What Would You Do?

What would you do if you were in the room for this speech? 

I can't say that I've actually seen Glengarry GlenRoss but we're all familiar with the term "Always be closing." 

My old boss had sent me this clip during our talks about me joining his team. I watched it three or four times. I googled the transcript and read that a few times. 

Then I wrote my resignation letter. 

I was reminded of it again reading 6 Harsh Truths That Will Make You A Better Person and the author quoted a piece talking about the three responses people usually have to it. 

LinkedIn Post Collection

While we're on the topic, here's a collection of posts on BabyFoodForCreatives.com about LinkedIn. 

Peruse at your leisure. 

Fix Your Face: 9 Linkedin Profile Pic Tips 

How To Be Creepy On Linkedin
How to Get Recommended 

Do More On LinkedIn 

LinkedIn: You're Doing It Wrong

How To Get Ignored On LinkedIn

Advice From A Recruiter

11 Tips For Job Seekers

How To Keep In Touch

8 Ways To Network

Personal Branding Checklist

How To Manage Your Personal Brand

Fix Your Face: 9 LinkedIn Pic Tips

There’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram where you hang out with your friends and post pics of whatever the hell you please.

And then there’s LinkedIn where you’re presenting yourself to potential employers, colleagues and other professionals.

How you look on your LinkedIn profile is just as important as what you say on it.

Here are 9 Tips to Look Better on LinkedIn:

Get Recommended on LinkedIn

60% of getting a job in advertising is based on who you know. 30% is based on whether or not they think you're awesome. 10% is whether or not you actually are awesome. (I made those percentages up, but you get the idea.) 

LinkedIn is a great platform for career growth because it quickly and easily shows who you know, And when you get recommended on LinkedIn, the whole world knows that they think you're awesome. 

You didn't even have to toot your own horn, name drop or do some big song and dance. 

Too easy. 

3 Quick Tips to Help You Get LinkedIn Recommendations:

How to Be Creepy on LinkedIn

The Internet is a stalker's paradise. A little Googling can give you someone's life story. Half the time, people are vomiting their day-to-day movements on blogs, Twitter and Instagram so you don't even have to dig too deeply. 

So how can you make this work for you and your career? 

Whether or not you're looking for a job right now, connecting with people who share your interests - and future job title - is very important. And worth the semi-creepy research. 

This guest post was written by Michelle Tran, a junior art director who's okay with being overly nosy. 

The Creepy Things I Do on LinkedIn:

How To Burn A Bridge

The advertising industry is a small town. Everybody knows somebody that knows
somebody that knows you. Which is great when you're looking for a job, a recommendation or a connection to another person. Which is why I say things like Don't Be an Asshole, Watch Your Step at the Front Desk and You're Kevin Bacon.

And that is why when you burn a bridge in this business, no matter how small it may seem, it's a big deal. 

I saw a bridge go up in flames at work recently. A young writer had struck a few matches, perhaps practice shots, and then threw three solid molotov cocktails in one conversation. For example, saying things like she didn't want to make updates and didn't care about the project since she was leaving in a week.

2014 To Don't List: 7 Things To Stop Doing Today

Yes, it's February. And yes, I'm talking about changes to make for the new year. (Studies show only 64% of people maintain their resolutions past the first month. 46% make it 6 months.) And honestly, it doesn't matter if it's February 6th, April 21st, August 24th or November 2nd. Every day is a chance to do something amazing.

We should always aim to be better today than we were yesterday and almost as awesome as you'll be tomorrow.

So here's your official Shit To Stop Doing Starting Today List 

2014 To Do List: 7 Things To Start Doing Today

Let's not even call these resolutions actually. Consider this a To Do list - well, actually - a Start and Keep Doing list.

Things to Start Doing

- Read Articles. On Adage, Adweek, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Wired, Huffington Post - wherever. Just read things and be up to date on what's going on around you. Trust me. "I read this article that said..." is always a great way to start a conversation. 

Renew Your Creative Resolutions

We're definitely in 2014, there's no denying that right now. How's it going with those things you promised you were going to do or not do this year? 

I read a study that said only 8% of these people achieve their resolutions. So... yeah. Maybe I should ask about last year's resolutions? Or ones from the year before? 

We essentially always want the same things - to be better. Whether it's losing weight, saving money, working less, sleeping more or getting a new job - they all lead you to a better you. And require a lot of hard work and discipline.

So let's be realistic and set some reasonable and achievable goals. Goals you can accomplish within the next week, month and three months. 

Here are the resolutions I posted in 2012, which are still relevant, funny enough. Have a read and pick 3 to jump right on immediately. Write them on a post-it and put them somewhere you can see every day so you don't forget. 

Back In Business: 2014 Let's Go!

Guess who’s bizzack? 

Happy New Year. Happy Lunar New Year. Happy February. Happy Monday. *lights fireworks filled with confetti*

I had to pause on posting for a bit but now I'm back. 

So let's do this. 

There is so much I want to share with you all.

There’ll be lots of new posts – covering  some topics  based on questions and conversations with creative wannabes and my personal experiences at work.

