Sunday, February 21, 2010

Plea for a job

The following is an mass email plea I sent a couple of weeks after I was let go. I was really tired of annoying HR forms & stuff. It did lead to a few calls which is good.


Fellow Marketers and Colleagues:

Well, the economic times have finally hit me and I’m resorting to a mass email campaign. While these are generally reserved for school fundraisers and foreign lottery scams, I guess this is a testament to the times. It occurred to me – We all work in the same industry and are members of the same group. If I needed to let my brethren know of my plight, who better than you?

I promise no chain letters or threaten harm to you or your loved ones if you don’t forward this to 5 others.

I was "let go" last week and to date have contacted 48 A/E/C firms. Have you any idea how mind-numbing some HR portal are? My favorite ones have like 20 screens (and a counter to view your ”progress”) where they force you to enter every job you ever had for the last 10 years. While that alone is not tough, its doing it in the format they require – 2 digit months/days and 4 digit years, supervisors name, phone and email (did they even have email 10 years ago?) and other such important and obviously vital details. Then, at the very end, you are allowed to import your resume, which you’ve just spent an hour recreating for them!

Only to have them respond in 2.25 seconds with “while your qualifications are impressive. . .”

Firms seem to have had a great deal to say about me! Remarkably, Firm A makes an identical assertion. Firm B also express this view but does not limit its opinion to my qualifications. Rather, it considers my “credentials and qualifications” to be “impressive.” Firm C takes a different focus, indicating that my “background is impressive.” According to Firm D, my “resume is impressive.” Furthermore, Firm E feels slightly more strongly, stating that they were “most impressed” with my resume. Clearly, there is a consensus among many firms that I am “impressive.” Although there is some disagreement about whether my background, credentials, qualifications, resume, or a combination of these are impressive, it is obvious that I am impressive on some level!

So I ask you, Could you open your outlook, your rolodex, that massive stack of business cards on your desk that tests the elastic strength of the rubber band that holds it together, and possibly send my resume to a few of your friends – You know, the one that complained that their too busy to meet for drinks. Or the one that cancelled dinner at the last moment because they had to finish that proposal.

And what do you get for this lofty, time-consuming gift? Karma. Sweet, Beautiful, Karma.

You see, I was just like you last week and I know if I had contacted myself last week with this request, I surely would have done so! I appreciate your help and I hope that I never have to reciprocate, but if requested, I will.

Wishing you a lovely and blessed holiday.

The Amazing One, Marc

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