AMA Pittsburgh Names This Years' Distinguished Educator

Dr. Dawn Edmiston, assistant professor of marketing in the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government at Saint Vincent College, has been named the 2010 American Marketing Association (AMA) of Pittsburgh Distinguished Educator.

Nominated by AMA Pittsburgh member Zac Parkhill, an associate at KPMG and former student, commented, “Dr. Edmiston’s unmatched dedication to students, passion for marketing, and energetic personality combine to create a learning environment that challenges students to expand their horizons and follow their dreams. I know that I am not alone when I say that Dr. Edmiston's tireless efforts transformed my college experience and professional career."

Read more about Distinguished Educator, Dr. Edmiston of Saint Vincent College.

Registration is now open for The Fourth Annual Marketer of the Year Awards. Join us on Dec. 9th, 2010 at the LeMont Restaurant for Pittsburgh's premiere results-based marketing competition. Learn more about the AMA Pittsburgh's Marketer of the Year Celebration.

Shoppers eyeing companies' causes, not just their products

Whether they're shopping for groceries, fashions or a financial institution to take care of their investments, consumers these days want much more information than what their purchase will cost or how much service they can expect. They need to know what the retailer or bank is doing to improve the environment and whether the company contributes to charities.

A New York marketing guru brought that message to Pittsburgh at what was billed as the First Annual Cause Branding Summit.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10294/1096813-28.stm#ixzz144ydZ2oB

Chatham University Marketing Association Excels as Collegiate Chapter of the Pittsburgh AMA

The Pittsburgh AMA Professional Chapter is extremely proud of the Chatham University Marketing Association (CMA) for capturing a total of five awards, including overall chapter excellence, team performance, and individual accomplishments, at the International Collegiate Conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana from April 8-10.

Since 2008, the CMA has been one of many affiliated collegiate chapters of the National American Marketing Association, supported locally by the Pittsburgh AMA Professional Chapter. Collegiate AMA members gain a variety of educational and networking opportunities that help support their education and move toward a professional career. The CMA has stood out through their participation and involvement with the Pittsburgh AMA Professional Chapter because of their regular attendance at AMA events and luncheons as well as their participation in monthly collegiate forums and national events such as the International Collegiate Conference.

The Collegiate Chapters Council of the American Marketing Association annually holds an International Collegiate Conference and Case Competition open to all undergraduate teams whose schools have a registered AMA Collegiate Chapter. The case competition poses a marketing challenge submitted by a sponsoring organization to provide students with the opportunity to work together on a real-life marketing issue. Sponsored this year by UNICEF’s Tap Project, the CMA case team won Third Place in the final round of the International Case Competition.

Chatham University was also honored with a variety of awards at the International Collegiate Conference regarding their overall success as a chapter. CMA’s excellence was recognized with an Outstanding Small School award and a Distinguished Collegiate Chapter award. Deborah DeLong, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing at Chatham, scored the Hugo G. Wales award for Outstanding Faculty Advisor, which is awarded to two advisors out of the 200 collegiate chapters each year. Finally, Ashley Paterra, CMA President, won Honorable Mention Student Marketer of the Year, which is awarded to 3-4 student marketers each year out of the 1300+ students that attend the annual conference.

Front row: Alex Kemerer, Debbie DeLong, Jesse Brant, Ashley Paterra
Second row: Christina Casciato, Lauren Gelli
Back row: Jordan Pro, Alex Reinhardt, Jenna Ammer

The Pittsburgh AMA Professional Chapter applauds the Chatham University Marketing Association for their enthusiasm since they go above and beyond as Collegiate AMA members. Congratulations again to the CMA for their success and continued dedication to the American Marketing Association.

A Quick Guide to Mobile Marketing

By Justin Mastrangelo

There’s no doubt the cell phone will continue to become a more important part of a marketing in 2010. Big consumer brands across the US have already had great success with their early mobile marketing efforts. If you haven’t started targeting your audience on their phone yet here are some of the key technologies, and a few things to consider about each.

Text Messaging (SMS) – This is the mostly widely used mobile technology, and not just by teenagers anymore. Only 25-30% of mobile phone subscribers in the US have a smartphone but over 80% of mobile phone users have text messaging capability, and 50% of all cell phone owners are active text messaging users. When considering a text messaging campaign keep in mind the method for gathering opt-ins. Traditional media (TV, radio, print, and outdoor) is an excellent opportunity to engage an audience on their phone while they are away from their PC. Having the audience text-in for an instant coupon or a chance to win something has generated great results by many different brands in the US. Because of texting’s very high read rate (97%) recipients will expect to see value with every message or they will opt-out quickly.

