If you have even taken the slightest peek and my blog or my tag cloud, you know there are a couple subjects that get me going. One is just how social networks – and my particular addition, Twitter – are transforming the way we do everything from making friends to getting the news to sharing our views on politics. Another is the need for moms to have more legit opportunities to telecommute. Well, one of my fellow moms on Twitter and my
Type-A Mom beauty and fashion editor,
Jessica Smith, just landed her dream work-at-home job. She didn’t get the Sunday classifieds (who does anymore?). But she also didn’t use some of the more modern methods, such as a job portal site like Monster.com or the uber-popular Craigslist. She used a much more Job Hunting 2.0 method. She posted on Twitter. I Google chat interviewed Jessica about her story.
It started in a pretty simple way. Jessica, aka @JessicaKnows, posted this tweet:
looking for next new opportunity. Anyone need a marketer/biz dev?
She really didn’t expect it to lead to much, but she actually heard from a handful of Twitter members with potential opportunities. The one that sparked the most interest came from Max Ciccotosto, CEO of Wishpot, using the Twitter name @wishpot:
Hi Jessica! We’d love for you to help us at Wishpot! We have some new things coming for moms\babies and looking for bizdev\marketing help.
Simple as that. It didn’t happen like magic. She still went through all of the normal steps: sent in her resume, did interviews (by phone, since she’s on the East Coast, Wishpot is on the West). And then she got the job. With the coolest job title ever (for a mom anyway). Jessica is now the Chief Mom Officer for Wishpot, a social network for shoppers.
As her first task, she assisted Wishpot in the launch of
Wishpot Baby, and she recruited several Baby Experts (hey,
I’m one!) for the launch. Many of the faces are ones I recognize from Twitter and other social networks.
There are a couple reasons why this story is so interesting. The first is the way she found the job. Her new boss said he didn’t even consider using traditional methods to find the company’s new Chief Mom Officer.
We don’t think a traditional mode would work for these type of positions. We did not want a traditional “I have done marketing.” We were watching the conversations to see if there was something interesting that we saw. We of course ended up getting the best possible hire we could have ever hoped for!
He also thinks the Chief Mom Officer position is a valuable one, and many companies should consider it (and I have to agree, especially since that mom demo is so desired right now and marketers are struggling with outreach).
I think that it’s invaluable to have a great passionate insider in the markets that are being targeted. If a company is targeting moms than I’d definitely recommend getting their own Chief Mom Officer …
The best part is that Jessica has flexibility in her schedule, making the job remote, enjoyable, and family-friendly. Max said the telecommuting component is a no-brainer. I would have to agree (and you would see how much I rant on this subject at my Mother’s Day Wish post). As Max put it so nicely:
In terms of logistics we were never concerned. Nowadays is just to easy to work remotely. The tools are there, the flexibility is there. It’s just matter of both being committed to make it work.
Jessica really said it all when she said this of her new position:
I really hope this helps to get other Moms hired as CMOs
Me too. Or helps companies get it (both for getting actual moms to reach moms, and for letting people work from home). Or helps other moms find their dream jobs, be that at home or in an office.
I am a writer/blogger, SEO diva, foodie, social network maven/creator, travel junkie and former investigative newspaper reporter turned new media mom. I was named one of the 50 Most Influential and Powerful Women in Social Media. Find out more about me, about what people say about my work, or hire me for SEO, content, blog or social campaign services.
A truly inspirational story and one I hope will open doors for others, including myself. It’s about time businesses learn how connected the mom “community” really is the power behind this network. Congrats Jessica!
Ridiculously cool. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a Wishpot Mom Expert too!
Jessica (aka @kikarose)s last blog post..What? You want to know what I look like too?
THANK YOU for posting this! What an inspiring thing to read as a mom who has long dreamed of writing for a living, has been a SAHM for the past year and has made some good strides toward her goal — but hasn’t quite reached it. I guess I’ll have to start working Twitter a little bit more.
