The Digital Evolution/Revolution

Lately, many people I know have been laid off, joining the swelling ranks of the "underemployed". Last week alone, 3 people I know in advertising got laid off, well actually in one case the company is closing it's doors completely after millions of dollars went "bye bye".....

When I got laid off last month, instead of going to commiserate with my fellow "underemployed", I went home took out my email address book, crafted a little email explaining the situation and sent it to over 300 contacts. I got busy "networking" because it's better to put that energy into finding work. The responses I got back have been incredibly varied, but the most interesting have been from recruiters.

It is clear that the ONLY segment of the industry that is growing and currently hiring is the digital/interactive realm. My difficulty has been to help recruiters and their clients understand how my skill set translates into that realm. Many (not all) recruiters, like their clients continue to think inside the "box" - perhaps that is why I have never gotten a job from my resume or a recruiter, my career and experience just do not fit neatly in that box.....but according to many of the leading thinkers in this new digital age, that is exactly the type of experience and thinking that will help move the industry forward.

I have read dozens of articles recently about the digital world and how it has changed the industry, here is one written by Alan Wolk, who is considered to be one of the most distinctive voices to come out of the creative side of the ad business "Advertising After The Real Digital Revolution"

Putting on your best face

Maybe it's because I am the daughter of Cuban immigrants that I refuse to let this recent turn of the economy get me down, but am instead looking for the opportunities... my parents came here with nothing except their wits and their education and made a good life for our family. They taught me never to be afraid, and to be resourceful during hard times. I have to remember that they had nothing when they got here and that you have to work hard and persevere in even the toughest times. This is still after all the US, and eventually it will again return to being the land of opportunity - it's just going to be different opportunities. As they say in Spanish "A mal tiempo buena cara" that means during hard times put on your best face!

Here is an article about people in the mid-west who are doing just that.

Ex-G.M. Workers Try to Reboot Their Lives

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/business/13janesville.html

How to think like a Market Rebel and not a boring bureauocrat

Since I am always trying to think like an innovator.......this piece in The McKinsey Quarterly really struck a chord......... plus the title is really fun "Market rebels and radical innovation" . The author Hayagreeva Rao is the Atholl McBean Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.

If you can get past the fact that this man (looks like Jabba The Hut) should never be in front of the camera, what he says is fascinating, and makes so much sense. He briefly cites some case studies - like Nike and Personal Computing, and the enormous impact that these 2 have had.

Innovation and "rebels" will lead the way into the next big money making opportunities, both in specific niches and in the overall economy. I guarantee you these opportunities will NOT come from anywhere in corporate America, where even in the most creative environments - creativity has been sucked dry.......

It's not about thinking of the next trend but identifying with it, I believe this happens through your peer groups and grassroots efforts...you just have to "listen" to what's happening amongst the people you know, etc And when you figure it out - please let me know!

The Lemonade Makers

Yesterday, while doing my daily "cruise" of job boards & industry news, I came across - Recession Wire - the upside of the downturn http://www.recessionwire.com
These ladies validated my belief that there is always an opportunity to make money in any economy.... you just have to figure out where and how. All 3 of the founders of RW have lost their jobs due to lay-offs and cutbacks....to put in their own words - they "decided to turn misfortune into opportunity. Inspired to capture the stories and improve the lives of urban professionals who, like them, were getting effed by the economy, they founded a website in early 2009. And that’s how Recessionwire was born–as a pop-up site™, ready and willing to die.

This is truly making lemonade out of lemons!

I'm only sorry I didn't come up with this concept myself..... hmmm perhaps there is an opportunity for some other kind of related site...... I will be thinking about it all day today, while I work at searching high and low for potential career opportunities and reinventing myself - and that's work!

It's a brand new day!

This has been a really amazing time in my life - both equally good and bad, dark and light! So much has happened that I have rarely had a moment to reflect about it over the last 24 months..... But recently, along with so many other Americans, I lost my job due to "layoffs".

So I'm taking on this "underemployment" (yes thats what my new term is going to be for my current situation) and I am going to write about life.... and my random observations.... and experiences, as a woman who is facing some major crossroads and reinvention, just like so many other people are.....

So watch out world, here goes lots of random thoughts.... and maybe a little wisdom......