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!

 

Handling The World's Worst Coworker

I'm sure we've all been here.

There's that one person in the office who just doesn't sit with you. She's rude; she's obnoxious; she's just flat out AWFUL.

Or he. 

(It just happens to be a she in my case)

How do you handle the person who speaks so condescendingly toward you and your fellow coworkers? How do you get her to stop stealing your desk supplies? And how do you get her to realize that the world doesn't revolve around her?

Well, I haven't quite figured it out yet. 

But I think I'm on my way!

My main firepower right now? Being as nice as I can be.

We've all heard it: "Kill them with kindness"

Well, so far it's working. She seems pretty startled and occasionally returns  the kindness. 

WEIRD.

My other method? Honesty. I tell her what she can and can't do in our office. She is slowly coming around and realizing that this isn't her old company; she is not the boss anymore and she needs to learn how to deal with that.

Does anyone else have a coworker that is extremely difficult to deal with? (I'm sure you do!!)

Let me know your best methods for handling them so I can try to apply them to my current situation.

I appreciate any suggestions!

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.

Where Has The Time Gone?

I have already been at my new job for over a month!
How did that happen?

It feels like I just started, and now here we are: 35 days later. I feel like it's just gonna keep speeding past me now.

Everything is still fabulous (except for that one new girl who is managing to get on everyone's nerves!)

But I do admit, this working 2 jobs thing (My full-time marketing job & my part-time hosting job) is getting a little crazy!
I appreciate the extra income (hello, student loans) but I do NOT appreciate the lack of extra time.

I do get a break (I'm off every Saturday, yo!) so I still get a chance to have some alone time and spend time with my friends!
That is definitely essential:

Make time for yourself!

There's no way I would be able to survive without having that one day off; those few hours of my very own make the rest of the week worthwhile.

Those few hours also give me entirely too much time to spend all of the money I just earned!
(Sorry, bank account, but I really needed those shoes. And that wallet. And that day trip with Mandy just to get lunch 2 hours away.)

All-in-all, I'm enjoying it, but it is taking a bunch of my free time away! (Definitely the reason I have been so MIA lately!!)
I am actually penciling in some blog time now, though, so the poor thing will not be left abandoned!!

Has anyone else recently started on a new journey? A new job, a new school, or a relocation perhaps?

Moving Upward

I am SO excited to start my full-time job this coming Monday!!!
I'll be doing marketing and design for a realty firm in Charlotte!

This is by no means my dream job, but it's definitely a starting place and I absolutely love the people and the culture of the firm, so I know I will enjoy it!! I CANNOT WAIT!!

I am going to try to stay at Mellow Mushroom, as well, just to make some money on the side. I also love it there, and I would hate to leave all of my fabulous coworkers that I am just starting to get close to.

All I can say is that it is definitely going to be an adventure!!

And, hopefully coming along for this adventure will be a puppy!! (Just so you know, when I say puppy I mean dog. I don't care if it is 10 weeks old or 10 years old. It's a puppy.)

I've applied to adopt a puppy from the Carolina Poodle Rescue and hopefully I will have a phone call today that decides whether or not I can! I'm hoping to bring him home some time in September, if I get the okay from the rescue!! EEEEE! So excited.

Basically, there are a lot of changes going on in my life right now and they are all super exciting and I just cannot wait to see where I go from here!!

Life is Good

I posted at the beginning of this week about how hard life is.
And yesterday I posted about making your own happiness.

So today I'm going to kind of mix the two!

Yeah, life is hard. But it's also good.

Today I had an interview. A real-life, big-girl job interview.
And I left that interview feeling the best I've felt in a while. I felt happy; I felt confident; I felt good. So good.

I can't remember the last time I left an interview feeling that good. You see, typically when I have to endure stressful situations like that, no matter how well I think they went, I leave feeling jittery, nervous, and unsure.

But today, I only felt good. I knew I did well in that interview. And knowing that I have my second interview on Monday just makes me feel even better.

This is such an exciting opportunity for and I cannot tell you how excited I am!!

Has anyone else had something else in their life recently that just made them feel so fabulous??