Hunter, I am.

I'll start out explaining my absence. The past month has been another whirlwind. A couple things that have gone on in our lives:

July 2-5: Attended Dave Matthews Band concert in Alpine Valley! A M A Z I N G.
July 6: I got smacked in the ankle with a fly ball at our softball game. Hubby rushed me to ER. After one xray, three nurses, one doctor and three hours it was determined my ankle was not broken. Just very bruised and damaged nerves.
July 10: Sister's high school graduation party - State Fair style! We had corn dogs, mini donuts, funnel cakes, popcorn, grilled marinated chicken and pork skewers, and Sweet Steffi's Cookies (our version of Sweet Martha's)! Yumm!
July 17-18: Wisconsin Dells for Steffi's National Dance Competition at Kalahari. So fun!
July 24-25: House projects and landscaping.
July 30: Last day of internship at Bloom Health
July 31-August 1: Grandpa and Grandma visited to help finish our bathroom remodel. Such wonderful help!
Uffda! Life is always so interesting and keeps us on our toes!

(This is a long post, but it's full of goodies!)

Now on to the good stuff:
For the past two weeks my full time job has been job hunting. I've applied to about 30 different positions. My goal has been to not only apply to jobs, but to get connected within the industry and to stay up on industry news. It's one thing to just apply to a job - but another to make some sort of connection to the position I am applying for. The connection can be anything from knowing someone at the company of the applied position to finding a unique way to explain how I would be perfect for the job and the company. I am thrilled to say I have an interview on Thursday at a local ad agency and possibly another at a different ad agency.

I always watch Twitter closely for interesting tips, insights, articles, blog posts, etc. I'm always fascinated by what I learn through Twitter. Today I came across a post from @PrestonKelly, who tweeted a blog post written by the Creative Director. He interviewed the VP/Account Director about what he thinks makes a great account person. AWESOME! I was so excited after I read the blog that I want to share it with you. To give proper (and much deserved) credit to Preston Kelly, here is the blog link: http://prestonkelly.com/blog/?p=193
Chris Preston, EVP/Creative Director and Mark Jenson, VP/Account Director are the contributors to the blog post. The list was developed by Mark Jenson.

1. Be an idea generator – develop, nurture, and successfully convey new and fresh ideas.
2. Be knowledgeable about the client’s business and the advertising business – know it better than anyone else.
3. Be a “people” person – be someone that others want to work with.
4. Be curious – cultivate an insatiable appetite to learn something new each and every day.
5. Be self-motivated – take the initiative to make things happen.
6. Strive for high standards – have the desire to do the best work you can and the best work that your team can deliver.
7. Develop outstanding communication skills – aim to become a better writer and presenter every day.
8. Be collaborative – bring together the full resources and experience of the agency to solve problems.
9. Make the complex simple – dig deep strategically to provide insights that lead to better ideas.
10. Sweat the details – everything needs to be done well and you’ve got to focus on all aspects of your job

This list is so great!

I could be intimidated by the list, but what good would that do me? I look at this list as a great resource that came directly from someone who is very experienced and currently working in the industry - plus, it was free! At the end of the interview, Mark Jensen states, "If a young account person uses these 10 tips as a foundation, they’ll be building a strong platform for the future. And it would be safe to say that our business will be in good hands for many years to come." Jensen also gives a few other resources that account people should pay attention to. So, what do you think I did after reading this?
Added Jensen's suggested blogs to my Google Reader and wrote down the list in my handy-dandy notebook:

10 Tips!

This week has been so encouraging. I've found a few great resources, helpful tips, new inspirations and even set up a three hour interview for Thursday! It is so easy to get down and discouraged in this job market. However, if you aren't proactive in your hunting, have a negative attitude and always feel sorry for yourself, you may miss out on the hidden gems that can help prepare you for - or even lead you to - your next job. I admit, I have had my share of down, dreary days, but I never let those days get the best of me or define who I am as a full-time job hunter!

Love.