First Job Lessons to Remember

My youngest kid just started his first job. Having a first job means experiencing some serious adulting, and it comes with many lessons learned. And a lot of these lessons are ones that you can keep with you for your entire career — from intern to CEO.

Remember that book “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”? The lessons learned in your first job are kind of like those kindergarten lessons. Be thoughtful and kind to everyone. Do a good job at every task. Be helpful. Be on time. Simple stuff, really, but foundational to having a good work experience in every job you’ll ever have.

Learning the Ropes

My 16-yr-old son is learning a whole new set of adult-life rules of employment. From me, from his new boss, from his co-workers. And from his fluffy charges: he works at a doggy daycare. That boy loves dogs more than people, so I am thankful that he has this particular job as his first job. He is passionate about caring for dogs. He texts me pics of his furry friends during his shifts with their names and some anecdotal cuteness they’ve just accomplished.

My son’s first job reminds me often of MY first job (not that I took care of dogs). But I did something I loved too. I took care of books, my passion. I shelved books in the Kansas City Kansas public library after school and most weekends. For an introvert who was already plowing her way through the entire science fiction section of the library anyway, it was a dream come true to work there. I checked out all the new releases first. I could put books on hold when I saw them come in. So I never missed out on reading the lastest and greatest. And did I mention that I loved putting things in alphabetical and Dewey Decimal System order?

Big Picture Lesson: Do Something You Love

Having a first job is one of the first times that you experience interacting and getting along with people who are not your family or school mates, on a regular basis. You are all working together toward a common goal. That’s something to remember. Whether that’s stacking boxes in a warehouse, flipping a burger, walking a dog or shelving a book, you are now a part of a team. You can take pride in doing a good job not just for yourself, but for the team. The feeling of a shared mission is one you’ll take to every job you will ever have, and use for inspiration.

Best Job Lesson: Know your worth

As a teenager, the best part of your first job is you are getting paid to do this! Earning an hourly wage — large or small — definitely makes you focus more, and work harder on the task at hand. You are considered helpful and sometimes even an expert at SOMETHING! So much so that they want to pay you for your knowledge or your handiwork! The realization of that first paycheck moment is your first glimpse into your ability to build skills to create value. With every job, pat yourself on the back for your next pay raise, or promotion — you’re doing great!

Use your first job to enjoy any job

As you grow in skills and get higher paying jobs, remember to savor your accomplishments, and the fact that someone wants to pay you to do something you already love doing! Remember the work friends that you’ve made and kept even when you’re no longer working together. Think about that new skill you learned, and then fell in love with and became an expert at doing. And how much that made you feel smart and valuable.

Sometimes work can feel like a grind, but when you look at your job through your 16-yr-old eyes, maybe what you’re doing is actually pretty cool. And look how far you’ve come!

Focus on your impression as a graphic designer

As a graphic designer, you are always focused on making brands for someone else. Listening to clients describe the vision and personality of their company, you then make a cohesive new brand that fits what the client described. It’s the same routine every graphic designer has experienced day in and day out.

But why do people say it is important to create a personal brand? Even though you are focused on creating and designing brands for someone else, you have to step back and focus on who is selling that work: you are. Your personal brand can demonstrate your strategic thinking and creativity to potential new clients. So what is your personal brand currently saying about you? Maybe its time to take it to the next level.

Break the process for yourself down into simple steps

Here are 5 ways to help you brand yourself better as a graphic designer, and benefit by standing out from the crowd this year. 

1. Define who you are 

One of the hardest things about creating your personal brand is defining who you are. But if you ask yourself some questions it could help you define it and put it into words. 

Out of all of your work, which is your favorite design that you have done?

As a graphic designer, what motivates you? 

Where do you excel? 

What do you want your clients to feel when they first discover you as a graphic designer? 

How do you present yourself every day? 

2. Establish your audience 

Who do you want your future clients to be? Try to build a personal brand that reflects the audience you want to work with. Look up fellow designers and see how they handle this themselves and market to their target audience (clients, agencies, etc). 

