My World is Changing

Most definitely.

I've almost been at my first big girl job for almost 6 months!
I've had Rory for just a little over a month!
My roommate for over a year just moved out!
My dream job is an open position on Kate Spade's website!!

That's just a peak into what is going on in my life, lately.
It can be a lot to handle at one time, but I'm getting through it!

My job has had it's ups and downs lately, but I am so grateful for the experiences it is giving me. The people here are truly wonderful and though sometimes I disagree with the operations of things, I love the work that I'm doing.

Rory is still the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my life! His potty-training is going well and he's so playful! Although I have to admit, he probably isn't my biggest fan right now: We haven't been on a walk in almost a week because it has just been so cold. Maybe soon! For now he's just zooming around the apartment and absolutely enjoying himself when I have company over and they want to love on him!

My roommate! (Ex roommate?) Well, we had a good run these past 18 months, but she had to move on to bigger things! Those bigger things? Her belly! She's pregnant, and so for the good of herself and her future child, she has moved back to be near her family! It's kind of nice to have the place all to myself (at least temporarily) but I am in process of locating someone to take over her lease! Until I find someone, her room has become my craft room! It's definitely exciting.

AND THE BEST NEWS OF ALL.
My DREAM JOB is open at Kate Spade & Company!
And I APPLIED FOR IT!
I'm definitely qualified, but the fact that I would have to move might be a downside that keeps me from getting it. Also the fact that I only have about 2 years of experience in my field and most of the is through internships.
It might be a bit of a reach, but no one ever got anywhere by just sitting still and staying exactly where they are!
Here's hoping something comes of it!!

So, all these life changes and yet my life still seems so boring.
I'm sure with the holidays coming up that will all change very soon!

If anything big and exciting (or even little and seemingly unsignificant!) has happened to you recently, tell me all about it!
I looooove comments and emails!

Busy, Busy, Busy Bee!

Things are really picking up at work!

Which is super weird, since that is the exact opposite of what everyone was expecting!

I do the marketing and design for a Real Estate company and, as I'm sure you can assume, not many people typically move during the Fall/Winter months.
Well, not so this year, it seems!

We have had SO many new listings and closed listings I just cannot keep up with it all!

I'm designing new brochures, flyers, and postcards like a mad woman!
At least I'm keeping busy!

I also have recently been added to the blog for our company, so that's exciting!
Right now, I'm just blogging about our new listings, but maybe someday soon I'll be able to contribute some actual content!

I am also still in the works of developing a remastered social media marketing plan, so that's pretty exciting!

I know some of you out there have got to be into marketing, or at least social media, so any tips would be extremely helpful!
I learned a lot in my coursework and internships, but there's no reason to not look for a different insight into it!

 

Surviving the Average Workday (My Way)

   

Most of us aren't lucky enough to have our dream job at the current moment in time

(Sometimes I think Carly at The College Prepster is closer than any of us, though!)

You know what that means?

A 9 to 5.

Or, in my case, an 8:30 to 5:30 (with an hour lunch, of course)

How are we expected to get through a long work day--or worse, work week--when every second seems like it's dragging on forever and we've been done with our actual projects for hours?

Well, there's problem number one:

You're  never  done with work. If you're in the office, you should be busy.

When I first started my new job, I would spend a good bit of time feeling bored and hopeless.

And then I realized.

There's plenty for me to be doing.

I just haven't found it yet.

So I asked. That's a big part of growing up. Asking.

I asked my boss (the marketing director) if there was anything else I could do and, what do you know, I was handed not one large assignment, BUT TWO!

Those two projects have kept me sane the past two weeks.

They've also given me a sense of responsibility that, prior to now, I didn't really have with this position. I felt like just another marketing assistant, doing busy work. Now I have what I call "real work" in addition to my day-today projects. It's been great.

And when all of those day-to-days get out of hand and I'm a little stressed? A quick break with a hot cup of tea and my sketchpad calms me down. Maybe you'd prefer a glass of water and a game on your phone. Whatever you can do to "get away" from it all will work. It's been proven that taking a break from your work can increase productivity AND creativity! So give it a try and see how it goes!\

Finally? Make friends. Work is going to be no fun if you're sitting around by yourself all day not talking to anyone. Befriend your coworkers; form an attachment with them; eat lunch with them. You're going to be spending 8+ hours a day with these people, so you might as well bond over something.

