Sales.

Recently I started working as a salesman in the large appliances department. I’ve been selling refurbished and used computers for a while but when the opportunity to sell in a new environment came up I’d be foolish not to jump at the chance. So far my sales have been between people I already had a relationship with or at the very least a rapport. Being given the opportunity to work with a fresh customer would present a new challenge. However the experience is not only invigorating, it’s also a commodity.

The Recent Moonfruit Campaign.

If you’re on Twitter no doubt you’ve seen a flood of #moonfruit hashtags. The result of Moonfruit’s recent MacBook Pro Giveaway where an entry was simply adding the hashtag to your tweets. As far as creative marketing goes, this it ain’t. Although it has been effective at getting the Moonfruit name out there. It’s my opinion though that it’s gotten a lot of publicity at some cost. People may be shoving the name out there but they’re turning the contest into a distributed spam campaign. Even the creative entries are completely apart from the what the business does. Most of the entries are based on nothing but the words moon and fruit, I doubt how many people are aware that Moonfruit is a web hosting company.

Normally I’m in favor of new marketing techniques and I’ve seen firsthand the power of viral marketing. This however got really old, really fast. In fact Moonfruit suspended the 10 day campaign to just 7, most likely due to the backlash from the Twitterverse. I still see Twitter as an important new marketing tool. Campaigns like this however, just feel wrong. We’ll have to wait and see how successful the results are.

Community of job seekers.

One of the most helpful things in my job search has been having peers going through exactly the same situation. Whether you’re trying to start a new workout routine or studying for an exam it’s easier with a buddy. If you have friends working in the same industry you can share leads and interview experiences. Otherwise there’s still that camaraderie that develops between people trying to reach the same goal.

Cynics will say that you should stay competitive and supporting someone else would only hurt your chances. That may be true if you and a friend are vying for the same position but you may lose that friend. Even if it’s not a friend you still would lose a network connection. While you may win over in the short term you could garner a negative reputation. You have to remember that it’s about more than just getting hired. There are implicit benefits in being remembered as cooperative and supportive as well as explicit benefits in having contacts that may have been hired before or after you were.

The cultural prerogative of individual accomplishments has to fall a far second to the benefits of a healthy social network within work culture. If nothing else it’s helpful to have outside opinions and experiences to put your own into perspective.

Employment Optimism.

As difficult as finding a job is in this economy, it’s even harder to stay optimistic about searching. It’s too easy to fall into a rut where all you do is send out countless resumes, applications, and cover letters but hold no real hope. Instead of anticipation, you assure yourself you won’t get a call back. Sure, some people say it’s better to not expect anything and never be disappointed. I feel it does you a disservice.

Applying for a job should be more than just offering up information. You should become personally invested and attempt to convey yourself as a person who isn’t just interested in getting a job but getting this job. Your cover letter should be more than topical research in the position. It should reflect your drive and aspirations and your resume reflects how prepared you are to undertake this opportunity. None of this is possible if you don’t genuinely feel you have a chance of being hired. It does take extra effort and when there is no response it’s harder to shrug it off. Yet, it should help you become more devoted.

It’s helped me to keep my spirits high while searching. Every new listing gives me a chance to evaluate my goals against reality and plan the next bit of my life. I feel it’s time and energy well spent. You can’t go into a fight thinking you’re going to lose.