Why you should hire @mollybuckley

If this is the career confessional, then it’s been four months since my last job.

That’s right. I left a steady job, with a steady salary, a great benefits package, and a 401(k). [I didn’t even know what a 401(K) was until about a year into the workforce… they don’t teach you that stuff in college]. I packed up my things into a rented U-Haul truck, I left Richmond, VA, drove two and half hours, and unpacked my things to start a new life in Carrboro, North Carolina.

Why? Why would I do these things in the middle of one of our country’s worst recessions in a generation? Because I’m passionate. I’m passionate about what I do.

I came to a point where I needed to do what I love: perform, write, and go out on my own. [Now, everyone knows that I love writing and I love comedy. But this is not what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to talk about social media].

Sure, everyone and their great-aunt uses social media these days. Everyone seems to be calling themselves an “expert,” a “guru,” a “ninja.” But I am going to tell you that I am none of those things. I am not an expert, guru, or ninja. I am someone who is passionate about social media and what it can do for individuals, small & large businesses, non-profits, and the public at large.

So many people that I meet and work with ask me: “What is your social media philosophy?” At this point, that is a heavy loaded question, and many people will disagree with each other as to a particular definition or the type of weight that it carries. To me, personally, social media is:

• A means of building a community around a common idea or goal for the purpose of connecting, engaging, supporting, marketing, and branding.
• It’s taking traditional media, and upgrading it.
• It’s turning marketing, into engaging.
• It’s supporting competitors, and connecting with others.
• It’s having a positive attitude towards your purpose, your goal, your business, your competitors, and your clients.
• It’s always accepting the opportunities that are in front of you and building upon them in a new and interesting way.

Okay, so that’s my opinion. But what do I know? Well, I started early. I blogged when blogging wasn’t cool. I saw the gradual (and suddenly overnight) transformation of these social networks from just connecting with long-lost friends and family to utilizing these tools for business and working towards a goal. I also realized that these tools are changing every single day and that there is no way that I could possibly know it all. So I’ve begun to learn, absorb, practice, and implement these tools. And I love it. Sitting down with people one-on-one and talking about social media gets me excited about work and the possibilities that lie ahead.

So why should you hire me? Because I’m smart, I’m funny, I’m enthusiastic, but most of all, I’m passionate. If you aren’t passionate about what you’re doing, then you are ultimately failing yourself and those whom you are working for. I love social media. I love it. [In fact, I might even be obsessed].

Because I like to make lists, here are my bullet points and highlights:

• I’m new to the area
• I don’t have a full-time job yet – I want a full-time job
• I’m networking like crazy
• I’ve met some incredible people along the way
• I’m building – I’m learning – I’m growing
• I know what I don’t know
• I work hard – all the time
• I’m awesome

And that’s why you should hire me.

So let’s meet.

You can contact me for an interview through the blog, by email, or Twitter.