(Re) Chic

I have recently read two different blogs that have both touched on the same topic. How your blog affects your resume and/or job search. The first was an interview with Sasha Halima, one of my favorite bloggers, at PR Breakfast Club. You can read it here. The second is on Brand Yourself, Your Blog is Your Extended Resume . Brand Yourself argues just what the title says that a blog is an extended resume and that when a potential employer searches for you and finds a blog full of fabulous content, they'll hire you. And while I couldn't agree more that I AGONIZED over the fact that potential employers were most likely Googling me and getting results for some person in Seattle or a Blues Singer in New York the interview with Sasha Halima said something that also struck a chord with me. Your blog can be a "liability." That is the scariest word that any potential employer could ever say because, if you're a liability to them, odds are other potential employers

As a former RA I have unfortunately been met with instances of Self Mutilation more often than a normal person. Because of this when I happened upon a book at the library about it I picked it up hoping that learning more about it will allow me to be better prepared should I come across this ever again in the future. The book, "Self Mutilation" is part of the Opposing Viewpoints Series where the editor brings different articles written by people with, you guessed it, opposing viewpoints, together to compare and contrast ideas about the subject.  And while they talked about the traditional forms of self mutilation of people who cut and burn their own skin the end of the book touched on a much more interesting and controversial topic.  Self Mutilation as Fashion.  Several of the articles listed plastic surgery and even piercings and tattoos as forms of self mutilation.  The following quotes/ideas are from Britist Columnist Melanie Phillips.  Ms. Phillips writes in refer

Gen-Y has always prided itself on its ability to multi-task and to get so many more things done at once because you can simultaneously be writing a blog, watching the news, tweeting about an article you just finished reading, etc. But is it really a good thing. This article calls multi-tasking an "overused and over-celebrated phenomenon." The author specifically uses this in reference to doing several things while attempting to write a blog because you cannot fully connect with your words and the message you are sending while you are doing 10 other things. I think this is an important lesson to remind ourselves of from time to time. Have you ever been in a one-on-one conversation with someone about something very important to you when they suddenly stop, pull out their cellphone and begin a text message? They are multi-tasking, having more than one conversation at once, and you probably feel slighted that you do not have their full attention because you were talking

Not only is teen pregnancy on the rise. But its en Vogue . From celebrities to TV shows teen pregnancy is everywhere, and its never looked better. "Secret Life of an American Teenager" centers around a girl who has a baby while still in High School. A new show on MTV "16 and Pregnant" makes me feel as if its going to be the next "Made" with trailers of girls saying "I'm 16 and I'm ready for a baby." Not to mention the movie "Juno" which was a huge hit and frankly showed the main character, Juno, more worried about her relationship with the main male character rather than the fact that she was bringing a baby into the world while still practically a child. Teen pregnancy is something that hits very close to home for me. There are a HUGE number of teen pregnancies in schools all over the area where I grew up, as well as my own sister, who had my niece just out of high school. In my sister's class, being pregnant or a

I wanted to add this link to an article on Brazen Careerist about how A Little Appreciation Goes A Long Way. I thought it related well to my previous article about how its the little things in life that count because frankly, I think appreciation is forgotten far too often. When is the last time you received a personal hand-written thank you note? When was the last time someone even looked you in the eye and genuinely thanked you for something you had done for them? I think appreciation is really important. Not only does it make your day when someone acknowledges all the hard work you have been putting into something. But I think it also makes them happier because sincerely thanking someone makes you think about just how much/what they have done for you and realizing that there are people in the world benevolent enough to do something for you is fantastic. A priest once told me that saying thank you is an acknowledgement that you have been loved. As in someone loved you en

I just read this article about the benefits of taking a break, going to the bar, and having a drink instead of spending your entire weekend on Monster.  I think this is a really good point. However, I think a few key points were forgotten about the importance of getting out of your house and away from your computer.  Not only can you better illustrate your passion and excitement for a particular topic while sitting at a restaraunt than you can from staring at your computer screen but you are also getting other people's ideas, reactions, and experiences immediately. Its so easy to network while you're out in a social setting because there are so many people around.  Maybe you're sitting at the bar telling your best friend a story and the bartender happens to pipe in and say that they know someone who is looking for someone with just your talents.  Or what about your friends?  Do they know what you do?  Do they know what sort of position you're looking for?  Have

I have been trying to read up on Obama's Nobel Peace Prize because while I think its great that our President has won such a prestigious international award I'm a little worried about the repercussions.   A lot of people are speculating that a part of the reason that Obama has received this award was because of the comparison between his work in the international arena and that of the previous administration.  I don't want the Prize to be awarded as an insult to the Bush Administration, I want it to be awarded because of what has been accomplished.   Which brings me to the second concern, what has been accomplished.  While I agree that Obama has done more to better international relations in his 9 months as President than seemed to happen in Bush's term in office, he really has only been in office 9 months.  And for those of you who are arguing that he did so much before he entered office I will agree with you there as well, but he has not yet dedicated his life

I just finished an article on Resumes from Hell about writing cover letters where she uses a metaphor of a circus.  And while I agree that the job search (and sometimes just the "real-world" in general) are a circus, that's not really my beef with all of this. Why wasn't I trained for this? When I went to the Career Services office at my university they would refuse to talk to me unless I brought a copy of my resume that they could draw diagrams on and tell me how to make it better.  That's great, but I was just in here last week and you critiqued my resume, what can you do BESIDES that? I learned how to write a cover letter the hard way...trial and error.  I still frantically Google search for writing tips everytime I find myself faced with a particularly great sounding job listing where I need to write a cover letter.  Why isn't there a Cover Letter 101 offered in college?  What about a "How to find your dream job 1" while you're wast

There have been so many discussions about Gen-Y and comparing them to previous generations.  And this article by Sasha Halima about Generation Recession (her blog is great I would recommend reading more than just this article).  She quotes an article from the Times that compares Gen-Y or Generation Recession to The Silent Generation cultivated by the great depression.  And while I understand the point she is bringing up about how similar circumstances in the economy could bring out similar characteristics in the affected generations the characteristics listed frustrate me. I am not a hard-worker because the economy is hard, I work hard because I was raised that way.  While I do feel that many Gen-Yers are working twice as hard right now because of the need from the economic downturn (check out last post about Gen-Y and ZZZZs) a part of me is a little offended that people believe that there have to be poor economic times for people to work hard.  And I'm definately not saying t

I've been reading quite a few articles lately about Gen-Y and how many people think that we feel that we are entitled and demand things without expecting to work for them.  This article seems to think that this generation is no longer motivated. A large majority of Gen-Y came out in droves volunteering and working hard for the political campaigns which eventually led to the election of President Obama.  Of course, now that the President has been elected we are no longer in the election fever and excitement has died down leading the writer of this article to ask if Gen-Y has given up. I find it offensive that one could even consider this the case.  While I agree that you no longer see people out in the streets pronoucing the miracles of the Obama campaign frankly  this is not the time for that.  Gen-Yers are not ones to stay with something just to stay with it.  My generation is the generation of getting results and making change.  The election is over, there is no longer any r