While sorting my postcards over the weekend, I came across a series of postcards that had been sent to me when I was a big cheese at an ad agency, from a young man just out of college who was desperate to get into advertising. I liked him a lot, thought he would be a fantastic account executive, and would have given him a job on the spot, had I had one at the time. However, any position he might be hired for was working for somebody who worked for somebody who worked for somebody who worked for me, and all I could to was serve him up as a candidate. As I recall, he came in second three times, which was, understandably, increasingly frustrating for him.
I had suggested to him when he first interviewed that he send me postcards as a way to keep himself "top of mind" if and when an available and appropriate for him position arose. He did just that.
Below are the postcards he wrote, the pictures almost irrelevant, the messages transitioning from frustration to desperation and at last to victory. With every card and every message he reinforced why he was a great candidate - clever messages, quotations from a range of literary figures or references to contemporary culture, and a variety of types of cards sent.
He was ultimately hired by an ad agency, although not mine and has been successful as an advertising and marketing professional since he wrote the last card. Told you so!
