It was unexpected. It happened in a snap. It was some of the most exciting news I’ve received in a long time.
Last week, I was officially offered a position as an evening content producer for Statesman.com, which I accepted. I’m thrilled that I will be working at a media organization I truly respect and has so many innovative ideas. I cannot wait to become a part of this award-winning team and publication. My first day is Aug. 23.
From http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/ (only one of the raddest blogs in existence)
The road to finding to a job was long and took a lot of perseverance, but it all paid off in the end. I’ve been on countless interviews and took on some contract work while I found something more permanent, which helped me learn a lot about the job process and working independently. It is an experience I won’t soon forget. I was very lucky to have the support of family and friends who knew I would eventually land a great opportunity. My network of contacts were terrific and intstrumental in helping me land this position as well.
This all leads me talk about a SXSW Interactive panel I have proposed with a good friend, Anna Tauzin, who works as the web and social media editor at the J-Lab at American University, on job searching and I believe it ties well to this experience. It’s called Landing Your Next Job Through Unconventinal Personal Branding. We want to discuss using personal branding in a creative way to help get a new job. We’ll discuss web tools, social media and networking and show examples of such creative personal branding. We plan on having our former professor Cindy Royal on the panel, and hoping to get someone like Mark Luckie of 10000 Words, who is a great example of someone used a personal brand and other creative approaches to land his latest gig as the Washington Post’s Innovation Editor. Feel free to take a look at the proposal and tell us your thoughts.
Otherwise, all I have to say is I’m pumped to start training at my new job and I hope the Statesman is ready for a lot of awesome and baked goods while I’m around.
Maira Garcia 
Congratulations! I’m so completely excited for you! I had every faith that you would find a job that is perfect for you. ::thumbs up::
Congrats, Maria! Great to hear about your process, and how it ended successfully. Best of luck in your position!
Welcome aboard! I’m so glad to hear more about your background and what led you to the Statesman. Journalism is a totally different world than it was even 3 or 4 years ago, and I’m glad to have another person in the newsroom who really gets it.Good luck!Addie
Thank you everyone for the kind words and well wishes. I can’t wait to meet those I don’t know at the Statesman and learn more about the process there.
Congrats on the new gig Maira! I’d love to participate in the session. Email me at mluckie /at/ 10000words.net