Mobile Websites – Creating a stripped-down mobile version of your website is an easy way to cater to your mobile audience. Users who attempt to visit your site on a smartphone can be automatically redirected to a mobile-friendly version. Keep the graphics to a minimum and focus on simple layout and navigation. Using less technology means compatibility with more phones. Reformatting the main site into a mobile format is a good start, but focusing on features that are especially beneficial to someone on a phone is even better. Measure the audience and the phones they’re using to access your site. If you haven’t launched an app yet this data will be invaluable for picking the right platform.

Mobile Apps - Apps can be a great way of creating an engaging experience not possible on the mobile web. If you’re going to develop an app it should be more than just another version of your mobile website. Not only are mobile apps more expensive to develop than a mobile website, they can also be more difficult to promote. The iPhone is king when it comes to apps, but it may not be tops with your audience. In the second quarter of 2009 the Blackberry Curve was the most popular selling smartphone, beating the iPhone. The iPhone makes up only 4% of all cell phones in use right now in the US. Depending on your audience you may need to develop at least two or three versions of your app just to reach a significant portion of smartphone users.

Mobile Advertising – Always introduce your current audience to your mobile website or app first, before approaching a new audience on the phone. If the reviews of your mobile campaign have been positive it only makes sense to use this as a competitive advantage. Your ads can be placed on other mobile websites or inside mobile apps. Just as you would with web advertising, start with a small budget and always target a specific audience as much as possible.

Justin Mastrangelo is President of JA Interactive, a web and mobile marketing company in the South Side of Pittsburgh. He is also one of the writers for his company’s text message marketing blog.

Social Media: Are You Plugged In?

It’s a new year…a clean slate ahead of you at work and new marketing opportunities waiting in the wings. What will 2010 have in store for you? If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to become more social media savvy, then I hope you find this article informative and useful to you in your future marketing endeavors.

Yes—You CAN!

So, maybe you’ve tested the “social media waters” in 2009 but still not sold on the whole social media idea and even if it’s something your company should attempt. Or, maybe you know the value and importance of social media, but you don’t know the right tactics to use to best fit your company. Well, now’s a better time than ever to embark on a social media campaign for your company. I write this article with the intention to inspire you to dive right in and have fun with the variety of social marketing tools available. With the numerous platforms out there, you can help your company establish a name for it, or bolster your company’s existing marketing campaign into high gear. One point I’d like to emphasize— while most social media tools are free, you may need to factor additional staff hours into your budget to get your campaign up and running.

Me, Myself and I

As the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s (PDP) e-Marketing and social media go-to gal, I’ve done my fair share of research on the various social media tools available. I also participate in countless social media webinars, many of which are free and quite informative. In less than one year, I now manage two PDP Facebook fan pages, along with a Twitter and Flickr account, and helped create a blog for Downtown’s historic Market Square. Most recently, I joined the Communications Committee within the American Marketing Association (AMA) Pittsburgh Chapter to update our Facebook fan page, blog and other marketing-related projects – I love a challenge!

Mavens, Gurus and Experts─Come Again?

Ok, so I’m not going to tout myself as some social media “guru”, simply because I’m not. However, I do consider myself an expert when it comes to writing and talking about my organization. So, now you’re armed with great material about your company and you want to spread the good word using social media—what are your next steps? Well, there’s an art to using social media correctly. I’ve assembled a short list of tips/tricks that I’ve found to be quite valuable to share with you to use throughout your social media journey:

· Information overload! If you try to learn too many social media platforms at once, you’ll go insane! Instead, take baby steps. Pick one outlet, perfect it and OWN it. Remember, you’re the voice of your organization. Try doing simple searches of your company or industry to see where your potential online audience is and what they’re talking about and start there. Once you’ve mastered the ins and outs of Facebook, give Twitter a whirl, or try your hand at blogging. It’s not how much you’re doing—it’s how effective you are at what you’re doing.

· Don’t go there! If you don’t have time to keep your blog or Facebook page updated with fresh, interesting content, worthy of comments from your readers, it’s not going to do your company any good. Readers will lose interest in your page and you’ll lose your readers loyalty to your brand/company. Just remember: why would anyone want to visit a Website with stale, uninteresting information? The same thing applies to your social media pages. If you need a quick update and don’t have a lot of time, try asking a simple question from your audience like, “What are you doing this weekend?” This keeps the content fresh and engages your fans.

