly Positive”

As you look over your notes after the interview and recount the conversation—the job responsibilities, company culture and anticipated organization and career growth—you must include the negatives in your evaluation. A new job can feel exciting, and it’s fun to look at all the pros associated with the role and imagine the rainbow-filled paths your career can go down.

But it’s crucial you weigh the cons of the situation, too. What seems like an insignificant factor can feel like a huge problem when the newness of a position wears off. As much as possible, try your best to be objective and see beyond the bright side.

Sometimes you don’t have much of a choice and life circumstances dictate how picky (or not) you can be about your next job. When you’re able to, though, move past the “score a gig” goal, and think strategically about your career. It’s exciting to land a position, but it sucks to later realize it’s the wrong one.

Cassie Nolan is the blogger behind Alternative Badassery, a creative guide to being good at life, where she covers career, writing and health topics. She also regularly disseminates awesome on Facebook and Twitter.

Get our best career advice delivered to your inbox. Sign up today!

The post How to Sabotage Your Career By Landing the Wrong Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

This setup makes sense (put nice employees in front of clients = a no-brainer) and works out well for all involved—except you, the sweetheart professional.

For you, the arrangement is stressful and trying and leads to major job dissatisfaction. Here’s why:

Nice people are sensitive

Customers are loud, abrasive and impatient. They’re rude. There are exceptions, of course, but anyone who’s worked even one day in a client-facing position knows that people coming to customer service are usually upset. And for some reason, many clients find it acceptable to take their frustrations out on you, the well-meaning customer service employee, as if you’re intentionally out to make their experiences with your company crappy.

The main problem with this is that you internalize the insults and absurd accusations and take it all personally. As a truly nice individual, you absorb this non-personal angry venting and blame yourself for the issue. The more customers you work with, the worse you feel.

Nice people are easily flustered

All you want to do as a nice person is make the client happy. That’s a difficult enough endeavor on its own, but when several customers are barking commands at once, your people-pleasing brain starts smoking. All these clients need help, and most of them are mean about it, and you so desperately want to take care of all of them immediately—but the high level of negative input impairs your ability to problem-solve.

And so you bounce around from complaint to complaint, attempting to put out each fire but getting pulled away before it’s out by a larger one—and ultimately, you hardly accomplish anything.

At the end of the day, you reflect on all the issues you weren’t able to resolve and doubt your capabilities as a professional.

Nice introverts have it even worse

Extroverted people get their strength from speaking with others. Chatting and interacting excites and enlivens them. Introverts, on the other hand, find too much verbal communication tiring. It leaves them mentally exhausted, and they need some alone time to recharge.

It makes sense, then, that if you’re an introverted employee in a customer service position—where interacting with other people is the name of the game—you’re at an increased disadvantage. Not only is your “niceness” working against you, but you’re also operating in an environment that depletes you of energy.

A nice customer service employee leaves work feeling offended and doubtful; you, the nice introverted customer service employee, leave work feeling offended, doubtful and drained.

The exception: when customers are awesome

There are situations in which darling you working in customer service is a beautiful scenario for all parties. For example, let’s imagine you work for a charity, and your clients are donors or volunteers. Or maybe you’re employed by a Hawaiian resort, where your customers are vacationers.

If the clients are participating in a feel-good activity, or are arriving at the scene already in a fantastic mood, it’s likely those conversations are going to go swimmingly. That’s a win-win-win for the customer, the employer and you.

Bottom line: know yourself well and navigate the professional world accordingly.

And if you’re honestly nice, stay far, far away from most customer service roles.

Cassie Nolan is the blogger behind Alternative Badassery, “A creative guide to being good at life,” where she covers career, writing and health topics. She also regularly disseminates awesome on Facebook and Twitter.

Get our best career advice delivered to your inbox. Sign up today!

The post Why Nice People Shouldn’t Work in Customer Service appeared first on Brazen Life.