DMEF Blog

Mentor, former colleague, and friend Liz Kislik shared this interesting article about an inspiring woman named Whitney Wilkerson. Wilkerson worked her way up from an entry-level position at Giorgio Armani to become a successful entrepreneur who founded an organization called NEXT for Women.

I usually don’t write advice specific for one gender, because I think we can all use a good deal of help when we are starting out and trying to figure out this whole “career” thing. However, the articles and videos on the NEXT for Women site really speak to a lot of questions (ranging from serious to trivial) that my girlfriends and I have and are constantly trying to help each other figure out. Questions like:

• How to successfully interview for a job in a male-dominated industry such as sports or finance
• When and how to ask for a raise
• How to plan a wedding while working (something important for my nine working friends who have planned weddings in the last two years!)
• What to wear to an office holiday party

My friends and I have asked one another all of these questions in our first few years of work, and besides parents or other friends who have the same level of experience, there aren’t a lot of people that can readily (and accurately) answer them. Next time you need some advice on what to do when a boss gives harsh feedback, whether you should email or snail mail an interview thank you note,  or how to kill a big presentation, check out NEXT for Women

The NYT article called “If Twitter is a Work Necessity” discusses how some mid-career executives are taking classes and lessons in social media to get up to speed and become more valuable in the job market.

Students have an inherent advantage as early adopters of social media, but even undergrads that are interested in marketing jobs can often use a brush up on all the various platforms that brands are employing these days. When we did a survey of a handful of college kids two years ago, they all said that “Twitter wasn’t for them” and that they didn’t get the point of it besides following celebs and telling people what you had for breakfast. Obviously businesses have found other approaches to Twitter that have had a profound impact on the way they operate (e.g., Best Buy’s Twelpforce), but students as consumers might not be completely aware of all these business uses.

Students thinking about getting into marketing can get smart on how businesses are leveraging Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, etc. by taking classes as well (such as the DMEF’s Student Career Forums), or by following a handful of smart digital marketing resources such as:

• Mashable
• Tech Crunch
• Business Insider (tech / media section)
• ClickZ
• L2 (shameless plug!)

A lot of this blog is about how to land your first gig in marketing, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t provide some insight on how to be successful once you’ve arrived at that job.

Ghostwriter Jeff Haden wrote a good article last month for Inc., “8 Qualities of Remarkable Employees“.  “Qualities” seems to imply that these are traits that are inherent in a person, but I think a lot of these are things that employees, especially those just starting out, can be reminded of and can intentionally try to incorporate into their daily habits.

Here is a high level overview, visit the article to read the details behind each. Do you think these are things that can be learned? Or qualities that a person naturally does or does not possess?

8 Qualities of Remarkable Employees:

1. They ignore job descriptions. The smaller the company, the more important it is that employees can think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities, and do whatever it takes, regardless of role or position, to get things done.

2. They’re eccentric… The best employees are often a little different: quirky, sometimes irreverent, even delighted to be unusual. They seem slightly odd, but in a really good way. Unusual personalities shake things up, make work more fun, and transform a plain-vanilla group into a team with flair and flavor.

3. …But they know when to dial it back. An unusual personality is a lot of fun… until it isn’t. When a major challenge pops up or a situation gets stressful, the best employees stop expressing their individuality and fit seamlessly into the team.

4. They publicly praise… Praise from a boss feels good. Praise from a peer feels awesome, especially when you look up to that person.

5. …And they privately complain. We all want employees to bring issues forward, but some problems are better handled in private. Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom.

6. They speak when others won’t. Some employees are hesitant to speak up in meetings. Some are even hesitant to speak up privately…Remarkable employees have an innate feel for the issues and concerns of those around them, and step up to ask questions or raise important issues when others hesitate.

7. They like to prove others wrong. Education, intelligence, talent, and skill are important, but drive is critical. Remarkable employees are driven by something deeper and more personal than just the desire to do a good job.

8. They’re always fiddling. Some people are rarely satisfied (I mean that in a good way) and are constantly tinkering with something: Reworking a timeline, adjusting a process, tweaking a workflow.

Please visit Haden’s article for more details on each quality.

Hal Brierley, executive chairman of The Brierley Group and co-founder of Epsilon, wrote a compelling article for AdAge yesterday, “Drowning in Data, Our Business Faces a Serious Talent Crisis“.