· Play nice! Sure, readers want to hear what’s new with your company/product, but it’s a good rule of thumb to share others’ blog posts, etc. People will deem you a more “valuable” resource by sharing others’ ‘added’ information. It’s not always about you. And, make sure to use tact when responding to readers’ comments, especially if they have something negative to say about your company/brand. The goal is to create a lasting relationship with your readers.

· Create some buzz! A fun and highly effective element to creating a successful social media campaign is to implement various contests or trivia questions into your plan. It’s a known fact that readers thrive on interaction and love to participate in trivia games, photo hunts (think TwitPic), etc. And, when there’s an incentive offered to the winner, you’ll receive an even greater response! Think about offering a small token that promotes your brand, or award a gift certificate to a venue in your city. If you utilize Twitter, visit search.twitter.com and type #contest in the search area to see how other companies are using the contest tactic to engage their followers.

· Analyze this! Your boss is likely to ask about the progress of your company’s social media campaign and how well it’s being received. Have no fear! There are plenty of free and easy-to-use analytics tools available to track your progress, including: Insights for Facebook fan pages, Twitter Analyzer and Google Analytics for blogs. Plus, keeping track of how many followers, fans, and comments you have is also another great way to gauge your progress. If your budget allows, you might want to consider hiring a social media professional who specializes in tailoring social media campaigns to meet the needs of your organization.

· Follow the leader! There are literally hundreds of social media professionals out there with amazing blogs and helpful tips. Here’s a short list of my favorite social media experts:

o www.mashable.com; The Social Media “Bible” - @Mashable on Twitter

o www.marismith.com; Social Media Business Coach - @MariSmith on Twitter

o www.twistimage.com/blog; Mitch Joel, dubbed by Marketing Magazine as the “Rock Star of Digital Marketing” - @MitchJoel on Twitter

o www.socialmediatoday.com; World's Best Bloggers on Social Media and Web 2.0 - @socialmedia2day on Twitter

Make New Marketing Goals…But Keep the Old

While I’m a proponent of using social media to promote your business/brand, I believe your company should also continue to use the “tried and true” methods of marketing, such as print, e-mail marketing, radio/TV ads, etc. By incorporating social media, businesses both large and small have the opportunity market their brand and create additional awareness without going over their marketing budget. And, when used effectively, it’s a win-win situation for your company!

The AMA’s Connected!

Don’t forget to become a fan of the AMA Pittsburgh Chapter on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AMAPittsburgh, and be sure to subscribe to our blog at http://pghama.blogspot.com. We’ll be updating the AMA Blog and Facebook fan page in the coming weeks and we invite you to check out our pages and let us know what you think! We welcome your feedback and suggestions on how to make your online experience with us even better! Feel free to write to me with questions or comments at bfornalczyk@downtownpittsburgh.com.

Cheers to a happy, healthy and social media-inspired New Year!

Brooke M. Fornalczyk

Manager of e-Marketing & Promotions, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership
American Marketing Association Pittsburgh Chapter - Communications Team

Upcoming New Member Breakfast

AMA Pittsburgh welcomes you to join your fellow marketers and the American Marketing Association Pittsburgh Chapter Board at our Fall Orientation.

Who Should Attend:

• New Members interested in learning more about the benefits and uses of their AMA membership.
• Current Members looking to become more active in their membership
• Non-Members looking to find out what the AMA is all about.

Details
Date: November 4, 2009
Time: 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM
Location: BNY Mellon Client Service Center, 500 Ross Street, Visitor’s Center, Second Floor, Room 214

Click here for more information and to RSVP!

Trend Spotting and Setting Summit

Join the AMA Pittsburgh for the Trend Spotting and Setting Summit on October 8 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Follow the evolution of marketing trends: how trends get started, the psychology behind why people follow trends, its impact on market research and what trends are on the horizon. A complimentary edition of the book, "2011: Trendspotting for the Next Decade" by Richard Laermer, will be provided to every attendee including a book signing opportunity.

Speakers
Richard Laermer, CEO, RLM Public Relations
As CEO of RLM, Laermer's client list includes Obopay, HotChalk, FlypMedia, Reed Business CEO Tad Smith, Scitable, Epic Advertising and Yodlee. Following "2011: Trendspotting for the Next Decade", Laermer released the recessionary paperback "Punk Marketing" from HarperCollins and also co-hosted TLC's business makeover show Taking Care of Business.

