Tag Archives: employee
Ladies who lunch, meet ladies who launch careers
So many amazing developments are taking place as I’m moving forward in my job search.
Admittedly, it can be challenging at times for someone who’s confined to roles and businesses that will offer the 457 visa sponsorship.
However, I have a great amount of love for Australia and great willingness to work hard to withhold the quality of life that this amazing country offers.
As such, I have faith that my love will be reciprocated.
My efforts in the job market and through volunteer work have enabled some amazing encounters.
I’ve met the beautiful and talented Tara Moss just last week at Art After Hours through my own initiative to meet this amazing author. I enjoyed hearing her bring rational arguments backed up by statistics and academic research to bust the evil woman myth.
I was able to ask her about why many women were banished to administrative jobs in the workplace and unable to be heard in leadership roles. She gave me some valuable information on the gender bias that still exists in the business world. The good news is that we, as women, can voice our opinions.
This point leads me to the next big topic of discussion among career women. Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, urged women to lean in at work so that the business world can be made more female-friendly.
I thought she had a fantastic idea and what’s more, she’d put her idea in action by launching a lean-in community where women can build circles in their community to support each others’ careers. I signed up, of course.
I mentioned that doing volunteer work also led to some interesting discoveries. I’m working to promote the Bubbles and Bargains fundraiser online, and as such, had to find some career women’s blogs to provide guest blogs.
This is how I came across Business Chicks. Business Chicks is a community of women in business.
I’m also grateful that Business Chicks have made it possible for me to meet one of my idols, Candace Bushnell, the creator of ‘Sex and the City’. I’m over the moon about seeing her in July in Sydney.
So, it seems the era of ladies who lunch has now given way to ladies who launch careers.
I have a vision that one day, instead of birthdays, I will be celebrating job promotions with other women in business.
With my own birthday a few weeks away, could I make it a launching my career event, now that I’ve determined my personal brand to unveil and know exactly what I want in my marketing career (to go all the way up to CMO of an innovative company)? Or is that too pretentious?
But what’s wrong with celebrating the start of one’s career anyways? It seems way more productive than an elaborate Sweet 16 party. It may just become the next big trend if ‘Job and the City’ becomes the next big hit.
Personal Branding: What is the Brand of You?
Recently I applied for an Employer Brand & Communications Specialist role in a company that specialises in EVPs, or employer value propositions.
I was confused by the concept of EVP. The employer pays the employee money, end of story. What else should they be offering? I wondered. It turns out there’s a story behind all of these companies that take up top rankings in BRW or the ‘employer of choice’ distinction.
The agencies in charge of writing EVPs are partially responsible for the perception of a company as an employee magnet. By becoming an employer of choice, a company has an easier time recruiting eager and willing employees. So how much of the EVP is real and how much of it hype? And does a good EVP mean that whatever the company lacks in remuneration they make up for in personality?
When I was not selected for the role, I decided to turn the question over to the agency that works with companies to come up with EVPs. I asked the employer who refused me for the role, something I’d genuinely been wondering for quite some time. How do you pick out the real gems among all those companies with grandiose EVPs?
The response was simply this: “You should get in touch with HR and recruiting professionals in the meantime, as they can advise you on how to work out whether a company is a good match.
In terms of working out the grandiose from the real gems – look for consistency in message and tone every time you come into contact with a company – be it a job ad, their website, their social media networks, the people you speak to or meet through those networks, at interview stage, employees etc.
One thing though, you should develop your personal brand first and then identify companies that align with your values and career goals – not the other way around.”
This got me thinking that I need a personal brand. How do I come up with one? Could I simply paraphrase Google’s EVP and make that my personal brand to come up with my employee value proposition?
