The ThinkTalk Blog

Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story Out On DVD

Zack — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:04:27 -0500

Last semester we were lucky enough to host a Q & A with documentary filmmaker Michael Moore at George Washington University with the help of the school's College Democrats. Today Moore's film, "Capitalism: A Love Story ", releases on DVD, so I thought it would be a good time to revisit our interview with him.

Here's a short synopsis of the film, in case you haven't seen it yet:

In presenting a “fireball of a movie that might change your life” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone), Moore “skewers both major political parties” (Claudia Puig, USA Today) for selling out the millions of people devastated by loss of homes and jobs to the interests of fat cat capitalists. Moore has “dug up some astonishing dirt” (Brian D. Johnson, Macleans), stories told in the faces of the foreclosed and evicted, in the food stamps received by hungry airline pilots, and in the courage of fired factory workers who refuse to go quietly. But more than a cry of despair, Moore’s film raises the possibility of hope. Capitalism: A Love Story is “The most American of films since the populist cinema of Frank Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life)” (Dan Siegel, Huffington Post ), “a movie that manages shrewdly, even brilliantly, to capitalize on the populist anger that has been sweeping the nation” (Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal ). Capitalism: A Love Story is loaded with over 80 minutes of bonus features and extended scenes, written and directed by Michael Moore!

And here is our Q & A session with the controversial director, in case you missed it the first time (or want to watch it again).

Much More Than Just a Color

Morgan — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:46:38 -0500

Hey there! This is Morgan Noonan, junior at the University of Maryland pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art. Yes, I get asked "So what are you going to do with that?" quite a bit. I plan on becoming a medical illustrator. Booyah!

The word “Green” can be used to mean youthful, inexperienced, new and budding. What a coincidence—these words can all describe college students looking for careers!

Social Media 101: Breaking Down Corporate Hierarchies

Monica — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:32:31 -0500

Hey everyone! My name is Monica Karkhanis and I am currently a sophomore communication major with a focus in public relations at the University of Maryland, College Park. This is my first semester as an intern for Think Talk and I am really excited to blog about social media and how it can help your career. Find me on Twitter and be sure to continue following ThinkTalk!

Generation Y (that’s us!) can capitalize on knowledge of social media in jobs and internships—finally all those hours on Facebook and accomplishing staying within the 140-charater tweet limit is paying off. According to a blog written by Sarah Amandolare for Finding Dulcinea, students savvy in social media can benefit from their knowledge in the workplace. Known as a reverse apprenticeship, companies are encouraging and assigning their junior staff members to serve as social media guides to senior employees. These apprenticeships as social media guides can consist of formal programs or informal sit-downs among staff members and employees.

Andrew Robertson, CEO of advertising agency BBDO Worldwide, mentions that people normally think about mentoring programs or internships for younger employees. However, he sees things differently. Robertson says in order for his company to remain competitive he turns to younger employees to mentor the older ones, thus “breaking down the corporate hierarchies” as younger employees begin teaching their seniors about new technologies.

New intern positions are opening up at businesses and organizations in need of social media makeovers. These positions are often called social media interns or experts. For more, check out this video of Andrew Robertson discussing this new trend!

How to Find Your Blue Sky Job

Jane Lovas — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:50:30 -0500

Guest Blogger Jane Lovas' weekly series called “What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Life and Career” runs each Thursday

It’s that time of year – the beginning of job hunting season! If you’re graduating this year then I’m sure you’re looking for more than a "Summer Job" - you want to find a career or at least find the first step on the ladder to success.

Great! So a career… do you know what you want and how you’re going to get it? Do you know what you need to do to be successful?

You are probably going to be told by all sorts of people that you just need to get a job, any job – especially right now with the employment situation looking the way it is. I’m here to tell you that if you play your cards right and do the work, you can have your Blue Sky Job.

The first question is; did you do some informational interviews? (See my ThinkTalk Blog article Interviewing Before You Need to Interview) By talking to people at different companies that interest you, you’ll have a better idea of what your Blue Sky Job is.

Once you’ve done that, spend some time describing your Blue Sky Job. Write down what you’ll be doing, the types of people you’re working with and all the details you can think of. Make sure you are as clear as possible about what you want to do. Realize that as you get more information and experience this is going to change. That’s ok; in fact, more than likely it’s going to be changing for the rest of your life.

Now here is the tricky part: you know what Blue Sky Job you want, so what are you going to provide for your Blue Sky company? Do you know what problem they need solved and how you’ll be able to help solve it? A job is not a just a job – it’s really a problem to be solved.