Yvonne Campos, CEO, Campos Inc.
Yvonne is an active member of the Pittsburgh business community and has been recognized locally, regionally and nationally for her entrepreneurial spirit and community involvement. She has led her company to become the premier research company in this market by introducing new and innovative research techniques and unparalleled customer service.

Lindsay Zaltman, Managing Director, Olson Zaltman Associates
Lindsay is co-author of the book "Marketing Metaphoria" by the Harvard Business Press. He has been published or cited in numerous publications including The Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, Fast Company Magazine and The Journal of Business Research. He has lectured extensively at various companies and conferences around the globe.

Dee Schlotter, Brand Manager, Color, Pittsburgh Paints
Dee brings more than 6 years of color marketing experience and 12 years of paint experience to The Voice of Color program. Dee also launched the Pure Performance line of environmental paints. She continues to work closely with the Rachel Carson Homestead foundation and Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater that require environmentally-sound paints and authentic color palettes.

Event Details
What: Trend Spotting and Setting Summit
When: October 8, 2009, 7:30AM - 11:30 AM
Where: DoubleTree Hotel, Downtown Pittsburgh

Please join us for this don't-miss event! Click here for details and to register.

Big League Marketing

Join Lou DePaoli CMO of the Pittsburgh Pirates for "Big League Marketing in Challenging Times". It is the AMA Pittsburgh luncheon event for May at the Doubletree on May7th.

WHEN
Thursday, May 7, 2009 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

WHERE
DoubleTree Hotel
One Bigelow Square
Pittsburgh, PA

About Lou DePaoli
Lou DePaoli joined the Pirates as their Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer on 9/26/08. In his position, he oversees the club’s marketing, ticket sales, corporate sponsorship, and communications efforts for the Pirates.

DePaoli previously worked for the Atlanta Spirit organization, where he held the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association, Atlanta Thrashers of the National Hockey League, and Phillips Arena. In this position he was responsible for all marketing, ticket sales, corporate sponsorship sales, communications, and community development efforts for the organization.

Prior to joining the Atlanta Spirit in May of 2005, DePaoli was the National Basketball Association’s Vice President of Team Marketing and Business Development in the NBA’s Team Marketing and Business Operations department. There, Lou worked with the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association and National Basketball Development League senior management on all business initiatives, including ticket sales, sponsor sales and service, marketing, advertising and promotions. DePaoli, who started in the NBA League Office in December of 2000, worked closely with the NBA clubs to improve their business operations and to implement the industry’s best practices.

DePaoli also worked for the Florida Marlins from 1996 to 2000, serving first as the Director of Ticket Sales and then as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the club. With the Marlins, DePaoli’s duties included overseeing ticket sales, sponsorship sales, marketing and customer service. During tenure with the Marlins, the club won a World Series title in 1997. While with the Marlins, DePaoli was also the subject of the Sports Illustrated article "Fishing For Marlins Fans” written by acclaimed columnist Rick Reilly in the March 9, 1998 issue.

Prior to joining the Marlins in 1996, DePaoli was Vice President of Sales for the Worcester IceCats Hockey Club of the American Hockey League (AHL) from the inaugural 1994-95 season through the beginning of the 1996-97 season.

Graduate of the University of Massachusetts where he earned his BA in Management of Professional Sports Organizations.

Register for this event here.

Career Expo Event

The AMA Pittsburgh Job Hunting Support Group was notified about a career expo event being held next week:

Showcase Career Expo 11:00am to 3:00pm Tuesday, May 12 Mall at Robinson

ThePittsburghJobBoard.com has hundreds of Pittsburgh area jobs – at companies hiring now! Post your resume in minutes so employers can find you. On May 12th you will have the opportunity o interview with Pittsburgh’s best companies at Showcase Career Expos – http://www.thepittsburghjobboard.com/

The group meets once a month to share ideas and assist others in finding jobs. You do not have to be an AMA member to attend. This space will keep you up to date on upcoming group events.

Two Upcoming Networking Events

AMA Pittsburgh will hold its monthly happy hour for April on Thurs. 30th (Just got it in this month). This month's Happy Hour will be held at Eleven in the Strip (1150 Smallman St.) Come network with fellow marketing professionals from 5:30 -7:30PM and enjoy appetizers courtesy of AMA Pittsburgh. Cash Bar. This event is free so there is no need to register.