3. Study brands you like 

Just like you would research a company for a new project, take a look at other designers and creative agencies that you like. See what they are doing regarding their brand and take notes on how to enhance your own brand.

4. Image is everything 

Start creating social media updates that reflect your enhanced brand. Make a website where you can showcase all of your past designs in a personal branded format using such platforms as Behance and Dribble. Be judicious when you choose work to show off. You’ll want to highlight work that most reflects the work you want to do in the future.

5. Interaction on social media

Posting regularly about clients’ work or your personal work will give you a presence on social media. This way you can keep up with the audience’s reaction and trends in the design world. Keeping up to date with coworkers or potential clients gets your name out there. Building those connections can help you get future work opportunities.

Your new better brand will get you further

Once you brand yourself more effectively, you will have created a strong impression and help future clients know who you are. It can persuade their decision to work with you. Branding yourself as effectively as you brand your clients is a way to help plus-up your career and focus not only on the work you do now, but the work you want to do in the future.

Ready to skill up this year by attending a great conference for marketers like you?

Why are conferences for marketers important? They’re a tool for growth in your marketing career! First, you are learning new skills. Next, you’re exposed to best practices from peers and mentors. Then, you’re growing your network for future collaborations and opportunities. And most importantly, any work experiences outside of the office give you a fresh perspective and renewed enthusiasm for your job. It’s a win-win-win-win.

Attend one of these conferences for marketers this year:

Adweek: Outlook: You can join AdWeek for a value-heavy program to talk about the benefits of monetization strategies. Explore new tools disrupting the industry. Speakers in attendance include top names in media, marketing, and tech. This program aims to figure out how to use these innovations to supercharge growth and revenue. Over three days, you’ll learn how to connect with customers. Plus, you’ll tackle talent and transformation topics.

Content World Marketing: Content Marketing World stands out among brand marketing conferences. First, it provides a space for you to improve your content creation skills. Second, it helps you connect with other creators. At this conference, you will meet important professionals in the industry, meet potential hires, and gain knowledge to improve your marketing systems.

INBOUND: INBOUND’s key goal is to connect professionals in the marketing industry. Every year, this marketing conference is one of the biggest marketing events. In fact, it attracts thousands of world-class professionals. At INBOUND, you will meet some of the best and brightest minds in sales and revenue operations. You also get to network with leaders in marketing and customer success.

SXSW: Advertising & Brand Experience: SXSW is not your typical marketing conference. But their Advertising and Brand Experience track is a great way to expand your mind and your perspective. This SXSW track is designed for agencies and organizations. Find forward-thinking strategies to connect with communities.

SEO

MOZCON: MozCon is like a summer camp for marketers. This conference brings together digital marketers from all over the world for three days. During the program, marketers learn to overcome all the common and specific obstacles in the current marketing world. The speakers range from leaders in performance marketing, SEO, conversion optimization, local search, digital marketing strategy and conversion optimization.

Social Media

Social Media Marketing World: Social marketing is changing more and more each day. If this industry has taught us anything, it’s that you’ve got to embrace change to get ahead. Join thousands of the world’s smartest marketers and influencers — brought to you by Social Media Examiner. Walk away with real business-building ideas. And then put them to work for your business or clients right away.

Regional Traveling Conference for Marketers

Digital Summit Series: Digital Summit Series happens across the United States in more than 15 cities, including Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. The summit includes sessions covering digital marketing best tactics and practices, SEO, content, social media, analytics and strategy. Plus, you can choose either a virtual event or attend in person.

Virtual Conference

AMA Conferences: As the global leader in marketing knowledge, the AMA provides a broad range of opportunities to collaborate, network, learn, and grow professionally. Here you’ll virtually learn from industry and academic leaders, speakers, and training instructors that you will encounter in the AMA community.

The benefits you’ll receive from a conference pay off all year long.

By attending a conference for marketers this year, you’ll be able to see the results in your work. Start applying what you learned to your everyday tasks. Then, begin a new project that will take your marketing department to the next level. You might meet your future boss. Overall, you’ll be inspired to try new innovations. And finally, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment for having invested in yourself and your future career.

