What do you do to best represent you?

Quick note: I initially wrote this as a submission to another site that was asking people to contribute their thoughts behind the idea of non-graphic (i.e. account management) professionals having a portfolio. At the time, I was still searching for work and put together the post below. However, I didn’t complete the write up in time to be considered, as the site had already selected the post to publish. Given that it’s been over 7 months since I wrote this, I figured it would be OK to publish on my site, with some minor edits. With that being said, here are my thoughts on the subject of having a portfolio.

I suppose the very people who are going to overlook this post are the very people that this is being written for. If you’re a Graphic/Print/Web designer, then this post isn’t really for you, because you already (or should already) know the reasons why you should have one. For everyone else who was not previously mentioned, please follow along.

During the course of working in various advertising agencies, in-house departments and everything in-between, you more than likely worked on a slew of projects that are behind closed doors and locked cages. You contributed blood, sweat and tears into new branding concepts and advertising campaigns, only to lock them down behind barred walls for others to view as they pass by. And you move on as the next new beast comes into your zoo. This cycle continues to repeat itself. Each time some new design was completed and approved that designer(s) quickly took a snapshot for him/herself, because they knew what it meant: Another proof of their mastery and skill. Another proof of their contribution and completed work in taming the beast that was your project. But my question to you is: what about you?

You also contributed to finished designs and helped to guide the final product as well. When you saw something that was amiss, you pointed it out. When a proof was provided to you that didn’t fit with the client’s objectives, you asked for it to be re-done. Yet, as Account Managers/Executives, Proofreaders, Traffickers and etc… why haven’t you also considered sponging a copy for yourself. There are elements of you in that finished layout and it is evidence of your advertising identity.

A portfolio is not only for our better halves (i.e. graphic designers). It’s also for you and I.

Portfolios should show your greatest hits, just like an iPod plays your favorite music. What you put in it represents your style and ability to manage a project to completion. It reflects a commitment to ensure the final piece is accurate and that it was approved as having met the need of the client that it was produced for. It is your history, just as much as it is the person who actually did the design work. When you’re in the interview and the question comes up, “What was the last project you worked on and how did it turn out?”, wouldn’t it be nice to say, “Here, let me show you and explain how it was utilized”. When a client asks for the previous work you’ve done, so that they can discern the truth in your representation of being the best person they should let manage their advertising projects, do you really want to have an empty bag to present your past accomplishments? Even though I have only worked for a few years in this industry, each time that I went out on an interview, I had my portfolio with me. Sure it is short and it doesn’t reflect every bit of work or projects that I’ve been a part of, but it reflects what I consider the very best of my contribution to each of the projects that I am showcasing.

Further, your portfolio is a conversation starter and if presented right, can be very engaging. At the very least, you have the opportunity to deter the enormous amount of questions that are waiting to come your way, while you break down the ice in your interview. It’s a yielding moment that the interviewer provides to you, which allows you to gain more comfort with presenting your past hits and it’s in that moment that you can calm yourself for the remainder of the interview. Nothing is easier, then to discuss past projects as you flip through the pages of your previous work, because, at the heart of it all, you are talking about yourself.

Essentially, a portfolio maintains your zoo.

Stop leaving your successes behind.

Take your snapshots of the tamed projects of your past and lean on them once more to champion you through to that next beast of a project from a client and/or career opportunity.

——-@ds

The title says it all and to be honest, I’ve been very busy with a few things. I haven’t forgotten about this blog, but I have been neglecting it (can you really neglect a blog?). I’m committed to continue writing and expressing my opinions and thoughts. I’ve had a few of my readers (wow, I actually have a few, that’s awesome!) ask me if I have any more planned content. I can tell you that I have a few posts that are still being written. I know that I want to write about my personal year in review, but when I was laid off, I had an abundance in time. Now that I am working again, having moved, getting my life back together and setting things up on a personal front; the act of writing has taken a back seat.

As of today, I am looking forward with the same perspective I had during my lay off. I want to continue this with a renewed vigor and spirit. I still find how amazing it is that as we stand in the middle of the constant shifting that happens around us, there are still those pocket moments of opportunity that make themselves available at odd moments in our life and allows one to step through to other possibilities. I firmly believe this and I think this is becoming one of those times for me to get back to this blog.

——-@ds

My soon to be self hosted WordPress blog is coming along very well. I’m taking my time with this, so that I understand fully what is involved and how to manage my blog site going forward. As I stated in Spouting 13, I will be using this blog to detail my progress of my self hosting WordPress install and set up. Afterwards, I will transfer everything over to my self-hosted blog and continue blogging from there.

