How’s The Year Going So Far?

So how are things going so far as we enter year five of the New Normal? Having a jolly old time?   The New Normal was created when the world melted in the fall of 2008.  Lehman Brothers went away.   Remember those days? I am sure that the 2.8 million people that lost their jobs that year do. Some may still be looking for the job that they lost. They may be working but they don’t have the job that went away never to return.

Are things getting better? Are your loving things at work?  Doing less with more?  Looking over your shoulder from time to time? Get a little nervous if your boss calls you into their office?  How do you like your recent yearly salary increases? Did you get one?

How’s the job search going?  Is it easier or harder? Do you often feel it’s all in vein? Do you think that everyone thinks that you are too old?  Don’t have enough experience?  Have been on the beach too long? Do you think that the people interviewing you are smarter than you?

How are your New Business efforts going?  Is New Business even harder or are leads coming in and your task is to separate fact from fiction?  Do you feel you even need more leads today? Does New Business take more time and are the budgets smaller?  Do you have to provide more for less?

How’s your networking going or is it the same? Do you view networking as an intention or a mission?  Do you connect with people that energize and are totally aligned with you? Are you just networking with people just like you?

Are you living large?  I network with a lot of people. I talk to 2O year old people and have drinks with the people who run multinational agencies. They all share their stories.  I shake the hand of my UPS driver at Starbucks while he sits with Fed Ex Driver and a couple of other guys talking music.  I talk to sales people at the same time that feel they are out of touch for today’s game.

I have lunch with marketing people who wouldn’t have met me in the past but now that their company is changing I appear more valuable because I am a networker with a large network. I am happy to help. Will they?

I text with the President of a prominent local company while I am going for a run.  Presidents are optimistic enough to relax a bit these days.  But bit is a short word.

I meet with marketing people that are looking for their next gig.

I meet with people who are waiting for checks. Are your clients slower to pay?  I can relate to that being a solopreneur in the New Normal.  Balancing the regular pattern of bills versus the irregular flow of checks.

I hear from people who have been downsized seven times. They called themselves a survivor and I certainly do agree.  There are many worst alternatives.

I hear from people who tell me how tough things remain.

I hear from people who tell me how things are good.

2013 is the 5^th year of the New Normal.  This is the future and Leonard Cohen wrote a song about it in the Old Normal. The lyric said “I have seen the future and it is murder”.  But then again this is the New Normal after all.

You can connect with Hank on LinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom

Follow his updates on twitter: @hankblank

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hankblank

Watch a video by Hank on Don’t Let Your Business Cards Weaken Your Personal Brand.

You may also enjoy these articles:

Are You a Finder or a Grinder?

Why College Students Need to Get into Linkedin.

What Do Agency Review Consultants Do?

Why College Students Need to Get Into Linkedin.

I live surrounded by young people.  I have hired paid interns for ten years and often speak on campus colleges on networking and why young people shouldn’t try to get a job.

That’s how I got this nice poster designed by Kyle Ready when I spoke at CBU in Riverside.

I am amazed by how many college students in their senior year that are looking to enter the workforce aren’t on LinkedIn.  Young people are natives in the world of technology.  I was an immigrant to their world of technology.

I embraced LinkedIn as an early adopter.  My largest client last year found me on LinkedIn.

College students who aren’t using LinkedIn lose their native status and become LinkedIn immigrants. They look like they aren’t ready for business. They don’t speak my language. And guess what?  I don’t want to hire them because I don’t want them to train them on Linkedin.  I want to teach them other things.

As a solopreneur I want an intern to help me from the get go.  That’s my world today.  And the world that today’s college students will live in when they are 50.  There are numerous articles documenting that in the near future a large proportion of the workforce will be consultants, freelancers, or temp workers.

When I speak to students I advise them to go where you want to be.  If you want to be in business then use the social media channel that business uses and that is LinkedIn. The best way to get a job in the field you aspire to is to engage with the people living in that world. Linkedin provides you with that opportunity.  If you want to work in the future communicate with people that may hire you in the future while you are in the past.  You should start your job hunting a year before you graduate or sooner.

I recently met a young man with 500 LinkedIn connections.  He was twenty years old and was soon to graduate from UCI.  I wasn’t surprised. Did the 500 plus connections help him graduate early?  Probably not.  I am sure that his attitude of preparing for the future did.