Attend marketing conferences to learn, grow and connect with other leaders.

Attending a branding or marketing conference can not only expand your knowledge, it can expand your network. It can also broaden your opportunities and your outlook! To begin with, when you go to a conference, you’re hanging out with people who do a job like yours. These are people who face the same leadership challenges that you do. You have similar interests, as far as work goes, so you can all learn from each other. At a marketing conference, you can share experiences and gain best practice knowledge from others who do your job.

Improving your knowledge is another reason to attend branding and marketing conferences. For instance, you might learn new cutting edge information about your profession. Or you can learn how to enhance the work you are already doing. The impact on your upskilled performance is worth the price of admission.

Gain valuable insight into your industry, profession, or specific job.

First of all, attending conferences gives you the opportunity to meet people who do what you do now. And secondly, you’ll get a chance to network with people who do what you’ll do next. Meeting people you admire in person gives you the chance to ask questions, have a chat with them, and get to know them and how they think. The best leaders surround themselves with other experts.

Marketing conferences to attend as a senior professional:

Senior Leadership

CES: CES is the most influential tech event in the world — the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators.

This is where the world’s biggest brands do business and meet new partners, and the sharpest innovators hit the stage.

World Business Forum: Organized and curated by WOBI each year in cities across the Americas, Europe and Asia, World Business Forum is a two-day event that brings together thousands of restless minds united by their passion for business.

• Learn from and be inspired by some of the world’s most renowned figures from business and beyond. It’s a blend of content comprised of CEOs, entrepreneurs, innovators, thinkers, artists and sportspeople.
• The conference focuses on the issues most relevant to today’s businesspeople, stimulating new thinking and inspiring action.

It provides a unique networking environment to connect with like-minded professionals.

CMO/Senior Level

B2B Forum by MarketingProfs: The B2B Forum is a great space for B2B executives to meet and share advice on the best digital marketing tactics and technology.

While at the conference, you will get the chance to network. And you can connect with other driven marketing and business professionals. The sessions cover authenticity, logic, empathy, and building trust with your potential and existing clients. Overall, the program gives insights into your marketing style and what could be missing.

B2B Marketing Exchange: This is a core event for B2B marketing, covering the current issues in B2B, including Demand Generation, Messaging Frameworks, AI and Audience Centricity. Is there yoga in the morning? You bet.

Meet amazing B2B marketers and stay in touch with everything B2B.

BrandSmart: BrandSmart 2023 will be structured as 10+ TED Talk-style presentations. They’ll feature leaders from all over the world. They will be talking about the cornerstones of brand resilience. They’ll discuss the most recent trends and innovations, and give out the BrandSmart Awards. This conference lets professionals network in a uniquely styled format. Featured speakers include executives from Edelman, American Dental Association and SiriusXM & Pandora.

Strategic Marketing 2023: A Reuters Event, Strategic Marketing 2023 brings together leaders from the world’s most recognizable brands to define the future of marketing. This is the global platform to inspire and empower marketing leaders. Map the digital DNA of your consumer, foster brand loyalty and community, and unlock innovation.

Hyper-digitalization is driving an overload of online content. So marketers must stay ahead of industry trends and champion creativity as we look towards 2023. 

Join CMOs, trailblazers and experts at SM23 for the most crucial learning and networking opportunity of the year.

Take a step toward growth and learning this year at a marketing conference.

Make a commitment in 2023 to grow as a senior professional by attending one of these valuable conferences. Start finding your peer group. Then learn best practices. Maybe discover a new vendor. There are many benefits to including attending a senior level conference in your growth plan this year.

2022 reflections from The Porch are in!

I enjoy seeing where the commonality lies each year between each of the Rockers as we all offer our reflections on our individual lives. This year, slow and steady was the name of the game. We need the steady years in life – years without major personal and/or professional events or milestones.  They are the rebuilding years. They allow us to identify areas we’d like to see change, to set goals upon a solid foundation, and to take a breather for those years that catch us by surprise.

