wow it’s been awhile

I don’t really have an excuse as to why I haven’t posted here in almost a month. I guess it’s because after looking at a computer screen for 8 hours and reading hunderds of emails that make my head spin, the last thing I want to do when I come home is spend more time on the computer. But after my mom asking me, “where’s the updates?” I finally gave in and here I am.

I’ve only been working at my new gig for a little over a month, but boy does it feel like 6! There is just so much to do and not enough staff to do it. My boss and I comprise the entire marketing department for 7 programs. SEVEN! As I looked around the room at the all department staff meeting on Monday afternoon, I couldn’t believe what we are trying to accomplish. Our lives sit in this huge, 30-page spreadsheet that tells us who is doing what and when. I put this together by the 8th day on the job. It’s been a long process but it is finally where it is working and eventually (with some help from an awesome colleague) we’ll be able to look at it and just see what’s due 10 days out.

I don’t say all that to complain. No this isn’t complaining I’m doing. It’s just to try and convey how outlandishly hectic my work life is at the moment. Each day I barely keep my head above water and everytime I think a weight has been lifted, 2 more are tied to my ankles. I digress…I’m not complaining, just trying to attempt to explain.

So in my short time in my new department, with new co-workers and new responsibilities I have:

- Put together an 18 month plan to update our organization’s current web site AND presented it to the head hauncho over the entire department (my boss’ boss). All in 24 hours.

- Sent my boss (well suggested it to her) to an amazingly helpful social media conference

- Reported out on behalf of my boss  at an all department staff meeting while she was away at said conference

- Researched and found a report on non-profit technology statistics that provided my boss the content for a presentation on Friday

- Survived the endless day-to-day tasks of facilitating web site updates, print material design, mailings, broadcast emails and trying to stay one step ahead of my boss

I want to end this post by writing down that I DO like what I am doing. I still don’t regret my decision to take on this new challege. It’s just I’m still transitioning. The department itself is transitioning – and continues to transition. But day-to-day I’m doing work that I want to do and that I’m proud of. That is worth all the transition in the world!

when the boss is away..

I am giving myself a bye for last week. It was the week of Christmas and although I worked through the 23rd, I didn’t have much time in the evenings between last minute shopping and getting things in order to travel. Last Wednesday, I thought I might be able to leave work a little after 1pm since the next day was a work holiday, but unfortunately it wasn’t that early. My boss and I decided it would be good to impose an arbitrary goal for a project we’ve been working on to get all of our project deadlines in one central calendar. We got a pretty good chunk of it done, but there’s still more to do. I did get a high five though for making a significant impact on the project in just 8 days of being there. Constellation for staying a bit later? I guess so!

Today was my first day back in the office and my boss is off this week. I can’t say I’m not happy about that. Not that she is a bear to have around, I actually quite like her, but it’s just less stressful to have a few days to read up on what I’m missing and get caught up on some things that were thrown at me last week.

I received a great review from a colleague on a broadcast email I did for one of our trips coming up. So, I was happy that one of the first things I did for her she didn’t hate. That’s good news. It reconfirmed that I am qualified for the job! Hur-ray!

I have to admit, it was really hard getting into work today. I’ve only been out of college for 3 years and for the last 3 years I’ve pretty much been able to take a week (or 2) off for the holidays. Last year, I think I only worked 2 days between the week of and the week after Christmas. I guess this is growing up…

The first week

So I totally dropped the ball here….This is supposed to be “first 100 days” not “blog twice a week”. I really want to make an effort here to be sure I at least get a few words in each day.

The week felt very long, but also went by in a blur. Print deadlines, broadcast emails, reworking logos and my most important order of business – working up a master project calendar. My manager’s function within the department (Marketing) is fairly new (4 months) so there is no big picture of projects, deadlines, etc in existance. So I get to create one! It’s a huge undertaking definitely and I think I am on the right track. I just need to get my master excel skills warmed up.

I don’t want to admit it but I do feel a bit overwhelmed in the AMOUNT there is to do. I know I have the skills to accomplish all of the projects in my queue, it’s just figuring out where to start. I don’t want to start rambling so I’ll just leave you with this:

Moment today I felt the dumbest: Client called at 1:30 and I was the only one in the dept to answer her question. Did not know the answer so I told her I’d find out and get back to her that afternoon. 4pm she calls back again RANTING that no one called her back. I gave her the information, but she did not let up. I wondered how she would react if she was really dealing with life vs. death and she did not get the desired result.

Moment today I felt I really knew what I was doing – My manager called me into the middle of one of her meetings to ask me to mock up some changes to a stationary header (print and electronic) for one of our programs they received back from a vendor. I took 20 mins and popped a few things into a mock up and BAM I was considered a genius.

I also spent a considerable amount of time today consulting with one of my former co-workers on creating a broadcast email (which I used to do for them). Not that I should, but I do feel bad that they don’t have someone in the office that knows how to do those types of things anymore. This is probably more of a topic for one of the weekend “backstories” I am planning, but I just want to put down in words that I did LOVE my co-workers I had to leave behind, but professionally it was the right choice to move on. ‘Tis life I s’pose

The story goes like this…

Girl is unhappy at job unable to move ahead and so she begins the dreaded search of a new position. The resume and cover letter prep, the networking, the application websites, interviews, thank you notes, follow-up. All of it while trying to continue her “regular” job Monday – Friday. Then, all the work pays off and she lands what she believes to be the best next logical step in her career. So here I am now, on December 14th 2009 with a new position and now looking back on the last 3 months of my life – that was the easy part. Now comes the challenge. The challenge to last the first 100 days without screwing something up and hopefully making an impact while keeping my head above the water line.

A few takeaways from my first day in a new office with new co-workers and new responsibilities:

- A person has never been so happy to have a cubicle in their life. My last position had me posted at the front desk of a busy office. So while I did love the interaction, after 2 years of always being the face of a busy office wears you down and makes you…well very jaded.

- I feel like this is my first professional position. Sure, I served a similar role in my first job right out of college, but it was for a small (and albeit unorganized) entertainment company so there were no metrics to base my work productivity off of and I learned early on I needed that.

- Today was not your “here is the break room and bathroom” orientation. First order of business my supervisor gave me a list of my projects that I’ll be responsible for. This is not a bad thing. I’d rather feel like she has enough trust that I can figure out where to use the loo at then be handheld through everything. It also sets the tone that while I have a large team surrounding me, I am on my own.

So my quest begins here. First 100 days on the job = 100 days of blogs pouring over what went wrong and what went right.

Cheers!