Last night, I met up with a few fabulous people that I've become acquainted with in the last month and we attended the Seattle Job Social--a well attended networking event at Twist Restaurant in Belltown. A number of companies were present, but what we didn't realize until part way through the evening is that those companies were focused on hiring for technical roles. Oh, well, live and learn--we had a good time getting to know one another and figuring how who knew who and how we could help each other make connections, as well as making connections with others.
Part way through the evening, one of the fabulous ladies that I'd met through another connection called me a "connector." I laughed and said "Just call me Jill [Zarin], 'I'm a connector'!" Thankfully, like me, she's a fan of the Real Housewives of New York City and knew exactly who I was talking about. In a season 1 episode Jill connected Alex (another NYC "real housewife") with a friend who owns a private school in Manhattan where Alex was interested in enrolling her children. Not unlike Jill, I have a number great (and gracious) contacts in a few key companies that are more than willing to help out a friend of a friend--see success story #3 in my last post "Pay Attention". It's thrilling for me to see my colleagues find success and it's rewarding to know that I may have been able to contribute to a little bit of that success. GO TEAM!
I came away from the evening with a few new contacts and stronger relationships with a great group of people. Next event that we'll conquer is the Social Media Club of Seattle on Tuesday, June 30 at Pyramid Ale House. Come on and join the fun! I'll be there looking to talk with you and figuring out how we can work together.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Pay Attention...
After having watched the season final of "Real Housewives of New Jersey", I learned that telling someone from Jersey to "pay attention" could actually result in what is apparently known as a "New Jersey table flip". However, I'm not from Jersey and my "pay attention" has a wildly different tone and meaning than the show's.
So what do I mean by "pay attention"? I mean pay attention to your surroundings, friends, colleagues, networks (online and offline), etc. and listen and pay attention to what they share with you. Hopefully, they'll listen and pay attention to you, too. You never know when you'll hear something that will be beneficial to you and others and vice versa.
Now I can only bet you're wondering, what the heck is Tracy talking about? Well, allow me to tell you a story...or rather a number of stories of what I've experienced this week alone, all because people paid attention.
Story #1
This week I sat down and reconnected with a former co-worker and discussed what we've been up to the last few years and what we're doing now. It was a great hour of catching up and "I hope we can work together soons". One thing he mentioned was how he'd just helped someone find an executive communications role. The wheels start turning and I recalled a lady I'd met at a career workshop--she is an executive communications manager, so I mentioned that I knew someone who was in the market for just such a role, and later in the week I was able to connect them.
See how I did that? I paid attention to what she said weeks ago and hopefully, something will come of it. And if not, well, we gave it a go and she has a connection for the future.
Story #2
I decided to go to a job fair on Thursday and was exchanging email with another job seeker about it and she let me know about a role that she thought I'd find interesting. I did find it interesting, and then reached out to a friend who is connected to that company to see if they knew more about the position. As it turns out, my friend said it wasn't a good place to be, so I didn't pursue. I said thanks for thinking of me to my job seeker buddy and that was that. The next day two more job seeker buddies--one of them is the executive communications lady previously mentioned--pinged me about the very same job!
See what happened there? My network paid attention and listened to me, too. Even though it wasn't something I was going to pursue, it's really cool that they thought of me.
Story #3
One of the other job seekers noted in Story #2 was looking at roles at a company where I knew someone. I told her that if she found something of interest that I'd be happy to send her resume to my contact. Low and behold, she found a position, I sent her resume, and she got a call on Friday for a phone screen. I'm so thrilled for her--I can't wait to hear how it goes.
Did you see that? It was a quick one. Networking in action again. She remembered someone in her network could connect her and she saw results.
Story #4
I've been following a few networking events and am planning to attend a couple in the next two weeks. I reached to a few fellow job seekers and asked if they wanted to go, too. Just about everyone is going including a couple of others who were connected to my connections. It all works out nicely. This morning I received more detailed information about next week's event and shared it with them, too. There's a great list of companies expected to attend--they'll be ready and so will we.
