Category: Just me being me

One of the things that I thought defined me was my work ethic and I really felt that I put 120% of myself into my job. Ok, maybe there is a rainy day or two where I’m just not feeling as full of awesome as usual, but typically I work my butt off. I like doing a good job and I feel like a poser if I just sit back and let other people do the hard work.

So imagine how it felt when I was thrown off that high horse I had built for myself.

I thought I had been successful over the years and had even gotten positive feedback and raises at each of my yearly reviews. But out of the blue, I was informed that my time at the company was limited. A few vague reasons were thrown around, but honestly I’m still not sure why I’m losing my job.

I fell into this dark hole of “I suck” and just felt covered in a film of general ickyness.

Was I actually any good at marketing?
Do I suck as a manager?
Am I a terrible person?
What the hell should I do with my life now?

After moping around for a while, I came to that brilliant conclusion that it’s them, not me. I actually LOVE marketing and I’ve enjoyed working in marketing for the past 12 years. I DO want another job in marketing because I ROCK at it. If I wasn’t good at my job, why would they have kept me around for 6 years? Also, now that they’ve decided to let me go, why do they keep asking me to stay on and do freelance/consulting work?

Apparently, I’m no longer a good fit at my current company. Fine. They’re no longer a good fit for me! I’ve been overworked and haven’t felt appreciated in years. Finally with this kick in the pants, I’m out of here.

So, where does that leave me?

As I spoke about in my last post, I’m looking around for a new opportunity. But great marketing jobs don’t exactly grow on trees. So, in the meantime – what should I do?

And that is where I (finally) come to the point of this post. The best way to learn about yourself is to ask other people what they think you should do. Then, really listen to their answers. It’s possible that they may see talents that you didn’t even realize you had.

One of the things that I’ve really enjoyed over the years is graphic design. I love spending time designing brochures, newsletters,  invitations, etc. In my spare time, I’ve even designed wedding and baby shower invitations for friends. Not once did I think that this was something special about me.

Two of my friends pointed out that I should start selling my custom designs on Etsy (one of my favorite websites EVER which is sure to suck money out of my pocket). This is something that I never even thought about. But now that it was pointed out to me, I realize how easy it would be to set up a shop and design some stuff on the side.

Is it going to support me? Um…no.

However, it will give me something to do while looking for a new job. If I can get enough freelance consulting work, in addition to selling some of my designs online, maybe I’ll end up finding my new passion after all.

So, if you’re stuck in rut, try what I did and ask your friends and colleagues, “What do you think I’m good at?”

Really listen to their answers; they might know you better than you think they do.

Yup, I’m a Marketing Specialist looking for a new opportunity.

It sounds kind of like a personals ad, doesn’t it? You know, the kind where people like long walks on the beach, going out to dinner and want someone who will make them laugh…

Anyways, back to the point: I’m looking for a new job.

Actually, I’ve been looking for a new position since the beginning of August and it’s been a really frustrating process.

I’ll do the job search of a dozen different websites to come up with maybe two positions that seem like a great fit. Then, I spend an hour or so tweaking my resume and cover letter to highlight my skills that would be specific to that particular job opportunity. Next, I check in with a couple recruiters and LinkedIn to see if anyone has a contact at the hiring company. Then, I shoot off my information and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

I make a follow up call or send a follow up email.

And wait.

And wait.

Do you notice a pattern here?

Oh yeah, then I wait some more.

Maybe, if I’m lucky I’ll receive a generic email stating that they were overwhelmed in resumes and have hired another candidate. Most likely, I’ll just never hear anything back and assume that I didn’t get the job.

I’ve also reached out to my network of amazing business contacts and put the word out there that I’m looking for a position. Some have sent me job postings that they’ve heard about. Others have passed my information through to their friends who work for recruiting companies or who might know about job openings. I found out about one awesome position from a friend of a friend, and actually went in for an interview. Now I’m just waiting to hear if I’m invited back for a second interview.

Hmm…I should be pretty good at waiting by now, right?