In summary:

1. Ask Questions
2. Take a Break
3. Make Friends

It's pretty simple, if you ask me.

Now, every workday is not going to be perfect and some days even the most foolproof plan is going to fail, but keeping these few things in mind should make those bad days just a tiny bit better.

Please tell me if you have any of your own tips that I missed! I'd love to be able to try new ways to make my unbearable days a bit better!

Work Wear!

I've seen so many people post the best back to school fashion posts.
I'm not really what you would call a "fashionista" (is that what the kids are calling it these days? #oldlady)
And I'm most certainly not going back to school.

But I thought it would be a good idea to put together some of my favorite office outfits!
Now, my office is business casual, so these picks definitely won't work for everyone, but they look pretty nice if I do say so myself!!

(Some of my actual items are no longer available, so I used comparable ones available on Polyvore!)

That gives you a bit of my tastes! Does anyone else have a few favorite outfits that they wear to work? Or school?

Using LinkedIn Like a PRO

I'm pretty sure every young adult is told that they need to get on LinkedIn if they want to have any chance of succeeding.

And while LinkedIn most certainly isn't going to be the only thing that helps you succeed, it definitely helps.

But that's where the problem arises: it's not just being on LinkedIn that helps you become successful; It's being seen on LinkedIn.

One of my marketing professors put it best: "They say it's not what you know, but who you know. Well, I say it's not who you know, but WHO knows YOU."

That is definitely some of the best advice I got in college.
Everyone is always talking about networking and worrying about how many alumni and business executives they know, but no one ever stops to wonder if these people actually know you.
How embarrassing would it be to walk into a networking event hosted by someone you claim you know, only to have them look at you like you're a three-headed dog when you walk over and say hi? (I am proud to say that this has not actually happened to me. Yet.)

One way to avoid a lot of these awkward encounters is to master LinkedIn.

As a start, I think you should take a look at this article on HerCampus: The 4 Deadly LinkedIn Sins

I have also taken the time to provide a few of my own tips! Take a look:


1. If your profile doesn't say "All-Star" when you're editing it, is there really even a point to have it at all? ~ There are varying levels of a "completed" profile on LinkedIn, from Beginner, to Intermediate, to Advanced, to Expert, to All-Star; these all relate to your "profile strength." The highest rating you can get? All-Star. This means that you have everything filled out and that you have everything filled out well. You don't just have your past employment; you have detailed descriptions of what you accomplished there. You don't just have a list of the projects you've completed in your career; you have examples and detailed descriptions.

2. Does you profile have relevant information? Or just information that you think you should include? ~ Sure, it might sound nice to include that you successfully planned a sorority formal under a strict time constraint. But why is that important and how  does it relate to the type of career you're aiming toward? Are you going to be an event planner, then that's basically all you need to say. If not, you need to explain. If you cannot relate whatever experience to your area of expertise, then you shouldn't include it; at that point, it's just a filler and it distracts away from the things that recruiters could (and should) really be looking at.

3. If you're not sharing, no one is noticing you. ~ Now, I'm not saying you have to draft up a super witty article every single day so that you get noticed. But you should be sharing articles that relate to your industry, the job search, really anything that seems relevant to your professional career. This way, you're showing up in the Updates for all of your 1st connections as well as that of some 2nd or 3rd connections in your groups. If they like what they see, they'll share it and then even more people will see it and you are more likely to get noticed. This effect is 10x better if you are the actual author of a post that gets passed around! This is the number one way that you ensure that people know who you are rather than just being another profile. Remember, it's who knows you, not who you know.


So, those are my tips for perfecting your personal LinkedIn strategy! Obviously, LinkedIn is not a one-size-fits-all platform, so play around with what you like and what you don't like to see the best results for you!

The main purpose of LinkedIn is to connect with other professionals, but another really get benefit is finding a job. The more connected you are, the more out there you are, and the more people who will reach out to you with jobs that fit your qualifications (believe me, it happens!)

I'm sure there are plenty of you with your own LinkedIn suggestions, so tell me all about 'em! I know you all know how to use that comment button.

Working Woman

Okay, so I know what you all probably think of when you hear that, but I'm not that kind of Working Woman.

