If I Blog They Will Come!

As I prepare to attend the California Business Association’s Communication Forum I’ve begun to ponder its topic, “Self Promotion in San Diego”. Self promotion is essential in today’s society for we are facing an abundance of highly skilled competition, more in fact, than any other generation. So wither it be a career, athletics, or just an internet blog, self promotion is essential.
Time and distance now affect my memories of high school, but looking back I’ve come to realize the need to self promotion. Though I wasn’t the athlete I am today, I succeeded in athletics beyond the means of my peers, partially due to my height, and I relied solely on the attention I received from tournaments or league games to expose myself to college recruiters. All while two fellow teammates of mine received scholarships to Pepperdine University, partially due to the relationship they had established with the coach through self promotion. At the time I had developed interest from high level recruiters in the sport as well, but I was left without the scholarship I’d longed for when I broke the middle metatarsal in my foot. That day still haunts my as the day my life changed forever because I didn’t have videotapes of games, relationships with coaches, or evidence of my past success.
Now college students must self promote more than ever to achieve their future career goals and life dreams. Every year a new wave of college students enter the job market and a each year various fields have an abundance of job while others fields struggle to have opportunities for new graduates. It is estimated that fifty-nine percent of students who either received their G.E.D. or high school diploma are attending college and with the increasing in foreigners in our university system as well as the majority of the job market requiring an advanced degree.
In today’s modern era it is essential to promote ones self in as many ways as possible in the most positive light through every means possible friends, previous careers, the internet, and our appearance. We can be promoted by our friends; Fortune magazine recently stated that forty percent of all those hired by the ‘100 Best Companies To Work For’ were through referrals by a current employee. Our previous careers wither they be interim or career oriented each can lead to disapproval or approval to the extent of a letter of recommendation or future career. With the power of the internet employers not have access to videos, blogs, and social networks all of which can result in a positive or negative review. Appearance is always a topic no one wishes to judge or be judged by in an interview, but everything from the way we dress, look, and other overall self presentation is judged.

Apparently self promotion isn’t a popular topic, here’s the most popular video of a girl trying to make it in Hollywood: