A New Beginning: A Step Forward

Today was the beginning of a new phase in my career and in my life.  I began my employment at Spyder Trap Online Marketing today as an Online Marketing Specialist.  My role at Spyder Trap will include: search engine optimization (SEO), sponsored search marketing (PPC), social media marketing and social media monitoring, online marketing strategy, business development, and more as my experience progresses.

This is an opportunity that I did not think would be available to me so early in my career.  Already feeling lucky to have a role in online marketing at Risdall Marketing Group working exclusively in search marketing, I had no reason to look elsewhere.  This was an opportunity that presented itself to me four months ago by my good friend from college Mike Rynchek, President of Spyder Trap.   I mention that only to emphasize a point that I make to college students and all of my friends: networking just might be the best tool to help you along in your career.  I am two-for-two in the jobs I have held have been presented to me due to who I knew, and not necessarily what I knew.

It was a tough decision to leave Risdall; my nine months was very enjoyable, very educational, and was a great fit.  In the end, there was no opportunity for me to expand my role like it has been presented to me at Spyder Trap.

I am very thankful for my time at Risdall; they will be always remembered in a good light as the company that was willing to give me an opportunity.  I just hope that I exceeded their expectations they had for me.

Another role for me at Spyder Trap will to be a contributing writer on the Spyder Trap Blog.  You may have noticed it located on my blogroll.  Now, I will be blogging on a blog on my blogroll.  I will still keep a mix of personal and professional here in this blog, but may lean more towards personal for now.

Thank you to all who have congratulated me and wished me well; I do appreciate it.  Unfortunately, there are doubters out there.  People have doubted me since high school:

• You will never go to college (I did)
• You will never graduate college (I did)
• You will never succeed as President of AMA-SCSU (I excelled)
• You will never find that ideal first job (I did)
• You will never be able to handle all the responsibilities of your new job (I will)

The path I have taken through life has not been as conventional, or as safe as others.  However, anytime that people doubt me, it seems as if I have proven people wrong.  I look forward to proving the doubters wrong again.

I am very excited for the opportunity ahead at Spyder Trap, and ready to become a major player within the company.

That’s the update on the professional side of life; I have plenty more to share that has happened in my life.

As always, stay tuned 🙂

~Jason Douglas

twitter: @jasondouglas

Networking: Not Just For Business

Networking is something that most every career oriented person does.  The saying ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know’ might be the slogan for networking.  The reason we do it: meet like minded people in a related industry or a potential client to further our career or business respectively.  Networking does not always have to be for business purposes.  Here is a recent example:

After Christmas, a friend of mine named Michelle moved from Minnesota to Nashville, TN for a promotion she accepted from General Mills.  It is a big step for a 23 year old girl to move by herself to a foreign place is a huge step.  Not knowing anyone in your new home makes it that much more difficult.

I was not worried about Michelle meeting new people.  She has one of the most outgoing personalities I have ever met.  Despite that, there’s no guarantee that Nashville would be ready with open arms to Michelle.  Brainstorming at 2am on a night where I could not sleep (as usual), the lightbulb started to shine bright, the brain was fully functioning and running full with ideas.  One of the ideas led to me think of another friend I had that lived in Nashville, Emily.

Emily and I met in New Orleans at an AMA Collegiate Conference.  A graduate of Nebraska-Lincoln, she moved to Nashville in 2007 in search for something new and a great career.   After thinking about Emily and Michelle, the rest was simple.  I talked to Emily about Michelle who was all for me giving Michelle her contact info.  That happened in a facebook message I sent to Michelle on another 2am night where I could not sleep.

Last night, Emily and Michelle finally got together, went out for drinks, text messaged meplenty in an attempt to lead me to think that they were not getting along, and had a great night. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a fantastic friendship.

Plenty of people move to new places with no friends; it is something that I don’t think I would want to do or could to at this point in my life.  This is one of the benefits of social networking sites.  People that you meet a few times, even only once, can be added to your ‘friend’ list on facebook, myspace, twitter, etc.  By keeping in touch with them, that leaves the possibility of a story like this being told down the road.  Networking brough two people together for non-business reasons, and should not be used just to advance  your career or to gain a new client.  No matter how big your client list is, or how many business cards you trade with industry people, one can never have enough real friends in their network.

I love bringing people together 🙂

Have you ever networked through a friend to meet someone new just for friendship? Would you ever try it?

~Jason Douglas

twitter: @jasondouglas