PRSA Pittsburgh's Speed Networking Bailout Event

Only $5 (at the door) with complimentary appetizers and cash bar. PRSA Pittsburgh wants to bail you out! Please join us for a speed networking event where we'll be taking out the step of approaching others with quick, organized sessions where you will be paired with others to network. Who knows who you'll meet and what opportunities lay ahead? Don't forget your business cards and have your "elevator speech" ready!RSVP by sending your name, organization/school and how many people will be attending by Wednesday, May 6 to Connie George at cgeorge@pittsburghzoo.org

Check the AMA Pittsburgh website for more upcoming events, including "Big League Marketing in Challenging Times" on May 7th.

AMA Pgh Job Hunt Support Group Meeting Notes April 15

AMA Pgh Job Hunt Support Group

Highlights from April 15 meeting


Here are the notes and ideas from the April 15 meeting. Thanks all for contributing.

Next meeting scheduled for May 14 8:00 am at BNY Mellon Client Service Center downtown. This will be a different format, combining our usual twice-yearly New Member Orientation with the Job group, to promote attendance and networking for both groups. You must RSVP to Mike Kaulakis by May 11 to be admitted to this event.

The national membership drive. Is now running. There is a $50 savings for new members. If you have no other reason to join, it will give you access to the 38,000+ AMA members across the country.


Suggestions/questions from the group:

Word FM Job Fair April 23 11 AM – 3 PM at Sheraton Station Square

4/22: Career Fair sponsored by KDKA-TV and Pittsburgh's CW at Heinz History Center Pittsburgh. Looking for a career or looking for workers, CBS TV Pittsburgh KDKA/WPCW is holding a career fair 4/22 10a-4pm. Companies looking to hire, contact tlivolsi@kdka.com for more info on how you can participate.

The Career Development Center has a networking event April 30. More info at:
http://www.careerdevelopmentcenter.org/

Career coaching at Lifelong Leadership was recommended:
http://www.lifelongleadership.com/

The Pgh Tech Council has a good online job bank at:
http://pghcareerconnector.com/

The new Rivers Casino has a job fair April 29: http://www.riverscasinoteam.com/

There are many opportunities for marketing volunteers to help the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. Contact me for more info or follow this link for some examples:
www.amapittsburgh.org/bva.asp

Green Marketing Summit Thursday

Don't miss the first Green Marketing Summit.  National and local speakers will be on hand this Thursday, April 9th from 8:30 to 12:30 to discuss sustainable marketing ideas and give their insight.

All the details are available on the AMA Pittsburgh website.  Register today.  There is also a special workshop in the afternoon limited to 25 participants.

AMA Job Support Group Meeting Notes

In an effort to share more of what is happening around AMA Pittsburgh, Mike Kaulakis suggested that we share meeting notes from Wednesday's Job Hunting Support Group in this space.  The Job Hunting Support Group invites those seeking a job and those that wish to help job seekers to meet once a month.  It is people helping people and it is open to all members and non members of AMA Pittsburgh.

Thanks to Mike for preparing these meeting notes:

Good turnout - 15 or so and a good mix of job-seekers and job-helpers

Next meeting is scheduled for April 15 11:00 AM at Panera Blvd. of the Allies in Oakland.

Meeting notes will be available on AMA Pittsburgh blog for access to all interested.

Suggestions/Questions from Group

• Anyone familiar with Papen?  Local weekly job group meetings North/South split.  $10 contribution.  More info at www.papen.us 
• Kiran Shetty has a lead on medical product marketing positions in eastern PA - Contact Mike if interested.
• Attended Diversity Job Fair Tues Mar. 24th - a waste (Anyone know of any job fairs that would be of interest to more experienced job seekers?)
• Attended Pink Slip Party @ Mullaney's.  Got lead on George Swanik III - Action Mode.com career development
• Leukemia Society organized party w/$10 donation.  Contact Megan.nemecal@lls.org 412-697-2863
• Pittsburgh Business Times has a free SmartReader Strategies Seminar on April 3 from 8:30-10:00 AM
• Westvac career event April 22nd (If you have more details on this event, please leave them as a comment to this post)
• Volunteer opportunities posted to AMA Pittsburgh site for board.net and Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
• TIE.org Pittsburgh Chapter has a Power Roundtable scheduled for April 8th.  Free for TIE member/$30 for others
• Innovation Works was mentioned as a source for events but none listed on site for 2009 (If anyone has more details, please let us know)
• Dave Roberts will research upcoming job fairs, etc. from his former employer (Thanks Dave!)
• Business Leads Exchange meets monthly for lunch - $15
• Vista Print is a source for free business cards

If you have any topics or comments, please feel free to submit them to the AMA Pittsburgh blog.  Don't forget the Hyde Park Happy Hour networking event is tonight.

