I use my twitter account @HireThatRedhead for job search activities. I started by posting updates about my job search and website, HireThatRedhead.com. I then followed job posters and potential employers. Now with the addition of "Lists" to twitter, those activities have become easier and more streamlined.
I've heard twitter described as a "firehose" of information. This became true of the information I was receiving as I started to follow more and more people. Some people I follow only post jobs. Some post job search tips, but not opportunities. Some post social media or communication articles. Some are potential employers. Twitter lists allow me to break all of these down for easier consumption.
I keep lists now for "postings," "services," and "contacts." "Postings" are those that post job opportunities. "Services" are those that post job search tips. "Contacts" are the people and companies that I have networked with during my job search.
"Postings" is the list I use the most since I am looking for a job. Instead of wading through 150 tweets to find the 75 jobs that posted since I checked yesterday, I now just check out my "postings" list and cut my browsing time in half. I still read through my regular twitter homepage, but it's nice to have a list when I'm only in the mood for job-hunting.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Personal Branding Requires Personal Objective
When I started my job search, I left the "objective" out of my resume because I felt it would limit my options. I thought to myself:
Should I make the objective sufficiently vague so it fits all the jobs I apply for?
Do I rewrite the objective for every job I apply for?
What if my objective doesn't match the job that I'm applying for?
I eventually decided that the answers were no, no, and "so what" respectively. First, I don't deal in vagueness unless it's used as a specific marketing tactic (think teaser commercials). Second, rewriting my objective for every job seemed inauthentic to who I am. I needed a consistent branding message. Third, I learned that I didn't have to apply for every communications, marketing, or PR job I come across, but that I could spend more quality time on better opportunities.
A professional associate, Ron Sachs (owner of Ron Sachs Communication in Tallahassee, FL) looked over my resume and advised me that an objective is essential. The objective tells an employer who you are and what you want to do. This made me think that a personal objective is also a personal "mission statement."
Taking Ron's advice, I crafted the following objective:
"I seek a position in a marketing and communication office in the healthcare, education, government, or non-profit sector. I want my work to improve and enrich the lives of others. This position should take full advantage of my skills in account planning, market research, strategic planning, social media, and project management."
This statement relates my area of expertise, the sectors I want to work in, what I want to accomplish, and a sample of my skills to potential employers. Perhaps more importantly though, writing this statement focused my personal job search. I now only look for jobs in or related to these work sectors, and I look for jobs where my work would (directly or indirectly) help other people.
With my school and work responsibilities, there's a limited amount of time to spend on my job search. Previously I spent that time finding and applying to as many jobs as possible. I hoped that the more jobs I applied to, the higher the chance something would pan out.
I apply for fewer jobs now, but spend more time on each job opportunity. This results in applications with more detail, cover letters with higher personalization, and more time for follow-up emails and phone calls. Writing a personal objective has transformed my job search from "quantity" to "quality."
You can check out my personal objective as part of my full RESUME on HireThatRedhead.com.
Should I make the objective sufficiently vague so it fits all the jobs I apply for?
Do I rewrite the objective for every job I apply for?
What if my objective doesn't match the job that I'm applying for?
I eventually decided that the answers were no, no, and "so what" respectively. First, I don't deal in vagueness unless it's used as a specific marketing tactic (think teaser commercials). Second, rewriting my objective for every job seemed inauthentic to who I am. I needed a consistent branding message. Third, I learned that I didn't have to apply for every communications, marketing, or PR job I come across, but that I could spend more quality time on better opportunities.
A professional associate, Ron Sachs (owner of Ron Sachs Communication in Tallahassee, FL) looked over my resume and advised me that an objective is essential. The objective tells an employer who you are and what you want to do. This made me think that a personal objective is also a personal "mission statement."
Taking Ron's advice, I crafted the following objective:
"I seek a position in a marketing and communication office in the healthcare, education, government, or non-profit sector. I want my work to improve and enrich the lives of others. This position should take full advantage of my skills in account planning, market research, strategic planning, social media, and project management."
This statement relates my area of expertise, the sectors I want to work in, what I want to accomplish, and a sample of my skills to potential employers. Perhaps more importantly though, writing this statement focused my personal job search. I now only look for jobs in or related to these work sectors, and I look for jobs where my work would (directly or indirectly) help other people.
With my school and work responsibilities, there's a limited amount of time to spend on my job search. Previously I spent that time finding and applying to as many jobs as possible. I hoped that the more jobs I applied to, the higher the chance something would pan out.
I apply for fewer jobs now, but spend more time on each job opportunity. This results in applications with more detail, cover letters with higher personalization, and more time for follow-up emails and phone calls. Writing a personal objective has transformed my job search from "quantity" to "quality."
You can check out my personal objective as part of my full RESUME on HireThatRedhead.com.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
PRSA Fellow Calls Me "Thought Leader"
Dr. Jay Rayburn, director of the Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) program at Florida State University, refers to me as a "thought leader" among my peers. In a recommendation letter, he states, "In class, I found him to be thoughtful, inquisitive, and analytical. His questions were always on point, and his contributions to the discussion were enlightening. He certainly was a thought leader in the class." He also writes about how fellow students seek my opinions and help in regards to classwork.
Dr. Rayburn, a PRSA Fellow, has been my academic adviser since I started the IMC master's program at FSU. He offers a complete perspective on my work as both a student and graduate assistant. This semester, I am in his Assessing Organizational Communication class. In that class, I am learning how to conduct communication effectiveness studies, which include depth interviews, focus groups, surveys, and material reviews.
