If you have about 25 minutes to spare, I recommend you watch/listen to the video below. The speaker shed some interesting facts on human behavior in a way that is easy to understand. One thing for certain is now I know WHY visualization is encouraged before doing something and I now know WHY I feel like I'm getting a cold many mornings when I wake up. Watch the video. You will probably learn something too.
I will have to see how I can do better because I didn't think I was doing this poorly.
At least there are some ways I can actively do better especially in the transportation realm.
Why not do yours and let me know how you plan to make a change.
http://www.ecofoot.org/
It is with great pleasure that I offer to the world, the Internet debut of a 2009 Spring portfolio. If you know of anyone who may wish to utilize my knowledge, skills or tenacity in the form of employment (contract or full-time, leave a comment here or send me an email.
I was on the NAVYforMoms website and found this post. It really hit home for me given some things going on in my life right now. I hope it does the same for you.
Just a snippet of my 250+ Tweeples.
Courtesy of http://twitter.mailana.com
During my spring break, I drove up to NYC from Richmond to meet with three agencies, attend two social gatherings, visit with family and network with a variety of folks within the advertising & marketing industries.
Here are my thoughts on the networking portion of the trip:
Network #5: If I believe LinkedIn is great, my sorority network is just as good especially when technology helps make the connections even easier. I've been considering client side big brand companies as employment options. However, it is always good to talk to people who have been with the company and are in the know of the "real deal". In this case, I leveraged my "crimson & cream" sorority connection and used LinkedIn to get my request for information out to the person. She was able to tell me what subsidiaries I should focus on as well as some possible obstacles I may experience during the application process.
Network #6: It is definitely a small world. I had been trying to get in touch with a Creative at an interactive agency for a while. The entire time I kept on thinking the name sounded extremely familiar. We finally talk (I got some GREAT tips and advice about the entering the digital marketing space) and he tells me how our paths had crossed in the passed. He had come to my graduate school as a Friday speaker.
Network #7: Don't know if you would count this one or not, but I do. I went to a photography exhibit of a person who befriended me on FB. We chat every now and then, but not too much. He invited me to the exhibit even though I no longer reside in NYC. However, when I realized I would be in NYC when the show was on I figured it would be a great opportunity to increase my cultural awareness. Plus it never hurts to show support to people when time permits. You never know when or how they may be able to do the same for you.
Network #8: Had a lunch date with a contact in Radio. Met this person via Facebook and instantly became interested in his background. I look forward to more interactions especially since Radio hasn't been a medium heavily talked about in my advertising program.
During my spring break, I drove up to NYC from Richmond to meet with three agencies, attend two social gatherings, visit with family and network with a variety of folks within the advertising & marketing industries.
Here are my thoughts on the networking portion of the trip:
Network #1: Met with an alumna from my graduate program. We initially met via social media and communicated that route. It was a wonder opportunity to finally meet in person. I wish this alumna only the best as I am positive she is on the verge of wonderful things. UPDATE: Alumna got a job offer at a growing interactive agency. Yippee!!
Network #2: Perhaps this one doesn't count, but I spoke with a classmate about an agency internship from last summer. We spoke about the company's ethics, environment and clients.
Network #3: Another alum meeting. We stay in touch via social media as well, but it is always a good thing to touch base face-to-face every now and then.
Network #4: If I haven't said it recently I do like LinkedIn.com. I wanted to apply for an account manager role out in L.A., but didn't know anything about the company other than what I found on the website. So I used my LinkedIn network and found a current account manager at the firm and reached out to him. He responded immediately and set up time for us to talk via the phone.
During my spring break, I drove up to NYC from Richmond to meet with three agencies, attend two social gatherings, visit with family and network with a variety of folks within the advertising & marketing industries.
Here are my thoughts on the business portion of the trip:
Agency #1: This was one of my first interviews for full-time employment in advertising. I was nervous and don't feel I've represented myself as well as I could have especially given my time allotted was shortened to 17 minutes. Not because the interviewer was less intrigued by me, but because the flight was delayed and the interviewer arrived 40 minutes late. The good thing about this interview is it helped me sharpen my skills just in time for the rest later in the week.
Agency #2: Fabulous! The little of experienced of the work environment was great and reminded me much of what I liked about the last company I worked at - the people. Since I wasn't applying for a particular job, just an opportunity for face time and get my name in the pipeline.
Agency #3: Jury is still out on this one. I'm definitely intrigued and I believe the feeling is mutual. My primary concern is associated with the economy and how it may be effecting some of the agency's major clients. As anyone knows, if a client tanks so do the people associated with the account. Other than that I am interested in and look forward to pursuing opportunities within the social media group or on account management team.
I'm a little behind in providing updates on the job hunt so allow me to quickly catch up with this summary.
January: Focused on updating my resume so it reflected a newer format and optimized keywords for enhanced search abilities. Unlike in the 90's, these days it's all about will a computer find your resume attractive versus a human. Human interaction seems to be the "second line of defense" nowadays.
February: I had a very slow ramp up. The plan was to send out a blast to my network letting them know I'm on the job prowl and the type of opportunities I am seeking. Since I've received quite a few of these type of emails myself, I have been rather hesitant to send one of my own. But know it will be done sooner or later. In lieu, I have been taking more of a one on one approach and as I talk to people I do my best to let them know at that time.
February has also been the month I began applying for positions online. It is an extremely SLOW process. One that requires lots of time to find, read and match my skills with those written in the job description via a cover letter. It's the cover letter that seems to always get me....I just don't like them although they are a necessity in most cases.
The other mental obstacle is salary requirements. We are in a day where you talk money before you even talk about being the right fit for the position. I can't speak for everyone, but there have been times in my career that I was willing to go down on base salary for the experience. If the value of the experience a company or position could offer is not evident in a job description, it is extremely difficult to communicate my flexibility in numbers. And I've already come across some people who didn't want to receive only words.
March: This month is the start of my interviews and hard-core networking. I define hard-core networking because in the first couple of weeks I feel like I've spoken to 100s of people even though it was actually only about 10. I've also began have a couple of informational and real interviews. Interviews have not been for any particular position. They seem more to assess my abilities and background so as opportunities come up I can already be in mind.
Moving forward: I will continue applying to positions online and focusing on the client side of the board as well. LinkedIn will be leveraged more as well so I can try to get an inside scoop on companies and get my resume to a human sooner while going the online application route as well.
If you have any suggestions or word of wisdom, please post in the comment section. You never know....you may help me or another reader of my blog.
For anyone who comes to my blog you have the pleasure of reading a Google gadget called "Things to Ponder." When I visited my blog today this is what was displayed...
It got a chuckle out of me especially since my answer to the question was "spit". What would your answer be....or do I want to know?
Below is a comment I posted to Ad Age after reading Facebook Phantoms Don't Scare Me at All by Tom Martin
This is why I have an affinity for social media.
start with a simple comment, but if phrased correctly, it will connect with someone and spark a dialogue that grows into a conversation with one or many participants.Unemployment Haiku Weekly: My Second Career
Check out the work of this dynamic creative duo. If it can't be me, somebody I like should benefit from the economy.
Google Giveth, and Taketh Away: Google Video, Notebook, Catalog Search, Jaiku, and Dodgeball to Shut Down
At first I panicked when I heard Google Notebook was being shut down, but was able to breathe again once I read it would remain functional even though additional development would cease.
Notebook is a Firefox add-on I discovered last fall. I use it A LOT! Try everyday. Google definitely has an unprocessed gem. I hope, sooner rather than later, Google will take it out of the freeze station and put it back into the incubator and help it grow.
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