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Road Warriors: Alexandra Franzen
Alexandra Franzen, creative resume consultant.
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Kai Ryssdal:Business travel can be a fairly daunting proposition. Crammed as you are in the middle seat on a cross-country flight, only to be greeted by yet another anonymous hotel room whenever you get where you're going. It's enough to take the competitive drive out of anybody.
For our series Road Warriors, producer Michael Raphael is introducing us to the soundtracks people use when they're away on business. Today, a woman who uses her music to get motivated to meet with clients.
Alexandra Franzen: I'm Alexandra Franzen. I'm a creative resume designer and copywriter in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The soundtrack to my time on the road is "Right Hand High" by Kid Sister.
"Right Hand High" by Kid Sister
"Right Hand High" is basically just a party jam. It's got a very strong 4/4 beat -- it's hard to listen to it without getting really energized.
The lyrics are very empowering, especially for women. Kid Sister has a very, sort of, tongue-in-cheek attitude towards working and making money and being successful. She's very unabashed about the fact that she wants to make a lot of money. In the song, she says, "I'm stackin' money all night."
But at the same time, she is very, sort of, coy and funny about it. She realizes that success is very fleeting and that it really is just about the journey and keeping high energy in staying positive. So for me, I love listening to it before any kind of work situation, because it gets me in this hustlin' frame of mind.
I work a lot with really creative people who maybe have never had a traditional resume before, or who have a resume, but just have never really had to use it, because they're a musician, they're an artist, they're a comedian -- but for whatever reason, they want to take another look at their personal brand, maybe they're applying for their first "real job." And I help them piece together their eclectic work history in a way that feels really authentic and not corporate and creepy, and put together a resume that really rocks for them.
Ryssdal: We've got a new music section on our website. You can check out some of Alexandra's other favorites there, and while you're at it, offer up your own playlist.
I thought it was great. I wrote this good comment yesterday and then my computer crashed so sort of bummed that I don't have the momentum that that comment had. Mostly that I went over to the radio and turned it up the minute I heard your music. It was great. Good for spinning. Really liked the new input of energy song. Also liked the comments you made about the artist ... about how she came off to you. The ability for her to have contrasting ambitions but not really. A humanist as well as the need for her to make money. Humility within your comments. Thank you Alexandra. Beautiful girl. I have gone to iTunes to check out the artist. Good luck in Human Resources .. yikes that's a hard one now in this environment. Very necessary and needed.
I was really excited to learn about Alexandra Franzen and her work. I am a freelance creative professional, who has often struggled with trying to format her unconventional resume, for a more convectional job market. I was inspired to know that there are people helping artists with just that. By the way, I find the Road Warriors series a refreshing addition to marketplace.
This segment has nothing to do with business or the markets. It is just a filler and a poor one at that. As if there aren't enough business news to talk about: financial reform, the credit crisis, inflation/deflation debate, managing money, etc. If the producers need ideas they just need to talk to people on Main St.
It’s embarrassing to me to have music like that coming out of my office. I live in the Pacific Time Zone where your show airs at 3:00 PM, and it's supposed to be about, you know, business, the markets and the like. I don't want to hear the latest teenybopper music. I can't image that a large portion of your audience is interested in both Ben Bernanke and Lady Gaga. I’m sure there are some but could there really be enough to justify a music segment on Marketplace? If this keeps up I’m going to be a marketplace.org reader instead of a listener. That was just awful. Really, really awful.
Sweet! Loved this song, and loved knowing there were other 'professionals' out there like me that like listening to this music to get pumped before going to work.. if only to remember that its ok to untuck my shirt again when I leave :) Hadn't heard this song before... will be searching it out tonight. thx!
