I love what I do.
After nearly six months into job search after a very unexpected layoff, that is most profound thing I’ve learned.
What started with the familiar feeling of panic, the “Oh My God, I need to find another job as quickly as possible!” has ebbed into an earnest belief: “I love what I do. I can’t wait to do this again. I’ll be so happy when I can.”
I’m a corporate communications professional that is a passionate
advocate for the power of technology in society, with a proven
track record for directing world-class campaigns and creative
programs that deliver an innovative competitive advantage.
Of course, that paragraph is the business-speak that the consultants and numerous job-market experts came up with. At its core, however, what I really do is come up with ways for businesses to successfully leverage the potential of today’s marketing toolkit, as efficiently and effectively as possible, based on the needs, wants, wishes, and desires of their target audience.
In the end, it’s all about making that tangible, human connection. Nobody loves making that connection more than I do. Nobody is more driven by that connection than I am. The consultants would prefer I not use that language because that’s not keyword-friendly enough to get past all the automated resume scanners.
The best days I’ve enjoyed in the past six months have involved meeting people, networking, and most importantly, helping. A few in my community have asked me for advice on how their cause, their non-profit, their fledgling startup business, can best position itself. How can I grow audience? How can I get noticed?
They always have a little trepidation in their voice as they finish asking me their questions. I see them nervously grab that coffee cup in front of them as I begin my answers. They’re expecting me say that the only way they can reach their goals is by spending oodles of money they don’t have.
The time we spend coming up with a game plan that involves a myriad of marketing tactics is the most fun I have. Creating these strategies is both an art and a science, a blend of content creativity and bottom-line oriented business planning. The lessons learned from storytelling and driving results in television, at Microsoft, at HP, and earning straight A’s in my Master’s degree studies bubble up from my soImage may be NSFW.
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ul. Before long, we have a framework.
Soon, the coffee cups are empty, but the world is full of possibility. Both of us leave convinced in all of the incredible potential of smart, sustained, modern integrated marketing. I can’t wait to do it again.
The next generation of marketing is going to require smart, disciplined thinkers who see the world of digital, social, and traditional as an orchestra to conduct, not a process to manage. They need to see operating budget as something that can be maximized, not as a limit on what can be done. It’s a puzzle I love to solve, and a game I love to play.
I’m ready. I can’t wait to do it again.
Joe Gura is a marketing communications expert looking for his next great adventure, and has a Master of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virginia University. Connect with Joe on LinkedIn, and follow Joe on Twitter and SlideShare.
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