Cassie Boorn: my spanx are so tight i cant move

Cassie Boorn: or breathe

ktandrsn06: “all ready for blogher with my spanx on!”

Cassie Boorn: hahahaha

Cassie Boorn: who said that

ktandrsn06: i did

ktandrsn06: about you

ktandrsn06: i can see you

ktandrsn06: all fancied up with too much red lip stick on

Cassie Boorn: hahahaha

Cassie Boorn: why red?

ktandrsn06: and not being able to walk because ur spanx are killing u

ktandrsn06: idk, u like to wear red lipstick when u get real fancy

Thanks Katie.

It is during these conversations that you will find me sitting indian style completely enthrawled with everything that they are saying. It is also during these conversations where you will find my friends rolling their eyes and trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with me and how we ever became friends.

Except one friend.

One of my friends happily tells my why she chose the toothpaste that foams. What attracted her to buy an android phone and why exactly she is in love with Apple products. She is also happy to share when a deal is bogus. She will let me know if I sound shady trying to sell her a deal on something. (aka convincing her to join a website, eat at a specific restaurant, or re-design my website for a total of $10)

She is a smart girl and many times gives me insight to the mind of a 21 year old. How they work. How they decide whether or not something is a good deal.

Recently I signed up for You Data. They pay you to look at ads. They also have a referral program. So, if your friends sign up you get money. It seemed like a good incentive for me.

Me: Go sign up for this. They pay you to look at ads. Like eight cents an ad.

Her: lol uhhh…ok. Have you actually gotten paid for this?

Me: Yes

Her: Like how much?

Me: $1.05

Her: lol wow. Can you sit there and look at as many ads as you want?

Me: No there is a limit. They give you like 10 and pay you a few cents for each.

Her: Thats dumb. Waste of time.

Me: SIGN UP. I GET A DOLLAR

Her: NO.

See where I lost her? Already, I have insight on how they could better their business to attract a younger crowd. And I have insight about how to get people to use a referral link….

Posted via web from Glitter and Heels

*sigh*

Those days of guzzling coffee and working from home everyday are over. I am now wrapped in three layers of clothing walking running through campus.

In the past week I have had a gazillion ideas for blog posts. Seriously, SO many things happened and I thought I should write about that! But, guess what? I am tired. Most of my writing consists of emails, research papers, and business plans.

So, really quick like, here is a few things I wanted to write about this week.

-I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish this year. It is quite long and I am little scared to publish it.

-I had the opportunity to listen to 30 college freshman tell the class what the meaning of life was to them. Let me tell you, I am enlightened…and quite frankly a little scared for my future.

-I would never suggest anyone become a philosophy text book author. Word of advice. 90% of philosophy professors despise text books. You won’t make any money.

-I met with a lovely woman yesterday and I am applying to grad school. Just a masters program. JUST an extra two years…right?

-I will be at Blissdom next week. I am practice being less publicly akward…wish me luck.

-Oh, and if you didn’t notice I re-did my website!

Last note for today. Life is good. It is just busy.

(and by acquire I mean Twitter stalking–leaving these poor people with no choice but  to address me)

Last week I had a lovely conversation about where I am headed in the future. She was a pleasure to speak to and gave me some great advice. One of the things that she suggested I do is get some experience in Traditional Media.

I have been stuck on this idea for the rest of the week. I had always planned on using my digital media background and simply building upon it. Is this to naive? Is it essential to have both traditional and digital experience? Is it better to choose an area or niche and carve a defined place for yourself?

I know that many people are working their way into digital media. I realize that the number of people working to get into the field will continue to grow. So maybe traditional media is the way to go?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

5. Title doesn’t matter.

I have never worked in the corporate world. DeVries really was my first taste at what it might be like.  I had a notion coming in that title and superiority would be a large factor in working with colleagues. I came in as an intern which is  the smallest title that you could have. This title, however, did not change the way that people spoke to me. I had Senior colleagues asking me for ideas and opinions. They did not only ask me but listened and guided and advised. I always felt as though I was an equal. If this is the way corporate world really works I am ready to take it on!

4. Digital Media is consistently a part of conversation.

Everywhere you look people are discussing Digital Media. The ways in which brands can get involved and the latest news in blogging. DeVries takes a special interest in Digital Media. They are continually finding new ways to get involved in the Digital Media space.  I found that most of my colleagues at DeVries were on Twitter. Some were blogging and many were attending digital media conferences in hopes of meeting new people and learning more about the space. As you may know, DeVries even sponsored the 140 conference supplying attendees with Wi-Fi. (It is obvious they get what is important).

*I have included a list of great DeVries employees for you to follow!

3. Team work is essential.

I will make a confession here. I have alot of trouble working on teams. I like to be in charge and control what is happening on a project. However, I never found working on a team at DeVries hard. I worked on one major project that included a large team. It was so organized and ran so smoothly that I did not have the usual anxieties that often come with team work. Each member had their job and their responsibilities. It was all very organized and helped me to see that working on a team is not always bad.

