Second Thoughts Inc.
My opinion is just a different point of view ...

27 February 2003

In the Sunday Times recently, there was an article by a reporter discussing why she was undertaking plastic surgery. Her reason for undergoing the knife was she believed that "women became invisible" at a certain age. Plastic surgery was her way of remaining visible! I had never really thought about it before but can understand her point. Every man will admit {if honest} that they notice a pretty woman but at what age does that very same pretty woman become invisible i.e when she can no longer turn heads? It made me think how long does it take for someone not working to become invisible? When I was working I was very visible. My role in business development & marketing meant that I was often quoted in the press, I frequently presented at seminars and trade shows. - my business card was in circulation. As a result I got calls from various headhunters and agencies who found it easy to track me down. But following the closure of CMGi Europe, I began to notice the calls drying up. Even my calls to those very same headhunters proved fruitless. I was slowly becoming invisible. I was now just another CV on the jobpile. How could I make myself more visible? My home phone number and personal email address weren't in circulation, I no longer presented at seminars or attended trade shows. So last year I started trying to become more visible. I began by creating my own blog - www.samsethi.com - but like my email and CV how was I going to get anyone to read it? At the same time I began to read various self help career books - What colour is my parachute?" , "Brand You" by Tom Peters and the best of all "Discover Your Strengths". { If you are interested here are my strengths.} Having read them all, they confimed to me what I already believed, that I was creative, good at coming up with new ideas, had a positive nature and was good with people and that I still wanted to remain in the IT/Internet industry. The trouble was no one else knew this and I was sadly still invisible. Luckily for me I wasn't totally invisible, some friends did remember my personal email and as a result offered me contracting roles which have enabled me to partially reapppear. And yet I suspect there are thousands of other invisible people still unable to be seen or heard. Ecademy may well be their best and in some cases their only option because it enables them to start networking and with it slowly reappear ... 9:14:52 AM