If you’ve been in fandom any length of time, chances are you’ve accumulated a fandom address list. Maybe it’s a series of addresses in your E-mail account, maybe it’s your LiveJournal friends list. But it’s highly unlikely for someone to have passed through organized fan activity without accumulating at least some contacts.

That seemingly casual list may be one of the most valuable tools in your job search.

We all know that fans talk about a variety of things whenever they get together in person or online, from what they’re cosplaying as at their next con to where they can download fansubs of The Latest Thing From Japan to things that are happening in their real lives.

It’s in the course of those last discussions that maybe, just maybe, someone may toss off a casual mention of their career, saying they work in video editing or book retailing or at a newspaper. Most likely, nobody thought much of it at the time.

But if you’re on a job hunt, get out that contact list and give it a glance-over, and maybe it will jog your memory in a significant way. “Hey, I want to turn my cosplay skills into a fashion design career . . . and didn’t Sakura_Snow say she’s working in that field?”

And then, utilize that fandom contact. Hook up with them, ask them for career advice, maybe connect with them on LinkedIn if they use it. Chances are they’ll at least be able to point you in the right direction, if not give you invaluable advice you can’t get anywhere else (certainly not from a generic career guide!)

Yes, we all are in fandom for the “lulz” and the “pretendy fun times.” But there are times when we can get a lot out of the connections we make there, and this is one of them. Who knows – your AMV-making buddy or roleplay partner may hold the key to the next step in your life.

- Bonnie