Hal makes an appeal to advertising and marketing agencies to “build stronger relationships with higher education”, in order to “help shape curriculum and course materials and aid in recruitment”, and points to several ways that industry can get more involved in how students are learning about data-driven marketing and ultimately choosing to begin careers in the field. Hal mentions that one of those ways that students and companies are connecting is the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF), which is obviously near and dear to my heart

I want to make a similar appeal, but to students. If you are like I was when I was entering my senior year of college, you might still not know exactly what you want to do. You might be exploring law, film, , and a number of other “first job” choices. If you are lucky, you might stumble upon an amazing opportunity like I did, the Next Generation Leaders Program through the DMEF, but most won’t necessarily be so lucky if you aren’t looking for it. My appeal is to actively start looking and start listening to what these companies have to offer.

If you are a math or econ major, or a stats whiz, marketing could be for you. If you were an English, History, or American Studies major (like myself!), marketing could be for you.  And you just might not know it yet. For me, marketing let me be both creative AND analytical, tying strategy and tactics to solid data and results. At my current company, I’m recommending digital marketing programs to really interesting companies like L’Oreal and Moet Hennessy every day, and every one of those programs is tied to data from their analytics and from the industry. And five years ago (geez I’m getting old!) I was sitting in a documentary film class looking out over College Walk at Columbia and wondering….”what’s next”?

So to restate: my appeal for students to at least give marketing a look. To investigate entry-level positions on your traditional job banks and on industry-specific ones like the DMEF’s, and to look into programs like I-MIX or Next Generation Leaders that provide training to make a big and immediate impact in the field. Hopefully with the companies showing up more on campus and taking a part in education and recruiting, combined with students just realizing this can be a rewarding and interesting career path, we’ll start to help fill the skills gap.

With the breakneck pace of digital innovation and the technological advances that have been occurring over the last year, six months, and even six weeks, I am somewhat surprised that resumes are still fairly archaic. This interesting article, “Multimedia and the 21st Century Resume” by HR Marketing Analyst Kyle Lagunas discusses how the old system of reviewing resumes is broken, and how some candidates are trying to break the resume mold in order to stand out from the crowd and circumvent the problem.

I’d be interested to get some thoughts on this, from students and from employers. Personally, even thought I realize our resumes and systems for reviewing them are stuck in the 20th century, I feel that for that reason, there are many employers who are still not ready to accept a resume that has a picture, too much technology embedded (beyond a hyperlink), or an infographic. But perhaps platforms like LinkedIn and Vizualize.me will start to finally shift opinions and move resumes and resume reviewing into the digital age.

Here is a top line overview from Kyle, I’d invite you to visit the full article to learn more:

Qualified candidates are regularly overlooked, and for the simplest of reasons: they didn’t plug the right combo of buzzwords into their resumes. Candidates are taking things into their own hands. In an attempt to circumvent the keyword-laden resume game, job seekers are adopting a more creative approach to captivating recruiters. Rather than dropping the resume altogether, the trend seems to be more focused on breaking away from over-automation and a return to the heart of what makes a good hire.

While there are certain guidelines that you should always follow when submitting a resume regardless of mode of delivery, there are a couple of multimedia elements a candidate can tap into to get that extra mmph into his resume:

1. Adding a Face and Voice with Video. By replacing a cover letter with a quick video pitch, job seekers can showcase skills and abilities lost in translation in a traditional resume. As Bruce Hurwitz of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing says, “Video can increase my confidence in a candidate’s ability to successfully interview–Is she professional? Is she articulate?–or eliminate a candidate from consideration.” Of course, time is money, and candidates need to give recruiters a reason to keep watching. My advice: personality is great, but don’t get too cute. Balance is key.

2. Bringing Flat Resumes to Life with Infographics. Breaking out of the traditional resume template isn’t easy without a degree in design. But presenting a recruiter with a more visually stimulating overview of experience and qualifications can go a long way in setting a candidate apart. Thankfully, it doesn’t take an Adobe Illustrator savant to turn a boring old resume into an interesting infographic. Not only are these easy to create, but they’re easy to share across multiple channels.

About the Author: Kyle Lagunas is the HR Analyst at Software Advice, a resource for selecting a talent management or an applicant tracking system. Kyle reports on trends and best practices in HR and recruiting software—offering fresh insights into the ho-hum of people processes. For further reading, you can find this article in full on his HR blog.

The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation has opened up applications for 2012 I-MIX, a week-long intensive program in New York City designed for rising sophomores and juniors who are considering a career in marketing.