“Ella is not a conventional person, and she doesn’t intend to become one. True, she shares attributes with other mature and successful people – a focus on innovation comes to mind – but even as she continues to mature and develop, she’s committed to retaining a strong imagination. Ella knows that every person in the world has something important to say, and that every person is integral to our success as humankind. Ella is open to receiving individually-tailored compensation packages that can be comprised of competitive salary, bonus, and equity components, along with the opportunity to earn further financial bonuses and rewards. Ella thrives in small, focused teams and high-energy environments, believes in the ability of technology to change the world, and is as passionate about her life as is about her work.”
What do you think? Does that work? I will tailor it a bit more as I try to solve the personal branding puzzle.
What is your personal brand and what companies would you fit with? Have a good, hard think. It may be the key to a long lasting career.
Happy job hunting!
Gender Roles in the Workplace?
I drew criticism when I stated that ‘men and women are different’ on my previous post, ‘Why Businesses Need to Listen to Women’.
Are men and women really different? It seemed that exaggerating what was considered masculine and feminine qualities was stylish, decades ago, but now, it all looks cartoonish. With the possible exception of Gwen Steffani wannabes, the platinum hair and red lipstick seem to have given way to much more sensible hairstyles and colours in make-up.
The hourglass figure has given way to the athletic figure and stylish men are slimmer with well-styled hair and conditioned skin.
The sexes are meeting somewhere in the middle. Of course, I’m not even going to get into the matter of transgender individuals.
In today’s world of super integration, is it politically incorrect to make mention of masculine and feminine qualities?
What was traditionally considered masculine, is no longer. Women have the freedom to enjoy the right to a brouhaha in public that men have enjoyed since the dawn of time.
Men with perfectly coiffed hairs no longer raise eyebrows. It’s all in the name of male fashion, which is embraced by gay or straight alike.
What about the gender roles? I will be sad to report that men have not taken a liking to household chores. Women have also dropped cleaning from their ‘to do’ lists. So who cleans? It’s usually whoever gets offended by the mess the most.
What about in the corporate world? Who cleans up the files and databases and performs the administrative tasks? Mainly women!
Even though out in the streets men and women have melded into a singular balanced entity embracing both masculinity and femininity (whatever masculinity and femininity means to you), in the corporate world, this ‘women’s work’ attitude still continues.
Maybe all of the administrative roles (not sure what the stats are, but they’re seen as women’s job) and those sales and leadership roles (currently a sausage fest) need to meld together to make hybrid roles.
Also, today’s technology enables employees to get out of the cubicle and go back to their homes. In times of such unprecedented flexibility, employees (male or female) can be free to be home more with the kids and tending to the household needs. All I’m saying is CERTAIN men need to get a little better at doing the household chores.
After all, in a world where the terms “masculine” and “feminine” are no longer clearly defined, there should no longer be ‘men’s job’ or a ‘woman’s job’. After all, it’s all our job.
Better Than Sex: How a Generation Got Hooked on Work
Do you find yourself going through your work e-mails in bed? Are you engaged in your work as if it were some addictive role playing game? Then welcome to the world of ‘Better than Sex’.
In ‘Better than Sex’ Helen Trinca and Catherine Fox explore why we are so connected to our jobs. Certainly, the internet technology plays a big role in keeping us connected to our work e-mails and enables us to work remotely from our homes.
Our jobs also provide a community for most of us.
The new generation of managers have engineered a job experience that provides a sense of belonging in teams. The teams also have objectives to meet and as such, the jobs we are engaged in these days is like an addictive game.
So is too much work good?
Not if work productivity gets in the way of reproduction!
A work atmosphere dominated by the male war-like approach of intense competition can be to blame for making workers addicted to work at all costs. The corporate culture of conquer and grow had served a purpose and great growth had been achieved. Unfortunately, great growth was followed by massive crashes.
Perhaps it is now time for a female approach to business. Sustainability is valued more than growth by some as employees who’ve seen the damage caused by growth at all costs are seeking stability in jobs.
Some major themes explored in ‘Better than Sex’ are:
- Balancing work life and family life.
- Changing women’s role in society as women are promoted to higher profile roles in the workplace.
