Mission Accomplished

Today I accepted the position of acting communications manager at Upper Canada College, a great opportunity at one of the most prestigious schools in Canada, if not North America.

I always look for something new I can learn in every role I take on. I now have the chance to add communications and PR skills to my resume, work with a very dedicated team and also use some of the Web 2.0 experience I have to help UCC raise its profile. I get to write a lot too, something I missed quite a bit at my last job because I am a writer at heart.

So, my job search comes to an end. Until maybe July 2008 when the contract ends, but I'll cross that bridge next year.

Big question: Did this blog help me get a new job? In a word... No.

Did it raise my profile, increase my chances of finding a new job? Yes.

At the end of the day I found a job because of people I know who contacted me out of the blue. But the blog did not actually lead to that. It was fun to do -- especially the Metro article and being on CityNews TV -- but once I started taking on more freelance work, it got too much to keep up.

It was easy at the start when a lot was happening, job interviews and so on, but I found it harder to maintain as nothing different was really happening in my routine after a while once I had paying clients to put first.

Anyway, all that's just a personal insight. It was fun and I've decided to keep it open in case I want to continue it as just a regular blog. That way I have no pressure on myself to write stuff, only when I feel like it.

So, thanks for all the links, e-mails, flames and encouragement -- and thanks for reading!

Cheers,
John.