The 30 selected students will have the chance to:

• Learn about the latest trends from marketing experts
• Participate in company-specific workshops and get insights into major campaigns and strategies
• Develop a better understanding of new and evolving marketing platforms (mobile, social, search, etc.)
• Analyze, discuss, and learn from real-world, relevant business cases
• Meet marketing executives from the host company, KBM Group
• Interact with other marketing students from across the country
• Receive tips on networking from a career coach
• Build a national network for the future and develop and relationship with DMEF for future career opportunities

Here is a quote from one of the I-MIX participants from last year, describing the value of the program:

“Currently being engulfed in the job search reminded me how thankful I am to have participated in I-MIX this past summer. Participating in I-MIX not only provided me with excellent connections and a wealth of information, but also confidence that I can find a career in marketing that I love. Since that week, reading and learning about direct and interactive marketing has become a hobby, if not an obsession! Given that it was on my mind, I just wanted to tell you how incredibly thankful I am for your dedication to making the program so great. I-MIX had such a great impact on all of us and I would recommended it to anyone.”

-Emily McHugh, Christopher Newport University, Class of 2012

Visit the site to read more testimonials, learn more about the details, and apply for the 2012 program. Here are some basics:

• Dates: Monday, August 6 – Friday, August 10
• Location: New York City at KBM Group
• Eligible: Rising Sophomores and Rising Junior Undergraduates

Who better to get networking advice from than the founder of LinkedIn?

CNNMoney recently released an excerpt of a book by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, called The Start-Up of You. Hoffman explains that lots of people don’t like networking because it makes them feel “slimy” or “inauthentic”, but that that’s because they are stuck in old-school, transaction-based networking (“hey’, got any jobs for me??”). They are “drunk on networking kool-aid”, as Hoffman relates.

The new world of networking relies on relationship-building. To be a good new networker, or relationship-builder, Hoffman suggests you need two abilities. 1) You need to be able to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and 2)  you need to be able to think about how you can help or collaborate with the other person first, before you make an ask.  These are skills to help become relationship-focused, rather than transactional focused.

Hoffman goes on to make several interesting points, many which make me want to buy this book and pick his networking brain more. Here are some highlights, but I really recommend reading the article to learn more:

I’m not going to add more, because I want people to read the article and the interesting sociological and real-life business case studies.  Also – you should read “Reid’s rules”. He provides a great roadmap for repositioning and reinvigorating your network.

Do you agree with Hoffman’s point of view? Have you gotten your opportunities from allies or weak ties? Would you feel comfortable looking at someone’s LinkedIn profile and mentioning a referenced fact to them in an email or conversation, as he suggests? Or does that still feel intrusive?

I hope everyone had Happy Holidays!

For New Years, I have two fantastic posts to share. The first is from The Savvy Intern, titled “What’s on Your List of New Year’s Realizations?”

That’s not a typo. The smart post encourages job seekers to shift their focus in 2012 away from “resolutions” and onto realizations. As the author (CEO and Founder of YouTern Mark Babbitt) relates, realizations help students or job seekers figure out where they are now, and what they have to do to get a job in the new year. Here are some New Years “realizations” that Babbitt lists:

It is past time to stop hoping the economy will get better – act and plan as if it will not

In today’s online “everyone knows everyone” world, you are a brand – make it a good brand

Developing an entrepreneurial (or intrapreneurial) spirit is critical to getting hired

You must be networking through social media and face-to-face – or you’re falling behind your career competition

Developing a mentor relationship with an influencer within your industry is crucial

For college students: your degree alone is not going to get you a job; developing your career is going to be hard work – and you must start right now

For recent graduates and workforce veterans out of work or underemployed more than six months: what you are doing now isn’t working… consider making a significant change to your approach

Cleaning up your online presence has never been more important

Those who come across as desperate, victims or who are not coach-able are rarely hired

You do not need to be perfect – you just need to be better than your job seeking competition

The second New Year’s “countdown” that I want to share is near to my heart. It’s written by Chet Dalzell, who has been helping Direct Marketing Educational Foundation to reach their year-end DirectWorks Challenge goal, in order to continue providing valuable programs that help teach students about marketing and place them in their first careers in the industry.

