First Day Jitters

By Eve on May 28, 2010

Hi there ThinkTalkers! My name is Connie and I am currently a senior Media Studies Major at CUA. During my time here at ThinkTalk, I will be blogging about my experiences and lessons learned in the work place in order to give you guys some tips and advice on what to expect and prepare for at your own internships.

So yesterday was the big day. I woke up, put on a nice, professional outfit and made my way into the city. The entirety of the Metro ride in consisted of being a nervous wreck and worrying about all the dimwitted mistakes I was hoping not to make on my first day at ThinkTalk Networks. Thoughts of tripping on carpets and messing up important information flashed across my mind. I had to stop. I knew that I was overreacting and I tried to pull myself together before walking into the office. Immediately after I walked in, all the other staff members introduced themselves and were very nice and funny. Throughout the day, the other intern and I were given the opportunity to do activities like look over some blogs from colleges across the U.S., prep for guests who were coming to commentate live on FOX News, and then actually watch the guests as they appeared on TV. It was all pretty awesome. Time went by incredibly fast and before I knew it, it was time to head back home.

On my ride home it occurred to me how illogical I was being earlier in the day. I really had stressed myself out over nothing. When starting a new internship or job, it is understandable to be nervous on the first day but you can't let that feeling of uncertainty overcome you. My advice to any of you nervous Nancys out there is to not let your fears of the unknown or something new hold you back. You need to embrace this great adventure and remember that as the "newbie" in the office, it's alright to not know what you're doing every minute of the day. Internships are opportunities for you to learn the necessary skills in the workplace that will help you acquire other professional job positions later on.

So remember..No need to freak out. Just breathe and enjoy this new opportunity. And so what if you trip on the carpet and fall, just get up and keep going!

Don't Be Afraid of Craigslist

By Sean on May 26, 2010

My name is Sean and I just finished high school. I'll be off to the University of Mary Washington in the fall but until then I plan to make the most out of the next couple of months, starting with this cool little internship. That being said, don't get too attatched; I'll only be here until June 10th. Until then, read and enjoy. By the way I live and breathe movies; I reviewed them for my school paper and I own 100+ DVDs. This means I might be throwing some obscure references around here and there, so consider yourself warned.

The butt of many jokes and infamous for its reputation as the meeting place of choice for slick hucksters and deviant sleazebags alike, Craigslist is mostly considered the shady backstreet bazaar of the worldwide web. Because of this, most people will only use it as a last resort or ignore it completely as a potential job-seeking tool. This is unfortunate, as Craigslist has (albeit infrequently) proven a fairly useful finder of decent local jobs, odd though they may be.

It should be made clear now that Craigslist may not be the ideal choice for college graduates (it couldn’t hurt to aim your sights a little higher), but for college-bound 18 year olds like me, it’s a safe bet it will be your first and only place for your job hunt.

For anyone in my situation who has just finished or will soon finish high school and is headed for orientation in August or September, the name of the game this summer is (or at least SHOULD be) making and saving as much money as humanly possible. It has been made very clear to me that money disappears very rapidly in college and the fifty bucks you have in your sock drawer may not cut it. While you could take the traditional route of scouring the classifieds and milling around your local shopping mall in search of “help wanted” signs, a better job-finding option might be just a click away.

Here's a real-world example of what might happen: a very good friend of mine is attending VCU in the fall and financially he's already ahead of the game. Since late last year, he's been working two jobs. One is for Select Media, a company providing magazines, candy and the other stuff you see in the checkout aisles to stores like Home Depot and Best Buy. His job consists of going to the storage area in the back of the store, taking the boxes of magazines, etc. and placing them on the racks by the store's checkout. For this he gets $11 an hour and he works anywhere from 5 to 17 hours a week.

The other job is for Long & Foster Realty. He drives a company van to different properties for sale in a certain area, checks the signs out front (changes "for sale" to "under contract", etc.) and checks the houses to make sure they are ready to show. This gets him $13 an hour and he gets between 20 and 30 hours of work in a week.

If he works the bare minimum of his hours in one week, he walks away with $315. In about a month, he'll have $1260 saved up. Granted, this does place him below the poverty line, but it's not bad for a first semester in college. FYI, he found both of these jobs on Craigslist.

What people seem to either forget or just plain not know is that legitimate companies like Select Media or Long & Foster will put listings on Craigslist, not just people in need of dogsitters or the aforementioned sleazebags. Also, the companies who place listings on Craigslist are often flexible with their hours. This is great for rising freshmen like us who may have other jobs or already scheduled family get-togethers out of town.