We hope you had the 2022 you wished for, and that our reflections foster a connection to your own.

Alison Moreno – Rock Collector

I feel 2022 was finally “back to normal” following the height of Covid in 2020-2021. My son began learning how to drive, my daughter began the decision process for which high school to go to, my husband moved up in his company, and we added a new dog to the family. My family was making advances and I kept things steady.  Professionally, I felt comfortably steady, but not did not experience any growth. Some years are meant for a “steady pace wins the race” mentality and this was one of those years. With the freedom from being my kids’ chauffeur, I am excited to set and focus on my own professional and personal goals moving into 2023.

Vanessa Hickman – Rock Star

Recently, someone mentioned a “covid blessing”. A covid blessing could be a lot of things. For me, it became a positive outcome from the unusual and unprecedented circumstances everyone weathered during the previous two years. The 2020-2021 timeframe created a lot of change for my family. My now teenage boys started at a new school. We attended a new church. Also, we found new ways of working. And, we are grateful for the people those changes have brought to our lives, but I am also thankful for 2022 which allowed us to focus on restoring something old to make it new for our family.

At the end of 2021, we acquired a lake property. So the beginning of 2022 was spent renovating that property. We rebuilt from the ground up, floor to ceiling. We even raised the roof (which still brings me much joy to say)! I draw similarity between the lake house renovation and the year. Reflections on 2022? It was a year of setting new foundations, rebuilding, reinforcing, redesigning, and raising the roof!  

Natalie Rosga – Rock Enthusiast

Thinking about 2022, I’ve tried to make a conscious effort every day to remember to slow down! One step at a time, one task at a time, one breath at a time. It’s ok if not every task is checked off the list at the end of the day. It’s more important to call it a night and wake up feeling happy and rested and ready to tackle the new day. 

This year has also been about carving out time for myself. As a mom, taking care of yourself typically falls to the bottom of the list. I’m learning that making time for myself is ok. Whether it’s a run on the treadmill, a pedicure, drinks with girlfriends, or a night out with my husband…it’s important to focus on myself. 

Slow and steady wins the race! Let’s also not forget that the house is happier when mom is happy! 

Lea Ann Allen – Swiss Army Rock

2022 has been a year where I definitely felt the notion of “the older you get the more you become yourself” take hold. I was more able to focus on important things and simply drop everything that I didn’t need in my life any longer: the naysayers, the time sucks, the unnecessary complications. I felt able to experience some of the joy of my early career in the work that I do, and constantly surprised myself when I found more patience, more stamina or more appreciation that I thought I had in me.

Last spring, my family replaced all the siding on our house which made it stronger and more able to withstand whatever the Texas weather plans to throw at us. At the same time, I honed self-care, exercise, and nutrition to make myself stronger and more able to withstand whatever life plans to throw at me next. Reflections on 2022 make me look forward to 2023 as a better version of my 2022 self!

Christine Finnegan – Media Rocker

In 2022, I practiced gratitude more than any other time in my life. It truly allowed me to view life through a positive lens. My thought process became increasingly optimistic and focused on solutions rather than problems. In the new year I am going to continue on this track by noticing simple pleasures and acknowledging everything that I have and having an awareness on a continuous basis of how I have been given. 

Julie Porter – Chief Rocker

Speaking of gratitude; in our 11^th year, I continued to be humbled by the amazing, talented, genuine folks I get to work with, those who entrust us with their branding and marketing, as well as the leaders who refer us to their contacts. Thank you to each of you.

This year my son, while also venturing into leadership roles in college, was able to intern on the Porch, where he too, received the gift of working with the Front Porch Marketing team, clients, and advocates.

I had the pleasure of once-again managing amazing volunteers, assisting with event coordination, and working with an amazing committee so the Jesuit Women’s Auxiliary Christmas Bazaar can steadily grow bigger and better each year.  I have had the honor of regularly spending time with my daughter in her quest to volunteer helping animals. Our experience at Dallas Animal Services (DAS) has enriched our lives and relationship.