I have always said some of the worst career advice for students comes from people in the Old Normal.  They focus on resume building.  That’s all good but resumes don’t appear on the internet but your LinkedIn profile does.

Today resumes should be infographics or simple websites.

Young people today will have many jobs in the New Normal or create many companies.

The foundation of their success will be their network.  LinkedIn is a simple platform to build it and amplify your voice.

In the Old Normal there used to be simple insights shared that ran like this.  If you saved a dollar a day starting at 21 you would be a multi-millionaire by the age of 65 based on the principle of compounded interest.

In the New Normal if you connect with one person a day starting in college you can be sure of having lots of social currency and an improved chance of financial currency as well.

LinkedIn can help you get there.

You can connect with Hank on LinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom

Follow his updates on twitter: @hankblank

Like Blank and Associates on Facebook

You might enjoy these articles.

Don’t Let Your Business Cards Weaken Your Personal Brand

The Slash Generation.

Watch this Video on Why Young People Shouldn’t try to Get a Job.

The Slash Generation

I spend a lot of time with Millennials.  I knew many when they were teenagers. Some younger.  I have used smart paid interns for over a decade.  My first intern now works at Oakley.  Another intern that worked for me in the past recently got married.  His new bride works for Oakley as well and reports to my first intern.  Yes pretty crazy.  I have written about some ideas in this area in a post called Why Graduates Are Looking for Jobs in All the Wrong Places.

I recently went to a New Business Conference up in LA sponsored by Think LA.  One of the closing panelists was Mike Sheldon the CEO of Deutsch LA a very large and successful agency.

He shared a comment that resonated with me. Not totally sure about the context but he talked about using the power of account coordinators/slash video people and using their passion to get things done at the agency.  As I remember they used them for research or interviews.  They were hired to do one thing but their passion skills were also being utilized in other ways.  That only happened because they were recognized.  Somebody saw the slash skills.

Now CEO’s of major agencies rarely talk about harnessing the power of entry level people but that has been something I have doing for years.  Maybe I live closer to them.  I bet Mike has children.  I bet he has a daughter.  I could be totally wrong.

I believe that we can do great things by capturing the power of the Slash Generation. It is a win win opportunity.  Many young people have a hard time entering the work force and many employers often try to evaluate young people by old rules and need to change their hiring lens. I am not talking about the advertising industry here.  It has always embraced outliers to a degree.  Few companies today would hire somebody with no college degree that studied calligraphy like Steve Jobs.

I believe that the Slash Generation also needs to bring their slash skills to the forefront more and not neuter them. Conformity shouldn’t be the aspiration of youth.  It is the compromise of later life.  Forget your parent’s resume template.  That is from the Old Normal.  The resume, bio, curriculum vitae of the Old Normal has to become an infographic of you. Can’t do an infographic then make it highly visual. Young people don’t read and old people are tired of reading.  It should outline both your achievements and your passions. Do not suppress you passions.  Photography, building computers, being a DJ can be valuable to the right company.  If companies don’t get it they aren’t right for you.

If companies want to hire their potential future success based on the criteria of the Old Normal they will be left behind. Company growth doesn’t come from rigidity.  It comes from adapting and reinvention. Who better to reinvent you that the future generation?

You can connect with Hank on Linkedin

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom

Follow his updates on twitter @hankblank

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hankblank

You can watch a video by Hank on Networking Tips for Young People.

You can also read some other blogs that may be able to help you.

Graduating Into a Recession

The New Glass Ceiling.

Why Young People Shouldn’t Try to Find a Job.

Networking Tips for Young People Who Hate to Network.

Why MBA Schools Need to Teach a Course On What To Do When You Get Fired.

Why Young People Shouldn’t Try to Find a Job.

I had a great time recently speaking to the students at CBU Graphic Design class on How to Rise Above the Crowd.  My presentation was about how to transition learning into a career. My expertise comes from my experience as a person who has to create a job each and every day as a solopreneur in the New Normal.

Young people can certainly get a lot of advice these days on how to get a job.  Most from people who live in the Old Normal and don’t walk the physical or digital sidewalks of the New Normal.

You can listen to politicians who largely live an entitled life and whose hearts don’t beat in the New Normal.

Your college professors will give you advice as well but if they have never worked in the business world and strictly have an academic background their advice will be largely theoretical. Like a nun advising you about birth control. I love you Sister Mary Agnes.

