Helping Others

"We are here on Earth to help others.  What the others are here for I have no idea."   W. H. Auden

When I have the opportunity, I make time for students who are interested in pursuing my particular line of work.  I do the same with colleagues who are in-between jobs or looking for new marketing adventures.  When I talk with students and job seekers, I talk with them about their dreams, reveal some of the practical realities of the marketing world as I understand it, share what knowledge I might have in their hoped for specialty, and encourage their pursuits.

I also always get much more out of the conversation than they do.  Here are some of the reasons why:

• Enthusiasm is contagious.  Those of you who have been kicking around in your chosen field for 25+ years, as I have, understand how valuable a shot of enthusiasm can be to how you approach your day.  I am inspired by the excitement that many of the young people I talk with have at the prospect of actually working in marketing and communications.  The same is true for someone who is working hard to find an opportunity in the field.  There is often some ideal or dream that is driving them to seek this line of work.  I find that rejuvenating and renewing.
• I usually learn more from the conversation than the person I am talking with does.  If I am talking with someone who has recently been in college, I learn what issues are being emphasized in academia, what ideas are sparking the imagination of those coming into the marketplace, and which of my dusty, stodgy marketing concepts still have resonance in the emerging marketing landscape.
• When I talk with colleagues who are involved in a job search, I get a sense of what is happening in the marketing worlds of other industries.  How are they adapting to the pressures of social media?  What are they doing with marketing budgets, and staffs?  How has the influence and importance of marketing changed in those industries over the last few years.  While certainly I can get some sense of all of this by reading the literature, there is a nuance and a truth from personal experiences that don't often make it into formal interviews and articles.
• Mentoring someone who is on a job search, whether it is for their first job or their last, is the most elemental form of networking.  Like Blanche DuBois, when I have been looking for a job I have relied on the kindness of strangers.  I think it is only fair then to be receptive when someone finds their way to my doorstep looking for similar kindness.  
• Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is an element of paying it forward in mentorship.  I have received career help from others, at the start and during mid-course corrections. As I tell those who I try to help, the best way to repay those kindnesses is to provide them yourself when the opportunity presents itself.  It feels right; it feels good; and its pretty good karma!  

As Auden states in the quote at the top of this page, we are here to help others.  I encourage you to be a mentor whenever you can.  Don't be one of the others!