2008: My Year in Review

During the last few days of every year, reflection is inevitable. As I look back throughout the year, I must admit, I am pretty blessed. Similar to most years, my 365 days were spent mainly around friends and family. I have such a strong group of friends and a very close family that any rainy day I may be having goes away pretty quickly. I could write about the tough time I have had finding a job after Graduate school or the fact that at 28, I am living at home (which isn't such a bad thing); but instead I want to reflect on the positive things that have happened to me in 2008. Here they are in no particular order:

Uncle Ari

At around 6 PM on November 24th, I became an Uncle. Jules Lendvay Ratner was born a healthy 6 lbs. 3 oz. While I have always been good with kids, it's so much different when it is your blood. I am awed by everything he does and just last night, spent my first night with him. While I only slept for 3 hours, changed 4 dirty diapers and fed him twice, it was an unbelievable experience. I am very excited to watch him grow and be the Uncle that he deserves...it's just too bad he can't grow up an Ohio State or NY Giant fan.



VCU Brandcenter Graduation

On May 15th, I graduated from The VCU Brandcenter. It was quite an accomplishment for me considering the lack of interest I had in going back to school. Honestly, until I heard about the Brandcenter program, I never thought about the possibility of working toward a second degree. After two years though, this was the best career decision I have ever made. The Brandcenter gave me the confidence and skills to have a successful career. Whether it be marketing, product management, brand management, product marketing or any other business path, the core skills learned at the Brandcenter have set me up to contribute positively for the companies I am employed by. I believe I am more creative, strategic, analytic and able to work well with others because of this experience. It truly changed the way I think.

Four Years with Shirin

April 21st is a special day for me. Four years ago, Shirin and I went on our first date to see Man on Fire. Many dates later as well as numerous movies, we are still going strong; actually, much stronger. While it hasn't been easy - what relationship is? - I have become a better man because of her. I have learned that compromise is necessary and that thinking of how my actions affect others makes me a kinder person. I can only hope that I will continue to celebrate April 21st and share many more memories with Shirin.

My 28th Birthday

I have always referred to my birthday as the middle of the year. Considering there are 365 days in a normal year, we all know that's not possible. But considering my birthday is June 16th, it's close enough. I usually don't do anything big and try not to make it a big deal. But for the last few years, I have done the same thing; invite my friends and close ones to my parents house for a BBQ. The only thing I ask is that my mom make my favorite salad and my parents get my favorite ribbon cake from Randolph's [This is not the actual cake, but it does look good, doesn't it?]. Anyway, this year was special because Shirin's parents were able to spend time with all of my friends and that doesn't happen too often.

Shirin's MAC Employment

It has not been all doom and gloom on the employment front. 2008 has brought Shirin (which makes me VERY happy) the job of her dreams...and she just graduated college. Working as make-up artist is the best job for her. It allows for her to use the skills she gained while at VCU with the interest she has in making others look great. They are working her quite a bit but I think this will be great for her career. I cannot wait to watch as she continues to blossom as a professional and I know big things are waiting for her in the upcoming years.


Weddings & Engagements

Last but certainly not least, I have attended a couple of close friend's weddings as well as watched as a cousin of mine and best friend each got engaged. I attended a close family friend's wedding in Seattle earlier this year and it was such a great wedding. It helped me realize what I love about weddings, the uniqueness of each one. This one was a small gathering but what a great time. The other wedding I attended was my best friend from college. I have known him and his wife for over 5 years know but it seems like I have known them my entire life. This wedding was huge and was just as fun, in its own right. One thing, which I loved, was the photo booth it had. Here are some pictures of Shirin and I:


I hope that you had a great 2008 as well. I know I look forward to 2009 as I am anticipating an even better year. Thank you very much for following along via my blog and I hope that it has been somewhat interesting to you. Have a happy and healthy New Year and see you in 2009!

ABC News: New Year Resolutions for Your Career

Considering my current situation, I was excited to see that ABC News compiled a list of New Year Resolutions everyone should consider this upcoming year. I'm not sure whether to be surprised that none of the recommendations were innovative and all of them should be common sense. With that said, here they are:

New Year Resolutions for Your Career

1. I will do one thing every day to find a job or advance my career.
2. I will update my resume once a month.
3. I will regularly review my online presence.
4. I will read or watch the news every single day.
5. I will become an expert on the organization(s) I want to work for.
6. I will practice introducing myself.
7. I will join a professional association.
8. I will set a goal before any networking event I attend.
9. I will keep in touch with the people I meet.
10. I will e-mail like a professional.
11. I will visit (or revisit) the career services office.
12. I will not be afraid to fail.

Here are my career New Years Resolutions:

1. I will continue to work tirelessly everyday to find and apply to positions that interest me.
2. I will continue to increase my social media expertise and improve my online presence by adopting new services.
3. I will try and observe as many webinars as possible, especially ones that center on Marketing, Web 2.0 and other professional interests.
4. I will attend more networking events.
5. I will keep in better touch with the people that I meet.
6. I will continue thank everyone who helps me and those that try to.
7. I will continue to reach out to companies I am interested in working for.
8. I will develop ideas and recommend them to companies I am interested in working for; pro bono of course.
9. I will have a job by the end of January.
10. I will not be afraid to fail.

A Night at the Theater

Tonight, I was lucky enough to see Les Miserables at the Signature Theater in Arlington, Virginia. I had seen the play around 20 years ago in Philadelphia and have always enjoyed good theater. My parents decided they wanted to take my girlfriend and I out to see this new production. I was instantly entertained and before the first act really got going, I thought to myself, "This is the kind of brand I want to work for." Signature Theater is engaging, intimate and most importantly unique. In my experience attending Broadway plays, I always feel like I am part of a big crowd. At signature, I felt like I was one of 10 members in the audience. Sure, they were probably closer to 200, but there was definitely not a bad seat in the house. I strongly recommend seeing Les Miserables there; it is playing until mid-February. If you can't catch Les Miz, try and see another play...it is well worth it.

So what exactly am I looking for from the company that hires me? Get ready for the buzz words:

Excitement: This is certainly high on the list. I want to share excitement with my coworkers in the product/service/brand we are working on. I want this excitement to live in our meetings, our presentations, internally, externally and while we are doing our everyday jobs. Sure, I understand that there will be times when the excitement isn't there, but I hope those times are few and far between.

Collaboration: I believe the best work comes from a multitude of people working together. I live for this. An idea is just the beginning to the end product which hopefully it a vast improvement of that original idea (unless of course it's brilliant to begin with). If you think about it, most products go through many iterations until they "get it right" so why should any idea be different, whether it be a service, partnership, content, etc.

Competition: I don't necessarily mean competition between employees. That would lead to some unhealthy work relationships. What I mean though, is a competitive culture. Throughout my entire life I have competed in team sports and I believe business is no different. As a team, the company should be striving to be the best. Employees should push each other to bring about the best of their abilities and should share some common goals.

Growth: This is probably the most important quality for me to join a company. While it would be nice to quickly move up the ladder, I would rather spend the appropriate amount of time gaining valuable skills and improving my professional abilities. I also am interested in working for a company that is looking to grow its business. Whether developing new products or reaching new audiences, a company's future is very important to me.

I hope these four qualities give you a better idea as to what type of brand/company I am looking to work for. I can assure you that I will do whatever it takes to make sure the company that decides to take a chance on me will be satisfied.

I will blog about the Holidays in the next couple of days, but have a healthy and happy holiday season!

It's not that I dislike Jason Kidd...

So after another company told me that they found someone with more experience, I thought I could vent a little. First, let me explain my frustration. I had two phone calls with a fairly large media company over the last few weeks. I received an email stating that they were interested in me coming into the office for a third interview (first face to face) and that we needed to schedule a good time. Being that I am not working, I told them immediately that my schedule was open. After a week went by, I got the feeling something was up. Well, today, I got a call that said the department is moving in another direction with the position and that they found candidates with more experience. I understand the value of experience, but don't understand why I went through two interviews if I lacked it. This brings me to Jason Kidd.

Last season, the Dallas Mavericks traded for Jason Kidd by sending Devin Harris to the Nets. I realize there are a lot more particulars than a straight up Kidd-Harris trade, but that's not my point. My point is that companies focus too much on experience. Let's look at this season's numbers for Kidd and for Harris:

Kidd:

14th year in the league
36.1 Minutes per game
9.4 Points per game
8.3 Assists per game
6.6 Rebounds per game
2.5 Steals per game

Harris:

4th year in the league
36.2 Minutes per game
23.9 Points per game
6.1 Assists per game
3.4 Rebounds per game
1.2 Steals per game

Obviously Harris is less experienced, but is proving that he can compete in the league in ways Kidd cannot. Kidd is averaging close to career lows in points, assists and rebounds per game. Ok, I hope you get the point. I believe I can be like Devin Harris. I can be a young, inexperienced yet successful professional.

I think some companies should try to realize that experience does not equal success. Especially in today's business world, a different breed is necessary and I believe I am fit to play.