I decided to use a subdomain of my site to do all of my testing, as I learned that it would be very easy to transfer my completed test blog to my main domain when the time is right. As such, I’ve completed the phase 2 of my sight: installing and playing around with plugins. I haven’t installed every plugin that I will need, but the two that I did install contributed to the learning process for me to know how to actually do the installation. The two plugins that I chose to start with is the All in One SEO Pack and Tweetmeme. Both of these plugins installed quite nicely. WordPress offers a great internal installer. And the beauty of all of this is that you do not need to install directly from WordPress if you choose not to. If you’re interested in doing it manually, you simply need to upload your plugins to the plugins folder on your server via FTP. Not that I’m afraid to do it manually, after all, I’m quite proud of having installed WordPress manually. As noted in my first phase, Spouting 13: WordPress Update, the installation was a piece of cake. I really only had to change 8 lines in one file called: wp-config.php and then upload that file with the rest of the WordPress application files to my root server via an FTP client. Now that I understand the manual process, I don’t have a problem with letting WordPress automate it for me. Another nice feature is that WordPress will decompress the .zip file the plugins come in as part of the auto installation process. I simply can not believe how easy this has been. I also installed a different theme. It’s not the one that I will be using, but I also wanted to understand how theme installations were handled. The fact that WordPress is setup to allow the user to search for and install plugins within its own dashboard is wonderful. This prevents the user from having to go to another site. Yet, if the plugin you want to use isn’t available within the dashboard’s plugins page, then you can still simply upload the .zip file and have WordPress take care of the rest!

As of now, Tweetmeme,was the easiest of the two plugins to understand. Although I have the All in One SEO Pack installed, I’m not sure if it’s really working or how to determine if it is or isn’t. I did a test post, but I didn’t see anything beyond the general stuff that appears with a post. This means that I will simply play around with the plugin a bit more, visit the forums and see what I can discern. For those of you reading this and considering the same, some resources that I found to help me out with this part of my installation were:

My Google seach string for the “must have” plugins for a WordPress blog

WordPress Plugins Page

How To Make My Blog’s 18 Most Downloaded Plugins Ever

Thesis Theme Plugins Customization

Quick Online Tips’ Must Have WordPress Plugins

Business 2 Press’ 30 Must Have WordPress Plugins

Most of the information is repeated in the above links, but I put them in the order that I found them to be most useful. With regards to the Thesis theme, I’m not sure if I will be going this route. It’s a highly customizable theme for WordPress with a very clean structure. If you like to control everything and have the time to invest, then this is the theme for you! My personal opinion, and I could be wrong, but it’s really for those that are more high end users. I’m keeping my eye out on it, maybe one day, but I really like more visually laid out themes, like Elegant Themes, and while I’m still on the fence about which direction I’ll take my blog, I am leaning more towards Elegant Themes. That being said, I will be saving my theme of choice to the very end. As far as plugins are concerned, I would enjoy reading anyone’s suggestions on any other plugins that I should consider using, whether they are on the lists noted by the url’s above or not. I make no promises, but to check them out!

——-@ds

This is going to be quick. I haven’t posted for a while, because I’ve been working since Saturday, September 19, 2009 with setting up my own hosting service for my already purchased domain: runningwithoutcondition.com. I purchased the domain back in May and now am actively working to become acquainted with my own hosting service (which is setup) and the self-hosted version of WordPress (I’m currently testing it out). I want to say that I not only successfully installed it without a problem, but I did it entirely manually. I was only able to do it this way, because I installed it on a subdomain of my main site, while the main domain is still forwarding to this site: laid0ff.wordpress.com. All in all, I’m quite proud to have done it manually, and after it’s been all said and done; it was not difficult at all. I may even do it again, just to make sure I understand the process (OK, maybe not, ;p)

That’s it for now. I’m going to hold of any of my new posts for my new site when it becomes ready. I’ll post status updates here about my progress or any difficulty I may be happening and maybe anyone that has experience could lend some assistance!

I want to thank Adria Richards and Kikolani for all the advice and answers they’ve provided on Twitter/Facebook. You can find these awesome Geek Girls at: (Adria) askadria.com or butyoureagirl.com, and Kikolani at kikolani.com

I also want to thank the following website: howtomakemyblog.com for providing a kickass step by step process, in a non-cluttered way.

Also, WordPress.org for making such a powerful program for free and so extensible!!!