- How globalism is impacting the workplace as jobs are constantly moved to places where they can be performed for cheaper.
- The need for employees to find meaning in their work.
The themes explored in the book are very close to my heart. I, too wonder what the future will hold as we seek more meaning in our work lives and as women start taking the lead in various industries.
I was also inspired to seek answers in other books listed as references in ‘Better than Sex’.
For those of you wondering what the employees are thinking and how the managers are reacting to changing demands, then ‘Better than Sex’ is engaging reading that raises very interesting questions and offers good thoughts on what the future of work relationships may be like.
Some other authors with thoughts on employee and employer relations are:
- Australian writer Don Watson talks about how corporate jargon is taking over the English language in ‘Death Sentence’.
- Alison Pearson has written the book, ‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’, which was made into a movie starring Sarah Jessica Parker.
- Richard Florida has written ‘The Rise of the Creative Class’.
What are some of your thoughts on how female leadership will change business as we know it?
Gamification: Hitting the G-spot at work
I first heard of the ‘G’ word, gamification at an internet marketing seminar hosted by Ed Dale.
In between talking about himself and various misadventures, he happened to take a brief minute to present this new look at work.
The truth is, I’ve often looked at life as a game.
There are certain goals to accomplish and stats reveal how close one gets to achieving the targets.
In most games there’s a time limit and a number of objects to gather to pass on to the next levels to beat the game.
Work environments most often have KPIs or key performance indicators for their employees that contribute to business goals.
Employees who meet and exceed their KPIs are often rewarded with bonuses or promotions.
Ed Dale mentioned that there’s a group of people who spend hours on FB games like Farmville and set alarms to remind them to perform tasks on the game to get ahead.
With this Farmville game being highly addictive, was there perhaps a way to present work in a matter to make it highly addictive?
The truth to the matter is, yes, most jobs can be presented in a fun manner to appeal to the competitive nature of employees.
In many online communities, badges are issued for members who achieve a volume of output. For example, one of the forums I subscribed to would reward badges for each 5 responses posted, then special badges for liked responses and so on.
The desire to please is so innately human.
Recognition in the form of colourful badges is OK, but some of us may have evolved passed the stage of getting cookies from the teacher.
There could be more complex goals and situations at work to stimulate creative thinking from employees.
Companies are looking at gamification to not only stimulate their employees but to educate and season their consumers.
Commonwealth Bank is a good example. They have an online game like Monopoly where would-be property investors learn how to take out mortgages and profit from their property investments.
Of course, at any point in the game, they can contact CBA to enquire about their home loan products.
ASX also has a no risk investment game to educate and inspire would be share market investors.
These simulations are a great way for laypersons to learn and hone their investment skills.
In a twist to how gamification could be applied in an office setting, I’m sharing the HR Examiner’s truly hilarious take on the matter.
I especially like the last one, ‘Sourcer’s Surprise’.
- Formville
In this game, players are incented to complete the corporate data collection process. A series of badges and titles are awarded to people who fill in expense accounts and the web of HR documents on time (or at all).
- Succession Plans and Zombies
This game is for all of the people who know that they could do a better job than the current management team. Each person is allowed to construct their own corporate succession plan. Then, players wager a percentage of their paycheck on the outcome.
- Angry Boss
Players throw various kinds of boss at pigs. Each level includes a hidden agenda that can be discovered by flipping the boss off properly.
- World of Workcraft
Nothing much actually gets done in this game. But, there are lots of meetings and if you go to enough of them, you can give advice to novices.
- Talent Management Bingo
Who are the most valuable people in the organization? All employees are issued a bingo chart. Numbers are called based on meritorious accomplishment. Unless you are the management team’s favorite. Then you just get to fill it out yourself.
- Wage Slave Trader
Employees earn points for getting to work on time, limiting facebook usage, actually doing work, and eating lunch at the desk. No one wants to be the Mayor of tardy.
