After 6 long months, I finally secured a full-time job! I will be working at a large international non-profit in DC, doing web communications work. The first step will be managing the re-design of their website, and eventually working to integrate appropriate social networks (because I am no proponent of “shiny object syndrome”). There will be a large education portion from the top down on how and why to use social networks, and I’m excited to bring my experience to really help an organization shine. I’m looking forward to it!

I wanted to take the time to give a shout-out to the many people who helped me through this time. I’ve always been a big networker and have a weird ability to remember people and places. I know that social networks allow us to interact, communicate, and access communities. Never before has this been more clear to me than with the aid of Twitter and my online community.

A quick timeline, I was laid off in November and quickly picked up some consulting work with a local PR firm that carried me through the end of the year. From there I picked up another PR firm in January, some project work in February, and another communications firm for March and April. I definitely identified with @bostonmarketer juggling the job search and consulting work. I’m greatly indebted to those people who were able to give me work even as they experienced rough times and will continue to recommend them as stellar places to work.

Over 6 months, I accumulated over 360 conversation threads tagged “Job 2008-2009″ in my inbox. I went on 5 informational and 15 real interviews from Baltimore to Canada, some of which I went back to multiple times. I managed 2-4 clients at any given time and applied to over 100 jobs. I hustled. I went to temporary employment agencies, I even applied to wait tables. Thanks to my consulting work and a little other help, I never had to do either of those, nor did I collect unemployment (which was partly the fault of the hoops you have to jump to get your $378 a week). I’m proud that I worked hard and further developed my skills, that I was able to basically support myself, and that I got the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. Many of the places I interviewed were not able to hire me, but passed my resume on to others. In fact, that’s how I secured the job I’ll be starting in a couple of weeks.

Family and friends were always there for me. I’d especially like to thank my boyfriend - who gave me countless hours of advice, support, editing, financial help, a good kick when I needed it, a shoulder to lean on and a smile to celebrate with. My best friend who supported me, kept it real and told me when something was ridiculous. My parents for their support (and worry), and all my friends for their help and for lending an ear.

It really does take a village. In no particular order, I’d like to give thanks to the following people from my “online network”. Without you, I could not have done this. From providing job leads, serving as references, getting me in touch with their connections, sending along my resume, checking for job openings at their company and generally offering their support; these people (and many more) should know how much I appreciate their help. I’m very lucky I had these people on my side.

@geoffliving @marinel @beautifulthangs @michael_nelson @eliz2shea @barryreich @lkthrock @dcjams @jterrill8 @tdbacon @sseawright @thorpus @swhitley @technosailor @kamichat @rmoede @tjohns06 @shonali @annagabbert @mindofandre @mpranikoff @colbcox @stephstad @rdweatherly @shashib @socialbttrfly @ericldavis @dallaslawrence @sradick @bradlevinson @cdorobek @leslieann44 @strategicguy @maiakg @johnny_mac @phillyberg @hautepjones @wamurray @rachellelacroix @noreaster @mixtmedia @sverde @sarahwurrey @fletcherprince @hey_love @kristiewells @mobilediner @jillfoster @stephmurillo @carlynkelley @immunity @thinklynsen @sliqviq @xiobhan @kathymbaird @taradunion @queenofblogs @pamelaspunch @janetdmiller @prjobs @dcconcierge @tdefren @melaniephung @melaniemitchell @sraak @tmn_inc @erinwest @taylortb @jtnt

I always believe in paying it forward. That said, I’ve helped pass on strong job leads to four of my friends in the past few days by sending great job opportunities that I was not able to take and motivating my own networks to help others. I think it’s especially important in these times to help each other, and that is evident in the huge number of blogs, Twitter feeds and newspaper articles on everything from how to interview to where to find a job. This recession has been tough on everyone from business owners to employees. The more we can stick together and help one another, the better off we’ll be.

As a final note, I’d like to share some links that I found were helpful and/or interesting.

• Jobs Lists and Resources from Mashable
• HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter
• 30+ Websites to Visit When You’re Laid Off
• CAREER TOOLBOX: 100+ Places to Find Jobs
• Daily Kos: How to get a job: what’s missing from resumes I’m reviewing Update X2
• Your Resumé is Causing Hiring Companies To Laugh At You (Revised) | Technosailor.com
• The Interview That’ll Bag a Job - WSJ.com
• Career Hub: 10 Ways To Avoid Sabotaging Your Job Search By Being Desperate
• How to Tweet Your Way Out of a Job « I’m Not Actually a Geek
• Write an Attention-Grabbing Cover Letter

Blogs:
• Survival Mode (from @csalomonlee who has since secured a job)
• Laid Off And Looking - WSJ 
• How I Got My Job | Job-hunting success stories podcast

More social media focused from Jeremiah Owyang:
• Also see my Web Strategy Jobs powered by Job o Matic
• See my community manager group in Facebook
• Check out Jake McKee’s community portal for jobs
• See Chris Heuer’s Social Media Jobs
• SimplyHired aggregates job listings, as does Indeed

The U.S. (finally) declared that we were in a recession. For many people who have lost their homes, their jobs, and their livelihood - that declaration has come months too late.

I’ve come to learn a few things over the past weeks, now that I fall into the “unemployed” category.

Work harder and work smarter. People may think that when you’re unemployed, you’re lounging around collecting unemployment checks and watching Oprah. While that may be true for some people, I’ve found I’m working harder than ever. I’m currently doing some public relations and social media consulting as well as some freelance journalism (check me out on The Scene - Bisnow). I’m grateful for that work, and am glad it is helping me stay current in my profession.

Don’t sit back and wait. Take the opportunity to be aggressive. Usually when you search for a job, you’re still employed, so you can take your time, and let potential employers take theirs. This time, let potential employers know that you’re ready and willing to start work, and excited about working for them.