Just so you know, the example I gave you is by no means a guaranteed result of using Craigslist, and the money you'll be making may not leave a lot to spare. However, for those of you who don't have to pay rent or anything like that (which I should hope isn't the case), it might just get you on the right track.

Ace the Email when Applying

By Eve on May 25, 2010

Hey job searchers,

Today, email has become as common as walking and talking (you can even send emails while you walk and talk). No one thinks twice about sending an email in place of a letter, birthday card, or, you guessed it, job application. Gone are the days of slaving over copy machines, fax machines and mailboxes, sending out package after package of applications. Today's potential employers attach cover letters and resumes to emails and off they go!

But did anyone ever stop and explain to you the rules of sending a job application via email. Did anyone ever write out the formal etiquette of virtual job applications? Are you positive you know what information and how much of it should be included in the body of the email versus the cover letter? If so, no one told me. And a year ago when I was applying for job after job, I did my best to guess at the correct format. But instead of making my lovely ThinkTalkers guess, I'm giving you some answers I found from Careerealism.

7 Cover Letter Mistakes You Make When Applying via E-mail gives job seekers some pointers on how to format those emails to make the best first impression possible. It still amazes me how little it takes to get your resume tossed, or get it put at the top of the pile, so why not make sure something small like your email doesn't ruin it for you. Take a second and read through these 7 points, they might just help you land the job you want:

1. Attaching the cover letter to the e-mail.

What's wrong with that, you ask? Most hiring managers aren't going to open the cover letter and read it. They'll go straight to the resume instead. Want to ensure your cover letter gets read? Copy and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Whoever received the e-mail will be much more likely to read it if it's already right there in front of their face.

2. Writing your whole life story in the body of the e-mail.

Don't go overboard with details; keep it short. The hiring manager won't be willing to invest a lot of time reading your e-mail. Keep it short and to the point.

3. Providing information not relevant to the position.

Here is a great example. When I want to bring an additional resume/cover letter writer on staff, I'm not looking for someone with technical writing expertise, article writing skills, or journalism savvy. Those forms of writing aren't relevant to what we do here. I want a writer who has extensive expertise and certification in resume writing. If someone goes on and on in their cover letter (or in the body of the e-mail) about all their other writing experience, they will lose my interest. Instead, I want them to tell me about their most relevant experience as it relates to my needs. I want them to tell me about any resume writing experience they have. Give the hiring manager a brief overview of the most relevant experience you have, appropriate to the position they are trying to fill. This will pique their interest rather than lose it.

4. Excluding information they've specifically asked you to include.

Depending on the position, the employer may ask you to submit a sample of your work, portfolio, hours of availability, or even salary requirements. Whatever it is they've asked you to include, make sure you include it in your cover letter. If not, you will most certainly be removed from consideration for failing to follow instructions. Following instructions and acknowledging everything the employer has asked you to address in the job ad not only saves the employer time but makes you look good. I can tell you this from experience because 9 out of 10 applicants will fail to address every stipulation the employer has listed. It happens to us all the time.

5. Not using a cover letter at all.

We've received e-mails from applicants, and the body of the e-mail provides either little or no information whatsoever. Some simply state, "Here is my resume for your review." You are selling yourself short by not including at least a brief introduction. Especially if the employer outlines specific requirements. Take the time to write, "I see you need someone with availability to work nights and weekends; I would enjoy working these hours and am available to do so." Or, "I have included a sample of my work for your consideration along with my resume. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me."

6. Forgetting to tell them why you're the best fit.

Let me tell you about one of THE BEST cover letters I've ever seen: I could tell this person put effort into it- and she took the time to specifically and meticulously review our job requirements. She scrutinized our requirements and detailed in her cover letter how she had experience meeting those needs. It was applicable, relevant, and attention getting. It was probably one of the only cover letters that actually made us want to read the corresponding resume.

7. Using a boring closing statement.

Instead of using the same old boring line, spice it up a bit. One of the more daring cover letter closings I have read closed with, "Call today, don't delay." I applauded her boldness and had to call her. The closing was confident, feisty, and it certainly grabbed my attention. Not to mention the entire cover letter addressed everything she brought to the table as a potential employee and how these elements were relevant to meeting our needs.

"Keyboard" courtesy orangeacid via Flickr Creative Commons

Motivation to Start

By Erika on May 24, 2010

It's Monday morning and things look good. This morning we welcomed two new interns to the ThinkTalk staff. In addition we have been working hard in the ThinkTalk office planning and preparing for our upcoming Fall season. There are blue skies as far as the eyes can see.

