What'cha Drinkin'? with Annie Pettit
Editor's note: Automated speech-to-text transcription, edited lightly for clarity.
Dan Quirk:
Hi, welcome to another edition of What’cha Drinkin’? from Quirk’s Media. I'm Dan Quirk, VP, marketing. Today we're talking with Annie Petit, research consultant. Well, hi Annie. How are you today?
Annie Petit:
I'm good. How are you doing?
Dan Quirk:
I'm doing great. So you're Canadian, so I have to actually ask you, what are you drinking?
Annie Petit:
Today I've got miso soup. Strangely I'm not a huge fan of coffee or tea you know, always need something warm, especially in the morning. So my last trip to Tokyo, I brought home a pack of miso and here I am drinking water with beans.
Dan Quirk:
Hey, that sounds good. That's what this is all about. Everybody has something different. It's a Friday, I got a little bit of razz on social media for drinking early in the morning on some of these interviews, so I decided I wouldn't drink in the office anymore. But today I'm working from home so I have a mimosa, that's champagne and orange juice, so it's quite delicious. Yes. So I think I need to work from home more.
Well, one of the reasons I really wanted to interview you is because I know in the past you had been laid off from a job and you were able to take that and really use it to your advantage to figure out what you wanted to do. And I know we have a lot of people in our industry right now who are laid off, hopefully temporarily. So what advice would you give them?
Annie Petit:
Yeah, three years ago I was laid off and at the time it seemed really traumatic, what am I supposed to do? Where do I go from here? So the important thing for me at that point was basically, take a set period of time and feel disappointed, feel sad, let it happen. When that's done though, get right back up in there. There are so many free webinars, virtual festivals. Sign up for those things, sign up for all of them. Learn things from all the different people, all the different methodologies. Get to know what's happening in the industry. E-mail those people afterwards, ask questions.
There's so much to learn, especially if you seem to have free time, which is a terrible phrase to say, but take advantage of all that free learning. Take the opportunity to maybe learn Python or moderating skills. Work on your LinkedIn page. You've just worked with 10, 20, 30 fabulous people. I'm sure some of them would love to give you a LinkedIn recommendation. Ask away, fill up your LinkedIn page. Something else that's fabulous, some of my clients have been doing this, the Canadian Mental Health Association is offering free courses. So things like knowing your boundaries, building compassion, how to handle discomfort, free courses on all this stuff online right now. So absolutely go to the Canadian Mental Health Association and see what they're offering.
Dan Quirk:
And one of the things we've heard too is that actually, although right now is not a great time to find a job, that there are a lot of companies that are going to be expanding as they come out of this pandemic and that this is an opportunity for them to hire talent and also an opportunity for talented people to figure out what they really want to do and find the right fit. Often, we're not in a job that is the right fit, but it's been comfortable. Did you find that way for yourself?
Annie Petit:
Absolutely. So in that first, let's say I gave myself six months to be disappointed and think about what I wanted for the future. So I just spent that time listening, learning and figuring out what I did and didn't like, what I liked more or less. And in the process of doing that, things that helped me discover what I did and didn't like, that's when opportunities started coming up because people could see me getting passionate about that particular project they're working on or that particular technique. When they see there's some real interest there, when you see there's some real interest there, then you start to notice new opportunities that you wouldn't have considered previously. So it can be really good to, a really good way to figure out what's right for you and where you want to go in the future.
Dan Quirk:
Great, great. Now, normally at this point in the interview, I pick a random question out of a box and ask a random question, but I see some ukuleles behind you and I know that you play the ukulele, so I wondered if you would play a little song for us.
Annie Petit:
Sure. I've got an electric here.
Dan Quirk:
Whichever one you want.
Annie Petit:
There's my Y, very nice, by Jake Shima himself.
Dan Quirk:
I have seen him in concert.
Annie Petit:
He is stunning.
Dan Quirk:
He's amazing.
Annie Petit:
People make fun of the yuk until they watch him and it's like, I had no idea it was actually a genuine instrument.
Dan Quirk:
I was at a resort in Hawaii and there was a performer at the bar and you had to pay for tickets, but they said, well, as long as you're at the hotel you can go. And it was Jake and I actually knew who he was ahead of time. It ranks up there as one of my best treats ever, concerts ever. He was amazing.
Annie Petit:
And he's a lovely person. He's been doing virtual festivals recently, so if you want to learn the yuk, great opportunity.
Dan Quirk:
Very, very good. Well, I have to tell you, the reason I partially wanted to interview you, aside from your amazing marketing research background was that during this pandemic, I decided to order my own ukulele and I got a ukulele book. What I learned seemed too small. It seemed too small to me, this ukulele. So I figured that was the problem. So then about two weeks into it, I decided I needed this bigger ukulele. Tenor. It's a bigger one so that I could play it. I learned that it turns out, no, that's not the problem. I don't really have any rhythm. And it turns out I might not have a lot of discipline as well actually. Anyway, that still is a goal of mine though, to learn the ukulele. Maybe someday we will play together. I want to thank you so much though.
Annie Petit:
Next conference.
Dan Quirk:
Yes, maybe hopefully the next one in person. Although we are doing a virtual conference, so maybe one of our lunch breaks or something. But I want to thank you so much for taking the time for the interview and it's been great catching up. And thanks for the advice to those who are out of work.
Annie Petit:
It's been lovely to see you, even though it's not in person.
Dan Quirk:
Yes, yes. Alright, take care.