- ForcedSquare
Checking in has never been more fun. Monthly bonuses given to the players who leave their desk the least.
- ClubOnboard
Your virtual employee is really the new guy in the department. Help him grow by feeding him orientation papers, HR forms, inside tips about brown-nosing effectiveness and guides to the best bathroom stalls.
- Yuck
Reviews of food from the company cafeteria and the roach coach.
- Mr. Golden Boy
Points for delegating your to do list the fastest. Lose points for any task left on your list at the end of the first coffee break.
- Sourcer’s Surprise
Sourcers find new candidates then cast resume and interview spells to make them perfectly fit job requirements. The goal is to get paid before the spells wear off. (oops, we already have that one).
Our roles, ourselves: All the world’s a stage…
Shakespeare observed that all the world’s a stage and all men and women merely players.
We all have our roles that we must perform at every stage of our lives and days. Performing the roles well leads to mastery and promotions to higher levels of the game.
Regardless of recognition, every single being on earth has a purpose and an act to perform.
Those people in the public eye, most often, those in the entertainment industry achieve wide recognition or celebrity.
It’s ironic that celebrity comes to actors and actresses whose role in life is to be anyone but themselves in scripted situations, plays and movies.
‘Be yourself and you will succeed’ seems like the most common sense advice given to all who are stressed out about whether they are good enough.
So what advice is given to actors?
To perform their job well, do they abandon who they are to take on a new persona?
The creative process has always been fascinating to me.
Good, evil and all that’s in between is all within one person and actors and actresses know how to express the complex emotions of the characters they portray.
They are in touch with their range of emotions and must have amazing observational capabilities to recreate situations, people and moods.
I used to hear my dad say that actors have such an easy job and they get so much recognition and money for nothing.
Indeed, this is probably the common consensus, yet we love to watch and engage.
I know that acting is art just as painting, sculpting and writing are.
Someone who’s merely a pretty face is not an actor or an actress.
Yes, a pretty facade helps.
But so does having a good canvas and good quality paint. It also helps if you have a reliable laptop if you’re a writer and a good instrument if you’re a musician.
Materializing the concepts we see and hear in our mind’s eye is a matter of precision.
Just as an artist must have a firm grasp of perspective and proportion, the actor must be in touch with every muscle, expression and thought to create believable characters and situations.
It is hard work.
Actors receive so much recognition for doing their roles well.
What about people in less than glamorous roles, who perform efficiently to operate our daily routines?
The buses run, trains move, traffic lights control chaos, paperwork within an office is organised, goods and services exchanged and many millions of transactions and operations go on each and every day in every community in the world.
Do we ever take the time to recognize those who took the time and put a little extra thought to make our days and lives smoother?
Sure, Hollywood and film studios have huge amounts of PR and marketing to ensure their productions are catapulted to high visibility.
Film productions are highly costly and as such, they have to be in the public eye to ensure a return on investment.
But I really think with the advances in technology and super connectedness, the stories of everyday people will be told just as enthusiastically as major studios’.
The amount of information and knowledge at our fingertips ensures that each and every one of us have the resources to achieve what we can imagine.
The trick is to keep practicing the muscles and increasing the accuracy.
No matter what your role in life is, master it. It will lead you to the next level of the play.
As for how I got to meet Hugh Jackman, well he is very involved in the community. He was gracious enough to host an evening of fund raising to rebuild the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club.
My partner is in a role that he practiced very hard for and as a result of his hard work he had an opportunity to attend an evening of fund raising. I’m fortunate that he chose me to accompany him.
So how was Hugh Jackman? He is a natural. He came across as being very genuine, warm and passionate for both what he does and for the people around him.
The employment revolution is here to stay
Sometime in the 1960s the sexual revolution occurred. The catalyst was the invention of the pill.
The contraceptive pill made it possible for women to plan pregnancy and empowered them to enjoy what men had been experiencing, physical pleasure without the risk of procreation.
