Ambition: Blessing or Curse?

This is an invitation to anyone else who understands my position to chime in and help  me with gaining a little perspective.

Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to do everything. And not just do everything, but do everything well. I’ve always viewed new experiences through the lens, if I can’t excel at it, what’s the point in wasting my time? If, with time and effort, I can’t do this well, there has to be someone who can do it better. And most likely there’s something that I can do more efficiently than that person.

But the problem is, it’s never really stopped. I still want to try and master everything that I possibly can. I want to do something that makes a difference to someone, somewhere, somehow. Whether it’s with a blog, a movie review, a social media campaign, I want to make my mark. Not just do well, but go above and beyond all expectations to truly stand out.

I know I’m not alone, and upon finding the Brazen Careerist, I’ve found that this is apparently a trait of my generation. On the one hand, it’s comforting knowing that there are others that share my passion, my fire, my desire to do something big. On the other, it means there is more competition to have my voice heard.

That’s really not bad at all, though. Having an older brother, especially an older brother who was much better at sports than me, has made me fiercely competitive in nearly every endeavour I step forth in. I find that I rise above the expectations set before me best when there is someone else pushing harder. It  motivates me to step up my game and push even harder, helping me focus on what needs to be done along the way.

So here is my question/invitation: is this ambition good? Does constantly pushing to improve and refusing to settle help make me a better candidate for a job? Or is it too much? Is it unrealistic to think that I have the ability to affect change with what I do? Is it arrogant to think that if I put my mind and heart into something, it will get to who it needs to?

I have been blessed in this life with certain gifts that have helped me along the path I have chosen, and for that I am eternally grateful. But why is it that I feel guilty or embarassed by this drive? Nobody wants to be “that guy”, but why are traits like intelligence and drive seemingly looked down upon by many in our culture?

If anyone has any helpful hints or tips on how to walk the balance between reaching for the stars and keeping your feet on the ground, please share. How do you keep your ambition from running wild? Do you?

New Design: New Direction

If you’ve been here before, you may notice that quite a bit has changed since your last visit. The site has an entirely new layout, new header, new name, new direction.

This is essentially the third phase of this blog’s life. Previously it served the purpose of merely documenting my endeavours, talking briefly about anything that I felt was of any import. However, therein lies the problem. I was writing about things that I felt were important. To me. I did not take into account why anyone in their right mind, other than perhaps my wonderful grandma, would actually care.

Then, not too long ago, it moved to me expostulating on things I experienced first-hand, channeling those experiences through a PR lens. The problem with that phase, short as it may have been, is authority. Who the hell am I to give my opinion on life as though I’ve had all this great PR experience. Yes, I’ve done this and that, but by no means am I an authority on any one area of PR. Not to mention that Adventures in Interwebs 2.0 was far too cumbersome for a blog title.

Then it hit me. Why not talk about something I know better than anything? Myself. Not in the way I had before, I already established that no reader would find that interesting. I accept that I’m just not quite that cool. Rather, my self in the sense of why I started this blog in the first place.

I have been in the PR track of the journalism program here at Ohio University since the beginning of my sophomore year. It just makes sense for me. Ever since I could talk, I’ve been a talker. Not just a talker, but a communicator- writing, acting, playing music, anything interactive with those around me I pursued. This doesn’t mesh so well with a 3rd grade curriculum, and as a result I had a permanent seat reserved for me in the hallway. In fact, I’m fairly certain that the Danny Cox Memorial Chair still sits right outside Mrs. Dill’s classroom for those kids who just don’t know when to stop talking.

Since officially committing to PR, I have become more and more enamored with the field and reaffirmed that this is the career for me. The building of relationships, the two-way discussions, serving as a bridge between consumer and brand: this is the stuff dreams are made of! At least for someone like me.

Despite what my mom and grandma have told me all these years, I know that I can’t be that special. As I continued my explorations into the digital world, trying to build my own personal brand and expand my network, I found that there are a lot of folks out there who share my passion. Finding an in to express that passion, however, is something that not everyone is fortunate enough to discover.

According to a blog post from Dan Schawbel earlier this year on Mashable, there are roughly 3.3 job-seekers for every available position. As one of those 3.3, I know that I am currently trying to utilize the web to find any and all help I can get to secure one of those jobs.

And that’s when it hit me: I can share my experience as I search for a job as a resource to others like me. This can serve as a resource to those looking to find a job, primarily in PR, but hopefully the information will be applicable to other fields as well.

So welcome to the brand new dannycoxdidit.com, from henceforth known as The PRospective Employee. With any luck, I’ll have to update it to “The Newly Hired Employee”, but until then I invite you to share in my ups and downs, the hopes and the pitfalls along the way. I also really hope that you will choose to share your own experiences. I am well aware that I have much to learn, and there are many areas where I can improve in my searching techniques.

I look forward to interacting with you all.

SEO Progress on Danny Cox

Many things in this world make me smile: puppies and kittens, pay day, my wonderful girlfriend Rachel, a fine scotch, and a variety of other of life’s little pleasures. Few things, however, give me as much joy as the satisfaction of success. I don’t mean the generalized societal measure of happiness, but rather the more immediate success of completing a task set before me.