——-@ds

The title says it all. I have a small notebook and in it contains a few of my ideas. Most of the time, I tend to intimately consider things I’d like to create or endeavors I’d like to make, but I hardly ever write them down. Rather, I store them in my mind and recall them as needed. However, I have kept coming back to an idea that I’ve had for a while. I contacted the owner of Please Feed The Animals, Erik Proulx, and asked him for his advice on how best to present one’s idea on the web to share with the larger community, but to also protect it from those who may have better resources to implement a potentially good endeavor. His reply, and this is paraphrasing at best, was that far too often many people keep great ideas locked away in notebooks that never see the light of day. This one statement was the one thing I needed to hear.  Since then, I’ve added a few more thoughts to the idea; talked to a few more people about it and have committed to writing it out and posting it on my blog site.

I can’t quite state when the post will happen, but it will. I may very well wait until I can transition this blog off of WordPress’ hosting site and onto my own self-hosting service, and let that be the first new post of my new, self-owned/contained, blog site. Either way, the time is ticking and one of the crucial elements will be to find a few people that have the resources needed to accomplish the goal of this idea. This is just one post to get the ball rolling…

——-@ds

It has been about 3 weeks since my last post, but I am happy to report that I am working again, at least on a temporary assignment. I’ve been re-employed at my former company that I was initially laid off from. I am back in my previous department, but in a new role. As I’ve told those close to me, I’m very happy for the reprieve, even if there is an end date. This all came about on the 3rd of August. That day I had to fill out all the paper work and fax/email it back to the company. By Wednesday, I had to accept and sign the offer letter and take the mandatory drug test. And all of this was being rushed so I could start on the following Monday, August 10, which I did. It has also been an odd transition of getting back into the mindset of having a schedule to adhere to in order to get some sleep, wake up at a proper hour and get to work on time. After almost 10-months of sleeping whenever, waking up whenever and doing whatever-whenever; I am slowly coming around to this familiar, but re-enacted routine.

This past Friday, I received my first pay check, but only for the first week, because I had not completed a full two weeks yet. A former colleague of the company (and now friend), who worked out of another state and was also laid off (he has recently relocated to Orlando, FL working for another new, but soon to be great, company) told me about a month ago, about how good it felt to receive his first paycheck in such a long time. I have to echo those sentiments: it does feel really good. But, I have not let this positive turn deter me from my current goals and path. I still have every intention of paying off my car. This should happen, if everything goes as planned, in October. After this time, I should be saving more and planning what I will do once the job is set to end by December, 31st 2009. With everything that has happened since October 2008, I’m not ready to bank on anything beyond this being a temporary position for me. I’ll always keep an open mind as to the possibilities and make some, not so formal, plans should those possibilities become realized, but my consistent plan will always be on the reality of what currently “is”.

So, as of now, what becomes of my website: www.runningwithoutcondition.com? I will continue to post. The metaphor still applies in all aspects of my life, not just my goal (which is still not completed) of being permanently employed as full-time somewhere. I still have plans of transitioning this site off of WordPress’ servers and set up my own hosting site. I still have a number of drafts waiting to be completed. I think that I will probably start publishing my “spouting” posts anytime, but any of my longer posts will most likely be done during the weekend.

It’s strange how you take for granted receiving a paycheck every two weeks when you are working.

I also want to thank JRM. You know who you are and I appreciate what you did.

——-@ds

Making different decisions when the madness of who I am is clouded by what I am used to?

Making different decisions when the madness of who I am is clouded by what I am used to?

Change is a fickle concept. Far too often we entrap ourselves in the embodiment of our created security and ego. Sure, we can make different decisions about the food that we eat from day to day, or the people we’ll talk with from one moment to the next, but what about when real change is needed? When at the crux of continuing down a familiar and constant trail that is potentially leading nowhere or embarking on an entirely unknown path, so unknown that you’re not even sure where to start; then how does one make different decisions when the madness of who they are becomes clouded by what they are used to?

