Comet Branding - Branding | PR | Social Media

How Did I End Up Here?

Hello, I am the new PR and Social Media Strategist for the Comet Branding team. While my story may not be quite as sensational as my new co-worker, Laura’s, I did have to an interesting road to get here.

About a year ago, due to the economy, I was laid off. I had eight+ years of marketing experience under my belt and did not know what my next move would be.

While I used a bit of social media in my previous position, I never really applied it to myself or my personal brand. I had all the tools but never crafted anything.

During the process of looking for my next position, I started immersing myself in different social media platforms. I began blogging, tweeting, rounding out my Facebook profile, and using LinkedIn to expand my reach beyond friends, to former co-workers and clients.

I was expanding my reach. I was reconnecting with old friends, meeting and communicating with people I may not have without using these tools. I was attending webinars, participating in chats, and absorbing everything I could. I used these new, “uncharted” tools to build a presence for myself in the socialsphere and engaged with new people every day.

What I learned through this whole unforseen process is that social media works. People look, listen and engage in a completely different way. Soon enough I started to discover job opportunities not found on typical career sites. All of the sudden, I was landing interviews and receiving job offers. They were good offers, with good companies. But the more I thought about it, each offer I received had something missing. It wasn’t social media. So I held out. Working in social media felt right and I’m excited to be able to share my experience with clients.

With the excitement and energy that social media creates, and the ever-changing and emerging platforms, the possibilities are limitless. In my previous positions, I always found myself saying, “Wouldn’t it be great if we did this or that?”…now, I actually get to.

Tags: Facebook, General, job searching, laura gainor utilizing social media, LinkedIn, new employee, social media, Twitter