I am in pursuit of another communications job. As you well know by now, I am having difficulty finding one. I have, for the first time, had interviews where I was not offered the job. I was measured and found wanting, which surprises me not just in the novelty of the experience, but for the skills I can offer to these organizations. So...my resume gets me in the door and my presence shows me out that same door. What am I doing wrong?

I am in pursuit of another communications job because I believe that it is work that I can do and do well. After all, I practically worked miracles for my last employer. I worked miracles because the job duties are a wonderful combination of my literacy skills and organizational bent. After all, I revel in all those details.

For each organization with which I have interviewed, I have researched the company and evaluated their online presence and existing collateral. In each case, I would offer that I was able to generate an astute analysis and identify key message points to consider in strategic planning. In each interview, I tried to make these observations known.

For the third one, even after I knew that I would not be getting a call asking me to come work, I thought about their message issues for a few days and came up with the following pitch that could be used in both print and media:

Build a playground and you build community where children and adults work side by side.
Build a playground and you build organization, communication, and cooperation.
Build a playground and you build health and well-being.
Build a playground and you build hopes and dreams and possibilities.
Build a playground and you build the future.

You see, KaBOOM, Inc. (www.kaboom.org) is an organization whose mission is that every child in America will have a safe place to play within walking distance of their homes. The organization is impressive in that its MO is to teach folks how to fish, not fish for them. Communities, schools, housing communities, etc. who come to KaBOOM for help are required to manage the process themselves, from planning, to volunteers, to partial funding, to press work. KaBOOM supplies 90% of the funding and 100% of advisory help. They supply the tools and resources (and personnel on build day) to ensure success.

KaBOOM's website is impressive in its message about play, including some interesting research. In reading their material, I totally get that play is important. But I think that they are missing and important WHY Factor in their messaging. Why should I support them in building playgrounds? Why should I build a playground? The litany I wrote answers that why while reinforcing the great things about KaBOOM. [They talk about playspaces, which is important, but for general audiences, I think playground is best.]

Build a playground and you build community where children and adults work side by side.
Build a playground and you build organization, communication, and cooperation.
Build a playground and you build health and well-being.
Build a playground and you build hopes and dreams and possibilities.
Build a playground and you build the future.

I have toyed with the idea of sending my pitch to the VP of communications there because I do think the organization is important. They are already rebuilding playgrounds in Katrina devastated areas. They are building playgrounds across America and changing the lives of those who build alongside them. They are doing this...and few really know about it, comparatively speaking. Few know when they could be a household name.

Build a playground and you build community where children and adults work side by side.
Build a playground and you build organization, communication, and cooperation.
Build a playground and you build health and well-being.
Build a playground and you build hopes and dreams and possibilities.
Build a playground and you build the future.

What do you think? Am I a good communications person?

I have an interview a week from next Tuesday for an Editorial Director position. Writing, editing, and managing collateral for an organization that provides materials for youth mentors seems right up my alley, eh? I am trying not to get my hopes up.

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I wrote two more thank you notes, three postcards, and two letters today. I also packed up some books for my sister and my friend D and a much overdue gift (that I actually purchased before I lost my job and mistakenly put it in a "safe place" some months ago) and carried the packages out to the car to mail tomorrow. I cleared out the kitchen sink and ran the dishwasher. I collected all of Kashi's babies who had been set aside for medical care and spent several hours stitching up their wounds by hand. [Kashi often falls into atavistic behavior in trying to kill his captured prey. Somehow, he doesn't understand that this is the reason his babies lose their stuffing and stop squeaking. He is quite sorrowful when they are injured. I will admit that just before writing this, I discovered one I missed--his banana--and will have to tackle it tomorrow.] I dusted all of my demi-tasse teacups. I took Kashi for a walk through my neighborhood (I could tell he would have preferred that we visited Huntley Meadows again). I set up on-line bill payments and updated Quicken. I wrote two sentences in my novel. Was that productive enough? I really am becoming a couch lush and am trying to combat the tendency to wallow in my fears and sadness while loafing.