I am happy to report that a mere 3 weeks after issuing my challenge to the gods of Google, this blog and that very post is on the front page of Google. Granted, I am still towards the bottom of the pile (3rd and 2nd from the bottom, respectively) but there’s still time.

It’s nice to know that the tutelage of my dear friend and mentor John was not all for nothing. With any luck, I will continue my march to the top and claim that coveted number 1 spot from the public speaker who’s held it for so long.

I still have much to learn in the world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), especially when it comes to integrating SEO tactics seamlessly within content without sounding like an idiot, but it feels great to have some positive reinforcement.

So how is this relevant to me finding a job? Well, with any luck, if a potential employer decides to Google me (a common practice, I’m told) it won’t be hard for them to find this blog; a nicely laid-out documentation of my progress as a PR student and aspiring PR pro. With links to work samples and my resume, as well as the content I’ve written thus far, I’m hoping this blog serves as a positive indication of what kind of employee I can make.

If you’re a recruiter or in a position to offer employment to applicants, is this an effective tactic? What is it that you look for when trying to locate the next “rock star”? What are some of the keywords you Google when searching for future employers?

Tweeting for a Job

As Twitter continues its seemingly unstoppable progression towards world domination, I find that as a PR student and ruthless social networker (I’ve had personally designed business cards since my Freshman year of college) I view and use Twitter differently than my peers.

Continuing my search for a Public Relations job in Chicago, I recently turned to Twitter. Thanks to the advice of my good friend and technological mentor, John Raymond, I hopped on Twellow and began targeting exactly what I was looking for. Under the category ‘Public Relations’, I typed in Chicago and hit search.

I was given a list of hundreds of Twitter users who all had two things in common: Chicago and Public Relations, the two things I am hoping to utilize in my ideal life equation (Chicago+Public Relations= Gainful, Enjoyable Employment).

After taking some time to go through some tweet backlogs, I followed quite a few of folks whose interests seemed to match mine, and many followed back. As time progressed, I began refining my search for individual public relations firms in Chicago. Weber Shandwick, Edelman, and Fleishman-Hillard are three that I have researched and would really like to pursue as potential future-employers.

@DannyCox anyone in Chicago work for Weber-Shandwick? Would really like to meet a few when I’m in the windy city, need some guidance.10:27 PM Jul 20th from web

The next morning, I had several Direct Message responses from Weber Shandwick associates.

OwenDonnellyI work for Weber in Chi and can meet with you or set something up while you’re in town. Lot of Bobcats in our office (myself included)9:38 AM Jul 21stdan360manThanks for the follow, dude. I’m with WS in Chicago. What’s up?10:28 AM Jul 21st

The most interesting response that morning, however, came in the form of an @reply.

akeats@DannyCox morning, Danny. saw your tweet. i lead Weber Shandwick’s digital/social media team in chicago. what can i do for you?8:49 AM Jul 21st from Power Twitter

The man who leads WS’s social media team personally replied to me less than 12 hours after my night-time post looking for information. Iwas even more ecstatic later in the day when Mr. Keats informed me that he would put the “right folks in touch” with me.

Sure enough, not two hours later I had an email in my inbox from a hiring director with Weber Shandwick looking to talk with me over the phone.

In a similar sequence of events a week later, Allie Osmar, the outstanding creator and author of The Creative Career, tweeted about an internship opportunity with Edelman, the firm she works with. A few tweets and emails later, and that evening I was fielding another phone call from a hiring director/recruitment officer for a major Chicago PR firm.

When I first signed up for Twitter last October, I had no idea how to utilize it to its full potential, and thus felt it was a silly way to spend even more time on the internet. This is where many of my peers stand right now on the topic: confused as to why 140 character status updates are a good idea.

While I still have a long journey ahead to (hopefully) procuring a post-graduate internship/job, it’s very encouraging to receive such positive responses so quickly when utilizing the appropriate channels. And therein lies my interest and commitment to Social Media: for those that can learn its subtle nuances, it is a power of immeasurable force.

So my advice to any public relations students who are looking for PR jobs or PR internships is this: learn the new technologies. Twitter has the ability to help you connect in the first degree with people who can give you invaluable advice, share wonderful resources, and maybe even land your foot in that oh-so-heavy door to employment.

Have you used Twitter successfully to procure a job or internship? Do you know someone who has? What other strategies are you using to network?

Meet Rocko Reynolds

For anyone who knows me personally, you either have already received or will soon receive a Facebook friend request from one Rocko Reynolds, a fellow who bears striking resemblance to yours truly, only with a mustache and better fashion sense.

You see, Rocko Reynolds is my identical cousin, and he has a dream: to be the world’s premiere reviewer of movies, music, and life. If Rocko has his way, Roger Ebert will be a name associated with a time gone by.

Rocko even started his own review website, Rocko’s Reviews, to share his thoughts with the world. Since he knows I’m a big fan of social media, Rocko has asked for my help with a social media campaign to help build his network, as well as to optimize his Web site for search engine queries on movie reviews, music reviews, video game reviews, and the word cool. The way Rocko tells it, he is the first and foremost source on what is and isn’t cool, so there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be the first entry when searching for cool on Google.

I’ll keep you posted on Rocko’s progress as he strives to share his thoughts with the world, but if you want to follow it yourself, you can find Rocko on Facebook, Twitter, or subscribe to his RSS Feed.