Commentary

Dear Bev: How Can A Senior Magazine Pro Make A New Career In Digital?

Take a look at job postings or talk to any recruiter: Digital is where all the action is these days. So how hard is it to get into the game if you're a senior executive whose career and reputation is tied to traditional media?

Here are some recent lessons from 20-year print veteran Pam Daniels. She was a former publisher and just became the senior vice president of business development at 9Threads, a digital marketing agency focusing on beauty, fashion and retail. Her search took six months of intensive self-education and a healthy dose of determination.

Getting in the Game

You may be on Facebook or have a Linked In page, but you have to be active. I'm an advocate for Linked In, and it proved particularly useful for Pam. She upgraded her account to directly communicate with anyone posting promising job opportunities. She was then able to net phone or in-person interviews that otherwise may have eluded her. She also used a contact she shared with her soon-to-be new boss as a resource to provide a strong job recommendation.

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Career Coach

Hiring a career coach can prove to be an expensive proposition, but a few sessions may be the kick-start you need. "My coach stressed the importance of paying attention to things that caught my eye and told me to keep a notebook.  She encouraged me to open up my mind and be tenacious about what I wanted," the print veteran explained.

Education

For the next six months, Pam was on a mission. She made it her goal to talk to anyone who had anything to do with emerging media, from former colleagues to current clients. "The first time I heard about Foursquare was from my Louis Vuitton client," she said. She also attended industry conferences, signed up for Webinars and took the Laredo course. All were critical in furthering her education and her ability to hold her own when interviewing for a digital opportunity.

The Payoff

Pam had two job offers in the end. One was in the digital division of a traditional media brand. The other in a fresher, hipper digital marketing agency and that's the opportunity she accepted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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