I am striving for change. I keep trying to do stuff that I am not normally used to doing in an effort to affect change in myself, my life and my perception. Maybe I am not doing enough, or maybe I, at times, end up over doing it. As I look back on the past 8 – 9 months that I’ve been laid off, I am questioning if I have really done anything truly different or not. I started my own personal blog and wrote about a few personal aspects of my life as well as the ambiguous nature of being unemployed for the first time. I have opened up to more people in my life who, only a few years ago, I more than likely would not have done so. I know that I had to also let some people in my life go. I felt they were more of a detriment to my progress. It’s not that I dislike them, but one can only have so much negativity in their life when things outside of that relationship also seem a bit negative. You can succumb to that way of thinking if you do not anchor yourself appropriately. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I stand firm that it was the right decision. Yet, letting people go in our lives is not something that is new to anyone. Sometimes it’s easy to point out the change needed in other people’s lives, but when it’s your face looking back at you, it is not something that’s easily done. I know that unless I do something drastic, it won’t take a drastic turn, but I don’t believe that type of urgency is needed. After all, it’s persistence that I am going for.

Given all of this, one can not have change without having a counterweight to that change. Something that still holds you steady and true. Right now, my “striving for change” is landing my next job/career opportunity. I have been putting a lot of focus on that. There has been a week here and there that I’ve said, “Screw it, I’m taking a break from all of this searching”. However, I am feeling like I am beating the proverbial dead horse over and over again, and not progressing anywhere. What I have failed to realize or take note of is the key issue of: balance. In failing to recognize this concept, I forgot about the fact that life looks for equilibrium. It’s a teetering effect, put too much weight on one side and everything comes tumbling down.

I have been ignoring it. Indirectly pursuing it. And overall stifling it.

There’s constant shifting in our lives and in the effect that our lives have on all things outside of our being due to, and in lack of, balance. Our shifts produce their own unique ripples that transcend and eclipse those created by others that you know, others that they know, and so on. In the end, there will be balance and we will find our own equilibrium in life. It just takes time and effort to get there. I haven’t been lacking in the time or the effort, but in balancing this out with the rest of my life. Lately, I’ve been venturing out more, rather then just staying in. I hid behind the veil of “trying to keep my expenses low” or “not having a purpose to go out”. The time for that has come to an end. It came to an end a while ago, and it’s only now that I’ve come to the point of writing about it.

What we do, how we do it and how we think manifests outside of us and if the external situation or that which surrounds us is the aspect that we want to change, then we have to bring the focus back on to ourselves in order to change our interaction with it. All the time I spent staying in for the reasons I convinced myself to do so, created an imbalance in my life. I prevented myself from engaging others and meeting new people, going out to get something as simple as fresh air, challenging myself to break past my insecurities and find entirely new experiences. When we allow ourselves to move past what we are used to, then that madness of being clouded in our own self-absorption begins to secede. And when that happens, then the change that we seek happens. But it only comes about with being in tandem with those new experiences and that, which we are seeking.

That, in itself, is balance.

——-@ds

**Elements of balance was originally included on a post of mine on my former Myspace blog, which has been fully removed, on March 28, 2008.  Edited and updated, July 22, 2009.

A month or so back, I was on Linkedin commenting on a topic that I had initially started and someone posted something of interest about job searching. The gentleman brought up a situation that had happened to him and in it, he proposed the idea of offering yourself for free to a company in exchange for either: being considered for a future position later; references to jobs that you are still applying and seeking, and/or the benefit of keeping your skills abreast with the changes in the work environment. I thought the idea had some potential usefulness.

I recently came back to this idea and thought, “why not”. During this time of being laid off and the countless applications for positions, networking through my contacts and etc… not one of the employers have found me worthy enough to hire. That’s been very frustrating, because I can’t recall a time in my life where I was unable to find a job for a stretch of time as long as it currently has been. There was only one time before that I was out of work for just about 3-months, but that was because my internship with Disney on their College Program came to an end. That has been the only other time that I have been remotely in a similar situation. And, yes, I know that many others are going through this and that it is not just me. But it is still frustrating, nonetheless.

With that being said, I reread the post on Linkedin that spoke about offering your services for free and I decided to give it a shot. I saw a job in my field that was asking for an intern for the summer with the *possibility* of being brought on. I thought, “What better an opportunity to offer myself to a place than one that is seeking an intern to begin with”.

A short time later I received the standard reply that my resume has been received and that it will be looked over to see if it meets their needs. I couldn’t believe that in offering myself for free, it didn’t even yield a phone interview. I’m hoping that I am actually being considered, sort of like I’m hoping on all the countless jobs I’ve applied to (of which some responses are just now coming in and they have all been “no” so far). I know that this wasn’t a no, but I have a lingering sensation that it was indeed a “no”. I think my jaw almost dropped. I just lifted it back up.

Am I not even good enough for free?

Really?

