Doggone good caring and marketing

When I went out of town several weeks ago, I looked for someone to take care of my dog Levi. I found DogVacay and discovered a wonderful petsitter, Abba, located close to me. Reasonable rates, I paid online, my reservations included free pet insurance and 24/7 customer support, and Abba sent daily photo updates of Levi. Awesome.

After I returned home, I got a postcard in the mail, below. Yes, I’ll be using DogVacay and Abba in the future if Levi needs special care while I’m away.

Be prepared for “real” Twitter conversation

When the New York City Police Department took to Twitter recently to generate some positive vibes, the effort didn’t work as planned. With social media, you can’t control the outcome, as they discovered. Twitter fail

 

Music, bravery and job hunting

“Say what you wanna say, and let the words fall out, honestly I wanna see you be brave…”

Sound familiar? Maybe you’re singing this Sara Bareilles song right now. This is my earworm at the moment, and it relates to job search!

Regardless of the reasons why companies ask employees to leave — downsizing, restructuring, “rightsizing,” terminations, layoffs — if you’re one of the people exiting your organization, it’s a blow to your ego. No one wants to admit that, but it’s the truth. And yes, I’m one of those former employees.

How do you weather the storm? Although I don’t profess to have all the answers, I can tell you what I’ve done.

1. Reach out to friends, family members, and professional colleagues and associates for moral support and job leads.
2. Fine-tune your networking strategy. I especially like LinkedIn. It’s helped me reconnect with peers, and facilitated introductions to influencers and potential employers. LinkedIn also provides interesting, relevant news and insights.
3. Consider part-time job opportunities in your field of expertise. I realize this may not be an option for everyone, but as a writer/marketing professional, it’s working for me. There are plenty of companies right now who are choosing to work with contractors. Although this arrangement isn’t a full-time job (although it could lead to one), it’s an opportunity to keep busy, learn and make new contacts. Perhaps most important — your part-time work will help pay the bills.

So job-seekers, hang in there and do some connecting. “I wanna see you be brave.”

And a note to employers (just saw this post on LinkedIn from Bloomberg):  People who have been out of work for an extended period, once hired, tend to be just as productive on the job as those with more typical work histories, according to an analysis of almost 20,000 employees.

Be brave.