Why is DJ Waldow’s Project So Awesome?

If anyone is looking on how to score a great new job, DJ Waldow ‘s Project Awesome is one innovative way to do just that.  He is the self-proclaimed Social Butterfly Guy, and he has a blog that focuses on people, his insights in marketing, podcasts and interviews. His project was really awesome and his story is inspiring, providing hope to those searching for a new job.  Project Awesome was a social media experiment started in July 2011, when DJ, at 35 years old, lost his job as a Director of Community at Blue Sky Factory due to a merger (haven’t we all been there).  His next steps were intended as he put it, to “leverage my social networks and specifically the relationships and trust I’ve build over the past decade”. Ten days later, he did this by asking eight of his friends and well-respected leaders in digital marketing, to film a 30 second clip on why employers should “Hire DJ”. He posted the video on his blog, as well as YouTube, and had links to his blog on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  He posted an interactive resume via Slide Share and also one which he voiced-over, on his blog and on LinkedIn.  Within his resume, there were links to his Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter page. He was very clear about exactly what he wanted to do; be involved in all things digital, interactive and marketing, with a preference for a VP/Director level role in digital marketing.

His experiment worked, in that within the first 2 weeks, his interactive resume was viewed 6500 times, the “Hire DJ” films was watched over 700 times, his blog post had over 5000 visits, and there were over 7000 tweets about @djwaldow mentioning #ProjectAwesome. This is not to mention the 44 phone calls/interviews and 7 in-person interviews all within the first 2 weeks! As a result of Project Awesome, he launched his own company, Waldow Social, to help clients launch successful email marketing campaigns. He then became the Digital Marketing Evangelist at Marketo.  In 2014, he left the corporate world to launch “Living Your Passion” on his blog, where he interviews people in his podcast who are passionate about what they do. He is now turning this podcast into a book in 90 days, and blogging on this process.  In February 2015 he launched another campaign to find his next job, “Why You Should Hire Me”, similar to the Project Awesome. Once again, he quickly was able to start his next role as Director of Marketing at Zignal Labs in March.

His story is so inspiring. I especially connected with his post when he says that he doesn’t regret any of his choices after he had left his corporate job at Marketo.  He talks about what he learned in his 8 months working from home. He learned that he needs to be around people, that it’s ok to pursue your passion…on the side, that everything sucks sometimes, and that there is no such thing as “one way” or “the right” way to navigate through one’s career.

I myself have had multiple jobs in the last 7 years since I graduated from pharmacy school. Some worked out for me, and some did not. I have worked in adult hospitals, pediatric hospitals, cancer clinics, from home, and in the pharmaceutical industry. Many people have criticized me for having different jobs, and trying things which didn’t work out. I didn’t take the conventional route for a pharmacist. But, like DJ, I have learned that there is not one way to go through this journey. I have also found that I too need to feel like I am making a difference in this world, and that everything sucks sometimes, no matter what it is. Yes, I also believe that every step of this journey has taught me something, and that everything happens for a reason. Every connection I have made and everything I have learned will be important one day. Whether it saves the life of a patient I am privileged to care for, or the connection presents me with a future opportunity, the journey is the destination. No job is certain, it can be gone tomorrow. Our social network and experiences are what we carry with us, and like DJ’s Project Awesome shows us, social media is only a tool to nurture and leverage these connections.

See DJ’s blog posts: http://socialbutterflyguy.com/hire_dj/