It's so easy...a few emails here and there and I have a gaggle of people to go in the door with before we spread out and conquer the room. I've said it before and I'll say it again...it's not easy going to networking events especially on your own, so spread the word and invite some peeps and have some fun with it.
Story #5
This is my personal favorite. I was working from home late Friday afternoon when my husband sends me a tweet. He forwarded a tweet from the CEO of a company with an open position that I'm REALLY interested in. I've done the traditional send the resume to the recruiter, reached out for intros via LinkedIn, and am following him and his team on Twitter, but hadn't gained traction (or followers) yet. But here's this tweet...it was an invite from CEO encouraging people to come by that afternoon and have a beer and chat. Holy crow--what an opportunity! BUT, I couldn't make it at that late hour, so I tweeted him and said that I couldn't make it, but wanted to discuss the open position with him. A little while later, I get a direct message with an invite to email him and the VP of Marketing to figure out time to talk. Okay, that's deserving of another HOLY CROW! I'm so excited! I have a little bit of work to do this weekend in order to get some face time.
Again, I listened...or better yet, my husband paid attention and shared with me. Thanks, hon.
I just can't say it enough...pay attention. Listen to what other's people's needs and wants are and they'll do the same for you. So go on, reach out, connect people, and good Karma will come to you.
So what do I mean by "pay attention"? I mean pay attention to your surroundings, friends, colleagues, networks (online and offline), etc. and listen and pay attention to what they share with you. Hopefully, they'll listen and pay attention to you, too. You never know when you'll hear something that will be beneficial to you and others and vice versa.
Now I can only bet you're wondering, what the heck is Tracy talking about? Well, allow me to tell you a story...or rather a number of stories of what I've experienced this week alone, all because people paid attention.
Story #1
This week I sat down and reconnected with a former co-worker and discussed what we've been up to the last few years and what we're doing now. It was a great hour of catching up and "I hope we can work together soons". One thing he mentioned was how he'd just helped someone find an executive communications role. The wheels start turning and I recalled a lady I'd met at a career workshop--she is an executive communications manager, so I mentioned that I knew someone who was in the market for just such a role, and later in the week I was able to connect them.
See how I did that? I paid attention to what she said weeks ago and hopefully, something will come of it. And if not, well, we gave it a go and she has a connection for the future.
Story #2
I decided to go to a job fair on Thursday and was exchanging email with another job seeker about it and she let me know about a role that she thought I'd find interesting. I did find it interesting, and then reached out to a friend who is connected to that company to see if they knew more about the position. As it turns out, my friend said it wasn't a good place to be, so I didn't pursue. I said thanks for thinking of me to my job seeker buddy and that was that. The next day two more job seeker buddies--one of them is the executive communications lady previously mentioned--pinged me about the very same job!
See what happened there? My network paid attention and listened to me, too. Even though it wasn't something I was going to pursue, it's really cool that they thought of me.
Story #3
One of the other job seekers noted in Story #2 was looking at roles at a company where I knew someone. I told her that if she found something of interest that I'd be happy to send her resume to my contact. Low and behold, she found a position, I sent her resume, and she got a call on Friday for a phone screen. I'm so thrilled for her--I can't wait to hear how it goes.
Did you see that? It was a quick one. Networking in action again. She remembered someone in her network could connect her and she saw results.
Story #4
I've been following a few networking events and am planning to attend a couple in the next two weeks. I reached to a few fellow job seekers and asked if they wanted to go, too. Just about everyone is going including a couple of others who were connected to my connections. It all works out nicely. This morning I received more detailed information about next week's event and shared it with them, too. There's a great list of companies expected to attend--they'll be ready and so will we.
It's so easy...a few emails here and there and I have a gaggle of people to go in the door with before we spread out and conquer the room. I've said it before and I'll say it again...it's not easy going to networking events especially on your own, so spread the word and invite some peeps and have some fun with it.
