Be Selfish. Volunteer.

I just wrapped up one of my favorite weekends of the year – ADDY judging weekend.

As judging chair, I was responsible for putting together our panel of judges. After a few months of searching and calling, we landed some of the top talent from around the nation.

This past weekend, they came to Kansas City for two days to judge 1,200 or so pieces.

In order to make judging weekend happen, we needed volunteers. About 25 or so.

Our volunteers included creative directors, art directors, writers, photographers, account managers and, yes, students. And they all worked together to make judging run smoothly. 

What a great chance to get to know people in the industry (and for them to know you). How often do you get the chance to work on an equal level with a creative director? Or a well-connected writer? Or even a potential co-worker? (Remember, the best way to get in the door is through a current employee.)

Want to get hired? Be known. Want to be known? Get involved as an industry volunteer. 

I know many volunteers who landed jobs based on connections made through organizations like Ad Club.

You just have to be selfish – by volunteering.

(And who knows? You may even get the chance to meet people whose work you admire. I did.)

Follow and Be Followed

Most job openings are never advertised. You just have to know about them ... or luck upon them.

Unfortunately, luck is an inconsistent (and unreliable) ally. So you need to become an information junkie. And the more information you have, the "luckier" you become.

Target the places you want to work. Yeah, yeah, you've heard this before. "Read their web site, Google them, blah, blah, blah ..." Yes, you need to do that, but everyone else is doing that too. You need inside information. How to find that?

Simple. Follow them. On Twitter. On LinkedIn. On Facebook.

You'll be amazed at the daily going-ons you learn through following people. Especially on Twitter. I've seen tweets that tell me about layoffs, job openings and job changes (which means their old job is open). The secret is to follow people who work there rather than the company itself. You'll get the real story that way.

Armed with that information, you can "luck in" to calling the hiring person just as they need someone. Amazing how timing can change their reaction to your call.

Get out there and follow, follow, follow.

By the way, to get you started: Kevin on Twitter, Kevin on LinkedIn.

Read "You Are The President Of Your Career"

Here's a great post by Chris Brogan about taking charge of your career. 

Here's a sample:

"Understand that just doing what you've been doing won't really work for more than a handful of months, because everything around you is changing. If you don't change, you'll fall behind."

Then he gives a simple prescription.

Give it a read.

Print-Only is Dead

"I'm a print designer. I don't do interactive."

Sorry. Then you don't stand a chance of working here.

If you can only deliver print, your chances of getting the job drop – drastically. We're in a digital world. Our clients need digital solutions. And most of us older (over age 35) advertising folks are counting on you to help us deliver. If you can't, we move on to someone who can.

And in this incredibly tight market, you'll be left high and dry.

What to do? Upgrade your skills.

Learn programming, yes. But also make sure you have a good understanding of a variety of communication methods. How can you offer your clients the best solutions if you're not aware of the options available?

We all need to know digital communications. And for recent grads, it's simply the price of entry.

Print isn't dead. But print-only communicators are.

(By the way, my good friend Alistair Tutton lectured me for not being on Twitter. Now you can follow me here. Or, if you're LinkedIn, you can follow me here.)

Use the Holidays to Your Advantage

I love the holiday season. Everyone is friendlier. Meetings are rare. There are fewer gatekeepers.

Huh?

Yes, fewer gatekeepers. That means your odds of reaching someone on the phone go up.

Many receptionists are on vacation, so people pitch in to grab the phones. And most of those people don't screen calls or know how to forward you directly to voicemail. So, as long as your person is in the office, you have a better chance of reaching them.

And to top it off, they're probably in a good mood. Most deadlines are past, so they're probably not under the gun. They may actually have time to talk to someone who's looking.

So give it a shot. You may actually get to talk to the person you've been trying to reach.

This is a limited time offer though. Once the new year starts, the previous state of affairs returns.

Happy holidays. And good luck.

Marketing Yourself

Searching for a job is exactly that – marketing yourself.

So apply what you've learned about marketing/advertising to sell yourself as a job candidate.

• Identify your audience // Who are you targeting? Ad agencies? Design firms? Publications? Decide who you are going after, so you can ...
  
• Determine their needs // This will tell you what kinds of pieces to include in your portfolio. Also, it will help you determine which skills you have, so you can ...
  
• Let them know What's In It For Me (them, not you) // They don't care what you've done as much as they care about what you can do for them. Don't just talk about you ("I learned Flash in school") talk about how that experience/skill benefits the interviewer's company ("With my Flash experience, I can create better interactive sites in a short amount of time"). Then you can ...
  
• Make your call to action // Ask to set up an interview. Or see if you can drop off some samples. Then follow up. The worst they can do is say no. So why not ask?

Put your marketing abilities to work for your most important client. You.

(Also, here's a great post at talentzoo.com. You'll notice that much of the advice given to experienced professionals applies to you as well.)

It's All About Your Portfolio

But, you know that already, don't you?

Unfortunately, most creatives view building their portfolio as another project – with a beginning and an end. "My portfolio is together, so now I can focus exclusively on my search."

Never stop working on your portfolio. Work on it constantly. Your goal is to knock your weakest piece out of your portfolio. And then do it again. And again. And again.

That makes it stronger. And increases you chances of landing a job.

• First, look at your current work. Improve it. Have a great concept that's well-executed? Rework it until the execution is as great as the concept.
  
• Second, look around for non-profits you believe in. Volunteer to design/write/shoot something for them. It will give you a professional piece (while improving your career karma).
  
• Third, talk to your friends and family. Any of them starting or own a business? Volunteer to help them out creatively.
  
• Lastly, just create. If you're a designer, find a well-known logo you hate and redesign it. If you're a writer, give a new voice to a stodgy company. You get the idea.

Most importantly, never stop working on pieces for your portfolio. Creatives live and die by our portfolios. Give yourself a fighting chance.