How Alec Stood Out For Success

That’s a common grown-up fantasy, right? I want my current 59 year old mind packed in my former 21 year old body.

Stef is out in California getting her life started. She’s worked a little, but is looking to work steadily. It’s a difficult process. Helaine and I are trying to be as supportive and helpful as is possible.

Success in a career is the exception not the rule. That means you need to be different and stand out to get ahead. That’s a tough thing to do and probably easier for me to see at my age than she at hers.

In many ways I’m jealous because she’s got her whole life in front of her. There are so many choices still to make. It would be fun to start over, but only if I could go in with my forty plus years of work experience.

That’s a common grown-up fantasy, right? I want my current 59 year old mind packed in my former 21 year old body.

What brings this up is an amazing ploy by a young guy named Alec Brownstein. Alec wanted to work in advertising for one of the top creative directors in New York. To that end he decided he’d advertise himself.

OK, it’s a little more complex.

Alec bought online ads using Google’s AdWords. Those are the little text advertisements you see on Google, or Gmail or even on this blog (they’re over there on the right).

He targeted his campaign by buying ads that showed up when the names he wanted to impress were being searched. When any of these creative directors googled their own name they saw a text ad saying, “Googling yourself is a lot of fun. Hiring me is fun, too.”

In the end Alec got four interviews and two job offers. He’s now working at Y&R in New York City. Not too shabby in this horrendous economy.

Alec made himself stand out from the crowd. He showed he was different in a creative way. Total cost: $6!