Dressed for a Job I Can’t Do

For Halloween, I thought about dressing up as a fully employed association executive. I certainly have all the clothes for that costume, and it seemed like a good way to generate luck for my job hunt. Then I thought about the little witches, vampires, black cats, princesses and supermen who’ll be ringing our doorbell this evening. While I’ve done a pretty good job over the years in explaining to the kids in my family exactly what I do for a living, when I open the door later today, I don’t think our trick-or-treaters would get it.

So here I am as a chef. Our cat is confused, and when my husband gets home from work, he’ll get a good laugh. I will, however, use my extremely limited cooking skills tonight. In between giving out candy, I plan to arrange pre-made ingredients on pre-cooked crusts and bake pizza. Makes me wonder whether the little firefighters, nurses and Kardashian sisters who might show up with pumpkin pails are already thinking about future careers saving lives or telling all on TV.

When It Rains

It’s pouring in my kitchen, where I work as job hunter, freelance writer/editor, and CEO of the Romano-Altman household. Three freelance assignments from two terrific editors dropped on my desk during the past few days. A great-sounding association with an interesting job opening called me to schedule an interview. I recently ran into a wonderful former colleague who is now a recruiter, and tomorrow I’ll chat with another recruiter who has been very helpful to me over the years. And while keeping my humble abode humming, I’ve fallen a bit behind in chores because the number of eye-catching job announcements has grown during the past couple of weeks and I want to respond in a timely manner.

While juggling this work, I know that it’s key to continue networking and learning. Today I attended a program at Eason Associates that was valuable on both fronts. I picked up new and useful information about QR codes, and I met new colleagues in the publishing community. I start Toastmasters next week as well as social media personal coaching. I’ll be at ASAE soon for an ideas “super swap” and an APAC reception. There’s also an Association Media & Publishing program coming up—it’s on job hunting in the Digital Age.

After the AM&P lunch-and-learn, I’ll be sure to share perspectives on this blog. Meanwhile, here’s a job-searching/networking tip from the QR code presentation delivered by Patti Dumas, vice president at HBP printing. After discussing many applications for boosting association marketing and fundraising with QR codes, Patti noted the value of adding a code to a business card. As job hunters, we need personal cards with our contact information. By adding a code for that info, we have a natural conversation-starter with new colleagues as we exchange cards, and we make it easy for colleagues to scan our contact info into their smartphones.

I’m going to give that a shot…just as soon as I figure out how to create a multitasker costume for Halloween. Ideas welcome!  

The Best Job I Ever Had

Today's post is not about looking forward to finding a new job; today I'm looking back. Today is the anniversary of a wonderful event in my life, and I have a past job to thank for it. That's why, of the many terrific opportunities I've had during my career, I always rank my job as Senior Editor at ASAE as the best. Through my work at ASAE during the 1990s, I met my soulmate--my husband, Jeff--and today is the 12th anniversary of our first date.

After writing an article for me in 1999, Jeff asked me out to lunch. We went to Art Gallery Grill on I Street, as I had done a million times before with ASAE coworkers. After lunch, we walked a few blocks to the park across from the White House. It was a gorgeous day, and we sat on a bench, talking for forever. By the time I got back to the office, I already knew that ASAE would always hold an additional special place in my heart as a party to my happy personal future.

Thank you ASAE. And Happy Anniversary Jeff!