When I graduated from college, I didn’t have a job. Since my junior year at Slippery Rock University, I had wanted to work in an agency and do PR. I had a very specific goal in mind, yet I was nowhere near getting it. I had one internship under my belt, but it was hardly the experience I needed that would resonate with any firm. (I worked in the promotions department of a radio station.) So I needed to get crafty. If I wanted that coveted position I yearned for, I was going to have to work extra hard. I got a job, but it wasn’t until a year and a half later that I landed an agency gig (an apprenticeship at an ad agency). This May, it’ll be six years since I graduated. In that time, I quickly climbed up the ranks and now still work in an agency, and hold a manager position. I didn’t get where I am today doing the bare minimum. I’ve worked hard in the last six years, so I wanted to share some “habits” with college students and young pros alike that can give them the boost they need to succeed.
Habit 1: Stand out
Everyone is different and unique, yet so many resumes are just ho-hum. Yes, you could have gone to a great school or did a great internship — but what sets you apart? When I applied for the apprenticeship, I did my research on the agency, learned the client roster, and brought in a press release I had written on one of the clients to my interview. Was I asked to? No. But I really wanted to show them I was a go-getter and could write well. I set myself apart. After I had been working there a few months, social media for business started to come into play. It was in its infancy, but I took an interest into learning more about it. Of course everyone knows it BLEW UP, and I was there with the knowledge, so people looked to me to know more. I ended up handling one of my client’s Twitter pages before that really became the norm, and it was the first social media initiative my agency had done. It brought revenue in, gave me this special knowledge, and catapulted me into a social media professional. I set myself apart.
Habit 2: Network
Everyone always hears they should network. Well, it’s true. My first year out of school, networking was all I could rely on to get me anywhere in my industry. In my networking, I made some connections. I just set up informal coffee sessions, or met people at their offices to talk about the industry. I’m not gonna lie, A LOT of it was a bust. It will be for you, too. However, there will be important people you meet along the way. In 2007, I met Paul Furiga, president and CEO of WordWrite Communications. His PR agency didn’t have any openings at the time, but Paul was still gracious enough to meet with me, give me advice, and help me find more networking connections. In 2009 when there was an opening at WordWrite, Paul remembered me and although I had an agency job, he reached out to me to come interview anyway. I ended up getting the job. See — networking works! And a piece of advice — don’t ever stop networking. You never know when you’ll need someone for a job, advice, a reference or just talking shop.
Habit 3: Use your current situation to your advantage
Don’t have a job? Well that gives you time to network, go to events and volunteer. Have a job you don’t like? Use your lunch break to meet professionals for lunch and network. Or start a blog to talk about your passions. Have a job you do like? Kick ass in it. Everyone has different situations. Use it to your advantage. In Habit 1, I talked about learning social media for business when it was new. Maybe your company could use someone to do extra research on a particular area, and could add that capability to their repertoire. Be the person to go the extra mile. If you want to go far, you’re going to have to work more. It’s that simple.
Habit 4: Participate
When I first started working in PR, I immediately became involved in PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) Pittsburgh. I had been involved in the student society in college, PRSSA, so I wanted to get involved again. It was a great move, because I joined a committee and got to meet lots of PR professionals from all over Pittsburgh in different areas – agencies, corporations, non-profit and solo practitioners. I quickly became a board member and have some great experience under my belt from just that organization, including event planning, judging for awards, non-profit, media relations and social media. It got me experience in addition to my job and so many more connections. Not to mention a resume boost. So get out there and participate in an organization or volunteer for a non-profit.
Habit 5: Be proactive
Did you know this is an original habit from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? Yeah, I stole it, and the title. But it applies to young pros as well. No one ever got anywhere by just doing what they were told. You have to be proactive and bring things into your company. Perhaps it’s a vendor you noticed on Twitter, a lunch and learn you think would be beneficial, or you started a project early. I HATE it when my boss or client brings something up that I was already planning on doing. Like the status of a project or something we had talked about doing in the past. So I always try to bring it to them first, or least shoot them a quick email that says where I am with something. Also, I’m a big component of the saying, “Ask for forgiveness, not permission.” 9 times out of 10, someone will be glad you did something proactively, especially if you have the results to back it up. Just be mindful.
Habit 6: Speak up
Sometimes, you just need help. Don’t be afraid to ask for it. Maybe you don’t understand an assignment. Instead of thinking you’ll look stupid, why not just ask? I’ve wasted a lot of time not asking enough questions and having to re-do something. Get all that you need and don’t be afraid to ask. You’ll end up doing a great job if you know what’s expected. Also — if someone presents an idea and you have a different opinion on how to approach it (or additional idea) — speak up! Even if it’s to someone who habitually (no pun intended) thinks they’re always right, don’t be afraid to challenge them professionally. Just be sure to pick your battles. It’s so not worth the energy every time. And the more often you challenge, the less effective you’ll seem.