I've mentioned in previous posts that in the Fall we will be debuting a brand new show titled "Start-Up Town". Start-Up Town will focus on what it takes to be an entrepreneur and will be lead by professionals who's careers took off once they decided to be their own boss. In essence, Start-Up Town is about how you can stop working for the man and start being the man . . . or woman.

Maybe you already have a great idea. Or maybe you are searching for your muse, your inspiration, that will SPARK a great idea. Either way, I think that occasionally we all need a little encouragement to take the big leap, to make the grand gesture, and to really put ourselves out there.

I came across a short video today that I want to share with you and I hope it touches you in the way that it touched me. It comes from grasshopper.com, a company that features products by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. The message of the video is that 'Entrepreneurs can change the world."

One person can make a difference. Maybe that person should be you.

Happy Monday to you. Let's have a busy and progressive week!

Taking Interviews to a Whole New Level

By Mindy on May 21, 2010

Happy Friday job seekers! I hope summer break is creating some new-found-time that you can dedicate to your job or internship search. With a lot of ground to cover, you'll need to make the most of every minute. That's the idea behind TwitJobSearch, a cool new way to get an interview "in 30 seconds or less." Allison's Job Searching blog profiled the service earlier this week:

Twitter job search engine TwitJobSearch.com has just made it easy to connect via Skype. Job seekers can link their Skype IDs to Twitter accounts and recruiters can interview the candidate via Skype with a click of a icon.

When job seekers find a job of interest, they can attach their Twitter/Skype IDs to the job and send a "Tweet" to the recruiter notifying them that they are interested. The recruiter can then click on the Skype ID and instantly set up a video interview.

An instant interview means the face time and the personal connection that can really make your application pop. A quick video interview has the potential to stand out in a way that a copy of resume never can. If you are currently hunting for a job, TwitJobSearch is worth checking out.

Are you nervous or unsure how to handle an online interview? Allison's Job Search blog scores again with these tips for a successful video interviews. Although much of the advice applies to any type of interview (dress to impress, be prepared to ask questions), they also suggest things like making sure your desk is clear of distracting items and using the picture-in-picture feature so you can see how your video feed looks to the interviewer.

"Solea in my lap" courtesy Beyond Forgetting via Flickr Creative Commons

Preparation is the Key to Success

By Eve on May 20, 2010

Happy Thursday ThinkTalkers! For a lot of you days of the week now mean nothing since school has ended and maybe you haven't started those summer jobs yet (need some time off to relax, right?). But soon enough you are going to have to focus again and get serious about finding that elusive full-time position (I know, I know, not pleasant to think about when looking forward to warm weather and members of the opposite sex on the beach).

But at some point this summer all of the companies you've applied to will realize what gems they have found and bring you in for an interview. Take a breath, it'll be okay. Interviews are often the scariest part of this whole process but stick with us boys and girls and we'll get you through. I have recently come across a blog that deals a lot with the interview.

Cube Rules has all kinds of advice for answering specific types of questions and how to structure your answers for the interview. But in today's blog I want to focus on a part of the process that sometimes gets overlooked: preparing for the interview by researching the company. Hiring managers can easily tell which applicants come prepared with research and questions and which did not prepare enough. Out of those two candidates whom do you think they'd rather hire? Exactly.

According to Cube Rules blog writer Scot Herrick:

The assumption is the more research you did, the more motivated you are

By listing off all of the different types of research you did (I'd leave out the part where you researched the hiring manager!), there is this assumption that you are more motivated to do the work. By spending two hours going through a company website and taking notes, it somehow translates into motivated to do the work for the company.

Beyond impressing the hiring manager with your stellar knowledge of the company and intelligent questions to ask when it is your turn, researching the company is also used to benefit you, the job seeker. It is important to make sure the company you are applying to matches your job search goals. By examining the company prior to your interview you can also determine how well you will mesh with this company culture.

I know career counselors, parents, etc beat you over the head with these kinds of tips but it really is the little things like preparation that make all of the difference in this kind of situation. So suck it up, take the lap top poolside and do your prep work while getting some sun!