Honestly, I’m starting to get a bit worried. Actually, strike that – if I’m being really honest let’s just go ahead and say I’m starting to get FREAKED out. I have friends who were laid off many months ago that are still looking for positions. I only have four more weeks in my current job before I get an itty bitty little severance package, then I get to survive on unemployment until I can find something else.

I’m working to pick up freelance work doing marketing consulting, desktop publishing, event planning or website updates. However, what I’d really like is another full-time job. I actually like working and I LOVE marketing, event planning and graphic design. Feel free to check out my LinkedIn to see my full background.

Here is where the audience participation part kicks in: Is there a better way?

Am I doing something wrong, or do I just need to be patient and resign myself to living on unemployment while I continue to look for a position?

Any suggestions are appreciated! Feel free to leave me a comment on my blog or Facebook page.

As always, if you hear of a position in Columbia/Baltimore/Annapolis area for someone with 10+ years of marketing experience let me know!

So, I’ve alluded to the fact that I’m going to be leaving my job soon. I’m still not quite ready to get into the long explanatory post, but I thought it might be a good idea to talk about how to actually get to the point that you can walk out the door and not look back.

Of course you could always throw your stuff in a box, curse out management and storm out. However, while I’m sure that it must be satisfying, it’s pretty much never a good idea to leave smoldering fires in your past because they could always come back to bite you in the butt.

I’ve found that no matter how horribly you’re treated, it is always best to take the high road and leave things with as much class as possible. Do you really want to leave a legacy of people talking about how much mess you left for your successor? In my opinion, it would be so much better to have them impressed that you made the transition as easy as could be.

When I found out that I had 6 weeks left at my current position, I created a “Transition Plan” that would chart out exactly how I plan to transfer over my responsibilities on a weekly basis.

Here are some tips for your own Transition Plan:

• Remove anything personal from your work computer. This includes cute photos of your dog that you’ve been using as a screen saver, any random personal files that you’ve saved on your desktop, and any non-business emails that you might have sent from your work email account.

• Create a list of projects that are currently in progress and indicate whether you’ll be completing them before you leave or who will be taking over. Schedule a time to brief the person who will be taking on the work in advance of your leaving so that they have plenty of time to ask you questions. Don’t take on any new work if you can help it!

• If you’re in a marketing position like me, review all of your printed items to see if anything is running low and needs to be reordered. It’s also helpful to create a list of what is printed at each printing company with your rep’s contact information readily available.

• If there are any programs for which you’re the only user, create instructions on how to compete needed tasks using the programs. This should help them get by until someone new is hired for the position (or until the new person is up to speed).

• Meet with your HR manager. Some health insurance plans can go with you (like AFLAC plans), and will need to be switched to bill you directly. Other plans, like health insurance, will expire at the end of the month. You will have the choice to continue the plan through COBRA or to purchase your own plans (of course, if you’re leaving for another position, you’ll most likely have health insurance through the new company). They will also be able to give you the information on any severance packages and how to sign up for unemployment.

• Go through all your login username and passwords and either change them to the new contact or make them general enough that you can leave them behind.

• Start to “Fade Out” – Remove your name from the company’s website and/or collateral. Email your contacts that you will be leaving the company and send them the new person’s information.  Leave a “Frequently Contacted” list for your successor.

• You’ll want to clean out your office towards the very end of your time. Take personal pictures off walls, clean off your bookshelves and take home private property, bring home your iHome… all that good stuff. Also, don’t’ forget to turn in your final expense report so that you can get reimbursed for anything that the company owes you.

You may be asking yourself why I would possibly want to make the transition easy if I’m losing my job. I admit, a part of me would much rather let the place crash and burn the moment I walk out the door. However, I have worked my butt off for almost exactly six years to make my marketing department a success. The last thing I want is for all my hard work to go down the drain.

So I’m keeping it classy and holding my head high on my way out. Hopefully karma will recognize this and hook me up with an incredible opportunity in the near future.

* By the way, when I was searching for that Anchorman photo I came across a surprising number of Ron Burgundy tattoos. Weird! I love Will Ferrall as much as the next gal, but I don’t know if I’d want one of his characters on my body for the rest of my life!