Habit 7: Keep learning
When I was little, I used to watch “Reading Rainbow” all the time with my older sister (LaVar Burton rules!). That show was so corny, but it was super entertaining AND educational. I didn’t have to watch it, but I chose to. And I’d want to read all the books they recommended. Today, I take that same approach. Yes, I’m college educated and have a job, but I want to keep learning. I want to learn about other disciplines in my agency, best practices of my industry, what other brands are doing in social, etc. I take note when I read magazines, watch commercials, and go on websites and social media to see what people are doing because that applies to my work. I try to read blogs and articles, participate in webinars and conferences, and keep learning. You should do the same, no matter what your industry. The more you know, the better you’ll become, and there’s ALWAYS more to learn.
25-30: The new "awkward stage"
In two weeks, I’ll be turning the big 2-7. Each year as my birthday approaches, I am completely baffled at the age I am. 27? When I was 12, 27 was ancient. Like, old person. Married with kids and a house and boring. It’s inevitable we will grow older each year so this shouldn’t be so shocking, and you’re going to hit those milestones we once saw as never-gonna-happen-cuz-that’s-too-far-away. Like age 30. I can’t believe in three years I’ll be 30! Ew! (I know everyone older than me reading this is rolling their eyes at me right now. I know because I roll my eyes at 22 year olds that express the same concern as me.) But when I crept into my mid-20s and now the latter half of this transitional decade, I’m noticing how I hang on to some things I did in the earlier half of this decade (and even earlier than that), but I’m also doing new things that only “old people” do. So I’ve dubbed 25-30 the new awkward stage. Forget ages 12-16ish. That time period was awkward enough. But your 20s are a whole new awkward stage. You graduate college. And after you graduate is hard enough figuring out life. I’ve got some stuff figured out. But everyone is different at these ages. Some people I graduated from high school and college with are married with two kids livin’ in the burbs. I’m still livin’ in the burbs, but I’m not married with children. In fact, I still live at home with my parents. I know, the shame. But my bank account is lookin’ mighty fine from that savings. And apparently, I’m in good company.
So with that, following is a list of things I do at (almost) 27 to make this the awkward stage:
Keeping secrets
I’ve always been a pretty good secret keeper. But when you’re this age, there’s special things you need to keep secret for some time. Case in point: pregnancies. No, not me! Friends, family. In the last two months or so, I’ve learned about three people close to me that are having babies. And I’ve had to keep it a secret until doctor’s appointments were made, and all the right people were told. Same goes with engagements (again, not me). There’s a certain protocol about keeping it on the DL (that’s down-low for all you old geezers reading this), so all the right people are told so your second cousin won’t find out on Facebook and get pissed. I want to shout from the Facebook rooftops about all these babies and engagements, but if it’s not mine, it’s not my place. So, hush hush. Then when it IS time to announcement, I will create a hashtag for your baby.
Sleep patterns
I’m notorious for sleeping to obscene hours of the day. I once slept ’til 5 p.m. in college. It’s not something I’ve completely grown out of (example: today I stayed in bed until noon). But it’s something that happens just once in awhile now. Now it’s the grind Monday through Friday and up at about 7 a.m. On the weekends, I like to get in an early yoga class so I have to get up early. Or I have stuff to do. Adult stuff like run errands. When I was little, I used to pretend I was running errands. WTF. Errands suck. Why did I ever long to do them?
New sleep patterns also mean:
- Falling asleep at 9 p.m. on the couch Friday nights because I’m exhausted from the work week
- Going out, but leaving far before the bars close because I’m tired, and making sure I drink a glass of water before bed so I can be productive the next day and not be hungover
- Rarely going out on the week days because it’s a “work night,” but fully getting on board with happy hours
- Not wanting to get up at 5 a.m. to work out or get a head start on the workday, but very willing to jump out of bed for Kate Middleton’s Royal Wedding
- FEELING it the next day at work if I don’t get to bed until midnight. And that’s without alcohol
- Bragging about getting a solid 8-hour sleep
Clothes and whatnot
This is also an awkward and transitional stage for my wardrobe, including:
- Still rockin’ Victoria’s Secret PINK, even though it’s specifically for college girls
- Now having a slight obsession with Ann Taylor LOFT, even though a few years ago I thought it was for older women
- Still like to put braids in my hair
- I own a trench coat
- I not only get pants hemmed, but tailored
- High heels overpower flip flops in my closet
- I now choose comfort over cuteness with shoes…most of the time (I’m not that old)
- Still shop the juniors’ department (love you BP from Nordstrom)…OK and sometimes rummage the kids department (when you’re short, you save)
Other things
- Retired from reading Cosmo, but just picked up the latest issue of Real Simple
- Still let my mom cook for me…but now I ask how she prepares things so I can learn
- Read food blogs, bookmark recipes, and COOK!
