Tesar-Reynes

I talked to someone the other week that was told that “he had been relieved of duty” as a CMO. I was one of the people he called after he took some time off to get his head on straight. He was fortunate that the news still had not reached the press. Before discussing the steps for his next job, I asked him these questions:

- Had he gone through most of the stages of grieving?
- Was he thinking straight and were his emotions under control?
- Was there any negotiations left on his separation package, and, was he centered enough to do it?
- Was there agreement with his old company as to the rationale of his leaving the company?
- Did he know what was being said about him by his peers and subordinates at the old company?
- Had he done a personal P&L on how long he …

We just got a job from a local agency and he needed help fast. Bob and I decided to post and tweet the position as well as do a search through the database. I was shocked by the number of ill-qualified responses! A couple of people were not even in advertising. On goes my judgment hat and I want to “correct” all the miscreants.

My suggestion for all of you who answer ads you are not qualified for is to stop. You are hurting yourself in more ways than you think. You are creating a self-fulfilling downward spiral. Here is the potential negative-feedback logic thread:

• I am a terrific employee for someone
• This is the start to my new life
• Getting a new job is my new job
• I need to get my resume out
• I will send a specific cover letter that shows …
  
  [ More ] January 20th, 2010 | No Comments | Posted in Getting a Job, Tough Times |

If you’re unemployed like me, you might find yourself wondering what the next step in your career should be. I sure am.

Sometimes, it helps to get your thoughts down on paper. Tony and I are huge advocates of journal writing, especially the type of writing where you just write with no purpose. Interesting thoughts come out when you let your subconscious mind roam freely.

The other night, I made a huge pot of coffee and started writing. My journal entry started with a simple question – Who Am I?

I wrote about how two years ago, I had one role. I was a student. That responsibility came with a simple goal: Get A’s in all my classes. I did well, scoring a decent GPA. I hit the books during the …

I was interviewing a very successful lady who had an outstanding resume but was out of work for five months. Her husband was just laid off three weeks ago. As we talked about the lack of potential jobs out there for either of them, she became increasingly agitated. At one point there was a tear in the corner of her eye.

I tried to lighten the conversation and get her on a more positive note. I flashed back and remembered the feeling when I was out of work and the checking account was getting dangerously close to zero. I remember the desperation, fear and isolation that set in.

From my point of view, the worst thing to deal with is the sense of helplessness and of being alone. When I started thinking about the sense of isolation, …

As far as I can tell, marketers who want agency work have two factors going against them.

This is of course the equation simplified, but in the face of these two obvious facts, what choices does that leave for someone conducting a job search?

According to an article in Ad Age this week, it means you’ll have to start relying on every resource available to you. More veteran marketers may have to consider new job-hunting resources. Social networks like LinkedIn and micro-blogging sites like Twitter are an example. …

This list is mainly compiled from my personal experience. Believe it or not, I had three W-2’s in the worst career year of my life. But it was great prep to go into the search business!

When I wanted to move to Chicago from New York, I did it all the wrong way! I did not keep my wife up to date on the firms I was looking at, whether they required relocation or what their status was. My rationale was that why jerk her around with possibilities when there was nothing certain.

The only thing certain was the mushroom cloud in the kitchen when I mentioned the probable offer from Chicago…she had never even been there.

Now I am not the brightest star in the sky, but I am not alone. There are a number of candidates that I have talked with that have said, “Don’t worry, my wife is cool.”

In reality, I don’t know if they are cool. Because I’m a recruiter, I could be dealing with a prideful candidate or a fearful one.

One …

The economy, the news, your 401k and the world in general eat away at your psyche. Here are some steps you can take to ward off bad vibes if you are out of work.

1. Don’t Isolate

Make sure that you have friends in your life; physically meet them and don’t depend on the phone and e-mail.

2. Improve Yourself

Improve on an annoying habit you have; if you conquer that, move on to another one.

3. Get Physical

Exercise. It releases endorphins, a natural pain-reliever. This can range from a walk to working out; keep slowly increasing the duration of these sessions.

4. Learn Something New

You must have some topic you’ve been interested in; this can be work related, a new hobby, or some subject that’s always …

We’ve asked our good friend Dave Gordon, Internship Director for the Marketing Communication Department at Columbia College Chicago, to do a guest post for us.

Dave and I go way back, since his days of doing brand management. Dave also introduced me to Roland, who worked as Dave’s assistant at Columbia.

Six Tips to Reduce Stress in Job Hunting Families

A friend of mine talked to me a couple of years ago about looking for work, and actually being afraid to come home each night for dinner to await what he thought was the unspoken but inevitable question from his family – “Did you find a job …

I have a confession to make. As a graduating senior, I am paralyzed with fear at the thought of getting a job.

I hear bad stories about this whole category for entry-level positions: lower pay, 10-hour workdays, cutthroat coworkers, not to mention, GULP, the recession.

I’m wondering if our resident guru can provide some advice to all of us dealing with the same fears.

Tony, can you help us out here? We’re kind of freaking out.

Tony’s response:

The pressure and the anxiety of landing the first job are amazing. Everyone handles this differently. I was fortunate to be able to defer the process for a while. After I graduated from college, since I was NROTC, I went into the Navy. When my time was up I extended for 6 months to figure …