2. New Ideas are Always Appreciated

I have another confession here. I am quite opinionated and always full of ideas. Often times I hold my opinions back in fear of offending someone. That was not an option working at DeVries. Colleagues wanted to hear my ideas. They asked for my opinions and listened to them. These people love new ideas.

1. They Care about bloggers.

I am normally a member of the blogging world more so than public relations. I have many friends that are bloggers and I am continually making connections online. There is this assumption made by bloggers than PR people just don’t understand them. I cannot tell you how un-true this idea is at DeVries. Many of the people that I worked closely had strong relationships with blogger. Many even considered themselves friends with bloggers. They have conversations via Twitter and often meet up at social media events. Some even spoke on the phone with bloggers just to see how they were doing. They are consistently looking for new ways to work with bloggers. Not because blogging is the new big thing but because they adore so many so of you.

As Promised Twitter Names For You:

@ssmirnov

@joncronin

@lpearson

@laurenpavlick

@alymazz

@bevinorourke

@lpesin

@AmySho

@oneillmolly

@QueenBee24

@JennWeldon

@lizaweiner

@lmckinley

@ashleyzink

@katiebest

@KathyCash

@EileenMoore

My father never attended college. My mother did not graduate from college until I was seventeen years old. So, here we have two parents who had never attended college encouraging their child to attend with no true notion of what college was like. (note: I am not criticizing the lack of education here)

There are certain assumptions that many parents have made about their children attending college. I heard my classmates discuss them in highschool and I have witnessed them in college. The assumption being, if you attend college you will graduate and then you will begin your career.

Bing. Bang. Boom.

Right?

The economy is hard. Many college graduates never find their dream job. Many college graduates fail to find a job. Why does noone discuss this? Because it is scary.

When colleges were first founded the idea was not to attend in hopes of a grand career. Ok, maybe there was that idea in mind. Mainly, the idea was to get an education. Soak up the intelligence from the minds of great philosophers. Study the past experiments that great chemists had conducted. Learn as much about the world as you can find and experience it. After leaving college you did not search for that corporate job that would complete you life. You took your knowledge and applied it to the world. You found a way to combine your passion and knowledge together. You looked for completion.

Many college students enter universities looking for nothing more than a job. For money. They skate through classes barely making grades. They go out and have a good time. They read texts when forced and cringe at the idea of test taking. For they know they will leave college and begin a career.

Bing. Bang. Boom.

Right?

Personal branding is much like starting your own business. That business is you. The way that you present yourself to the world is all a part of personal branding. This is one of the best sites I have found explaining personal branding. There is an amazing slideshow breaking it down in an easy to follow format. Career paths are changing. The way our parents worked no longer seem to be working. 

When branding yourself using social media I suggest starting with the four most basic social media tools. I have included some links to help get you started!

-Blogging: Blogging gives you a platform to show the world what you have to offer. It is a place for you to start conversations on your favorite topics and interests. Whether it be parenting, business, social media, or just a rambling of event in your life.

-Twitter: Twitter is a great way to become a part of the community of bloggers. There are people from all areas of expertise on Twitter. Many are leaders in their industry looking to start a conversation. Do you know how few people use twitter a career building tool? Take advantage! 

-Linked-In: I think of Linked-In as an online resume. A place to showcase all of the work experience and education you have received. Linked-In is a great way to search for people in your industry! 

-Facebook: Facebook is still confusing to many social media experts. It is very much like a high school reunion. Finding a way to stay professional while showing the world your personality is hard. It can be done!

The next step should be obvious, find a job! There are many resources to help find jobs online:

-Post your resume at Urban Interns

-Sign up at Guru

-Check out out this job listing site

My last suggestion is to find people in your industry. Pay attention to how they are branding themselves. Follow their footsteps!

Some of my favorite corporate bloggers:

Public Relations:
Stephanie Smirnov
PR Sarah Evans 

Marketing:
Seth Godin 

Advertising:
Adver Girl 

I have heard professors warning students about the use of their facebook accounts. My own family members have warned me about employers searching your facebook before hiring you. There has been constant talk about how a few drunken picture strewn across the web could ruin your careers.  I am sure young people have lost job opportunities thanks to a few pictures that were carelessly tagged. Still, why are we not teaching young people how to take advantage of social media? How to present themselves on facebook to help them advance their career? Why are we not teaching college graduates the uses of Twitter to create a brand for yourself? Teaching the younger generations about creating content for a blog. All of  these tools should be a part of the college curriculum. Yet it is not. Social media is still so new and many college professors have yet to work with it. So how are we going to pass this information on to our youth in a positive and educational way?

I never really saw how this could help me in the job force. I didn’t see how being a millennial was going to be beneficial to my employer. It wasn’t until I read this article about generation Y and what we bring to the workplace. The ability to multi-task and see things in a different light. Tonight I came across this blog post about the millenial generation. I have had to explain, train, and beg friends to get on Twitter. After joining many became bored. Why one hundred and fourty characters? Why do people care what I am doing? Where I am going? There are so many great points in that post I encourage you to read it.

More to come on this topic. Promise

p.s. This is one of the many reasons I am ecstatic about working for Jennifer Brown Consulting!