Total Hockey Website

Hurray! I got a job that is perfect for me. I am the new Web Operations Manager for Total Hockey. I will be starting the second week of August.

It took some time, and some missteps, but in the end being patient and looking for the best fit has paid off.

Thanks to all my friends, tweeps and FB peeps who have cheered me on and lent a hand. I will be working out out of the Saint Peters store so drop by and say hi. You can get your skates sharpened while you’re at it.

Posing with a real live Clydesdale

To save money while I was looking for a new job I started watching both kids full time instead of sending them to day care. Besides saving about $1400 per month, I had a great time with the kids.

I tried to take them some place fun each morning. I got a parking pass to Grant’s Farm and the Zoo and we went to each location at least once a week. We would usually only stay for a couple of hours and head back home for lunch and nap time. Besides being free, both of these place are fantastic for kids.

The Zoo is cool because there is so much to see and do. If you get there when they open you can park close on the street for free. Once inside, most of the paid exhibits are free the first hour. There is so much to see that we did not see the whole zoo until our 4th visit.

Grant’s farm is a smaller location and it is easy to see the whole park, a show and take your time doing it in 2 hours. The tram ride into the park is my favorite. You get to see plenty of animals up close. Ivan would point and say “Ooh” whenever one was close to the tram. We usually caught the elephant show first thing, walked around a bit and headed to the beer garden for a kids snack and free beer samples.

Fun at Chuck E. Cheese

Believe it or not, I kind of like Chuck E. Cheese’s. It’s not too bad if you go early in the morning and if you sign up for emails you can get some good deals on tokens. They keep it clean and have some nice games and rides for the little ones. We only went there a couple of times because it costs more, but it was a fun time.

If the afternoons we would usually hit a park and/or do some shopping at Target or Aldi’s. Aldi’s is the store I love to hate. They are cheap and have great deals. It makes it hard to pay full price at the regular grocery store after shopping here. On the other hand, I’m not a big fan of the cardboard boxes and bagging your own groceries.

Thankfully I got a job with Total Hockey, but I really enjoyed spending so much time with the kids. It was fun while it lasted.

Total Hockey

Just had a great interview with Total Hockey for their Web Operations Manager position. They are a local Saint Louis company that has been expanding both its retail locations and web presence. The people I spoke with were great, down to earth guys.

So this would be a job doing marketing on the web for a hockey company. Sounds like a great fit to me.  I should hear back in a couple of weeks.

No project too small

Did you know you can still win prizes if you find me a project? Oh yes, it does not have to be a full blown career, it can just be some consulting or a speech. I am now offering people help with their social media marketing.

Do you know anyone who needs help with Twitter, Facebook or email marketing? I can get them started for just $99, with a money back satisfaction guarantee. What a deal! Thanks for thinking about me

When all else fails, post a funny cat pic

I feel like I need to post a witty and fun message about what I am doing to find a job today. The problem is it is the same old same old. I have been working on the new MichaelDaehn.com website and applying for jobs on the job boards. That’s about it.

Wish me luck and remember if you find me a job- u can haz prizes!

His photo is not as geeky as mine

Eric emailed me when he saw my campaign. No he didn’t copy me, but great minds think alike, right? If you know anyone at Microsoft please give Eric a shout.

No, it's really about you.

I violated one of my guiding principles of marketing when creating this site- it’s about you, not about me.

I realized when reading the job section that it is kind of self serving. It shouldn’t be about what kind of job I want, it should be about what I can offer my new employer.

With this in mind I have revamped my description of the job I am looking for. Besides being listed below, it permantly resides under tab that says The Job above.

I am looking for  a job in these areas:

Marketing
I have a strong background in traditional marketing. I have written marketing plans for several companies and organizations. I have also written marketing books and taught marketing as a university professor. I bring a balanced and comprehensive approach to marketing for my employer rather than just following the latest fad.

Social Media
I love this stuff. We are living in cool times when we can connect and communicate on a global scale. Social media tools have turned marketing on it’s ear. The model is no longer push, but pull. Conversation has replaced broadcasting. I can help you navigate the flood of social media widgets and doo dads and focus on what makes sense for your business.

Education
OK, here’s my secret: I am a teacher at heart. I love to learn, and I love to explain how things work to others. If you hire me I will want to share my knowledge and empower others to reach their goals.

Training
I consider this teaching, but to professionals. Corporations have different objectives than college kids, but how people learn is constant. My training focuses on teaching what’s practical, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun in the process.

Public Speaking
Most people fear speaking in public or to groups. I enjoy it. I’d love to share my knowledge with your group or represent your business to the public.

Email Marketing
Not as sexy as social media or other buzz marketing tactics, but it is one the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. I have experience optimizing campaigns and managing lists with 500K people. I can help you make your email better.

Website User Experience/Design
Driving traffic to your site is just the beginning. What are your visitors doing when they get there? I can help you design a site that provides the best user experience and leads to more sales (or sign-ups or whatever you want).

Types of Jobs

Marketing

Web Strategy

Training

Consulting

Professor

School Administrator

Chippendale Dancer

Dream Job

Marketing for the St. Louis Blues
Marketing for the team I love would be awesome…awesome!

Skill Set

Marketing

Teaching/training

Public speaking

Blogging

Social networking

New media

Strategic planning

Leadership and management training

SEO (search engine optimization)

Writing

Email Marketing

User Experience

Nanchuku

Other people looking for jobs

I’ve had a few other folks looking for jobs reach out to me for help/advice. I don’t know that I am one to give advice, but I’m happy to share my site.

Take a look at the Help Others tab. No entries yet, but a few people are working on their posts so check back to see if you can help. Or send my your info if you need a job too.

If you are looking for a job send me a description of what you are looking for and a link to your website/resume/twitter account or whatever and I will post it.

While it can’t hurt to post your job here, what I recommend is that you do something related to the job you are seeking. I want a job in marketing/social media so I made this site and launched this campaign. What can you do to show you have the skills to be great at your next job? Great- go do it!

I'm sayin' there's a chance.

I know it seems too good to be true, but you can still get me a job and win prizes. Here are some questions you may be asking:

I Thought You Got a Job?
For those of you following along, I did get a job for the month of May. The problem is I was a square peg in a round hole. The people and my boss were really cool, but it was not a good fit so I decided to head back into the job market.

Are You Crazy?
Probably, a little. I know I am taking a big risk, but I felt like I needed to be honest with my recent employer and left on good terms. I’ll let you know when my wife let’s me sleep inside the house again.

Why Should I Care?
Well I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. But if you do you can still win prizes!

I forgot, what kind of job are you looking for?
The previous description was a little vague, so I updated the job description to better explain what I offer a potential employer. I’m also looking for short term projects to tide me over in the meantime.

Video Update.

Get Mike a Job feature story on Why? Media

I was featured on Scott Weimer’s Why? Media blog last week. Scott was kind enough to share my story and feature screen shots of the various media I have been using to get the word out. He asks the question “What Else Does A Guy Have To Do To Get A JOB?”

What indeed Scott, what indeed.

Check out Scott’s blog here. Video.