Update

It's been a bit of a ride this past couple of months. I was fired from my job doing recruiting, went on unemployment, had a hearing, and the hearing was found in my favor. My old boss still didn't get me my stuff back, and I found the original hearing decision suddenly challenged by my old boss who tried to claim I was guilty of 'Wilful Misconduct'. We went before a much more formal appeals adjudicator, got sworn in, gave testimony, questioned each other, etc. A week or so later, the adjudicator communicated her findings to us both in writing... intial decision upheld. I'm not guilty of wilful misconduct, I'm still entitled to my unemployment benefits. And on we go.

Now, it's 3:45 on a Friday afternoon. I'm waiting for more work to come in because I cleared the hopper ahead of time. I'm back freelancing again for one of the industry giants. I'm not going to say where, because my psycho ex-boss seems to not be able to get beyond our differences and has actually threatened to attack my reputation and livelihood in the last email she sent to me. So I'm keeping a low profile when it comes to -her-. She fired me, fine... it was a bad fit for a job anyway. But she tried to make it into some kind of weird extended breakup. She still hasn't returned any of my stuff. I'm writing it off as a loss, and good riddance, frankly.

So anyway, I'm here at this agency, got done with the work, got invited back for next week with possibilities of renewal beyond. Great news! Awesome!

The unique work world of advertising

It's hard to understand what you have until it's lost. I formed my first profession in the world of Connecticut Advertising, and I was blind to some of the better perks that come with working in the industry. For example, I've just been treated to a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and some cheese, served to the whole agency as a regular Friday treat.

In another example, my resume impressed the department head, and my performance yesterday assured them that my experiences were bona fide. I'm left pretty much to my own work ethic and devices to plan and execute my day. I get told the deadlines and what the agency needs, and then they leave me to provide it. We don't dally because the work tends to pile up if you do, but we aren't tied to punching a clock. I'm treated like an adult whose professional experience is sufficient to make my own decisions regarding my workday flow. So long as I deliver on time and on target, I'm left to manage myself.

Not so in the rest of the world, where appearances matter more than reality, and everyone is treated like interchangeable cogs in a machine. I guess that's because of the Art aspect to advertising. Artists don't respond well to timetables and schedules and micromanagement as a rule, and two equally competent artists are NOT equivalent, because each has their own style. Management quickly learns just how fast commercial artists will jump ship if they aren't treated respectfully, and the non-artists tend to enjoy the same level of pampering (at least in the corporate sense of things) that the rest do, too.

Casual dress every day. Emphasis on the deadline, not the kickoff meeting. Some flexibility for arrival times due to traffic and the fact that mornings are not normally 'productive' time for agencies. Yet everyone stays until their jobs get out the door or done for the night. No exceptions. If a rush job drops in your lap at 4:55pm, and it's going to take you 3 hours to do it and it HAS to get done, then you will be at work that night until 8pm or you get the job done.

It's a dedication to the job team, not to the job. There's a difference, and it's subtle, but it's an important one for me. I guess I should have gone out for team sports more in high school.

So... no more recruiting. Back to the bullpen for now as a graphic design freelancer. For as long as it lasts. There's more plans in the works, but I'm not divulging yet.