Your parents will give you lots of advice but there is a good chance that if they have been employed for more than ten years with the same company that they found their last job in a newspaper  and not from a recruiter calling them because of their Linkedin profile.

You can get advice from your peer group but that will largely be peer wisdom.  Better for a bar.

First, young people need to understand that your focus shouldn’t be about getting a job; it should be about creating your long term personal brand strategy in the working world of today.  You see in the New Normal you will have at least 12 jobs at different companies but your brand will be yours forever.  Twenty years from now there may be no employees only contract worker bees. You need to focus on developing a long term career strategy versus just a job at just a company.

You need to be a brand within a brand.  Even if you work at Apple you need to have your own personal brand and your own unique identity and it needs to be coherent.  Consistency is key in branding.  Your brand says everything about you.  Your brand includes the way you dress to your personal branding material to your on line social media strategy.  Your social media thought leadership should amplify your brand.

Here are the mandatories for young people today and into the near future.  You must have your own personal website.  You must have your own personal business cards and carry them at all time in addition to the business card of your employer.  You must rock on Linkedin because it is the social media channel of business.  You must own the first page of Google.  All ten postings with a presence that is consistent with your personal brand.  All of the digital platforms that you use must be based on your name and not an alias.  Do not tweet about tacos.  Tweet about show how smart you are.  Most important, develop a powerful personal network that others don’t have that reflects your brand and the resources you uniquely offer.

You can connect with Hank on Linkedin

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom

Follow his updates on twitter @hankblank

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hankblank

You can watch a video by Hank on Networking Tips for Young People.

You can also read some other blogs that may be able to help you.

Graduating Into a Recession

The New Glass Ceiling.

Why Graduates are Looking for Jobs in All the Wrong Places.

What Kind of Job Are You Looking For?

What Kind of Job are you Looking For?

I had coffee the other day in Laguna Beach with a very smart person.  I am grateful that I live close to Laguna.

When I was going to college in Canada I sat on a beach in Laguna and said I want to live here. I wanted a piece of paradise.  It was pretty much out of reach. I had every obstacle in the world to make that happen including my brain and life’s reality.  I have had three meetings at the Starbucks in Laguna this week looking at the beach networking with people. My experience is testimony that dreams are achievable.

My new friend used to work in publishing which is an industry that has changed drastically in the New Normal.  I attended a Business Wire breakfast recently that featured a panel of local press reporters.  They work at places where half the seats are empty. I am sure that the cubes are dusty and the company meetings less exciting.

This has happened to many industries.  I am an Ad Guy.  My former job in the corporate world doesn’t exist anymore so I had to create one for the New Normal. That wasn’t exactly easy.  Lots of businesses have changed. When is the last time you booked a trip through a travel agent or taken a roll of film to be developed?  When is the last time your kids read a newspaper?  Do your kids own a watch?  When is the last time you weren’t multi tasking and just thinking about nothing for an hour?  They are planting farms in intercity Detroit. The world is changing.  The secret is to change before it changes you. To go to the places you want to go before anybody else gets there. That always isn’t easy.

I asked my new friend what kind of job they were looking for and they looked at me and said “I don’t know.” That stopped me for a moment. It sounded like I am looking for a job that doesn’t exist. I have heard that before. There are many people looking for the path of clarity.  I know my new friend will figure it out because of their skills and experience but I thought of the many people that aren’t as gifted as them.

The key to survival in the New Normal is a very broad horizontal and not vertical network.  Like a traffic circle this will give you more opportunities for an exit to a new future.

The train of change will continue to come down the track very quickly in the New Normal.  You just have to make sure you are in the Locomotive instead of the Caboose.

You can connect with Hank on Linkedin.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom

Follow his updates on twitter @hankblank

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hankblank

Watch his video on YouTube on How to Rise Above the Crowd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkO7efleWX4

Why Reinvention is a Virtual Necessity.

I recently wrote a blog called Out of the Game which outlined the importance of staying current and connected on your career path and personal development.

There used to be an expression I would hear quite often.  “They are a dinosaur.”  It was really a description of a person or a company who was not current on emerging trends.  For instance, agencies that were slow to adopt digital solutions versus traditional advertising.

The iPhone is about five years old and more than 75 million have been sold.  Kodak is going into bankruptcy protection.  The Olympics are coming up soon and not too many people will be capturing magic moments using Kodachrome.  A decade ago, Kodak may have been sponsoring the Olympics.