This is where the contacts you made during your informational interviews and while creating your success team (see Who’s Got Your Back) can be helpful. Ask them if they can share a problem they have and how you might be able to help them with it. Remember, make it clear you’re not asking for a job, only information. Of course it’s always appropriate to let them know you are looking for a job and if they know anyone in need of someone with your qualifications then you would appreciate a referral.

Finally, while you’re attending all the job fairs you can and posting your resume be aware that the best jobs are typically found via personal or professional contacts. Make sure to let everyone know that you’re looking for a job and what type of job you’re looking for. Most importantly, ask if they know anyone that might be hiring and if they can introduce you.

So really the secret to getting your Blue Sky Job isn’t a secret at all. You just need information, perseverance and personal introductions.

Have a great week!

"Blue sky thinking" courtesy kevindooley via Flickr Creative Commons

Jane Lovas is a career specialist who is the creator of the life changing 12 week tele-seminar “Creating the Life of Your Dreams”. She is also our guest blogger, whose column will run every Thursday. If you would like to contact Jane, you can reach her here, here or here.

Starting Out as a Filmmaker

ChristianTintle — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:40:22 -0500

Hey ThinkTalk fans! This is Christian Tintle. I'm a production intern, a senior Media Studies major at Catholic University and a huge Redskins Fan. When I started college I thought I wanted to be a writer, maybe an investigative journalist. But it didn't take long to figure out that I'd rather be behind the lens of a camera or messing around with editing software. I'm in my last semester of school and have to figure out how to turn my fascination with filmmaking into a career.

The Career Chronicles Continue... The Etiquette Dinner

MollyMathews — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:35:32 -0500

Hey ThinkTalkers, my name is Molly and I am a senior English Major at CUA. As part of my internship for ThinkTalk, I will be blogging my epic search for a job in the D.C. area, giving you all my take on what has worked, what has failed miserably, and hopefully giving a splinter of insight to those of you who haven’t quite reached job hunting maturation yet in your young adult life.

I was full of energy and hope the first two weeks of my project and started off with many ideas on how to sell myself, but time and results are wearing me down. That’s where I am. My current job stats are: six apps, one reply, one strike out. I just remind myself that the app was good practice. After all it’s only February, and I still have three months till graduation. With each passing week, not getting a response from some employers and grinding out more apps has shown me how much easier contacts can make this process.

I attended my first University networking event, CUA’s Etiquette dinner to take a break from the piles of applications. Most of the topics discussed were things your parents hopefully taught you at the dinner table, but I picked up some very useful hints.

If you are going to attend a meal with a potential employer, it will most likely be for a semi-formal lunch. The picture provided generally represents what that looks like. I personally get confused as to which bread plate and glass is mine. A neat trick to help you remember is, hold up your hand in front of you and make the letter “b” with your left hand and “d” with your right. Remember, “b” for bread and “d” for drink. Hopefully you’ll be discreet with your hand hints while at the interview.

The first thing you do when you sit down for the meal is gently unfold your napkin on your lap. Don’t shake the napkin out of its fold then spread it on your lap. Next, the instructor talked about utensil positions and what they mean. Angling the stem of your knife in the one to two o’clock position of your plate is the rest position. Cutting all your meat or salad at once is not proper etiquette, so cut two or three pieces at a time and then put your knife in the rest position. According to the rules of etiquette, placing your knife and fork parallel in the four o’clock position tells the wait staff you are finished with the meal. I was taught a little differently but, the main idea is, don’t place your utensils on the table cloth and don’t make a mess of your plate.

If you like sugar in your drink, like iced tea or coffee, after empting the package fold it neatly into a small square and place it under the rim of your bread plate. When the courses arrive, even if you know you won’t like it, try it! For instance, we had apricot soup at the dinner. It didn’t sound too appetizing but turned out to be pretty good. The proper way of eating soup is, hold your spoon to the side, as if it were perpendicular to your cheek, and fill the basin of the spoon by gently scooping away from you. Sip; don’t slurp the soup from the side of the basin, not the front.

If you have to leave during the meal, fold the napkin in your lap and place it to the left of your place settings. In case this wasn’t obvious, turn your phone to silent so “Party like a Rock star” doesn’t go off during the interview.

One great suggestion was that you eat a good breakfast or a snack before the lunch. You will be talking for a good portion of the meal and may not be able to finish your plate. Besides, you don’t want a growling stomach or to stuff your face as soon as you’re served.

The instructor had also mentioned that some employers will purposefully not bring up the company during the meal or will talk your ear off. They want to see your social networking skills in action. Ask some questions or mention things that interest you about the company towards the end of the meal if it has not been brought up already. Be aware of your role in the conversation, don’t dominate the conversation but also make sure you are being heard.