Story #5
This is my personal favorite. I was working from home late Friday afternoon when my husband sends me a tweet. He forwarded a tweet from the CEO of a company with an open position that I'm REALLY interested in. I've done the traditional send the resume to the recruiter, reached out for intros via LinkedIn, and am following him and his team on Twitter, but hadn't gained traction (or followers) yet. But here's this tweet...it was an invite from CEO encouraging people to come by that afternoon and have a beer and chat. Holy crow--what an opportunity! BUT, I couldn't make it at that late hour, so I tweeted him and said that I couldn't make it, but wanted to discuss the open position with him. A little while later, I get a direct message with an invite to email him and the VP of Marketing to figure out time to talk. Okay, that's deserving of another HOLY CROW! I'm so excited! I have a little bit of work to do this weekend in order to get some face time.
Again, I listened...or better yet, my husband paid attention and shared with me. Thanks, hon.
I just can't say it enough...pay attention. Listen to what other's people's needs and wants are and they'll do the same for you. So go on, reach out, connect people, and good Karma will come to you.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Tracy's CV, Part 4: I'm EMP Alumni...
I was lucky enough to land a role at Experience Music Project during it's mostly wildly popular days. Somehow I KNEW I had the job thanks to the song I heard while sitting in the lobby waiting for the interview to begin. The Beatles "In My Life" was playing--it was a sign--I just knew I had the job. I nearly took myself out of the candidate pool, too--don't recall why though. Anyway, while some EMP alums wouldn't exactly consider their time there "lucky", most of my experience was good and I have a ton of great friends and colleagues to show for it.
There were a lot of changes over the years at EMP--some good, some bad, so I got to do a lot of cool things. My absolute FAVORITE project was the DISCO exhibit's display windows--think massive flattened disco ball using the same glitter/shimmer material that Sparkletts trucks use to give it dimension and movement. And The Beatles exhibit where I created flyers that were designed after my very own Beatles trading trading cards--too cool. Anyway, I learned a ton and met a lot of very cool people. Here's a bit of what I did during my tenure:
EXPERIENCE MUSIC PROJECT – Seattle, Washington
Marketing Production/Traffic Manager – External Affairs/Marketing & Promotions Department – 2001 to 2004
· Managed creative brief development for exhibits, concerts, and educational programs to capture objectives, creative vision, messaging, collateral and advertising requirements resulting in improved collaboration and more effective integrated marketing plans
· Developed and executed strategic advertising and radio media plans to drive awareness for museum attendance, public and educational programming events, and exhibits
· Collaborated with graphic design manager, freelance graphic designers, illustrators, and photographers to conceptualize and produce all advertising, collateral, and signage for all exhibits and campaigns
· Managed collateral and signage plans including direct marketing campaigns, program collateral, and OOH advertising to drive museum traffic and support organizational attendance and revenue initiatives
· Managed editorial content development and design, production, and circulation of monthly and quarterly member communications
· Leveraged vendor relationships by developing collaborative marketing partnerships to significantly reduce the creative and print production expenses
· Created and managed $1M+ budget for all advertising, radio, collateral/signage, and design for all programs
There were a lot of changes over the years at EMP--some good, some bad, so I got to do a lot of cool things. My absolute FAVORITE project was the DISCO exhibit's display windows--think massive flattened disco ball using the same glitter/shimmer material that Sparkletts trucks use to give it dimension and movement. And The Beatles exhibit where I created flyers that were designed after my very own Beatles trading trading cards--too cool. Anyway, I learned a ton and met a lot of very cool people. Here's a bit of what I did during my tenure:
EXPERIENCE MUSIC PROJECT – Seattle, Washington
Marketing Production/Traffic Manager – External Affairs/Marketing & Promotions Department – 2001 to 2004
· Managed creative brief development for exhibits, concerts, and educational programs to capture objectives, creative vision, messaging, collateral and advertising requirements resulting in improved collaboration and more effective integrated marketing plans
· Developed and executed strategic advertising and radio media plans to drive awareness for museum attendance, public and educational programming events, and exhibits
· Collaborated with graphic design manager, freelance graphic designers, illustrators, and photographers to conceptualize and produce all advertising, collateral, and signage for all exhibits and campaigns
· Managed collateral and signage plans including direct marketing campaigns, program collateral, and OOH advertising to drive museum traffic and support organizational attendance and revenue initiatives
· Managed editorial content development and design, production, and circulation of monthly and quarterly member communications
· Leveraged vendor relationships by developing collaborative marketing partnerships to significantly reduce the creative and print production expenses
· Created and managed $1M+ budget for all advertising, radio, collateral/signage, and design for all programs
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Have Some Fun During Your Job Hunt
For those of you who are hunting for your next job, like I am, I can't tell you how important it is to have fun with it. If you've tracked my previous posts, this is not an easy time, but I'm definitely trying to have some fun with it and inspire others who are in the same place.