You can check out Dr. Rayburn's recommendation of me on the Recommendations page of HireThatRedhead.com.
Dr. Rayburn, a PRSA Fellow, has been my academic adviser since I started the IMC master's program at FSU. He offers a complete perspective on my work as both a student and graduate assistant. This semester, I am in his Assessing Organizational Communication class. In that class, I am learning how to conduct communication effectiveness studies, which include depth interviews, focus groups, surveys, and material reviews.
You can check out Dr. Rayburn's recommendation of me on the Recommendations page of HireThatRedhead.com.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Redhead is the FUTURE
At least that's what one of my peers says. Jacqueline Ortiz, a former classmate of mine, states, "Thinking of hiring Chase Porter? One thing you need to know: He is THE FUTURE of Marketing and Communications." I am thoroughly honored by this statement. Check out her commendation on my RECOMMENDATIONS page (once there, you'll need to scroll down just a bit to see the peer commendations).
I worked with Jacqueline on a group project in my Intro to Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) class. We called ourselves "Humble Pie Consulting" because many in the class called us the "Dream Team." It was an honor to work with such a talented and dedicated group of people.
The team developed a strategic integrated marketing communication plan for the Department of Communication at Florida State University. A copy of the final report is available in my online PORTFOLIO. The final plan included a situation analysis (including a SWOT analysis, communication audit, and competition analysis), research results, creative platform, positioning, measurable objectives and strategies, branding tactics, and program measurements.
I worked primarily on threats (in the SWOT analysis), research results, the second measurable objective (a recruiting program using current graduate students as recruiters), branding tactics for that objective (including promotional materials and events, public relations, internet efforts, and direct marketing), the program review, and the report conclusion. If you check out the final report, I've color-coded my primary material in red.
It was an absolute pleasure working with the individuals of Humble Pie Consulting. Our team produced a blockbuster strategic IMC plan for the FSU Department of Communication and was chosen as only one of two teams allowed to present our ideas to the heads of the department. I gained terrific experience working from start to finish on a strategic planning project with an actual client. My master's education has allowed me to work with real clients often including Mission San Luis and the Oasis Ministry.
I worked with Jacqueline on a group project in my Intro to Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) class. We called ourselves "Humble Pie Consulting" because many in the class called us the "Dream Team." It was an honor to work with such a talented and dedicated group of people.
The team developed a strategic integrated marketing communication plan for the Department of Communication at Florida State University. A copy of the final report is available in my online PORTFOLIO. The final plan included a situation analysis (including a SWOT analysis, communication audit, and competition analysis), research results, creative platform, positioning, measurable objectives and strategies, branding tactics, and program measurements.
I worked primarily on threats (in the SWOT analysis), research results, the second measurable objective (a recruiting program using current graduate students as recruiters), branding tactics for that objective (including promotional materials and events, public relations, internet efforts, and direct marketing), the program review, and the report conclusion. If you check out the final report, I've color-coded my primary material in red.
It was an absolute pleasure working with the individuals of Humble Pie Consulting. Our team produced a blockbuster strategic IMC plan for the FSU Department of Communication and was chosen as only one of two teams allowed to present our ideas to the heads of the department. I gained terrific experience working from start to finish on a strategic planning project with an actual client. My master's education has allowed me to work with real clients often including Mission San Luis and the Oasis Ministry.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Another Peer Commends the Redhead
I received my second peer commendation from a classmate that I worked with on a class project. Phil Crowe and I took the integrated marketing communication capstone course together called "Marketing Communication Management."
We teamed up to develop the concept and create a complete business/advertising plan for an eco-friendly company. I can't divulge too many details since we are in the process of getting our ideas and designs trademarked and/or copyrighted as is necessary. Phil has also expressed interest in perhaps using the plan to start a business after school.
The final plan consisted of a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), target market analysis, competition analysis, branding, positioning, image/logo, marketing strategy (including cable TV, print, and online/social media), media plan, TV commercial storyboard, two sample print ads, and a website schematic with sample pages.
Our skills and personalities complemented each other quite well. I did most of the research, and Phil did most of the creative. I copy edited, and Phil tweaked logos. We brainstormed creative concepts, but Phil did the design work since he's a Photoshop guru. I did storyboard the TV commercial however. My tablet PC was quite handy for sketching out the different scenes of the commercial.
You can check out Phil's commendation of my work on my Recommendations page on HireThatRedhead.com.
We teamed up to develop the concept and create a complete business/advertising plan for an eco-friendly company. I can't divulge too many details since we are in the process of getting our ideas and designs trademarked and/or copyrighted as is necessary. Phil has also expressed interest in perhaps using the plan to start a business after school.
The final plan consisted of a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), target market analysis, competition analysis, branding, positioning, image/logo, marketing strategy (including cable TV, print, and online/social media), media plan, TV commercial storyboard, two sample print ads, and a website schematic with sample pages.
Our skills and personalities complemented each other quite well. I did most of the research, and Phil did most of the creative. I copy edited, and Phil tweaked logos. We brainstormed creative concepts, but Phil did the design work since he's a Photoshop guru. I did storyboard the TV commercial however. My tablet PC was quite handy for sketching out the different scenes of the commercial.
You can check out Phil's commendation of my work on my Recommendations page on HireThatRedhead.com.
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