I am also grateful for the opportunity to take on a physical building project this year. The beach is my happy place.  It is a consistent vacation choice for my family because it allows me to rest and reset. In January we purchased a beach condo. We envisioned saving money on trips to the coast and creating a revenue generating rental experience. As these endeavors often do, the condo process has not gone as quickly, as smoothly, or as cost-effectively as I hoped. However, I cannot help but be grateful for reflections on the lessons I’ve learned and the people I’ve met along the way.  I have also been able to view first-hand the awe-inspiring tenacity and resilience from the people of Florida as they rebuild following a catastrophic hurricane season.

On a Steady Path: Reflections On Gratitude

Some seasons are awash with major developments, milestones, or life-altering events. Some are meant to keep us on a steady path. I have learned there is a lesson in all of them and to find gratitude in each.

We hope that you had a relaxing 2022 holiday season with family, friends, and we wish you steady growth in 2023.

Reminder: its almost Gratitude Week — or as most people call it, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is one of our favorite times of the year. Why? Because there is much to be grateful for and so many blessings to celebrate. So here’s your gratitude reminder!

Gratitude for Those Around Us

On the Porch, we are thankful for our team, supportive families and friends, clients and advocates. We are always looking for ways to show our gratitude to our village. In doing so, we often have opportunities to create new, authentic connections as well.

Five Ways You Can Share Your Gratitude to Clients and Customers:

1. Share experiences. Host an event or invite them to attend events with the team. The time spent together is invaluable in building relationships and expressing gratitude toward one another.
2. Share socially. Acknowledge loyalty on your company’s social networks.  Follow, like and comment on others’ posts.
3. Share financially. Donating to a cause they care about signals your attentiveness to what is important to them.
4. Share milestones. Commemorate birthdays, business founding dates, anniversaries together. Celebrating success is motivating and boosts confidence. We can all afford to celebrate more in life!
5. Share simply. Thank them at each touchpoint and in every interaction. A simple “thank you” goes a long way. Gratitude is a gift you can share any time of the year!

A Big Thanks from The Front Porch

Your clients and customers play huge roles in your success and should be reminded of your gratitude at every opportunity. So from all of us on the Porch, thank you to our own clients, customers, and readers of this blog. We appreciate you and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

The definition of remote work (also known as work from home or telecommuting) is a type of flexible working arrangement that allows an employee to work from a remote location outside of a company office.

If you’re a Gen Xer like me, working remotely wasn’t in the realm of possibilities when you entered the workforce. You commuted Monday through Friday to your office. If you were lucky, you might have had a laptop and the ability to work from home one day a week. Video conferencing? What’s that? You sat in a conference room face to face with your colleagues. Jeans at work? Only on Fridays.

The Workforce Has Changed Tremendously

Fast forward to 2022, and the pandemic made many companies realize that employees don’t need to be located in the same building to be productive. And, because of this, more and more remote jobs are emerging worldwide every day. Here at Front Porch Marketing, we’ve always been remote, and it rocks!

For many people, gone are the days of worrying if you are going to be late to a meeting because you were stuck in traffic. Business casual and casual Fridays are a thing of the past. It’s business on the top, sweatpants on the bottom. Want to work in a different location? Just change your virtual background on Zoom. Work lakeside. Work from the beach. The options are endless.

Overcoming the Pitfalls of Remote Work

Working remotely definitely has benefits that can range from eliminating a long commute to more control over your work hours to spending more time with family. On the other hand, it can also have drawbacks. Whether you’re a long-time pro of telecommuting, or new to the game, let’s talk through three of the pitfalls people make working from home and what you can do to avoid them.

1. Not having a dedicated workspace.

While not everyone has an extra room in their home for a dedicated home office, it’s important to find a space that is free of distractions. Setting up camp from your couch or bed is ok from time to time, but is not advisable for the long term because it lessens your productivity and blurs the lines between work and home.

Think of your work space as your home cubicle. Maybe it means rearranging your bedroom to make room for a desk and chair. Or, do you have a breakfast nook or dining room that no one uses? If so, make it your own with a fun lamp and a picture or two, but most importantly, keep it simple and organized and solely focused on work. This home office environment allows you to set firm boundaries between work and home.