With the invention of the pill, the views towards sex began to change. Love became free and no-strings attached.
I am not entirely sure of the free love concept, as I was born into a new generation where the fear of AIDS and sexual diseases dominated the attitudes towards physical intimacy.
What I can comment on is that the way the gender roles were challenged in the 1960s is happening in the job market. The revolution is out of the bedrooms and in the boardrooms of central business districts all over the world.
Just as the birth control pill pushed the free love movement full speed ahead, the advances in telecommunications and ubiquity of the internet is igniting the employment revolution.
Employees everywhere are free to step out of their offices and work from home. It’s simpler than ever to access office information from the comfort of your home computer.
Entrepreneurs are free to generate wealth and value without the confines of an office, a fax machine or even a phone.
In today’s highly flexible job market, there are more options to earn money than ever. The internet has opened the doors for all sorts of jobs never before heard, like creating links, liking on Facebook and generating gibberish comments to create content.
There are also new outlets for people offering odd favours to get paid. Freelancer.com brings together the people with projects with those who can deliver them.
While it’s great that those with highly marketable skills like writing, reporting or translating can find new markets for their skills, oftentimes, they are competing against other skilled individuals.
The website itself, Freelancer.com also sources free work in exchange for promoting the skills of users and issuing cyber-badges.
Nonetheless, websites like Freelancer.com are a great way for laid off journalists, at the onset of the death of traditional media as we know it, to find work.
Another online job marketplace, Fiverr.com also operates heavily on free work. The vendors contribute most of the content on Fiverr.com and for every $5 transaction, the website keeps a portion.
As with all revolutions, there will be good and the bad that comes with the employment revolution.
Although work is more flexible than ever, there will always be the ‘opportunity’ to do free labour.
Free labour is great for novices and can get one the opportunity to build a portfolio, but at the end of the day there is no compensation and as such, it brings down the value of labour.
Also, perhaps because we can no longer count on employment to be around forever, employees are constantly keeping their eyes open for the next opportunity and aren’t focusing on their current employers.
When the employees are insecure, the employer suffers. Perhaps a happy medium needs to be achieved where both the employee and the employer feel respect and ownership for the work to make for a harmonious and freer existence.
As an employee in her prime, I can say these are the most exciting times to work.
All hail the employment revolution!
Experience: The essential ingredient for a cup of good coffee
I remember the day I met Debra.
She had moved in on my territory. I had been running an office smoothly all by myself and then she came.
She was older. But I had been working in that office for three years and knew (or thought that I knew) everything there was to know about the duties of running the office.
She brought with her a long history of past employments and an excellent ability to express herself and impress others.
She kept saying she had life experience and judgment that came from it.
I felt that was irrelevant and I was clearly the more senior employee.
You know what? She was right. I realised this when I saw a seasoned barista describe the making of a cup of coffee.
Our life experience is like energy. It is neither created nor destroyed and can be applied across all different fields of work.
All disciplines are born out of the human need. With wisdom comes the ability to understand human nature and make ourselves useful.
I now realise the fundamental fact that experience brings an understanding of physical laws of nature which governs human nature.
So how did the barista help me realise this fundamental fact that experience is at the root of everything?
It is impossible to have a good cup of coffee without a good shot of espresso that’s brewed perfectly with just the right amount of cremosa layered on the top.
The experiences, that is past trials of coffee brewers, is the basis for the way the espresso machine is put together.
The machine runs the water over the coffee grinds at precisely boiling temperature to ensure that a perfect shot of espresso is extracted.
However this doesn’t mean that the machine will produce perfect coffee without attendance.
An experienced barista is needed to adjust the fineness of the coffee grinds to achieve the perfect brew so that the full flavours of the coffee beans can be expressed.
The trials that developed the coffee culture and common consensus on good coffee is what’s used to engineer the coffee machines.
The consensus for what makes a perfect shot of espresso is the basis for the education of a barista.
The physical nature of coffee beans is behind the processes that produce the perfect shot of espresso.
