19. My contact details: Allison Hartsoe Semphonic 503-961-4443 ahartsoe@semphonic.com twitter @a8llison May 2010
Notes de l'éditeur
Points to MakeSet the stage, in 2008 I was you.Running my own eBay analytics company. eBay analytics niche was too small (revenue perspective). Wanted to shift into the web. Wednesday, Palace Hotel, San Francisco1:30-2:30pm James Gardner, AquentJune Dershewitz, SemphonicDylan Lewis, IntuitMark Brooks, Motley FoolI set a goal then to return to this conference as a speaker.
What were my goals?What did I want?
These were things that I would look back on to make sure I got a good fit.
Work with what you’ve got. - Almost web analytics experienceOnce I believed the industry was right for me, Recommend Monster Careers book – Strengths Finder
Strengths Finder (ensure I was happy and positioned correctly)Used Monster Careers book (plan my attack) – Knowing yourself is the first, fundamental step for an outsider, insider or otherwise.
Knowing yourself might be something you can solidify in a week. It’s a precursor to the actual work of breaking in. These three steps took me 1 year. 7 months prep work. 2 months blackout. 3 months intensive job hunting. Your mileage may vary but I’d recommend marking out 6 months unless you already have a strong personal web analytics brand like June or Anil. Cyclist? False Flat. Don’t skimp – keep going.
I understood language of business, finance, technology, and eBay but web analytics is it’s own beast. When I gave example to illustrate why my eBay experience was relevant, I might have well been speaking Na’vi. I needed to learn to speak web analytics. Best tip: Avinash’s blog. Occam’s Razor. Read 3 books – so I did.Did not find blogs or forums as helpful for learning the language – too specific. But I did find them helpful for knowing the influencers.
Looks like a collection of prison photos but it’s the path that ultimately paid off for me.
However, the reality was closer to this. Blue dots represent people I got to know that did not result in a job. Red notebook – look up tidbits as I met folks. Don’t be a stalker. Be smart and kind.I did not use online social media much at all. Today, that would probably be different. I did set up my own blog. Anil’s workshop in SeattleEric Peterson in PortlandAttended eMetrics (moderator)Joined WAA just prior to conference. Membership committeeThis is all nice, but the third element is still required to get a job. You all know what it is.
The black hole of job hunting. Ask if you can work for free? Start with companies you know. I worked for free. Dialed up my 3 best eBay clients. Sample Google Analytics analysis with 1 hour a day open in front of me. Used the write up to illustrate knowledge + applicationWorked for free again with June. WAAAnalysis on the WAA membership base. Worked for free again with Semphonic.Client analysis. Omniture. eBay enables a very striped down version of site catalyst in the back end of stores, I was drinking from firehose.
In October when I started my job hunt full throttle I(Know yourself) Spoke the languageWorked my networkLeveraged my experience
By January I had the job. Continue to learn. Personal goal is to speak on an analytics topic next year. Enjoyed the tips I gave you today, please fill out those evaluation forms and ask Jim to invite me back.