I know a friend who was recently in transition.  They shared with me that the last job they found was in the newspaper ten years ago.  If you told somebody today that you were job hunting in the newspaper they would think that you were pretty much out of touch.

I started blogging two years ago after I heard Tony Heish from Zappos speak at a combined Harvard/USC event in May.  During his presentation he said “Follow Your Dream and the Money Will Come.” That May wasn’t a particularly robust time and I thought to myself that is easy for you to say because you made $100 million on your first deal.

After two years of blogging I have had thousands of people read my blog.  In fact more people read my blog some days than visit my site in a month.

Things change and we need to reinvent and change.  Today your Linkedin profile is more important than your resume.  Your first impression is not created by your Elevator Speech but by your Google presence.

There are two catalysts for reinvention based on my personal experience.  Networking and Youth.

Today’s youth surrounds technology.  You want to be immersed in technology.  Surround yourself with youth.  Ten years ago I started using college students or recent graduates as paid interns to help me with tasks.  They can’t write a blog but they can certainly find places to repurpose it in discussion groups.

I love it when some approach me and ask,” Have you ever thought of doing it this way?”  We generally start doing it that way.

Currently the look of my Word Press blog is being updated by Dalip Jaggi who is 22 year old. He recently developed a couple of mobile apps.  My YouTube videos are shot by SparkHouse in Costa Mesa.  Their CEO, Torrey Tayenaka is 25.  I make a call on my iPhone with a local 949 number.  One of my creative partners Dante Fiorini answers it.  He is in Argentina.

How did I meet Dalip and Torrey?  By networking.  Your network is your engine of reinvention.  The more diverse it is, the more opportunities for growth it can provide.  A constant pattern of networking regenerates you and puts you on new roads of discovery.

The dinosaurs that emerged from the Ice Age weren’t the ones that were the biggest or the strongest.  They were the ones that were the quickest to adapt.  Nothing’s changed.

You can connect with Hank on Linkedin

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom

Follow his updates on twitter @hankblank

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hankblank

Watch his video on YouTube on How to Rise Above the Crowd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkO7efleWX4

The Currencies of Networking.

I listened to a webinar today put on by Keith Ferrazi a master networker.  He wrote a book published in 2005 called Never Eat Alone. I think I bought it at Borders. That was before the world melted and we moved to the New Normal except for Borders.  That was a very long and short time ago.

On his Webinar he had Reid Hoffman the Founder of Linkedin.  I enjoy using Linkedin.  It is my primary social media channel.  When Social Media was getting launched my peers embraced Facebook but I loved Linkedin.  Anyway it became my preferred social media channel although I engage with many others.

During the webinar Ferrazi and Hoffman defined the various currencies of networking. They talked about professional currency for instance. I related to that because I talk about the various benefits of networking in my networking presentations.

Networking provides a variety of currencies. One of the primary benefits of networking is financial Currency. It is the most obvious and what most people really want.   Over the course of time I have read about other definitions of financial currency.  One is that your network equals your net worth.

The oldest one I know is that it is not what you know but who you know.  That’s the top down theory and it works.

The problem with reaping the benefits of financial currency is that it takes time and we all want the quick fix.   Financial currency will come if you plant the seeds and wait for the bounty to come.  You have to realize that one event is a stepping stone to other people, other events and future opportunities.

Somebody long ago or about 3 or 4 years ago sent me a quote saying that “The Opposite of Networking Is Not Working.”  They must have been a prophet.

I also learned very quickly that one of the primary benefits of networking is Social Currency.

What the heck is social currency? Well it starts with understanding that money isn’t meaning

Success is not significance. The Great Recession has equally taught everyone no matter how rich or poor that financial currency can be fleeting.  Even millionaires clip coupons these days.

People with a lot of social currency realize you are not defined by how much money you have or where you work. A key of a person’s success and overall value is their relationships.  You are defined by your character and who you help in life in the New Normal.  That currency is deposited in a different way but it has a high level of return immediately upon deposit.

Often social currency and financial currency go hand in hand.  People who have a lot of social currency are often involved in mentoring, philanthropy and similar activities.  Often I find that they appear to also be very financially successful.

If you have strong relationships people become your apostles and advocates and become your business development people.

Social currency becomes most valuable when financial currency is a little weak and we may be surrounded by the worries inherent in the New Normal. That is when its value truly comes to the forefront.