I'm just a woman.
Who works.
A lot!

Now that I'm working my real job and my host job at Mellow Mushroom, I'm working 60 hours a week! Woah!
I actually love it, though. For multiple reasons.

A) I'm making BANK. It's pretty fabulous. I still have to budget, but not nearly as much as I did before. Puppy? HERE I COME.

B) I'm back on a schedule. Before, I had pretty regular hours at Mellow, but I only worked 25 hours a week. That left me with entirely too much time; I was going insane.

But now, I'm working a lot. And I'm doing things that I actually LIKE!
It's so weird getting paid to do things that you enjoy; I'm not used to it!

And now, I'm able to buy the things I want, too!
Guys, it has been SO long since I've been able to do that!

I just got an adorable Kate Spade wallet and, as I've mentioned plenty in this and recent posts, I CAN GET A PUPPY! Not quite yet. But before the end of the year, you can bet that I will be getting all of the puppy snuggles. (And not just from Snickers!)

I also just completely rearranged my room, so I'm looking into getting some new furniture!! I'm preparing myself for the IKEA trip of a lifetime!
(You can also bet that there will be a post on this ASAP!)

All of these wonderful changes are happening for me right now and I just cannot contain my excitement!!
Does anyone else have any exciting news they'd like to share?? I'd love to hear about it, people!

How to Survive the Job Hunt (AKA Don't Be Like Me)

Maybe you're fresh out of college, like me. Or, maybe you're just looking for a summer job before you head back to school.

Either way, the job hunt can be pretty intimidating if you're hoping for something specific.

I know everyone says that you're not going to find your dream job right away, but that also does not mean that you have to settle for whatever job happens to land at your feet first. 

You don't want to be miserable at your job, because that makes going in even more difficult than usual.

That's the first rule:

1. Don't settle.
   Yeah, you don't want to be unemployed for a long time. But you also don't want to be stuck in a miserable job, working paycheck to paycheck, just because you didn't wait until something better came along. I've already turned down 3 job offers because I knew they weren't what I really wanted to do, but I almost considered accepting the most recent one just because I was sick of the job search. Wait for a job you'll be happy with. I promise that you (and I) will find it.
   
   
2. Search Actively.
   I'm sure you've heard it said a thousand times before: Searching for a job is like a full time job. And honestly, it is. You may not be applying for every single job that you spot online, but the time you spend searching can take up a lot of time. I'm pretty sure I'm at my computer for at least 6 hours a day searching and applying for jobs, and those are just the ones that I am qualified for and feel I would enjoy. It may be kind of disheartening to sit at your desk all day just clicking, "apply," but think of it this way: you're preparing yourself for your future job!
   
   
3. Personalize It.
   Okay, first of all, I don't care if an application doesn't require a cover letter. Write. One. Anyway. That shows initiative and it shows that you are truly interested in this position. Now, it's okay to have a cover letter that you use as a template for all of you applications, but these are not one size fits all. Every time you sit down to write a cover letter, you should be considering the job description and ensuring that you're including details that hint to your skills and how they match said description. For a while, I just changed out the position and company title and sent the same cover letter with every application. Not so surprisingly, it wasn't very good and I didn't hear back form most of those companies.
   
   
4. Don't get Discouraged
   The job hunt can be a trying time; believe me, I know. But don't let it get you down. Just because you've sent out 50 applications and haven't heard back from anyone doesn't mean you're a failure. Maybe they just haven't gotten to your application, or maybe it got lost in the chaos. Contact the companies and check up. Make sure they got your application and ask about how the application process goes; they'll appreciate your initiative and maybe even ask you in for an interview right then (trust me, it's happened). But even if they don't, just keep on keeping on. You'll get the best job for you when you get it!
   

So, while it may seem never-ending, the job hunt will eventually come to a close for everyone. Hopefully sooner than later, but whose to say what can happen and how it will happen? I know I'm not going to settle for a job that will not make me happy, and I'm sure you're the same. If money is an issue, you can always work a part-time job on the side while you continue your job hunt! I'm currently a hostess at Mellow Mushroom while I send in my applications and go on interviews! 

If you have any job search advice or even just a find story, let me know in the comments or an email! I'd love to hear from you!