I recently went through the daunting process of moving.  Aside from hauling all my worldly possessions upstairs to my new place, dealing with forwarding mail, setting up utilities and waiting through gaping “installation windows” (yea, I had nothing to do between 10am – 4pm…I’ll just wait for you cable dude…) is a total pain.

Ironically, the same day that I’d called the cable company to inquire about services and prices, I received a letter in the mail from the cable company’s direct competition.  As a business, you reached me at the perfect time.   I’m in the market to make a change with my cable and internet and because moving is expensive, I’m definitely looking to save some money.  So a letter that usually goes straight from mailbox to recycle bin was suddenly of interest.  I opened the envelope ready to find some information about what this competitor could provide me that the cable company I’d just called couldn’t, and much to my dismay, I found none of what I was looking for.

While the mailer had caught me at exactly the right time, it provided me with none of the right information, so the money and time spent on this piece of marketing was worthless.  Of course, with something like cable services details can vary by area making it difficult to get into specifics through mass mailing, but all I found in the letter was a bunch of fluffy marketing talk highlighting a few incentives for signing up and of course that super official looking signature from the president of the company.  But in my situation, what I needed to know was what you could provide me and how much it would cost.  Even giving me a price range or example of services would have peeked my interest enough to make me track down more information, but instead, I was frustrated, tossed the letter and continued on with the company I’d spoken with earlier in the day.

There are more choices facing consumers today than ever.   Even just the sheer volume of choice and data processing that goes on in our everyday lives is immense.  That’s why when it comes to products and services, don’t make your consumers think!  Tell them exactly what they need and how to get it.  Tell them what it will cost them and why it will help them out.  It may sound basic, but in today’s world of ever increasing information sources, and less and less time to process them, direct authenticity and transparency are becoming more and more key to successful marketing.  Take the time to step back from your own product and provide just the information people need to act.  Don’t make the cable company mistake.  It’s hard enough to catch your consumer at the just right time, make sure you’re not gonna blow it when you get there.

No, I’m not talking about the punk band, however, they’re pretty darn cool too.  What I’m talking about here is doing business face to face.

Pretty much anyone I know or do business with has, at the very least, two ways that I can get a hold of them; e-mail, phone, fax, text, Facebook, Instant Messenger, Skype, the list goes on and on, there’s never been more choices for how to get things done.  Co-workers don’t even have to live in the same city and there’s more people working in their pajamas than ever.

But I think there’s still something to be said for the good ol’ fashioned meeting.  I’m not exactly sure why meeting someone in person is more effective, but I know that out of all my business relationships, the strongest and most productive are with people I’ve met in person.

Maybe it’s because true face to face time is harder to come by these days, but inevitably, once I’ve spent time with someone in person, they are more likely to answer any future correspondence faster and are generally easier to work with.  Have you ever heard of an amazing idea brainstormed over e-mail?  Probably not.

The same goes for job searching. If you’re able to, drop off a resume in person.  Don’t be creepy and hang around hoping to talk to the CEO, but if you have a contact, or know the name of the person who’d be hiring for the position, ask for them and take a few moments to just introduce yourself.  Be respectful of their time and keep it brief, but just having a face to go with your cover letter can give you a big advantage in a huge pool of faceless resumes.

We’re innately social creatures, and that’s probably why we keep inventing endless ways of staying in touch with one another.  And maybe, what makes meeting up with someone special is the fact that it actually requires some effort.  Try going the extra mile and letting someone know that they’re worthy of your time.  It may go a lot farther than you’d think.

I have my BA in Sociology, and generally any time I tell people, I get the same reaction, “I bet you’re not using your degree, huh?”  To which my stock response is, “I feel I use it everyday”.  Of course learning how groups of people interact is a valuable skill that can translate to almost any situation. It helps in figuring out office dynamics and gives great perspective for marketing.

These days, with a sizable part of my job relating to social media, it seems I’ve round-about worked my way into a position perfectly suited to my degree.  I can pull almost endless demographic statistics and see measured shifts in society happening in real time.

So yay for me and all the other Sociology kids out there who finally have a viable career path directly connected to our degree, but why am I talking about this here?  I started connecting a few dots when I was reading the Industrial Profile on Michael Marckx, VP of Marketing for Globe.  According to the interview, he studied political science and art in college, yet ended up spending most of his professional career in marketing, advertising and media.  His answer for how that came about was simply to say, that he pursued what he liked to do and followed an organic career path, speckled with collaborations with great people.

I think all of us know at least one person who skipped the college and university route and just worked their way up the ranks instead.  These people always seem to get that passion combined with exceptional follow up, or organizational skills can be enough to move your career forward.  But, too often I think kids getting out of college get bogged down with the weight of what they’ve just accomplished.  Four plus years, and a ton of money later, you better to all that to good use right?  Yea, of course, but don’t let your education box you in (or let anyone tell you what you ought to be doing with it).  There’s a lot of ways to learn what you need to know in business, but there’s not many substitutions for passion and commitment.  Go after what you like and what you want, and you’ll find a way to make that liberal arts degree work for you.

Cliques are around for a reason, because they’re usually true.  Think outside the box.  Find the intersection of what you know and what you love and you’ll never have a problem deciding on a career, it will just find you.

If you’re looking for a job on this website, chances are you’ve already realized that doing a job you love, in a field you’re interested in, around cool people, can make your world a much happier place.  You probably already know that each posting on this site gets tons of resume submissions, but you’re still looking here anyway. 

 I was searching for a job on Malakye for a year and half so I know how discouraging, writing cover letter after unacknowledged cover letter can be, but I’m writing today to give you just one more reason to keep your eyes on the prize.  Doing a job you love will make your work easier.

As I pick up more Marketing and PR duties for H2O Audio, it’s so much simpler for me to figure out our audience, because I’m a part of it.  I love the stuff we make, I had some of it before I even worked here, and now I can’t imagine never having the option to surf or swim with music.  So when it comes time for me to write a press release or the next Facebook post, it’s much easier to be engaging, sound excited and be creative, because I really do think what we do it pretty darn cool.

Whether you’re designing clothes, marketing shoes, selling accessories, wherever you fall in this industry, being a legitimate consumer and prophet of your own products or services, will help you immensely.  You’ll be happier, your job will be easier (or at least seem that way) and you’ll really be stoked when you get free stuff. 

I realize that not everyone can live the dream, let’s face it, there’s crappy jobs that need to be done.  But I think a lot of people can get closer than they realize, you’re never stuck unless you think you are, so keep looking and keep trying till you stumble upon a winner.

Keep writing those cover letters (DO IT.  They make a difference.  And THINK when you write them too.) eventually enough persistence and patience will pay off.