2. Household distractions.

Having the ability to do a load of laundry, being home for a repairman, or putting dinner in the crockpot are all benefits of working from home. But, if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself wasting a good chunk of your day working on household responsibilities instead of your work task at hand.

Utilize your work calendar by scheduling breaks and a dedicated lunch hour. Use short breaks time to take out the trash, fold a load of laundry or prep kids’ lunches for the next day. Your lunch hour is also a great time to run a quick errand, or get your blood flowing and go for a walk around the neighborhood. If you plan out your time, you’ll find at the end of the work day you have accomplished your work responsibilities and freed up some time in the evening by checking off a few nightly chores from your to-do list too.

3. Work-life balance.

If you are accustomed to being in an office, you more than likely are used to a set start and end time. Sometimes you might go in early or stay late, but typically when you leave the parking garage your work day is over. This isn’t the case when you work remotely.

While flexible hours are a benefit of working from home, it’s important to set boundaries. For some that might mean a set start and end time. Log in at 8. Log out at 5. For others, it might mean working chunks of hours to accommodate kids’ schedules. Whatever your work hours are, when you aren’t working log off your computer and turn off email notifications on your phone. Let your colleagues know this time is dedicated for family or personal time. When you have a balance, and time to disconnect, you will find you are happier and more productive while you’re working.

Remote Work is Here to Stay

It may take time to get used to a remote work environment, and find the schedule and tools and resources you need to be successful. Just know that more than likely you are not alone. Reach out to your colleagues and friends and family. They might have some tips and tricks to help too!

I get asked what it’s like to work with my mom, the boss of Front Porch Marketing, Chief Rocker Julie Porter. Well, let me tell you. It’s a lot harder than you would expect. Why? Because she expects so much more out of me and she knows that I’m capable of doing almost anything and everything.

Is work easier when your mom is the boss?

A lot of people usually say “oh she definitely lets you slack off” or “oh I bet it’s so easy”, but they couldn’t be more wrong. It adds a lot of pressure on me when I do work for my mom’s company, because I want to do my absolute best in order to impress my mom. I want to live up to her expectations of me. But, it is also very comforting to know that my mom is the boss and CEO. 

The boss always has your back

While she is always challenging and expecting the most out of me I know that she will always have my back and be the most understanding when it comes to work. No matter what, there will always be someone in my corner. She also tends to have a great support system.

She surrounds herself with the very best team members which makes my situation a lot more comforting. Seeing her support all of her employees, and create a successful remote working environment makes it a lot easier and more fun for me to do work for her, and the other Front Porch Marketing team members. I don’t say it a lot but when it comes to working with and for her sometimes, I can be a little excited. While she has taught me a lot about marketing, she’s also taught me about running a business. Because she is good at this.

Takeaways from a summer internship with a parent

All in all, this summer has been great so far and it has been a pleasure to heighten my business relationship with my mother. I’ve learned so much from my mom the boss, that I can apply to college and my future job endeavors. I owe it all to her and I love her so much. Thanks mom!

Going Digital is the Future

If there’s anything we learned from the pandemic it’s that going digital is the ultimate way to survive as a business. No one expected an event like this to disrupt the world as fast as it did, but we adapted. Lots of corporations switched to being remote or hybrid; and Zoom became a household name. With the world going digital many of us started to realize the importance of marketing ourselves online and there’s no better place than LinkedIn. Membership has climbed to reach over 780 million since the pandemic hit. So there’s no better time than now to upgrade your LinkedIn!

Personal branding is a topic we’re all familiar with. We all know it’s important, but many of us don’t give it the attention it really deserves. Most of the time were just too busy to give it any real time or thought. We think “I know there’s more I could be doing to improve my LinkedIn.” However, in this day and age its crucial to have your personal brand looking clean and professional. Here are a couple of tips and tricks to improve your LinkedIn profile.