Here are Chet’s “Five Reasons Why Year End Giving Should Include a DMEF Donation”:

1. In its seminal research report, From Stretched to Strengthened: Insights from the Global Chief Marketing Officer Study (October 2011), IBM states that an explosion of data, social platforms, channel and device choices, and shifting demographics all point to tremendous hurdles for CMOs [chief marketing officers] to overcome. IBM calls it “a gap in readiness.” The ability of higher institutions to provide global (and local) brands with people with skills necessary to capitalize on customer-centric interactions is vital.
2. Another current report from McKinsey’s Global Institute, Big Data: The next frontier for innovation, competition and productivity (May 2011), states that the world needs as many as 190,000 specialists with deep analytical skills whose sole focus is Web marketing (never mind, analyzing data in multi-channel environments). These new professionals will need to be steeped in mathematics and statistics, as well as in marketing and the vertical markets where brands reside.
3. During the 2010-2012 period, according to the Direct Marketing Association (The Power of Direct Marketing, October 2011), the U.S. economy is forecast to create more than 280,000 jobs from mobile, search, Internet and email marketing alone. It’s vital we are able to deliver and develop professionals in our field who have requisite knowledge and education.
4. In a recent employment study for Direct Marketing Association (Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report, September 2011), undertaken by Jerry Bernhart Associates, employers noted that analytics-related posts are the most highly sought in our field, followed by marketing, sales, creative and information technology. Most recently, 61 percent of employer respondents said they were experiencing difficulty attracting the right talent for open positions, with 50 percent attributing this to a shortage of qualified candidates, and 18 percent to a lack of specific job or technical skills.
5. The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) serves to address the skills gap by enabling its Scholarship program, Student Career Forums, intensive training in interactive marketing (I-MIX), its Professor’s Institute, among other activities, to make direct and interactive marketing one of the most highly attractive fields for young adults. During the past year, DMEF engaged 2,580 students, more than 270 professors, and 650 schools in its various programs. We stand ready to exceed our success this coming year—but we need your support to do it.

Here are some great abbreviated tips from Vault Careers Blog on how to find a job this holiday (visit the site to read more details!). These are not just for temporary seasonal gigs by the way…

1. Your Competition is at the Mall – Not all those with the power to hire are on vacation, so get those resumes out there as often as possible and let others miss out on the opportunities that presented themselves.

2. Take Advantage of the Holiday Cheer – Holidays give you a great excuse to check in with your network and find out what might be available. Get your foot in the door with an informational interview, especially at a time when everyone is in the holiday spirit.

3. Holiday Cards are Not Just for Loved Ones -when you are mailing those holiday cards out, take the time to send some holiday well-wishes to those in your professional network

4. Companies Make New Year’s Resolutions Too – In order to get the ball rolling, [companies]will want to hire in December and spend the remainder of their budget for 2011 in the process. The end of the year is the perfect time to spend what’s left–why shouldn’t that extra budget item be you?

5. Parties are Networking Opportunities - take advantage of holiday gatherings involving friends and/or family. You never know who will be there, and it may open up some opportunities for you to make a good impression. Make sure to have a good time, share your job search story without coming across as desperate or pushy, and try to meet as many new people as possible while solidifying your existing relationships.

Last week I tried something for the very first time. Something I never ever thought that I would do…

I clicked on a banner ad.

I was checking in on one of my fantasy football games on Yahoo Sports, and I went to the match up page to see how much I was crushing my opponent by. What first caught my eye when I arrived wasn’t the topline scores, but rather a Miller Lite display banner to the right of the stats boxes, with my team name in it, the current point differential, and a call to action to write custom “smack” to my opposition. Considering I ended up winning 152 to 94, it was a little inappropriate to  talk smack on my opponent; however, I could not resist clicking on the banner, customizing a message and “experimenting” with this highly-customized, highly-entertaining banner. (DateMyLandlord – it was all for work, I swear!)

This innovative advancement with one-to-one messaging might actually give display advertising a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dying industry. Display CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) are down 30% from 2010 to 2010, and continuing to decline as they become more and more commoditized and ineffective. As consumers continue to be annoyed by traditional video roadblocks and homepage takeovers, brands will have to figure out a way to make display work – or abandon it all together for newer, more innovative approaches to advertising online.

In the meantime – if Miller Lite got me – a gen y, digitally sophisticated (if I do say so myself), cynic towards banners – to play with their ad for 2 minutes before adjusting my roster, I think they might be on to something. By applying some of the best practices around 1-to-1 marketing (essentially identifying high-worth prospects, discovering their needs, and delivering highly-tailored messages to them), they found a way to catch my attention and make me interact with the brand. Although the ad is a bit gimmicky, they realize I’m potentially a football watching beer-drinker, that I have a competitive streak and like to talk smack on my league-mates, and that I’d be interested in a message that immediately tells me how many points I’m winning by.

Now, if it just linked to Miller’s website or Facebook page…they might really be onto something!