What kind of networking currency are you depositing today?

You can connect with Hank on Linkedin

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom

Follow his updates on twitter @hankblank

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hankblank

Watch his video on the Power of Networking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-dSNVAN9FU&list=UUEigDTyDiFGXVfyg7sRErOg&index=10&feature=plcp

Hot and Cold Networking Doesn’t Work.

Hot and Cold Networking Doesn’t Work.

The new Jobs Report came out yesterday and the report wasn’t too cheerful.  Very tepid job growth.  That’s life in the New Normal.  We live in a world with an unemployment rate of 8.2% in the U.S. My friend Lynn Marie Hammond reminded me that the Euro Zone’s stagnant economy has left 17.4 million people out of an active population of around 156 million people without a job.

I read in this month’s issue of OC Metro that even the well educated and diverse Orange County the land of desperate and over indulged housewives only added 12,600 jobs from January 2010 to January 11.  Not much growth for a county of three million people.

The same issue had another survey among OC Executives.  The percentage of respondents who expect business activity to improve or stay the same today was 84%, an increase from 78% in 2010.  You see today in the New Normal progress is when things stay the same.  We have all seen the job market free fall and we have learned that staying the same is an acceptable platform.  It is survival.

In this world many people still believe that the Old Normal will return and they network that way.

I call it hot and cold networking.  When they are looking for a job it is all about the networking.  “Let’s catch up at Starbucks.”  “Let’s get together to see how I can help you.”  “Would love to catch up.”  When they land they revert to their old habits. You never see them or hear from them.

You reach out to them after they have been with their employer for a few months to check in.  They are too busy for Starbucks or lunch.  They have no time.  They have a job and don’t need your network anymore.

These are the hot and cold networkers of today.

Then in today’s world of the New Normal they are on the street again.  They are not ready to be fired.  They reach out again and want to network. They try to atone for their past behavior.  They promise change.

After years of seeing this from many I have lost layers of compassion.

I am sure we have all met hot and cold networkers.

What they don’t understand is that today you have to be networking all the time.  Just like sharks you have to be constantly out there expanding your resources and learning about opportunities.  Opportunities and jobs are being created but they are often spread through word of mouth because nobody wants to deal with a deluge of submissions from unqualified people.

Truth be told, hot and cold networkers don’t come to mind first when I hear about jobs.

What is your networking temperature?

You can connect with Hank on Linkedin

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom

Follow his updates on twitter @hankblank

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hankblank

Watch his video called How to Rise Above the Crowd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkO7efleWX4&list=UUEigDTyDiFGXVfyg7sRErOg&index=5&feature=plcp

The Best Graduation Gift You Can Give Your Children.

I have spoken on many campuses on networking for over a decade now and I have written many posts hopefully helping today’s young people become better networkers.

One of my most popular blogs remains Networking Tips for Young People and College Students Who Hate to Network.

I have also written on Why Graduates are Looking for Jobs in All the Wrong Places and Teach your Children to Network Well.

I believe that the new glass ceiling is the one encountered by today’s youth.

Besides my own children there are always been many young people in my life constantly.  My blogs have connected me with young people across the world who have reached out to me because what I wrote touched something in them.  I have used college students to help me with my consulting business ever since I started it.

So Graduation Time is coming up soon.  The unemployment rate among college graduates has been slowly declining but remains high.  Many students question the value of their college loans when they compete for jobs with the previous year’s graduating class who are still looking for jobs.

The best graduation gift you can give your children is your network and teaching them on how to be great networkers. I can tell you from personal experience your kids will initially not embrace it but as they mature they will see the value of networking.

One thing that young people learn to appreciate is the efficiency of networking once they learn it.  Young people love efficiency.  That’s why they cryptically text versus e mail because it is quick and fast.  They know that a Google search connects them with a vast network.

When their network builds and they see how a few calls can provide them with solutions they buy into its power.  They learn how a well resourced network can make their life easier and they like easy because they have lots to do.  Not really but I don’t want to get any texts from my kids.

The first thing you should teach your children about networking is that networking isn’t about going anywhere.  Networking is about being connected with the people around you not going to places.  If you want to be really good at something you have to do it all the time not once a week.  You need to connect with people all the time. You need to live your life with an attitude of engagement not isolation.  Networking is really about just talking to people.  You start doing that and you will turn your city into a village.

