CM Access

As testament to the awesome power of networking, I was able to connect to a really talented creative professional today. He was referred by someone in my network, and while I knew very little about him, it shows respect to my contact to give the guy a call. Thank goodness I did!

Ken Thurlbeck is a very accomplished problem solver in the advertising and design world. He has a successful photography side, has created over 1000 television commercials, and can even claim ownership of one of the first successful websites back in the 90s.

I just wanted to share a personal experience of networking success-I simply appreciate that he took the time to listen to what I had to say about CM Access. And even more importantly, he let me know that he recently published a book entitled “Creating the Breakthrough Portfolio” which is a very effective resource for those looking for help in putting together materials for the job search.

You can see sample pages here and you can buy the book here. This guy knows what a successful portfolio should look like.

Let me know what you think! And, as always, if you have a success story–share it!

Technorati Tags: Ken Thurlbeck, portfolio, breakthrough, networking

Sounds so obvious, right? Well, what I mean to say is that if technology is changing the way things get done, need to change the way we’re doing things, too!

This article from eMarketer Daily highlights some research done by Neilsen that demonstrates that DVR owners are watching commercials anyway.

A March 2006 survey by Forrester Research of the members of the Association of National Advertisers indicated that almost 70% of them believed DVRs and VOD would reduce or destroy the effectiveness of the traditional 30-second commercial and, furthermore, that when DVRs were in 30 million homes the majority of the advertisers would reduce their spending on TV advertising.

That sentiment is likely born more of fear than reality. What it does mean is that many advertisers are reassessing their strategies to reach DVR users.

This got me thinking. Advertisers are forced to alter their media buying tactics, their creative concepts, their general marketing strategy to work around (and through, and with) the changing technology. We need to alter our job search tactics in the same way.

Just as the fear is that DVR owners are increasingly choosing what they want to see and when, hiring managers are extremely selective about who’s resume gets read and when.

Try new tactics, don’t fall into the CraigsList, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com rut. Everyone else is doing the same thing, you’re going into a huge pile of resumes that must be whittled down somehow. Ever think about this?: maybe you are the PERFECT fit for the position, but you never even get considered because you were at the bottom of the inbox, and after 10 calls were made, 10 interviews conducted…you were number 11.

How will you be adapt with changing technology? Change your tactics.

Technorati Tags: technology, Neilsen ratings, DVR, search strategies, new

I have to admit I’m a bit embarassed. I thought I came up with an idea on my own, but have recently discovered that I’m far from the first person to come up with this idea. I guess there’s something to be said for “no ideas are new anymore”.

I thought I discovered a correlation between the job search and the marketing/sales process. And while I still believe it to be the best way to approach the situation–applying the principles of marketing to yourself as the product–it turns out someone has already done a great job of telling you how. [Ok, I admit that it’s silly to think I’m the first to have come up with the idea.]

I mentioned it just the other day, that I’ve started reading this book called “How to Land Your Dream Job” but now that I’ve gotten further into it, I’m able to truthfully proclaim it’s greatness! Yes, I’m still bummed that I didn’t think of it myself, but this book is a great guide to how to apply marketing principles and the sales process to your job search. Highlights include:

–glossary of sales terms and how they apply to the job search
–easy to read style and short chapters make it easily digestible
–motivation to be creative in your search: you may not be a salesperson or a marketer, but you’ll learn quickly how necessary those skills are for success in your job search.

I could go into more detail but I won’t for the sake of redundancy. It’s already here and in this book! Jeffrey J. Fox knows what he’s talking about, so no need to restate it!

In related news, part 2 of my conversation with Chris Penn of the Financial Aid Podcast is up today. It’s the section that talks about resumes, cover letters, Linked In and how to approach the search more from a marketing perspective. Thought it was appropriate for emphasis on the “MarketingMe” side of the job search.

Technorati Tags: MarketingMe, LinkedIn, Financial Aid Podcast, Jeffrey J. Fox

So according to Punxatawney Phil from Gobbler’s Knob PA, who didn’t see his shadow, we’re going to have an early spring season this year. Not sure I believe in all that, but I sure do enjoy when they play the “Pennsylvania Polka” as Phil crawls back into his cozy home for more sleeping.

It’s become quite a tradition for Pennsylvanians to gather in the freezing temperatures before dawn to wait for Phil’s famous yearly prediction. And while I’m not quite sure how to tie this into something career or marketing related, one can always find a connection for the life lesson in anything!

And in this case we’ll go with the movie, Groundhog Day (which I’ve not seen). As I understand it, Bill Murray is given a new chance each day to improve his life, through a more positive attitude, every time he wakes up in the morning.

I will refrain from repeating the general “Today is the first day of your life” mantra here. I will refrain from repeating that there are new tactics you can employ with little effort to add variety and diversity to your job search or career development. And I will refrain from being overly motivational about how you’re worth something better, something more enjoyable and how you’re in control of your own destiny (while all are entirely true).

For this post, all I’ll say is: SMILE. Take a deep breath and think, “At least it’s no longer January. We’re well into 2007 now. Time to buckle down.”

And remember, I’m here to help you through it–just ask!

Couple things to mention:
Great books–“The Quarterlife Crisis”: the unique challenges of life in your twenties
“How to Land your Dream Job: No Resume! And Other Secrets to Get You in the Door” [note: I can’t wait to expound on this little number in the very near future!]

Great ways to meet people:

Technorati Tags: eWomen Network, Punxatawney Phil, PAMA, Quarterlife Crisis, How to Land your Dream Job, SuperBowl Smackdown, CreativeCamp, Groundhog Day