In addition to meeting new people and networking with friends and colleagues, one of the first things I did was post my old business card on www.cardsofchange.com. I was the first Microsoft person out there--here's my card. I'd first read about Cards of Change in a WOMMA daily email, so I figured, why not? It was fun, it was a release, and I felt all the more part of a community of marketing and creative types who are in the market looking for their next opportunity.
Last week, I heard from the Cards of Change people requesting permission to use my card in book they were publishing. This week, an email saying that BBC Television is doing a short piece on Cards of Change and my card was selected to be featured (see the email below)! How fun is that?! We'll see if it happens, which brings me to my original point...have some fun with this time. Hugs your kids, spend time with your friends and family, engage with your colleagues, create new relationships, and find some kind of outlet to balance the serious stuff.
In addition to meeting new people and networking with friends and colleagues, one of the first things I did was post my old business card on www.cardsofchange.com. I was the first Microsoft person out there--here's my card. I'd first read about Cards of Change in a WOMMA daily email, so I figured, why not? It was fun, it was a release, and I felt all the more part of a community of marketing and creative types who are in the market looking for their next opportunity.
Last week, I heard from the Cards of Change people requesting permission to use my card in book they were publishing. This week, an email saying that BBC Television is doing a short piece on Cards of Change and my card was selected to be featured (see the email below)! How fun is that?! We'll see if it happens, which brings me to my original point...have some fun with this time. Hugs your kids, spend time with your friends and family, engage with your colleagues, create new relationships, and find some kind of outlet to balance the serious stuff.
Subject: Your card on TV.
Dear Cardsofchange user,
We would like to inform you that BBC Television is doing a 2-4minute piece on Cardsofchange and that we have selected your card to be featured.
The words you chose (or the lack thereof), the design of your card, the company you were with, the industry you were in or the country you live in - these were all factors that helped us determine the long list of 10 cards that could make it on TV.
If all goes according to plan you will receive an email from the journalist in the next week or so.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Tracy's CV, Part 3: What did I do when I first started @ Microsoft...
It's been a couple of weeks since I posted Tracy's CV, Part 1 and Part 2, so it's high time that I post the next chapter...what did I do when I first started at Microsoft. I was blessed to get a contract gig from 2004 to 2005 at Microsoft on the Corporate Marketing Group's Packaging Team--a fantastic group of people then and now. The person I reported to was and is a fabulous manager--she's my mentor and I'm honored to have had the privilege of working with her. I met so many people that year and really got a taste for Microsoft. I loved it--so much energy and so many great people. I worked on the Visual Studio 2005 and Microsoft Expression packaging systems. I knew nothing about the developer audience, and I learned a ton that year and not just about the audience, but branding, design, and experiential marketing and packaging. and how it's done at Microsoft. I've outlined some key elements below.
For more information about me and my history, please visit me on Linked In. I'm in the market for a new role and I'd love to be a part of your team.
For more information about me and my history, please visit me on Linked In. I'm in the market for a new role and I'd love to be a part of your team.