The most rewarding part about the dinner, other than the chocolate mousse, was that I felt ahead of the game when talking about my blogging, internship, and use of social media like LinkedIn. Some seniors at the table hadn’t heard of LinkedIn, or understand that twitter can be used as an advertising tool for your network of contacts. Now I have a few a few more twitter followers and additions to my blogging audience. Not bad for a $10 exercise in Etiquette eh?

A Very Important Piece of Paper

Morgan — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:17:00 -0500

Resumes are essential. If you want to have any kind of professional working experience, then you need to prove that you deserve it. More often than not, you prove yourself with a single sheet of paper--a single sheet that shall determine your destiny. Or, at the very least, help you to make a good first impression!

Why Everybody Needs a Mentor

Monica — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:26:54 -0500

This week I wanted to focus on something a little different than social media (okay maybe a lot different): mentors.

I am teaching a public relations related course for the University of Maryland, and the professor is notorious for over-emphasizing (in good way!) the importance of having a professional mentor in the field that you plan to work in. Before taking the role as a teaching assistant for this course, I took as a student.

When he first assigned every student the responsibility to find a professional public relations practitioner in the field we are most interested in (mine being entertainment) I felt awkward and unsure. Now, I have my fair share of socially awkward encounters and experiences with people, but the thought of e-mailing a professional- or even calling- really freaked me out. Why do I need to contact someone I do not know and expect them to provide me guidance? I thought, hey I have my academic advisors and an internship lined up—I’m good to go. WRONG.

Having a professional mentor while you are still a college student can be incredibly beneficial to your own professional and individual growth. Professional mentors can answer any inquiries you have about a given field and offer helpful tips, advice and wisdom. I am actually very thankful that my professor required us to all have a mentor—my mentor has given me great advice about public relations internships and has even gotten me in contact with other professionals in my industry.

Now that I have the role as teacher, I really try to get through to my students that they too will have even more opportunities thanks to a mentor. Establishing a relationship with a professional can give you a leg up on getting an internship and/or a job. If you form a bond with your mentor they may be willing to provide you with a formal recommendation when needed and suggest opportunities for you.

Mentors have been where you are sitting and they understand what it is like to be a college student; they have already run down the path you are trying to find and can encourage and guide you in the right direction. According to this article at The Internshiprs blog, not only can mentors be a great source from you to learn from, but also acquiring a mentor expands your connections (which can be of great help after graduation).

So, where can you find mentors? For starters, if you visit your campus’s career center your advisors can recommend and help get you in contact with university alumni. And, for those of you taking advantage of all the social media and networking tools available for free online **wink** you can find a mentor through researching different companies and contacting a person who works there. Contacting a mentor can go beyond e-mails and phone calls. You can follow them on Twitter and tweet for their advice, or make a connection on LinkedIn. Good luck!

We have a winner!!

Mindy — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:42:22 -0500

Congratulations to Michael Agee for winning the Share Your Dream Internship contest and a new Flip video cam. His dream internship is to work as an assistant animator for Disney, Marvel Comics or DC Comics so he can learn how professionals put together stories. Hopefully, his new Flip video camera can help. Or he can just use it to film his roommates' most embarrassing moments and post them on YouTube to get a million views and become famous.

Friends and Lovers

Jane Lovas — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:51:22 -0500

Guest Blogger Jane Lovas' weekly series called “What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Life and Career” runs each Thursday

Two weeks ago I wrote about your relationship with yourself and last week I wrote about your relationship with your success team. Now it’s time to write about your personal relationships. This week I’m going to share some tips with you that will help you have great personal relationships.

1. Know yourself: You can’t expect someone else to know you if you don’t know yourself. Spend some time getting clear about who you are and what you enjoy doing.

2. Schedule time: Every relationship takes some work and you can’t do that without spending time together. Schedule time together and don’t cancel unless there is an overriding reason.

3. Honest Communication: Talk about what is going on inside of you, not just what’s going on with you. Also don’t let that elephant in the room get too big. You’ll be surprised how much smaller it becomes when it’s addressed. For the person not speaking: listen with both ears and your heart (thinking about what you’re going to say next is not listening, neither is texting or checking email).

4. Celebrate: Celebrate events such as birthdays, and accomplishments such a goal achieved. Sharing events and accomplishments also creates common bonds that help keep relationships together.

5. Be a friend: If you’re someplace new and you haven’t begun to make friends yet, be a friend to someone that looks like they might also be lonely. Start off with something easy such as coffee or lunch. Ask them some questions to get them talking about themselves.

No one should ever be lonely unless they choose to be lonely. If you are lonely – reach out and support someone else. I can assure you that if you are reaching out to others; there will be others that will reach out to you.

Have a great day!

"- Good Friends" courtesy Juliana Coutinho via Flickr Creative Commons