"Jeff at the computer” courtesy bdjsb7 via Flickr Creative Commons

Hump Day Movie Day: Jared Hess and Gentlemen Broncos

By Mindy on May 19, 2010

Welcome back to ThinkTalk's Hump Day Movie Day. Every Wednesday we're going to pull a favorite interview from the archives. This week, our feature showing is a Director's Cut interview with Jared Hess, the creative and comic genius behind films like Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. The director and producer sat down in the ThinkTalk studios to answer questions from the University of Maryland. He talks about how he became successful as a director, and also gives tips on scriptwriting.

Jared Hess- writer, director, and producer- attended Brigham Young University's film school. Hess began as a camera assistant for various companies and a director of photography for IMAX films; he was determined from a very young age to be successful as a filmmaker. He wrote and directed the award winning short film Peluca that starred Brigham Young classmate and friend Jon Heder. The short was also a prototype for his first feature film Napoleon Dynamite. Napoleon Dynamite, which was shot in his hometown in Idaho and was based on his own family's stories, was nominated for Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and won much critical acclaim, including the Film Discovery Jury Award at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. Hess also worked with Jack Black for 2006's Nacho Libre, and collaborated with producer Mike White for his latest project, Gentlemen Broncos.

Your Summer Bucket List

By Erika on May 17, 2010

Here at ThinkTalk, we've been talking about graduation quite a bit over the last few weeks. With graduations scattered all across calendars nationwide, it has been difficult to judge how many of you have started exams, completed them or moved on. As of Saturday, it was mid-May 2010, which in my book means it's fair game to start talking in terms of summer.

Some of you will find yourselves working harder and getting up earlier than you ever did during the school year while others have been afforded the luxury of sleeping later and finally being able reach maximum chill out levels. Whichever side of the fence you are on, I would like to remind you of the awesome opportunities that summer affords. Yes, there are the internships and summer courses to work through, but there is also this refreshing energy that comes with summertime. Six to eight weeks where you can spend time focused, not on your overloaded class schedule, but on you, as a person, and your own improvement and happiness. So I ask you this question: what is on your Summer Bucket List?

If you aren't familiar with the concept of a bucket list, the brief definition is "a list of things to do before one dies." Just to clear things up, I'm not blogging about death today, but I am talking about the eventual end of your summer. What things do you hope to do or accomplish by then?

I know from experience that the freedom of summertime can very easily slip through one's fingers. I held a number of summer retail positions during my freshman and sophomore years. A lot of times I didn't have to be at work until 1 or 2 o'clock in the afternoon which means that more often than not, I slept or lounged around my house until 12PM. By the time I got off work at 9 or 10PM and met up with my friends, my entire day had been spent in a non productive minimum wage fashion. By the end of the summer I felt great about having some extra money in my bank account, but always felt like maybe I could have done more to enjoy my summer or prepare for the new school year. There was sightseeing I could have done in my hometown, interesting articles I could have read, news stories I could have followed, interesting people that could have been met, and of course, some career planning I could have done.

I never made a summer bucket list, but I wish I had. It's been said that "youth is wasted on the young" and I certainly don't want you to feel like that come August. So my suggestion is to make a list, say 25-50 things that you hope to accomplish by the end of the summer. They can be really small or really big. I've always wanted to bake my own birthday cake and build a model car on my own; these are things I think are fine to add to the list.

See, it doesn't really matter what you add to the list as much as it matters how accomplishing the list will make you feel. The summer bucket list is a great idea for two reasons that I can readily think of. First, because no matter how small, having a sense of accomplishment boost your confidence. Setting small goals and getting them done can give you the ego and energy boost you need to tackle the larger hurdles in life. Secondly, completing your summer bucket list will ensure that you will at least get SOME things done this summer besides working on your tan and establishing a summer romance. (Not that there is anything wrong with either).

If you plan on adding something creative to your summer bucket list we would love to hear about it. Leave us a comment, and if it's super cool, you might find yourself mentioned in a future blog post. In the meantime, get out there and start living!

"Hammock 1." courtesy Ashley R. Good via Flickr Creative Commons

Start A Summer Reading List (And Get Some Writing Tips While You're At It)

By Mindy on May 14, 2010

Summer's finally here, and hopefully you've packed your textbooks away until fall semester. In the meantime, you finally have time to pick up some books for *gasp* fun. In an effort to find something for the summer reading list, I headed over to the Blank Page archives to find some new authors.

We've had the chance to interview great writers at DC's annual National Book Festival. Neil Gaiman, Salman Rushdie and Paul Theroux are all bestselling authors and gave us some great tips for aspiring writers.