The results of years of experimenting with coffee beans is what trickles into your coffee cup to form the basis for the perfect cup of coffee.
Next time you enjoy that perfect cup of coffee with the perfect texture and the balance of flavours, know that experience is what’s brought it to you.
Years of experience had also seasoned Debra to express her will clearly and position herself to build a career out of a job.
The technical skills and knowledge of differing workplace atmospheres are just the milk on top of your coffee.
They can be attained through practice.
When the perfect shot of espresso and a steamed, silky textured milk come together, the result is exquisite.
But, remember it is the espresso that makes the coffee.
And it is experience that enables an employee to produce value.
Conclusion: We are all like coffee beans. We hold powerful flavors and ideas. Time is like the grinder. The espresso machine is our experiences in life that allow us to express our flavours and ideas that make for a pleasant and harmonious contribution at best.
Fahrenheit 457: Grow Your Business by Providing 457 Sponsorship of Professionals
Many businesses in Australia have either sponsored skilled immigrants for the subclass 457 sponsorship visa or look to providing this sponsorship.
The reasons for providing sponsorship to skilled immigrants are plenty.
Australia needs skilled workers
The working population of Australia is aging. In order to sustain the economy, Australia needs workforce that’s trained in other countries who can adapt to the Australian lifestyle.
The great thing about overseas workers and 457 visa holders is that they can remain in Australia as long as they are working.
457 visa holders cannot take advantage of government benefits. 457 visa holders are highly skilled professionals who pay taxes and contribute to the Australian economy.
457 sponsored skilled immigrants work hard for Australia
457 sponsored employees are no longer subject to the living away from home allowance (LAFHA), meaning that they pay full taxes on everything they earn.
Professionals on the 457 visa work for typically 2-4 years ‘paying their dues’ to the Australian government before they can be entitled to any Australian government benefits.
So there are at least three benefits for Australia for providing a 457 sponsorship:
- A 457 sponsored employee will work really hard for your company to succeed to keep himself employed as there are no unemployment benefits available to him, and
- A 457 sponsored employee contributes to the Australian residents’ high standard of living by working and paying taxes
- 457 sponsored employees will be in the market for housing, goods and services to ensure that Australia’s economy continues to thrive
457 visa sponsorship program sustains Australia’s economy
Australia is a big country with a small aging population and a limited marketplace. For Australians to continue to enjoy their standard of living, there needs to be an influx of skilled workers who will pay taxes to support government programs.
The skilled worker population is also necessary for Australian producers and service providers to continue to thrive.
You may be wondering, what is this 457 temporary visa and how does it work?
What is the subclass 457 temporary visa?
The 457 sponsorship visa is an opportunity for businesses in Australia to source skilled professionals and labourers for roles that can’t be filled by Australian residents or citizens.
There is a wide variety of white-collar and blue-collar roles that are eligible for 457 sponsorship.
The business must simply demonstrate the need to fill a specific role that can be found on the consolidated sponsored occupation list.
The reason that there are many English and Irish recruiters in Australia is that recruitment roles can’t be filled by Australian residents.
Many marketing roles also go to migrants who are marketing professionals.
How can businesses sponsor an employee?
There are three stages to the 457 sponsorship of an employee by a business operating in Australia.
- The employer applies to be a sponsor
- The employer nominates the occupation that the employee will be performing
- The employee applies for the 457 visa
Which businesses are eligible to sponsor employees?
All businesses operating lawfully in Australia are eligible to sponsor immigrants to work in their business.
The businesses must demonstrate a commitment to training and employing Australian residents and citizens and favourable financial situation.
The good news is once a business has applied and received the right to become a business sponsor then they don’t have to re-apply to sponsor additional employees unless the legislation changes.
What are the 457 visa lodgment fees?
The process for lodging a 457 visa is straight forward and it is extremely affordable. The sponsorship application charge by the business looking to sponsor skilled immigrants is AUD420, the occupation nomination charge is AUD85 and the application for the 457 visa is AUD350.
