Monday, May 16, 2011

Job offers


Months ago I wrote a piece about a cheesy Red Lobster commercial (a little redundant) and it was picked up in agencyspy.com. One of the brave anonymous commenters suggested I be more careful with my criticism lest my important contacts within the ad industry shrivel up.

This nameless hater --I hate that phrase as well as that other millennial colloquialism, haterade -- doesn't have a clue in the world about me or my business. 2009 was an incredibly busy year. And 2010 was my busiest year in 7 years as a freelancer.

One reason I'm able to stay busy, apart from my ability to slap one word in front of another, is the Internet and social media. I consider myself pretty resourceful and know how to track down leads. As well as create them. Take linkedin for example. (I'm about to divulge one of my secrets.) By simply rearranging the numerous clients I have worked on in the past 7 years, that is switching the order of the names, I can generate a simple profile update. That gets scrolled in the update roll. So that when Creative Resources Managers log on to linkedin, my name will be on their radar.

It's simple. And it's effective.

Facebook may not have mastered the Who's Looked At Your Profile game but linkedin certainly has. So I make it a habit to track who is tracking me. It points me in the right direction when I'm dialing and smiling.

Last week I checked my profile and it turns out there are two exciting vocational possibilities looming in my future. Mind you I have no interest in taking a staff position, but if the right one reared its ugly head, I would give it further thought. For instance...

I could go to Michigan, become an Adjunct Professor and teach some corn-fed Midwesterners the fine art of Writing the Free Standing insert. Or lecture on "Deciphering the Creative Brief: Making Friends with the Trash Can."

Of course if the money and the dental benefits at the University of Detroit are not up to snuff, I could uproot the family, don a sherwani and help Dawar, Dama and Bhaggyamma win the Rumford Baking Powder account.

This will not be easy. And it will be further complicated by my daughter's unfavorable disposition towards tandori and curry.

But in any case, it is nice to be wanted.

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