As we all know the job market appears to be pretty ‘dead’ at the moment (particular at my level). I’ve had no work now for nearly four weeks & there seems to be very little in the pipeline. Although this may just be a ‘sign of the times’, I feel like I’m doing everything I can to get work, but seem to be getting no where fast. This led me to ask myself one simple question; ‘Is it just me or is everything s**t ?’
They say that getting a job, is a job in itself. This I wholeheartedly agree with. You can’t sit there & hope for the phone to ring. You need to get out there & market yourself (especially in our industry, during this climate). A Sales Director from a reputable print firm once told me, ‘When the phone stops ringing, so does the till’. With this in mind, I set about promoting ‘Matt Parkes’ with the same energy & enthusiasm as I would any of my Client’s brands, products or services.
My first course of action was to create stand out & give myself a title that could cut through the clutter of all the experienced agency marketeers out there that are also looking for work.
In my eyes, my experience was skewed towards business development as for the last 5 years I’ve been operating as a freelancer, helping numerous marketing communication agencies respond to new business briefs (from both existing & prospective Clients). With a credible number of ‘pitch wins’ under my belt & references from senior staff at numerous agencies I thought I would proclaim the title of ‘Pitch Doctor’ as there appears to be an abundance or ‘Business Development Consultants’ out there performing similar roles, but few with the balls to claim the title.
Before going ‘live’ with the title of ‘Pitch Doctor’ I ran the idea past a few senior industry colleagues who all seemed to like idea as it was, what they called; ‘Ronseal’ – does exactly what it says on the tin !
So with my shiny new title, off I went to market one of the hardest brands I have had to promote during my illustrious career; myself.
First stop – join the masses & register with all the marketing recruitment agencies.
Six months ago I registered with all the respected marketing recruitment agencies in London in the hope of finding either freelance or perm work.
I’ve been put forward for a few roles (both freelance & perm) but nothing has really come to fruition. Although the feedback is always positive (nice guy, came across well, good experience, entrepreneurial etc), the outcome always seemed to follow a similar pattern too… ‘just not what we are looking for at the moment’.
Why is that I thought ? Where was I going wrong ? I’ve been assured that it’s nothing to do with my CV, interview technique, references or experience. I just seem to be losing out to people who are more suited to the role. Surely we’re all suited for the role otherwise we wouldn’t have been put forward for it & interviewed ?
Despite chasing all the marketing recruitment agencies religiously every week, there have been no further job leads to date.
Second stop – Cut out the ‘middle man’ & approach the agencies direct
It’s a well-known fact that no single marketing recruitment agency deals with 100% of marketing communications agencies. It’s also a well fact that 100% of marketing communications agencies would prefer to not pay marketing recruitment agencies the commission for filling their vacancy.
So to cut out the ‘middle man fee’ & to ‘widen the net’ I decided to approach all the London based MCCA (Marketing Communications Consultants Association) & ISP (Institute of Sales Promotion) member agencies direct, to see if they had any freelance or perm opportunities. Unfortunately however, it appears that everyone else who is out of work has done exactly the same thing as HR manager’s can’t actually see their desks at present, due to the piles of CVs that have been accumulating in their in trays.
It’s therefore no surprise that there have been no job leads to date, however I have been assured that ‘my details will be kept on file’… yeah right !
Third stop – Jump on the band wagon & sign up to LinkedIn.com
To improve my network of industry contacts I was encouraged to join LinkedIn.com.
Having spent a considerable amount of time trying to build up an impressive profile (& source a relatively sensible photo), I’ve built up a global network of over 150 industry contacts & currently have 11 ‘recommendations’ from senior agency staff & Clients I have worked with over the last 11 years.
Unfortunately there have been no job leads to date, but I’m hopeful that something may come of this rather addictive ‘Facebook for adults’.
Fourth stop – Write a blog
The good thing about LinkedIn.com is you get a sneak preview of other people’s lives. One thing that struck me about respected & influential industry players, is that they all seem to have their own blog. That was it then. If I wanted to be perceived as a respected & influential industry player too, then I had to create my own marketing blog.
Depending on where you are currently reading this article, my blog is now up & running (http://parkesey.wordpress.com). It’s updated regularly with thought leadership pieces that I’ve written based on previous experience & key learnings from brands, campaigns, agencies & the industry. The same thought leadership pieces are then posted on numerous discussion boards on LinkedIn.com to generate more leads & improve my network of contacts.
Although the articles appear to be generating quite a bit of interest (especially in the States), I’m still no closer to finding a new job. However for the record, I would not turn down the opportunity to work in the States & can see me fitting into New York or LA very nicely.
Fifth stop – Join the army ?
It got to the point where I was actually starting to get a bit down about being out of work for so long. It’s been four weeks now, my financial resources are drying up & I’ve had all I can take of daytime TV.
My decorating skills are terrible, I’ve ruined the garden by accidentally spray-painting green fence paint on the flowerbed & my girlfriend is constantly coming up with ‘new daily chores’ for me to do around the flat that are quite simply, doing my head in.
To occupy my time I’ve been going to the gym 3 times a week, running 3 times a week, keeping up to speed with the marketing press, wasting time on Facebook, Twitter & recently completed Mario GoKart on my new Nintendo DSi.
It was at this point that I realised that I have done all I can do to find a new marketing job & may be it was time to consider joining the army, as they seem to be the only ones recruiting at the moment.
Before purchasing a pair of Dr Martens boots, as a final push I thought that I would send an SOS e-mail to Claire Owen, Leader of Vision & Values at The Stopgap Group – arguably one of the most successful recruitment agencies in the industry. See www.stopgap.co.uk
30mins later I received a phone call on my mobile. It was Claire who was currently in Australia on business (visiting their Sydney office) & had just been checking her e-mails before she went to bed due to the 12hr time difference.
Claire assured me that I was definitely doing everything I could possibly do to get a job (more so than a lot of others) & it was a particularly quiet time at present. However she also suggested that I may want to look at how I was presenting myself to the industry. This intrigued me as I thought I hit the nail on the head with ‘Pitch Doctor’ ?
In fact, by coining the title ‘Pitch Doctor’ & pushing my business development credentials over the rest of my experience, I was essentially closing as many doors as I was opening. If the agencies I was contacting didn’t have any pitches on at present & had no requirement for a business development consultant, then there was no need for Matt Parkes – despite the fact that there may be other areas of my experience, that may have been of use.
Claire suggested that I consider ‘removing the label’ that I had recently given myself & re-look at my CV to see what other skills & experience may be transferable into other areas of business – over & above my business development credentials. It makes complete sense.
Thank you for your words of wisdom Claire. This is the best piece of advice I’ve heard in ages. Thanks also for the book recommendation. I’m now off to Minorca for a week in the sun to read ‘What Color Is Your Parachute ? A Practical Manual for Job Hunters & Career Changers by Richard Nelson Bolles.
Hopefully this time next week, I’ll know who I am & what the real ‘Matt Parkes’ is capable of.
Regards
Matt Parkes