The worst thing you can do is to do it for them. I often get e mails from parents asking me to help their kids try to get a job or connect with someone.  They attach their children’s resumes. That’s not the way to do it.  I would rather have your kids connect with me.  That is the way they get empowered.

Also don’t try to teach them how to get a job based on the way you got your job.  You worked in a world where how long you worked at a company was seen as a value and something to be respected.  In the new world we make movies called Up in the Air.

Your children must also learn to master Linkedin.  The New Normal resume.  Share some of your connections with them to get them started.  Ask your friends to Linkedin with them.  Want to do something for them.  Pay for a professional photograph of them.

In the Old Normal, the old model was that your kids might one day work for you.  In the New Normal, your exit plan may be working for your kids. I am looking forward to it. The stronger their children’s network is the greater the chance that scenario could become a possibility.  We have all witnessed what happens when the world melts and the world will always be prone to it happening again.

You can connect with Hank on Linkedin

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom

Follow his updates on twitter @hankblank

Connect on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hankblank

Watch his video on Why MBA Schools Need to Teach a Course on What to Do When You Get Fired.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDPHgD5bJVo

Has Your Job Search Passed Its’ Expiry Date?

Although the employment outlook is getting better, many great people remain on the sideline.  Some are getting increasingly frustrated as they see others get hired.

As a Co Founder of Laguna Niguel Connectors and a person that has spoken to numerous transition groups throughout Southern California I have heard many stories. I also see a lot of people making mistakes in their job search.

As a consultant who has to create a job for himself each and every day I can relate to the journey of the job hunt as I am perpetually unemployed.

So here are some thoughts.

First. Stop Making Sense.  This is the New Normal and many things don’t make sense.  Banks are more liquid than they have been in decades and yet don’t lend money to businesses.  Companies have more cash on hand then ever and don’t hire.  I ran into somebody last week who spent the majority of time during our interaction telling me why the company’s decision not to hire him was a mistake and didn’t make sense.  Waste of energy.

Don’t consume rejection. You have to be clinical not emotional about job search. Focusing on what you can’t control is counterproductive.  In the Old Normal, if you had four leads you usually could count on closing one deal.  In the New Normal, you need ten leads in your pipeline. It is the same with job hunting.  That is the reality.

If you have been in the job hunt for a long time it is time for a personal remodel.  You need to regain your edge. It is time for renewal.  Time to lose those ten pounds you have been talking about.  It’s time to get your haircut styled in a new way, start wearing hats, wear scarves, and try new colors. Do something different to change your appearance.  You need to look edgier and unique to create impressions. Time to go to Banana Republic and find somebody much younger than you and ask them to dress you. Do it.  If your kids think you are boring you are.

Reinvent yourself.  Eight of the ten things I do today I didn’t do ten years ago.  What new product offerings or skills do you have that you didn’t have five years ago? If the answer is none, you aren’t going to succeed in the New Normal.  The iPhone is five years ago.

Stop Wasting Your Time.  I see countless people in job hunting mode wasting their time.  Recently somebody connected with me because I was Linkedin with somebody at a company that was looking for an AE.  An AE is a person who has about five years experience in the advertising game.  This person had twenty years marketing experience and had not been an AE at an agency in 15 years. After all those years in the game that’s what they had learned about targeting?  Total waste of time.  Have a high probability strategy in your job hunt.

Don’t retreat.  Advance.  Many people start retrenching the longer they job search goes.  They stop going to networking events because they think they cost money.  Are you crazy? They become Marketers who are afraid to spend.  They retreat to hide behind their computers and chase job posts on job sites like millions of other people.  Don’t fall into that trap.  Get out more and show everyone your new look.

Disrupt your routine.  If you don’t stretch you don’t learn.

Mentor.  You have great skills to share.  There is no other measure of personal success than to contribute to the uplifting of our youth and they need some help these days.  A thriving Society is defined by how much it invests in its youth.  Mentoring today provides mutually beneficial social currency and it could lead to financial currency.

Hank Blank started his career in Canada working on McDonald’s at DDB.  Hank then worked at JWT in Toronto and Chicago where he worked for ten years.  JWT’s Chicago office opened in 1891 and closed a couple of years ago during the Great Recession.  Hank now works in the New Normal.

You can connect with Hank on Linkedin

http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom

Follow his updates on twitter @hankblank

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hankblank

Watch a video on How to Create a Job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMSFqT9M_FQ