It’s completely up to the employee-employer agreement to determine who will be paying the fees associated with the visa application.
It is advisable to use immigration agents, who typically charge between AUD2000 and AUD3000 for lodging the application.
What are the benefits of sponsoring a skilled professional?
There are many roles in marketing, PR, recruitment and many others that are not easily filled by the Australian residents.
It is also extremely beneficial to hire skilled professionals from Europe and other parts of the world as Australia builds closer ties with the rest of the world.
Skilled professionals who have worked in other parts of the world are familiar with other cultures and can provide a communication bridge.
457 employees are also very loyal to the companies that sponsor them. The reason being, of course, is that their future in Australia depends on the growth and success of the company that sponsors them.
457 sponsored employees bring a pleasant cultural mix, different professional experiences, a unique view of the world and creative strategies to their workplace.
A 457 sponsorship is the easiest thing an Australian business can do to ensure a fresh boost of energy to their company culture.
457 visas are inexpensive, easy to lodge and bring excellent workers to Australia.
Every business in Australia should explore the 457 business sponsorship as an option to take advantage of the benefits that a skilled working population can offer to Australia.
Eye on workplace value: Why I won’t do favours for $5 anymore
Fiverr, if you haven’t heard, is a great place to display your special talents and get paid for gigs.
It’s a cheap labour marketplace basically.
Frivolous talent like getting 500 likes for your Facebook page and other ‘promotional’ activities are performed by amateurs for $5 per pop.
After being on Fiverr for a month, I’ve racked up $100.
Everything on Fiverr is pretty much done by those displaying talents on this backstreet of the labour market.
The video introduction on the Fiverr website is done by a Fiverr vendor. So I wonder, who actually works for the Fiverr company?
It’s pretty dubious how all these crowdsourced businesses can actually get away with having people do stuff for them for free.
I mean, yes, one of the great signs of a business is having raving fans to the point that they do stuff for free.
But really, where do you draw the line between free labour and just plain exploitation?
But exploitation is not the reason why I will not be doing $5 gigs anymore.
I want my services and expertise to be more valuable than $5. You may ask, so it takes you a minute to ‘like’ someone on Facebook, and you get paid $5/minute.
That’s potentially $300/hour!
You’re doing great!
OK, let’s assume that for a minute. But to earn $300/hour, I’m promoting 60 messages that I may or may not agree with.
And let me tell you, no self-respecting company will contract me to advertise their message.
So I work with dodgy ‘internet marketers’ to spread their ‘message’.
Seth Godin would call me a ‘promiscuous sneezer’. And you know what? I’m worse than that.
I spread messages that I know to be based on wrong principles.
As for my reach, I know I jeopardise my relationships by spreading these random, scammy and spammy messages.
So, is it all worth it?
NO!
So you will not see me promoting anything anymore. I’m doing this to preserve my online reputation.
Once I establish myself as a connoisseur of good taste and not just a paid social media billboard, I can move forward as a professional.
Cheapness is easy and requires very little thought but it ends up costing opportunities that will lead to salvation and greater gigs based on perceived virtue.
Influence comes from integrity. Integrity is having a solid foundation (the WHY you do what you do).
Integrity can be built up by your actions and also by choosing to not participate in activities that challenge those solid foundations (even if you are in dire need of cash).
Call me an idealist but years of experience have taught me that integrity is king.
The trained eye can recognise the value of experience and integrity. Workplace value is based on a candidate’s integrity above all.
Let the untrained eyes become disappointed.
I’ve included a photo of the lampshades from the State Theatre to reinforce my message that elegance is forever.
The thought put into the lampshades and the ornate details will continue to stand the test of time to delight generations of attendees to come.
I loved the idea of the moth wings wrapping the lightbulbs because for me the metaphor of moths to light is like the people flocking to the cultural activities that the State Theatre plays host to.