Neil Gaiman writes fantasy and science fiction. A friend recomended I read his novel American Gods. It's an amazing book- put his one at the top of your summer list. His other works include Anansi Boys, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. Gaiman is listed in the Dictionary of Literary Biography as one of the top ten living post-modern writers, and is a Hugo, Nebula, Bram Stoker and Newbery Medal winner.

Another author to check out is Salman Rushdie. His novel Midnight's Children won a Booker Prize, and you literally can't put it down. In our interview, he talks about how he treats writing like his job, and the importance of not wasting your creative energy.

Paul Theroux writes travel lit and fiction. His books The Great Railway Bazaar and The Ghost Train to the Eastern Star are two of my favorite travel pieces. At the National Book Festival, he gives advice to aspiring travel writers about how he approaches writing and why it's important to travel solo.

Graduation Got You Feeling Flustered?

By Eve on May 12, 2010

For a lot of colleges this weekend means the class of 2010 is graduating. To all of you seniors ready to take that walk across the stage and get your diploma let me say congratulations! This is an extremely exciting time in your life and I wish you all the best.

As exciting as this time is though, it can also be quite stressful and chaotic. Whether you are moving home, moving into a new apartment, starting a new job, getting your old summer job back, or still looking for anything to provide you with an income, it's a safe bet that some of you are feeling disorganized and confused.

But have no fear future real-worlders, I have found a blog post from life coach and Career Development Program Manager at Google, Jenny Blake, that will help up your organizational skills and productivity.

Blake relies heavily on Google Docs to keep her own life on track so she has developed templates to organize every aspect of a post-grad life. She has created easy-to-use templates that can be edited and accessed from any computer or phone so you always have your lists, appointments, etc at your fingertips.

Whether you find one or two of these documents helpful or use all eight they will surely help calm the chaos of life after graduation:

1. Prepare for job interviews with the Job Interview One-Sheeter

This template condenses nine key questions into a one-page Cliff's Notes for your next job interview. Quickly articulate and refer back to your answers on nine key areas, including: strengths, goals, work-style, ideas, challenges you've overcome, questions for the interviewer and an answer to that dreaded weaknesses question.

2. Set career goals by creating a Professional Development Strategy

To succeed in your career you need to take an active role in your learning and professional development. No one else will do it for you. This template will help you set a strategy around your professional development goals by walking you through three areas: Your Vision (short and long-term brainstorm about your desired impact, and what you want to do & have), The What (skills, knowledge, education, experience), and The How (quarterly benchmarks and resources).

3. Track conversations, professional contacts and potential mentors with the Networking Tracker

Use this networking spreadsheet to track names of people you meet that you want have follow-up conversations with. The template eliminates the need to refer back to business cards people's information is easily accessible online (and stored in one place). The tracker also makes it easy to skim through your list of contacts every few months and drop people a note if you haven't talked to them in a while.

4. Get your finances under control with the ever-so-simple Four-Step Budget Template

Most budgets are too cumbersome to be useful (in my humble opinion). Check-out this handy four-step budget: After filling in income, must-have expenses and nice-to-have expenses, you'll get a monthly allowance for you to spend on discretionary items as you'd like, with the peace of mind of knowing that your main expenses are taken care of.

5. Have some fun! Dream big by creating a Life Checklist

The principle of the life list is simple. You list all the things you want to do in life – big and small – then cross them off as you do them. This template will help you create a life checklist of your own. To see an example of my life checklist, click here.

6. Take an overall temperature check of your life with the Wheel of Life

The Wheel of Life is a commonly used coaching exercise. It can help you examine each of the areas of your life and determine where you want to focus your attention. In this template the wheel is clearly a square , and the cells automatically change color based on the values you enter (1-4=red, 5-7=yellow, 8-10=green).

7. Hold yourself accountable for strong health habits with the Fitness & Activity Weekly Tracker

We all love checking things off a checklist, right? Use this template for tracking your weekly fitness activities (or anything else you want to track). You set the target goal for each activity (ex: run twice per week, strength training three times per week), and the spreadsheet will give you a countdown as you check-off various activities. It also totals your minutes per week, with a column for keeping notes and a place for tracking your weight.

8. Set-up a system for managing appointments with the Simple Appointment Tracking Spreadsheet

If you do not have a place to keep track of recurring appointments (medical or otherwise), you will always be scratching your head trying to remember when you are next due or forget about making the appointments completely. Set up a simple spreadsheet to track all of your recurring appointments and the relevant contact information in one place, then schedule reminders to actually make the next appointment one month before you are due.

"Graduation Cake Guy" courtesy CarbonNYC via Flickr Creative Commons