Thanks again!
Amy
Amy G. (Super Woman)s last blog post..Problem: Skin
Love this and have loved watching Jessica’s journey from that first tweet (to which I responded, “wish I could help you!). I’m so lucky to be able to work from home and to have found a company willing to work WITH me on my schedule and availability. That’s not something that has been easy to find elsewhere, that’s for sure. I love that you spotlighted Jessica here, thank you! Maybe this will open the world of telecommuting to more moms (and non-moms, too).
I have recently started to do the Job Hunt 2.0. Nothing so far except a tweet from the CEO of the company I would LOVE to work for, telling me to forward my resume to his HR rep. Did it, she has ignored me.
I need a virtual job, so I can move to Vegas and be able to travel to Salt Lake when needed to help my Mom with my Dad (he has Parkinson’s). Plus my two kids need me too, but I need a pay check. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
Bunnies last blog post..Fluffy Update
Obscenely COOL! I hope this shows the future of social media and the power it wields. GO Jessica!!!
Thanks for sharing my story Kelby! It is my hope that more moms will have this opportunity to add value and truly have the best of both worlds in the near future!
Let’s make it happen!
http://www.ChiefMomOfficer.org
[...] of jobs and learning and new stuff, you HAVE to check out Jessica’s story of getting her dream job through Twitter (as told to Kelby Carr). Welcome to my world, Jessica [...]
Is it wrong to be absolutely green with envy? Cause I am.
Still absolutely awesome for Jessica and hopefully a new trend for the rest of us moms looking for some at-home work!
Summers last blog post..I Love Library Sales
Rock on! That is super awesome.
Casual Friday Everydays last blog post..This is the man I love
Awesome on so many different levels .. the new way to job hunt to the new way to market. Relationships do open doors. Thanks for the post.
Tobys last blog post..Social Media Group and Livingston Communications .. Doing The Two Step Together
[...] Carr writes a fantastic post about how social networks are changing the way women do just about everything-from making friends to sharing news as well as finding jobs…….. “Well, one of my [...]
Great job.
I’d love a remote CMO job too! I know one who sweats a lot.
FitMoms last blog post..Building muscle is better than losing weight
Thanks for the information about a successful mother, who used a modern day tool to benefit her family and her future. It is always nice to hear of others success, as opposed to the media concentrating on so much negativity.
Sadly, I’m not sure I get Twitter…. I’m leaning towards the idea it’s more of a internet fad then a longterm transition in how we facilitate ourselves online.
livs last blog post..Guinness Beer Cake…. No Really….
This is SO inspiring! Very cool. Guess I’ll be using Twitter more too!
Lisas last blog post..Small Business: Getting Referrals And Rewarding Referrers
I so LOVE that title – Chief Mom Officer!!! And I love Twitter – it helped me find my first client this past week!
Laurie/HaloSecretarials last blog post..Lawyers and Social Networking (Do You Have Time?)
[...] with Wishpot, a job she found via Twitter. It’s an amazing story you can read ALL about here. Anyhoo, Jessica, in all her Momma Marketing Wisdom, has been selected by WalMart to take part in [...]
That is Great! Wishing Jessica well in her new position. I never even thought of looking for a job on Twitter! I’m hoping to find a telecommuting job soon.
Thanks
Stephanie Elie (aka BizzieMommy.com)
[...] If you can get past the offensiveness of the ad (I know, it’s hard), there is a larger issue here. Companies are marketing to moms without any clue what moms think. This, to me, is just further evidence that all companies and marketers who want to reach moms need to hire a Chief Mom Officer like Jessica Smith. [...]
[...] Dell making $1 million and a great list of stories everywhere on the web on how twitter helped in job hunting, which provoked the thought how we could apply these Twitter success stories to medical [...]
[...] connected with plenty of people in your desired field, you may be surprised what happens when you post about your job hunt on [...]