The First Day

Today is Monday September 14th, my first day of unemployment in over six years.

I am surprised because, mixed with the tension of the school loans coming soon, I feel happy that I have the time to build my website and flush out the newer projects to go in my book. I found the best article from Ad Age which was written by a recently hired graduate that had been unemployed for quite awhile. She has seven suggestions of things to do while waiting to find a position and three of those stood out to me (that I'll be attempting to implement during my unemployed period) which are as follows:

1. Stay connected. Spend at least an hour a day blogging and twittering about who you are and what you are looking for in the industry. Only by putting yourself out there, will you be able to get noticed by people in the industry.

2. Take Everything. Any freelance project that comes your way, take. You never know who you will meet by doing it or where it could end up leading down the road.

3. Get Involved. Join your local ad and design groups and go to every event. Again by mingling and getting yourself out there, you never know what opportunities may come your way.

I added my own number to her list of things to do.

4. Advertise It. If you really want to impress the agency you want to work for. Approach them and market yourself in an original way. Not with an awesome envelope or printing your business card on steel; but, by thinking of yourself as a product or service, your consumer as the creatives at "x" agency and figuring out how to communicate in the best fashion to get their attention and to get them to care.

This will be my great unemployed experiment.