Microsoft Corporation: Marketing Manager – Corporate Marketing Group/Packaging Group – 2004 to 2005
· Managed Developer Tools (Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft Expression, Microsoft Visual FoxPro, and MSDN) product packaging and in-box components from out-of-box-experience and usability assessment, research, concept, design review, and production to RTM
· Prepared and presented packaging creative/input briefs for internal teams and creative agencies
· Gathered input and product information from product team to determine marketing objectives, establish communication objectives, messaging priorities, and creative focus
· Guided creative development and production process to ensure projects meet domestic and global marketing and communication objectives
· Collaborated with internal groups including other divisions within Corporate Marketing Group, Product Management, Product Launch Services, LCA, and International Product and Localization teams
· Managed creative agencies, production design firms, and packaging vendors to ensure projects are completed on strategy, on schedule, and on budget
Friday, June 5, 2009
Inspiration comes from everywhere
It's funny, I've been wanting to post something all week, but I didn't have much time or a lot to say and today I found my inspiration courtesy of Baz Luhrmann.
Unbelievable as it is to me, Baz's songtalk "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" came out 10 years ago and it continues to be every graduating class's "song" for what you can and/or should do in life. As I was running an errand this morning, the song came on. It's been a while since I heard it and the words are as true for grads as they are for anyone at EVERY point in life. I couldn't help but well up and think just how applicable this is to me and so many others right now. I attempted to jot down the lines from the song that meant the most to me, but I found it was the nearly the entire song, so I narrowed them to a 11 and combined a couple of them. These include my experiences and my take on life's little lessons:
1. Don’t berate yourself: but we're so good at it! Seriously, just don't. In terms of what I'm experiencing right now, this is what it is and only I can change it, but I'm not going to beat myself up over shoulda, coulda, wouldas.
2. Remember compliments, forget the insults: definitely remember the compliments, but I totally get that it's not easy to forget the insults. I think BOTH inevitably make you stronger, but focus on the GOOD.
3. Read the directions even if you don’t follow them: in general, I read the directions AND follow them. It saves me a heck of a lot of pain and time.
4. Accept certain inalienable truths: if someone has their mind made up or has an opinion of you, accept that you might not be able to change it. As much as I wanted to change someone's mind in order for me and my family to be in a better place, there was no way I could have...their mind was made up a long time ago. It's their loss--see #1.
5. Don’t expect anyone else to support you: never have, never will. In terms of being laid off, I've never really felt entitled to something. Sure, I wanted my job and all the things that came with it, but in the end, I was going to make a change, they just beat me to it. Keep your independence, love and embrace it, and follow your own path.
6. Don’t worry about the future—worry, but understand that it’s as effective as it is to solve an algebra problem with bubble gum: good luck with that not worrying thing. Yes, I worry, but I'm such the optimist that I believe in my heart of hearts that everything will be okay. Keep things in perspective and when you think about all the things that could happen to you, this is nothing in the grand scheme of things.
7. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do in your life: I think the lucky ones are the people that don't know exactly what they want to do. I find happiness in what I'm doing right now--could be something different tomorrow. That's the secret.
8. Do one thing ever day that scares you: I haven't been doing this in recent times, but I am now. See last week's post, I did something different and ended up feeling pretty good about it.
9. Get to know your parents/be nice to your siblings and understand that friends come and go: I'm good friends with my parents and thankful for it. I'm so incredibly thankful for them and my friends, including the ones I haven't spoken to in eons and may never again. These people will support you through thick and thin. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
10. Dance and Sing: I have kids, so there comes the inevitable bouncing in the driver's seat and singing to the kids' songs to entertain and laugh with them. On a particularly beautiful Friday a couple of weeks ago, I was driving across the West Seattle Freeway and had the windows down, sunroof open, music blaring, and I looked at downtown Seattle and screamed "I love Seattle!" I do...I love it. It's home. So, in addition to dancing and singing--no matter where you do it, I recommend a good scream every now and again.
11. Wear sunscreen and Floss: do it...trust me. I've had one skin cancer scare--nuff said. As for flossing, I've experienced a week bit of pain with a receiding gumline, so definitely floss. Keep yourself healthy--your body is connected and taking care of one part affects everything else, so take care of it all.
I'm off to enjoy the weekend with friends. I hope you do, too.
P.S. I'm getting my business card published in a book thanks to Cards of Change. Go and post your card and have some fun!
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