Hi there!

I hope you’re doing well.

I was sorting through my photos and found a bunch of souvenirs from the beginning of my digital life. 

They reminded me so much of everything I have gone through since then. I just thought that I would share that with you! Especially my first personal campaign in 2009, my Stop-Motion Resume.

Oh wow, this brings back so many memories. The truth is, this was the first time I ever put myself out there.

I got my degree from a Good Business School, they told me it was the key to any job! Well… At that moment, we are in 2009 and Businesses are still struggling with this major crisis. Nobody has a clue on what’s going on and budgets are super limited…

Even an interview was hard to get… I sent hundreds of emails, sent motivation letters, …

All the usual Business Grad School Incubators ( like classic companies who recruit young from business schools) were already filled with “La creme de la Crème” aka the best-ranked students and the rest of them wanted people with EXPERIENCE. 

I had one of the best diplomas in Belgium but my only real experience was in waitressing, which I did throughout my studies.

I was desperate for a job, no money, back at my parents’, … 

One morning I checked my mailbox first thing in the morning, like every morning, and the first email that came in was a ‘Deletion receipt’.

Yes, that’s a thing… I received a message telling me my personalized and motivating application email has been deleted without being read.

I snapped. 

I had been looking for a job for almost six months and I could not see the end of this tunnel.

I needed to find a way to get an interview in a sector that inspired me… and in which they were actually hiring…

Digital! That was my calling. 

I was already the ‘geeky friend’ and I could see the potential…

I even made a fan-website on Friends’ show when I was a kid… I was no developer but I thought the Digital agencies could use somebody with a Marketing Degree!

To make a point and be relevant, I created this Stop-motion resume. 

I put all my creativity into it; I started using Adobe suite, trained my speech, created content, recorded and produced the whole video… I learned a lot… lost my patiences more than once… It was a long process that took me days BUT I did it.

I was petrified to click on the YouTube ‘publish’ button.

Of course, nobody was waiting for me… 

So I needed to find a way to make my video seen, so I went social. Literally. ALL OVER (hmm… back then it was not what it is today…)

Facebook and Linkedin were already well used in the Digital World but not crowded. So I did something that now would be considered as very pushy but back then… it worked perfectly.

I found people from Digital Agencies on Linkedin thanks to their jobs, I DM them and I also wrote them on Facebook where I created a special page for my job research. I asked them to watch my video and get an interview.

AND BAM. All over… on blogs, twitter, even on some platforms I had thousands of views… it was crazy!… and scary. … I didn’t expect that ????

In less than two weeks, I had three job offers. I could choose the best one for me. 

It was a dream and this is when I came to understand how powerful the internet can be. It changed everything for me.

This is how I started my career as a Digital Project Manager to build websites, applications, campaigns…

I stayed quiet for years because I quickly realized I had so much to learn… SO MUCH.

No, Business School did not prepare me for what was coming. A very steep learning curve (something of a roller learning coaster).

But I always remembered the feeling I got just before I pressed the publish button on YouTube.

This very precise souvenir helped me when I was hesitating, when I was scared. It helped me to take action every time!

Because I knew what that magic can happen when you press: publish.

It is also this souvenir which helped me to find the strength to get out again in early 2020, after 10 years, and start to share with you in a different format this time ???? (still colorful though and also still using post-its haha)

This time my purpose is to share my learnings and best practices so the digital world looks easier and more human. We tend to forget how humans are important in this techworld.

Either you find what you need to move forward in your project or I can help you to reach your goals, but now you know where to find me!

I am so grateful for everything that I have gone through… especially my mistakes and bold moves have made me so much stronger as well.

Yes… my mistakes. I guess I could write some stories about those as well haha But let’s keep that for another time. I have made so much of them …

Wow, it’s amazing how things have evolved for me. If someone had told the past me that I would be where I am today, I would have just smiled politely in disbelief.

Before I go, here is new news, I’m finishing the work on my last tool to share with you. 

I built, with great and talented people, a website where I will share all the content I’m putting out there! The podcast, the articles, the free Guides & Templates and much more to come.

I’m really excited about that platform as it’s been months since I started to work on it.

Let’s explore together and if you don’t want to miss anything anymore, just sign up for the Digital Letters and join the conversation!

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