I’ve met a lot of very fine people while I’ve been seeking a job in social media – both pre- and currently-employed – and that may be one of the greatest gifts that I have personally received from the process.
Today I want to offer public congratulations to one of those people, who has just landed after a lengthy job search and has begun a new career opportunity.
Lauren Babis completed her MBA work at the prestigious SMU Cox School of Business last year at just about the same time she was given the opportunity to leave Verizon, her employer of five years, in order to save a co-worker’s job.
Though it was a largely amicable parting, given that the project she had worked on for most of her time was winding down, it wasn’t really an optimal time for a new Marketing MBA to be finding a job.
I met Lauren through membership in the Career Connection Marketing and Communications (Marcom) job networking group in Dallas, one which I have found aligns very well with my skills and interest in social media.
We struck up a friendship in the room and early this year became accountability buddies, meeting weekly to review action items and check progress toward specific and sustainable job search goals.
You probably know this, but looking for a job is really hard and often frustrating work. No two weeks are alike – good or bad. But Lauren and I really helped each other, offering suggestions, guidance, and – perhaps most importantly – personal and professional support throughout.
I’m a firm believer in the adage that good things happen to good people, and for Lauren, this was borne out in the last couple of weeks.
She discovered a target position at RAZOR Advertising Agency in Dallas – her “dream job” – and immediately recognized it as being a near perfect fit for her skills and qualifications. She went after it with a vengeance. It was amazing to watch.
The opportunity was posted on LinkedIn on April 5. Lauren submitted her application online shortly thereafter (not all jobs come through the hidden job market) and was asked to interview for the position just over a week later. She was asked to return for a second round of interviews on Friday, April 16 – the only one of over a dozen candidates to be called back – and received notification that the job was hers on Monday April 19. She started today.
Whew! Clearly, things don’t typically move this quickly, but Lauren’s experience does illustrate what can happen when the perfect synergy of job and job candidate is achieved.
I think the world of Lauren, both as a person and as a marketing professional. She is an outstanding young woman who will do great things at RAZOR, and I’m honored to have been even a small part of the process to help her get there.
Congratulations, Lauren!
David Swinney helps businesses implement social media strategies and plans in order to identify customers and their influencers, engage them in conversation, and leverage those connections to improve the bottom line.
As a technologist with a background in social media, corporate communications, technical and customer support, vendor relationship and project management, he is able to comfortably discuss various social media topics with managers, individual contributors, and just plain folks.
Contact David if you're looking for someone to create, build, and enhance your customer relationships using social media tools and technologies. 
What I enjoy about blogs is the fact that they spark an idea in my brain. The moment that happens, I feel as I have to write a comment hoping it’s helpful to others.
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You are too kind!
It turns out part of why I cinched the job was because I had a minimum level of knowledge in the social media sphere – which I wouldn’t have had without you.
You rock!