Upgrade Your Profile Picture

Your picture is the first thing people see when they click on your LinkedIn profile. It’s important that you get this right. First make sure the picture is a recent photo of you, then make sure your face takes up about 60% of the frame. No long distance shots, and smile with your eyes!

Choose a Background Photo

Choose a background photo that represents either what you do, or your interest in visually interesting way. If you don’t have your own photos to work with, I recommend using a free hd stock image site called Unsplash. Also try to stick with a photo that fits within 1584 (w) x 396 (h) pixels for the best quality.

Get Creative With Your Headline

Your Headline doesnt just have to be what your business is. Try to add a little bit of flair or creativity to it. For example take a look at EA Talent Recruiter Jason Yuan’s LinkedIn headline, “I don’t usually stalk profiles, but when I do I usually have a career opportunity for you. Want to connect!?”. See how he managed to hook your attention and explain what he does? This is what you should be shooting for.

Expand your Network

Linkedin has amazing networking opportunities and has made it very easy to expand your network. One helpful tip is to link your profile with your email address book. LinkedIn will then suggest people you should connect with. Once you start connecting with people you may even notice that you have connections working at companies that you are currently applying for. I strongly suggest if you are in college that you connect with those who go to your school in your major. You never know when that connection may come in handy.

Take Skill Assessments

These are free tests that LinkedIn has created to help you stand out amongst the crowd. According to Linkedin candidates who have certified skills are 30% more likely to get hired. I recommend to getting certified in the Microsoft Excel assessment. It’s a universal skillset that will always help you standout. Obviously the more certified skills you have the better.

Publish Your Own Content

The best way to get noticed on LinkedIn is to publish engaging, long content. You should start pumping these out to start conversations. Make sure it’s interesting. A good tip is to look at the trending articles on LinkedIn News on the right hand side of your account. Look at the trending topics on the platform and share your thoughts or experiences on the topic. If you can don’t be afraid to sprinkle in a little emojis. It may sound stupid but it actually increases reader engagement. Just don’t over do it. Also try to steer away from politics on LinkedIn. This is a platform for professional networking, it’s not Facebook or Twitter.

A Brighter Future Awaits

Upgrading your LinkedIn doesn’t have to be done all in one day. Try to take it in small chunks. These steps may seem trivial at first, but I promise if you knock these out when you have your lunch break, or when find yourself with extra fee time you won’t regret it. Allow LinkedIn to work for you by taking the first step!

This week, we’re welcoming Andrew Porter, our newest intern rocker, to the team!

1. What makes you want to have a career in marketing, Andrew Porter?

I’ve grown up watching my mom create this awesome company from the ground up and achieve so much in little time. It really motivates me to be successful seeing her achieve her dream and work so hard to obtain it. I want to be able to do what I want in the future as well and achieve my dream. Marketing has a special place in my heart and really does interest me in my future career endeavors.

2. What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far in your life?

There are many obstacles in life, but you end up gaining more from these obstacles than you have lost, if you choose to conquer the obstacles.

3. If you could describe Andrew Porter in three words, what would they be?

The three words I’d use to describe myself would be hardworking, funny, and committed.

4. What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing?

I really want to get my foot in the door with this marketing internship, and get some real life business experience for the future. I have 5 specific goals that I’d like to conquer while at Front Porch:

1) I will be able to professional handle myself according to the certain business or personal situation that is present. And learn from those that have more experience than I do.

2) I will be able to communicate with clients and strangers effectively for the benefit of me and others.

3) I will be able to effectively navigate the internet accordingly while also being proficient in Microsoft 365.

4) I will be able to successfully balance the many activities that go on in my everyday life with my multiple jobs, hanging with friends, and sleeping.

5) I will be able to build a basic understanding of marketing principles to assist clients in attaining their long-time goals.

5. If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

One person I’d definitely want to go to dinner with would be Chris Farley. He is my favorite comedian and is literally so funny. I’d love to see him in person do his Matt Foley: Van Down by the River skit from SNL.

6. What is a fun fact about you?

I am currently the Vice President of Recruitment of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) at Rollins College and the Brotherhood Chair of SAE.