 There’s also a contest coming up. Plus a meet up. And a Google+ Hangout.

With the new year, there’ll be some changes – more to come on that later – but please continue reading, liking and sharing.

Get more Baby Food on Facebook and Pinterest.

New Posts Coming Feb 3rd

Work, holidays, family, friends, brunch... I swear to you all types of things are trying to keep us apart. But I promise I'll be back. Posting and sharing and yelling so we can collectively get our shit together.

Look out for new posts on Monday February 3rd, but in the meantime, feel free to search the blog for whatever you may need right now. You never know what you'll find.

Continue being awesome!
~N

Repost: Inspiration: Sites That Spark Creativity

BABY FOOD FOR CREATIVES: Inspiration: Sites That Spark Creativity: One of the best things about working in Advertising is that gallivanting across the whole world wide web isn't slacking off, it's pa...

50 Resources That Will Make You An Awesome Writer

Here are 50 Free Resources That Will Improve Your Writing Skills. As usual, this isn't just to
benefit writers - all you art directors and designers have can learn too.

50 Free Resources That Will Improve Your Writing Skills

• By Vitaly Friedman
• 
  

Effective writing skills are to a writer what petrol is to a car. Like the petrol and car relationship, without solid skills writers cannot move ahead. These skills don’t come overnight, and they require patience and determination. You have to work smart and hard to acquire them. Only with experience, you can enter the realm of effective, always-in-demand writers.

You're Underselling Yourself

Bios, resumes, profiles and self-evaluations. You're going to have so, so, so many times
where you're going to have to talk about yourself. Times where you have to talk about why you're great, all the great things you've done and why you deserve to be hired/promoted/given more money.

This is a challenge for some people (ahem, me, ahem) because it feels awkward to boast and talk about yourself in that way. It feels awkward to say "I'm awesome! Look at all the fantastic things I've done!"

But you know what, if you're great, you're great. And if you're great, you deserve to be hired/promoted/givien more money. So you have to speak up.

Funny things is though, the minute you start putting it all on paper, on something someone else will read, it feels like you're doingthemost.com. 

The Truth is I'm Great

Finding that sweet spot of talking yourself up enough to not be boasting is quite a
challenge.

You don't want to undersell yourself, you don't want to oversell yourself and you definitely don't want to turn anyone off.

It's a delicate balance and one that will serve you well throughout your career.

Here are a few tips from previous posts:

Past Me Gets It

Funny thing happened recently - I searched* my blog to look for advice.

Luckily, Past Me is kinda smart and super helpful when Present me is kind of a mess.

I kicked myself pretty hard for being a dummy. I know that stuff. Past Me was on the ball. Present Me needs to get her life together ASAP.

Then I was reminded of the fourth lesson of the Four Agreements: Always do your best. 

Your Annoying Office Habits

There's always that one coworker... that one person that just brings out the inner Stanley in you.

You try to fight it. To hide it. To smile and grin and bear it. But Lord knows your eyes just start creeping to the side all on their own...

I've written before on How To Annoy Your Coworkers and How to be an Asshole (know the signs before it's too late). I recently came across this article below that I'm immediately to adding to the list of Things To Avoid Doing Ever.

As you read through, take a moment and make sure none of these apply to you. Before you go pointing fingers at someone else for sniffling all day or playing their music too loud, check yourself. 

If you can't figure out who the annoying coworker is in your office, chances are, it's you. 

Inspiration: Making Up Is Hard To Do

Love means never having to say you're sorry. Advertising, however, has a lot of apologising.

Brands want to build a relationship with people, and just like real relationships, there are going to be rough patches. And break ups. And make ups.

There are so many things that can turn people off from a brand - a bad customer service experience, poor product quality, a change in policy, an offensive ad or something as little as a change in the packaging or logo. (Or is that just me?) 

Then brands have to do the ultimate "please forgive me" crawl and beg customers to like them again.

Mistakes Your Mouth Makes

Yes, let's just blame it on your mouth. Your brain knows the right thing, but your mouth - so defiant and unruly - just goes and saying things however it pleases. Rude. 

Let's have a Come-To-Jesus with your mouth today to help it get its act together. 

Starting off, make today the last day you say "irregardless" however. It my greatest fear that so many people are going to start saying the word incorrectly that Webster will add the incorrect usage to the dictionary and then all hope will be lost. All. Hope. Lost. 

It's one thing when "sexting" gets added, but "literally" now meaning "figuratively" is literally a tragedy. 

Talk how you want to talk with your friends and family, but at work, especially in written communications, kindly get your shit together.

Don't Make This Mistake

Most mistakes in advertising are pretty expensive. Having to change something last minute, especially after it's gone to the printers, radio or TV stations can cost thousands of dollars. Having to redo something - tens of thousands.

Even seemingly small mistakes like writing something as $9.98 instead of $9.99 can put a major dent in profits. (1 million people paying 1 million pennies less really adds up.)

But the biggest, most devastating mistakes are those where you don't get any pennies at all. When people get mad about the content of your ads and threaten to boycott you.