mgieva

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You career is only a piece of the pie

In marketing, media on March 7, 2010 at 10:51 pm

“Your life is a pie,” told me at a networking event today a Mount Holyoke alumna currently working for Nielson Media Research. One share of it is your family life, another one is your personal health, a third one is your career. And while you can make each piece bigger or smaller, your pie’s size will remain the same.

Currently working for Nielson and pursuing her part-time MBA, the alumna has mastered the skill of multitasking. Being able to switch between projects, she noted, has become a powerful tool in every industry. After all, it is the skill that enables you to relish each piece of the pie.

Coming from a sales and marketing background, the alumna first talked to me about current pressures the advertising industry is facing. Measuring return on investment in TV advertising, for instance, remains an unknown variable.

Yet, the industry is opening for innovation in other fields, such as internet and mobile marketing. The alumna was intrigued by the changes taking place in the media landscape and said she looked forward to seeing the next big thing that will attract advertisers.

While her passion for marketing fills the career share of her cake, it hasn’t dwarfed the other aspects of her life. Working out in the gym and cooking, she noted, are also important for one’s health. Spending time with family and friends deserves a big share of the pie, too.

But there is only so much space in the pie. So you’d better become a good multitasker.

Photo credit: cobalt123

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Pair the right media with the right message

In media, social media on March 6, 2010 at 10:48 pm

When youth unite to bring social change in their communities, it feels like spring is coming. You see a new life rising from the hard land to blossom into florets of fresh ideas. Today, spring came at the Youth Media Summit in South Hadley.

One of the workshops at the Summit showed a movie of unprivileged youth from Bronx, NY advocate for their rights to high-qualtiy education resources. The students are demanding a good home for their loved school, the Leadership Institute. Naturally, media strategies play a critical role in their initiative.

Juan Antigua, the workshop’s facilitator and also a member of the youth advocacy group, explained the importance of pairing the right media with the right message. Media should be used in accordance to one’s specific goals, not just dumped in the public sphere.

“What type of media strategies to use for specific issues?” Juan asked, pointing to a list of opportunities—press releases, blogging, social networking sites, films, music, art. For recruiting purposes, for instance, social media lends itself an effective platform to organize youth. Popular blogs, on the other hand, tend to capture the attention of local media. Longer video projects will connect the specific community with a wider network of organizations with similar goals and interests.

Ultimately, multiple media channels complement one another and thrive in an ecosystem. That is why executing them in isolation cannot bring sustainable change.

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Professionals play well with everyone

In communication, professionalism on February 25, 2010 at 7:47 pm

In my tennis class today, the coach said that professionals can play a good game with everyone—strong and weak partners. “It means you are in control of the ball,” he said.

As soon as he shared this piece of advice, my mind drifted away from the tennis court to test my coach’s words against different social situations. I smiled at the realization that his advice was not tennis-specific, but a life lesson.

In tennis, you hit the ball with partners whose levels of experience differ. Those who have played tennis as kids are good at the game and confident in their positions. Others, with little experience, are less comfortable with their grips and more insecure about themselves. As playing with partners at your own level might be a rare opportunity, you should learn to make the most of every game.

Similarly, life meets you with people who share your academic and professional backgrounds and others who are less in sync with your approach. To successfully communicate with all, you have to make your conversation partners equally comfortable in your company. As my coach said, you should be “in control of the ball.”

Communication is not about picking and choosing partners who you inherently get along with. It is about being in control of the conversation and making it equally enjoyable for all.

Photo credit: David H-W (Extrajection)

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