Tuesday, October 25, 2005

State of the employment.

I work at an Ad Agency and I am the project manager on a multi-million dollar program. It involves several divisions of this 700 people strong company.

I'm focusing on GM as a client - and the program was initiated in a test metro area of Canada - they figured they'd start with the GTA - to improve the vision of GM in consumer opinion, leading to increased consideration and finally purchase of a GM Vehicle. Hence the name of this program is the 'Toronto Vision Project'. I wish I'd been there at the start - I'd have called it the 'Toronto Vision Program'... there is a difference, people.

I manage a series of cross-divisional projects touching on events, corporate, brand efforts, direct mail and interactive programs.

Most of the time recently I feel like I'm swimming in murky water just deeper than where my toes can touch the sandy bottom and it is dark so I can't see the shore. Since many of the projects are slowing down due to the seasonal aspect of many of these projects, I'm sitting about feeling a bit useless and at the same time overwhelmed with aspects of one big project that I don't feel I have control over. It was so poorly set up that I'm living with the legacy, the detritus of poor project management. Plus being frustrated doesn't lend itself to my feeling like I want to work extra hours to fix this fucker all up. I hate managing the work of suppliers who are paid to manage their own work.

Someone:"Grow up Simon. Accept reality."

Me: "Fine. "

This is the first time this company has hired someone to take on this type of multi-headed (hydra) program and so I am blazing trails. I am concerned that I am blazing trails all around me such that the flame-front will catch all the trees and bush around me on fire and reduce me to a brilliant fiery conflagration of brilliant flame and smoke.

In 5 weeks this contract officially ends and my hope is that they hire me on full time. Because I came into the cycle half-way through execution, I missed out on the beginning of the show and so can't always figure out what the fuck everyone is saying and why they're saying what they're saying.

I want to be in at the start of '06 program planning and be more involved on the interactive/direct mail side of things... 'cuz that's my bread and butter. I want to be told I'm full time. I don't want to have my contract end.

But I've been to 2 interviews in the last week just to make sure. The one last week was pretty good but not great. The one yesterday was great. I hope I get that one, if I don't get converted to full time here. If I get converted to full time here, I'll stay because I can see it improving.

Okay that's everything I want to write right now.

As I finish this post off, my cell phone has rung... a big telco communications company has just set up an interview with me for a 'Senior Management Position'. Sounds intriguing. Oh I'm just not in the mood to think about it.

I'm feeling a little blue.