Be patient. Seems like a contradiction to above, but remember that potential employers are working on their own timetable. It feels like progress ebbs and flows, so go with it. Try to keep busy with other things (consult, freelance, get a part-time retail job, start a blog, etc.) that will keep you busy, but still provide you enough time to keep up the search. While finding a job may be your first priority, remember that hiring you is not necessarily theirs.

Network. I’ve always been a good networker, and this is the best time to turn up the heat. Take the time to go to events that you usually wouldn’t attend or have time for when you were employed. You never know who you might meet, or find someone who knows someone else. Think about people you have met at events within the past year, and reach out to them if appropriate.

Cast the net wide. Don’t discount a job that may not be exactly what you’re looking for, or fit your particular skillset. I always like to take on jobs that are challenging and where I can learn a lot which will continue to help my career path grow. You never know where you might end up. Who knew I would end up in technology PR? Or doing social media consulting?

Put your best foot forward. Even if you are feeling desperate on the inside, make sure to remain professional and show off your skills in a way that is helpful to potential employers. Take the time to think about what you really want to get out of your next job, and what you have to offer. Don’t settle if you can help it, try to find something that will be a great fit and a good career move.

Any other tips and tricks out there?

Most of the really successful blogs I know are good because they focus on one thing. Whether it be Engadget, Perez Hilton, or Smashing Magazine, each of these top blogs cover a specific topic.

While those blogs may be required to stick to a topic, the idea makes me think about the goals and missions of this blog. Would I be more successful writing only about restaurant reviews and cooking? Or just about fashion and beauty (though, maybe I’ll leave that to my friend at Sprinting in Stilettos)? What if I focused only on social media and marketing, one voice among many friends?

Part of what makes me unique as a person, is that I have multiple tastes and different ideas about things. Arbitrary rules that don’t make sense. Sure, everyone does, but I’m so weirdly consistent in my inconsistencies that it makes more sense for my blog to be a bit all over the place. Take food for example…

Examples of my food quirks:

• I won’t eat raw tomatoes in slices, wedges, diced or whole (like cherry tomatoes). I will eat them diced in salsa, as ketchup, soup, or as flavoring in a larger dish.
• I’m allergic to all nuts but peanuts and almonds. That said, I’ll eat peanut butter, raw peanuts, and almond flavored foods. I won’t eat plain raw almonds, unless they are smoked.
• I don’t eat fish dishes or other things that taste of the sea. But, I will eat fried fish (fishsticks, fried cod, calamari, clam strips), salmon loaf, smoked salmon flavored cream cheese, and the occasional crab cake (with lots of filler).

If you think about what social media professionals evangelize, it all comes down to authenticity and transparency. Usually this relates to a company offering a personal voice to the corporate blog, or making sure to be genuine and accountable for their actions on and offline. Whether this means being open and honest when a crisis happens, or providing great customer service, success for these companies usually comes with a personal touch.

I think this can translate to a personal blog as well. It wouldn’t be true to myself, or my "personal brand" if I focused on just one topic. My thoughts, interests, and ideas are all over the place. It’s hard for me to identify a niche audience I want to cater to, when I read and enjoy so many other types of blogs out there (just look at my blogroll). I don’t want to write for just one type of audience, I want to draw in people like me, with many different interests. And, most of all, I want to blog for myself. Which is just about as authentic a thing as I can think of to do.

What Drives Me:

• A desire to make other people happy
• A desire to make myself happy
• Loving others and being loved
• Anything food-related, especially cooking
• Vacations
• Sunlight - I’m solar powered!

What Energizes Me:

• Seeing other people succeed
• Issues: Equal opportunities for men and women
• Issues: Civil rights - even more equality
• Seeing true compassion
• Passionate people who love what they do
• Learning something new and really understanding it

My Specialties:

• Planning
• Organization
• Gift giving
• Remembering personal details (family trees, family activities, etc.)
• Cooking, especially baking
• Photography

My Proudest Professional Achievement:

• Getting that big media/blog hit
• Knowing that my clients value me and my work
• Being able to teach others what I have learned

When My Career Began:

• The economy was good
• Swift boat veterans were a hot topic
• I blew through paychecks like candy (on fun things rather than on bills, thanks to living at home for a year)

Weird or Interesting Facts About Me:

• I was born in Taiwan, I’m adopted
• I love food, yet I’m a very weird and picky eater
• I’m allergic to nuts except peanuts and almonds
• I get hives in the cold
• I look at floorplans (condos, townhomes, single family homes) online for fun
• I sing for a local choral group
• Newspaper ink makes me sneeze

Monday night I was driving home and hit a raccoon on 66. There was no way I could have stopped, the moment I saw its furry stripes in my headlights, I was already hitting it. I freaked out, I have never so much as hit a squirrel in my life. I’m lucky it wasn’t a deer (or, a person), but I was still upset. After a bit of crying, I was ready to put it behind me.

Then I woke up and took a look at my front bumper. The front end is cracked and falling off, and there is a piece sticking out from under the bottom of my car. I took it to a body shop and they said that it looks like the air conditioning (something or other) is dented too. Could be anywhere from $1,200-$1,500 to repair.

Luckily, I have great insurance through USAA, so everything is covered (even my rental car should I need one) minus a small (relatively) deductible.

So, now when I’m driving late at night on the highway, I’m extra cautious. There have been a ton of deer on the road lately, and I’m really skittish of hitting something, anything. Even a leaf blowing across the road causes me to take another look. Which, can be a good thing and a bad thing. Hopefully my car won’t take long to fix, and I’ll eventually get over the fear of hitting something. I can’t always be afraid of things that go bump in the night.