——-@ds

Addendum:

This won’t deter me; the mission continues…  

It’s been a while since an update, but I do not have anything enormous to note. I am and have still been searching for work. I had a few sparks here and there, but nothing solid. Beyond this, I have been giving honest consideration to two project ideas that I have had in development in my mind for a number of years now, but am at the juncture of which one I want to start first and commit to. Then it will be necessary to find a few people that would be interested in contributing to the project, in exchange for partnership in the business and its creation.

During the last month, or since my last post, I was house sitting for a friend for about 3 weeks and spent a lot of this time meeting with people I haven’t seen in a while and reflecting on some personal things. Some of the reflection was on the projects I’d like to start and also about what I will need to do should my unemployment run out (which is set to do so in October). A bit of concern on my end. I had hoped that I would not be out of work this long, but it appears that it is unfortunately leaning this way.

That’s about it for right now, just a minor update on the state of things. I should have another post soon, as I have about 3 different ones in the works, but they’re just not ready yet.

——-@ds

You want me smarter or dumber?

I’ve started thinking about the idea regarding dumbing one’s resume down. The idea behind this is for an individual to have a resume that employers wouldn’t see as being over qualified. I already have a personal pet peeve with the statement, “over qualified”. In my opinion, when I hear “over qualified” I immediately want to respond, “Then that means I am more than capable of handling the tasks of this position, so what’s the problem?” It is a poor, subjective reason to justify overlooking or deciding against an applicant, while providing no real reason for the decision. If I want to take and/or apply for a position that is a step or two lower then my skill set, shouldn’t that be my prerogative? And if it is, then why would anyone not consider someone simply on the basis of being more qualified for the position? I’m aware that many companies and hiring managers seem to have this belief that if they hire someone that is over qualified, then that means the individual is only using the job as a filler until they find another opportunity that is more complementary of their skill set. There’s also the second idea that the company believes they will have to pay more for the individual, but isn’t that part of what salary negotiating is about? I understand this line of thinking, but I also understand that it is not true in every case. When I apply for a position that I may be somewhat over qualified for, I’m actually looking at it as an opportunity to learn more in a specific area that the position addresses and use it as a means to enter a company to grow within. Isn’t this a fundamental idea behind career development and growth within a company?

When I look at my resume, I do not see how it is over qualified for any of the positions that I’ve applied for, but I have a heard a number of times now that this is the case. This has now led me to reconsider the content that is contained in my resume. The sad thing is that no one should actually have to consider revising their resume when it is correct in its representation and accurate with regard to their professional experience, and applicable for the job that they are applying to. This isn’t a stance against tailoring your resume so it more aptly reflects the job you’re pursuing, but simply the aspect of taking information from it or altering it in such a way that it makes you appear less qualified then you really are. It also seems to suggest a bit of a contradiction as to what employers really want. If it’s true that they want someone that is intelligent, capable, sound, driven, knowledgeable and experienced; then isn’t the idea surrounding dumbing one’s resume down a conflict in principle? And why should someone have to present themselves in a false manner in an effort to underplay their skill set, for an employer that is claiming to be looking for the best and brightest? Is it that they want the best and brightest liars?

I do not believe that anyone should have to under represent themselves in order to achieve what they are seeking, yet, I understand why people do it. I understand why people feel like they have to do it. It’s something that I am now grappling with and I don’t like it. I don’t want to under represent myself. I simply want a fair chance for what I am seeking. When people have been employed and have lied about their experience and certifications to gain the employment, only to be found out later to be fraudulent, they’re usually promptly fired, regardless of how well they may have performed the duties associated with their position. However, companies do not seem to have a problem with doing this exact same thing, but in reverse. If a person applies for a job and claims to have a masters degree and 15 years of experience, when they really only have an associates degree and 3 years of experience; while another person who may have a masters degree and 20 years of experience, but under represents their qualifications, then what really is the difference? Personally, I don’t believe there is anything different between someone who under represents and a person who over represents their self, because in both instances it’s a matter of spinning around the issue. I wonder if companies simply want to buy into the idea that applicants appear less qualified, while hoping that they are able to bring more to the table. Again, this is pure hypocrisy. If you want someone with more to offer then get the person who is offering more, rather then someone who feels forced into lowering their skill set in an effort to meet a level of standards that are not even being upheld. Standards. That’s what this is all about. Given all of this, I’m now at a conundrum where I either continue with my resume as it is and maintain my principals or “dumb it down”. It’s a decision that I am not happy with having to face, but the real decision that companies need to face is: Do you want your applicants smarter or dumber?

Feedback or opinions on the post? I’m all ears, share them here!

——-@ds