Upcoming:

Apr 9 - Green Marketing Summit

Apr 15 - Job Hunting Support Group

Upcoming AMA Events

Next week features two free events from the American Marketing Association Pittsburgh Chapter:

Wednesday, March 25: Job Hunting Support Group

The new Job Hunting Support Group will meet at 8AM at Panera Bread in Oakland (Blvd of the Allies).  The group's mission is to help each other in difficult economic times.  All are welcome to participate and feel free to pass this invite along to others that may be interested.  RSVP to Mike Kaulakis mkaulakis@aol.com by March 24, 2009.

Thursday, March 26: Happy Hour at Hyde Park

Join us at the March AMA Pittsburgh happy hour.  Network with your peers and socialize.  5:30 - 7:30 PM.  Free appetizers, cash bar.  No reservations needed - this event is free.  Hyde Park is at 247 North Shore Drive (Next to PNC Park).  

Don't forget to mark your calendars for April 9th for the first Green Marketing Summit.  Details on the AMA Pittsburgh website.

Unsubscribe Reasons

This week's chart comes from Marketing Sherpa.  The survey details the reasons for unsubscribing from an email list.  

Join the discussion on the AMA Pittsburgh blog by submitting your topics or comments.

Obama's Winning Lessons

Join the AMA Pittsburgh for a luncheon on Thursday, March 12th.

Mar 12 Luncheon: Winning Business Lessons of the
Obama Campaign, Featuring Barry Libert, author of Barack, Inc.

Barry Libert is a business executive, author, and speaker based in Boston, Massachusetts. He has more than 25 years of executive leadership and entrepreneurial experience, and has been instrumental in advancing the awareness and use of Web 2.0 and social technologies within the business world.

You can register for this event here.

Integrating Social Media

This weeks chart comes from Marketing Sherpa. Marketers were asked how they are integrating social media with other marketing programs. Most are integrating with online programs only. Let us know how you are currently integrating social media into your marketing mix.
Join the discussion by submitting your topics or comments to the AMA Pittsburgh blog.

The Process of Finding Work

Tomorrow the AMA Pittsburgh Job Hunting Support Group will meet at 8AM at Big Dog Coffee at 2717 Sarah Street in the South Side. The event will focus on brainstorming. You are welcome to come out and share a cup of coffee and ideas on how to find a job in this economy.

Keeping with this subject, I have asked Neal Griebling of Future Design Studio to guest post in this space on the process of finding work in recessionary times.

From Neal:

It’s my experience that we, as Americans, are an impatient lot. We seek immediate satisfaction, gratification, and results. Moreover, we not only seek these things, we expect them. When our expectations are not met, we give up and walk away.

George Leonard in his wonderful book, entitled Mastery, writes with great eloquence about how certain types of individuals react to the challenges of mastering any skill. He focuses on the martial arts, but his analysis and insightful suggestions could apply to learning any skill. He counsels patience, discipline, and focusing on process.

The search for work is filled with stress and anxiety. We are impatient; we want results today, or if not today, then tomorrow. What we must realize is how little control we have over results. Will the HR specialist read our resume, will our friends seek leads on our behalf, will the interviewer recognize our skills and talents? All of these situations are not within our control.

What, then, is within our control? It’s our behavior, our action that we bring to bear upon our job search. When we focus on process rather than results, we are able to give our undivided attention to the task in hand, be it refining our resume, scheduling our networking appointments, or immersing ourselves in researching the job marketplace.

When impatience or anxiety arises, concentrate on what you can control — your process. If you are diligent about mastering your process, the results will, in time, take care of themselves.

AMA Job Support Group

The inaugural meeting of the AMA Pittsburgh Job Hunting Support Group will take place on Tuesday, March 3rd at 8AM. The event will be held at Big Dog Coffee at 2717 Sarah Street in the South Side. On-site parking is available. The event will focus on brainstorming and ideas for the new group. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Mike at mkaulakis@aol.com by Monday, March 1st.

Hope to see you there to help this new group hit the ground running.

Networking Event on Thursday

Join your marketing peers for an AMA Pittsburgh happy hour event this Thursday, February 19th. The event starts at 5:30 PM and will be held at Backstage Bar - Theater Square Downtown Pittsburgh (655 Penn Ave.). Come meet your fellow members for drinks and networking opportunities. If you are not a current member, this is an excellent opportunity to learn more about AMA Pittsburgh in an informal environment.

There is no need to register for this event and there is no cost other than what you wish to drink. See you there.