- Facebook with the best of ’em…but cringe when I see younger kids putting inappropriate things on there
- Speaking of Facebook, I constantly stalk people’s wedding photo albums, even if I don’t know them. Is this normal?
- Still watch MTV…but I also like the news, TLC, and wedding shows (Say Yes to the Dress, anyone?)
- Coffee is my daily must-have. It is my crack
- I exercise for health, not to just to be skinny
- Now if I pig out, it makes me sick. In college I could binge eat and drink with the best of ’em
- Boredom is just a pastime
- Will still watch Anchorman over and over…but now I’m interested in watching all the year’s Oscar-nominated films
- I actually like to drink a beer or glass of wine with my meal (in college this would have made me vomit)
- I can still pump a keg…but now I can open a bottle of wine (no, not boxed)
OK, my fellow awkward 20-somethings. What would you add?
How to make a seamless transition to your next job
It’s no secret that us “Gen Yers” have had more than one job since we graduated from college. I’ve technically had five. GAH! Five in five years? That’s embarrassing. But, then you’d look at my history, and people knocking down my door to have me work for them (not really, though) and you’d realize exactly WHY I’ve had five jobs. I won’t get into my work history right now (if you really want to know, ask me), but what I will get into is the fact that we’ll all have to do it. Whether we get laid off (thank you, economy) or just take a different (or better) direction, we are going to have more than one job post-college. We’re not our parents. I would love to work for the same company for 30 years like my dad, but then I think, that sounds boring. Reality is – we’re going to move jobs. And an important yet sometimes overlooked trait for Gen Y is to be great at job transitioning. You may think that’s sad, but it’s absolutely true. So, having just left my last job for my current job, here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way:
1. Save important stuff
There’s no doubt you probably did incredible work at your last gig. You probably talked to a few incredible people as well. That’s why it’s essential to save stuff. Think of your most important work, then save the documents or links either to Google Docs or a zip drive so you can keep them for your portfolio. Be mindful of confidential documents though, and always know that your work at your last job belongs to that company.
Another important thing to do is save your contacts. I unfortunately could not export my Entourage contacts to a normal excel or CSV file from my last computer, so instead, I manually copied and pasted them all into my own spreadsheet. THAT was a fun Saturday. Fortunately my Yahoo contacts exported just fine, so I combined the two, took out who I didn’t need anymore (or who I couldn’t for the life of me remember who they were) and uploaded them into my new work Entourage contacts. Luckily they sync with my Droid automatically, so here’s hoping I can export the Droid contacts somewhere, and often. This may have been a pain, but I’m glad I have all personal and professional contacts saved into one place. You never know who you’ll need to speak to down the road.
2. Tell important people
So you just spent all that time saving all those people…your next logical step is to tell them about your new job. First of all, you want them to congratulate you and awe at your accomplishments. But really, you want them to have your updated contact information so they aren’t e-mailing your old name and receiving no response. I doubt your old company wants to keep replying to people, or set an out of office with your new stuff. So, be proactive. Tell people indiviidualy or as a group e-mail, or blog about it so you cover all your bases. You’ll be happy you did.
3. Tame your e-mail and clear your computer
One important thing to do is to go through your work computer and clean it out. If you’re like me, you have about 39 56MB PowerPoint decks saved to your desktop. Or, you could have your passwords automatically fill in for you (it makes online shopping a breeze! Oh and don’t worry, I’ve never online shopped at work. NEVER). It’s important to delete (or save to Google Docs then delete) all files, e-mails that are no longer relevant (to your old job, not to you) and clear internet history. That way, nothing is left for anyone that shouldn’t be there, and important things to your old job are saved on their server. Another good rule of thumb? Unsubscribe to e-mail newsletters you never read, and change your settings to your new contact info to the ones you do read. The person oh so lucky to have the job of getting your e-mail forwards will love you for this.
4. Make a killer exit
You know the saying, “Don’t burn your bridges?” Well, in leaving a job, and in life in general, this is 100 percent true. Always has been, always will be. You want to end on the best note possible. Give ample time (two full weeks), and offer to help. After someone leaves a place, it generally sucks until they find your replacement. So, offer to help find the replacement by recommending your contacts or LinkedIn connections. Also, close the loop on as much as possible and hand off projects when appropriate. I was even so kind at my last job to make a document outlining my day-to-day tasks, that way the new person could come on board with a road map. This is also super helpful if you run social media accounts, so you can spell out processes here, or direct them to where the processes are housed. And don’t forget to include log-in information for those channels! Having a smooth exit will leave your old boss and coworkers still thinking highly of you. After all, you never know when you’ll have to interact with those people again. Plus, if you live in a smaller city like Pittsburgh, you are going to interact with them again. No bones about it.
