An Open Apology to Prospective Jacob Tyler Applicants…

Prior to founding Jacob Tyler, when I worked at a large creative agency, i watched the “ways” of bigger business and swore I would do things differently when I was on my own. For example, I would personally respond to each and every individual that was interested in working with Jacob Tyler or had questions about the business. Well, I did for a long time but then the business caught up to me. I started to realize that the bigger the interactive agency became, the harder it was not only hard to keep track of clients and jobs, but also job applications and basic informational requests from students. So… the upshot of all this is now we get roughly 5 job applications a day ranging from web designers to project managers and everything in between. While I DO review and save all of them for when I may need to get someone in the office “on the quick”, I don’t respond to anyone really anymore. For that I am truly sorry. I don’t want to come off as arrogant or that we are too big to get back to you….I just simply don’t have the time and we don’t have a specified “HR” person to review applications and hire people. Charlie and I hire people personally.

Now…with all of that being said, a friendly tip of advice. GET TO KNOW ME! If you REALLY want a job or want to talk business, come to an event that I will be attending or speaking. I am pretty open on Foursquare or Facebook, letting people know what I am up to so feel free to say hello. Needless to say… please DON’T just show up to the office expecting an in-person meeting at any given moment. Not only do you not know my schedule…but sometimes neither do I.

What sparked this Blog? Starting next week I am extremely happy to announce that close friend of mine will be working at Jacob Tyler. For you Mad Men fans, she will be our “Joan” and knowing her, she will be great for the position. The irony here is I wasn’t hiring for this position. She knows me. She approached me. I thought it was a good fit that can make a difference for the better for Jacob Tyler. Well… I asked her to to send me a sample of her writing, and below is what Jacquie submitted. Thanks Jacquie!!

    Networking your way to a career….it’s not what you know but who you know that gets you that dream job!!

    I have been in the workforce for about 25 years and I will tell you that things have really changed!

    Changing jobs & careers was such an easy thing when I first started working, if you didn’t like what you were doing or who you were working for, you just gave notice and moved onto bigger and better challenges. For some, it is an endless cycle, or recycling if you will, of going from one so-so job to the next as you search to find what truly ignites your passion and fuels the creative fires inside of you.

    Today, getting a job means holding onto it for dear life, regardless of what it ignites inside of you for fear you will end up jobless, penniless and homeless!

    I will admit, I too changed career paths a few times but finally landed on one 16 years ago that I thought would satisfy all of the things I hungered for in a job. I worked diligently acquiring vast knowledge and learning all aspects of the Insurance Industry but, regardless of my years of loyalty and experience, I too found myself in the unemployment line with hundreds of thousands of other Californians this summer. I told myself as I walked out of my office after being blindsided that August morning, I was not going to be a victim of these terrible economic times, I was going to choose my own destiny and make things happen and that is just what I have done.

    You see, getting a job now is probably one of the most difficult things to do, let alone getting the unemployment that you so deserve for being blindsided (but that is a whole other story)!!! First thing I did when I got home was review my old resume, updated it, fine tuned it and even paid a resume service to “bedazzle” the hell out of it so my accomplishments and qualifications would sparkle just as much as my pearly whites when I smile!

    Days, then weeks went by of sending my resume out to countless numbers of companies, agencies and recruiters. It seemed like no matter how qualified I was for the position I was applying for, my resume was sent to some black hole! Don’t worry, I got my fair share of interviews which prompted a much needed ego boost, but the air was soon let out of my sails when I was passed over for one substantially less experienced person after another, only because they could be bought for so much less than I could.

    I already knew I had no intention of settling for the first job that came along even though I was going through major financial hardships. I wanted to CHOOSE A CAREER, not just take a job! This was going to be my chance to finally map out my happiness (which is all fine and dandy on the personal side), but the work side of things was in need of some major reconstruction.

    So one morning I posted I was looking for a job on my Facebook page, next thing I know I had about 15-20 comments from my friends that wanted to help! Then I called, texted and emailed personal friends, family, acquaintances, friends of friends, and I even pulled out business cards of people I casually met at past business functions and let each of them know I was in need of a new career and asked for their help too! I continued to go to my bi-weekly Networking group (after all I paid for the membership) and used that opportunity to showcase my desire to find something new on the professional horizon! The response was amazing, I was getting referrals to jobs (too bad I wasn’t getting all those referrals for new business when I needed it from the Networking Group) and even an opportunity to start my own business!!

    Things were looking up for me, I felt like something great was in store for me and boy, was I right!

    After scouring the internet, working with recruiters and agencies only to come up empty handed, I now was in possession of my dream job, not because my resume was plucked from a recruiter’s desk or chosen from one of 500 emails some corporate guy received but because I MADE this opportunity happen. I reached out to people, I put in the face time and I persevered, I finally found the career opportunity of a lifetime!

    Afterall, what it really boils down to is that regardless of what you know and how good you are at it, those people who have never met you before are going to judge you before you walk in the door, they will have a pre-conceived image of you and they will formulate their decision based upon that. But when you know someone and they refer you to someone else, you are already far more credible and someone they would seriously consider hiring because you were referred by someone they know and trust. Their word is good, so why wouldn’t you be a good choice for the job, right?

    So don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, you just never know what it could mean for you!