Career News 24/7: The Cynical Girl: Leaving My Job As Director of Social Media at The Starr Conspiracy

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

The Cynical Girl: Leaving My Job As Director of Social Media at The Starr Conspiracy

Leaving My Job As Director of Social Media at The Starr Conspiracy

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 03:45 AM PST

Hi, everyone. I am leaving my job at The Starr Conspiracy on December 31, 2012. I thought that I would work there for a year. It’s been almost two years. I’ve accomplished all of my strategic goals. It is time to more forward.

When I tell people that I’m leaving, I get two questions.

Why? That job looks sweet and easy. You’re a fool.
How can I apply?

First things first. My job was awesome. My boss, Bret Starr, is a wonderful human being. Because of his leadership, The Starr Conspiracy has outgrown its current footprint. This time next year? We will be at 50 employees and have moved into a new building.

I also loved building a team, which leads me to the next point. An agency in growth-mode requires a leader who can be on the ground and directly involved in strategic planning. The person who leads the social media marketing department must work intimately with the new CEO of our organization and every other department within our agency (copy, creative, accounts services, operations).

I can’t move to Texas and build an empire. I am clearing the way for someone new.

I will still have an ongoing business and consulting agreement with The Starr Conspiracy. And I am still the biggest champion of the brand. And I have no approval to tell you this, but here are my thoughts on the perfect candidate to replace me.

A working knowledge of HR is great but not required. This kicks out most of my HR friends who use social media tools. (Sorry.)
The ideal candidate should probably live in Texas (or be prepared to spend a ton of time in Texas) and have agency experience. This means direct ownership of global marketing campaigns and deep experience in social media marketing — from the tactical aspects of execution all the way through sophisticated, integrated messaging strategies.
B2C social media marketing experience would also be nice.
Media training is also important as this role requires someone who can speak on behalf of a dynamic, growing organization.
It’s important to hire someone with strong leadership skills who understands an owner-partner model and can interact with a working CEO. In other words: gravitas, executive leadership skills and patience.

What’s screwy about the job? Well, it’s a small company. Everyone wants to have an opinion on everything. And the culture demands transparency, thank god. So it’s a balancing act.

Where did I fail? I had to learn how to be a leader, be decisive and be inclusive — all without being a bitch. Some moments were better than others.

Again, I’m speaking without approval of my CEO and my boss. Ooops. The only real thing I know about this job? Being awesome is required.

I am not hiring my replacement but you can send your resume to gimmeajob@thestarrconspiracy.com… if you are interested in my job.

What’s next for me? Who the fuck knows. I’m a writer. I’ll do that. And my speaking skills are in demand so I’ll probably talk about improving the field of Human Resources. I used to do a ton of coaching for HR executives and CEOs who want to bitch about their current HR department, too. I can sell myself out for the day and basically operate as a therapist. It pays pretty well.

The future is bright. I’m not worried. And I want to make sure everyone knows that working for The Starr Conspiracy was the best job I’ve ever had.

I mean that 100%. No lies.