5. Prepare for your new job
This one is probably the hardest (given the short amount of time you have), but really important. You don’t want to walk blindly into your new work place, so try to prepare as much as possible. Ask for a heads-up of what you’ll be working on. Ask as many questions as possible. Meet up with coworkers for happy hour before you start working with them, or at least stalk them out on social channels like Twitter. Having a game plan will make you able to jump right in and impress your new boss.
So, what else would you recommend or have you done for a seamless job transition?
Business Travel Tips For The Newbie: Airplane Edition
So you have to fly somewhere for work and never have before? First, read these tips. Once you’ve mastered business tripping by car, you’re ready for the airplane. Here’s a few tips for new travelers:
1. Know your itinerary
You may not be the one to set up the flight and meeting times, but make sure you know them. Planning ahead, you’ll be able to know how much time you’ll have between meetings, where you are laying over, and what time you’ll need to get up in the morning so you can plan accordingly.
2. Have all your papers ready
Make sure you check-in and print your boarding pass the day before your flight, and print out any hotel confirmation numbers so you’ll have the address and information in case they mix up your stuff, or if you get a cab from the airport, you can give them the address. Most hotels will print your boarding pass for the way home, too. Also, make sure if you have a layover and have to change planes somewhere, you print BOTH boarding passes. I forgot to do this last trip and didn’t know what time my next flight was (they printed it for me at the desk). This was very upsetting because I wasn’t able to go to Jamba Juice. Or, you can go all 2010 and have everything set up on your phone – some airlines allow you to have your boarding pass on your phone.
3. Know the rules
It seems like once a month there’s a new rule TSA puts out about laptops and liquids and whatnot. Check out http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm for all you need to know before you go.
4. Charge it
If you’re like me, you have a least five electronics with you at all time, no matter if you’re traveling or not. Make sure they’re all fully charged and you have your chargers with you in your carry on. And at the airport, plug in. Some planes even have outlets in the seats. Fancy.
5. Know your expenses
Does your work have a limit to how much you can spend on meals each day? What about wifi? Some airports make you pay for it (I’m looking at you, Regan International). Can you expense Starbucks? Know how much you can spend and plan accordingly. Also, know if you should use a company credit card or your own.
6. Bring snacks
Just like in my last post about the business travel subject, I recommend packing a few snacks. You can’t have drinks through security at the airport, but you can bring food. My last trip I had pretzels, an apple and Luna protein bars with me. That way, if you are hungry at the airport or while at your destination, you have something to hold you over until your next meal. Plus it’s healthier and less expensive than grabbing airport food. It’s also a good idea to bring an empty water bottle with you and fill up after security. That way, you don’t have to keep paying $8 for water in airports and hotels.
7. Pack your bag accordingly
Usually, a business trip calls for just a carry on, so pack accordingly. Girls: You don’t need tons of shoes. I know how much it pains you. So pack a key pair of heels and shoes to work out in if you need those, and that’s it. Anything bulky you need to bring like a jacket: wear it. Trust me, those overhead bins are the size of my leg (and I’m 4’11).
8. Dress accordingly
Just like a smart packed bag is key, so are your clothes. Make sure you know what type of meeting or event you’re going to, and dress the part. Don’t know? Business casual usually works, and bring a jacket just in case. Also, don’t wear something stupid through security. You don’t want to be *that guy* going through the line unzipping and who knows what else. Don’t wear crazy boots. I would recommend wearing something casual and then changing into your meeting clothes before you have to go anywhere. Flip flops and slip on flats are usually a wonder, and fit easy in your bag.
9. Catch up on work and e-mail
Traveling is a lot of boring hours of sitting. Utilize your time by opening up your laptop and banging out some work. Prep for your meeting or presentation, or catch up on e-mails. Some planes have wifi, but for most that don’t, just put all your e-mail in your outbox so when you do connect to the Internet, it will send for you. Shazzam.
10. If you’re not happy, get out
The other week, I was put up in a hotel that was not cool. It was dirty and I didn’t feel safe staying alone there. So I left. I told the woman at the front desk I wasn’t comfortable and they didn’t charge the account, and I just went and checked in at a Hampton. Know that you are traveling for WORK (or a speaking engagement) and they have to make sure you have the best accommodations. If you’re not happy, you absolutely have the right to change it. And if you’re given a hard time by the powers that be, perhaps you shouldn’t be working for them or doing a speaking engagement there.
Bonus round: Know where you parked at the airport.
Seriously, write it down or take a picture with your phone. You don’t want to end up like this: