In a world where people feel empowered by talking, we as a society all too
often forget that professionalism isn't about knowing how to turn on a
tv and watch a commercial, but knowing how to leverage a medium to drive
business. The novice may see a shoot or a 30 second spot and think that visionary is the cameraman because he or she is capturing this wonderful moment for the world. The professional knows that there are teams of practices that have made this moment possible, and most importantly, how to make moments like these happen again in the future.
In your personal life you totally get it all. You have launched a successful blog, have thousands of followers, regularly participate in industry events and podcasts... mazal tov. That doesn't necessarily a qualify you for mid or senior level job with a major marketer. This is like knowing how to watch and critique a 30 second spot. You know how to use the tools. But you don't necessarily know the business of doing business or most importantly, the strategy and process of creating and solving real business challenges (including communications).
Business doesn't always happen the way people believe it should. It's easy to complain and criticize. It's easy to point out every time a business or service fails. Fixing it however, requires experience and skill not just in using communications channels, but in actual business.If you want your resume to stand out when you're pitching those in the know, don't focus on your blog of twitter following. This is not your primary qualification. Lots of people have large twitter followings and comment on emerging technologies or new media. Stand apart by demonstrating what you have done for real businesses. Projects that haven't just been spoken about, but seen the light of day and the thrill of success. Focus on your ability to conceptualize and most importantly, deliver.
At the end of the day, our success as an industry is not going to come from our ability to talk, but our ability to engineer conversations for the new entities that are conversational, human brands. So please, stop quoting your personal social stats and start focusing on real business. It's what real business people do.
