(Re) Chic

Unfortunately, I have been sadly neglecting most parts of my online life...especially this blog. The good news the main goal I had for the past few months is finally completed: moving in and officially being completely unpacked in my apartment.   So now its back to really creating goals and working to achieve them.   My main goal for March is job searching: now I've got my new Baby Mac (Josh got me an iBook G4 as a Vday gift because this guy was selling it on Craigslist for a super deal) I really need to buckle down and get busy.   My second goal is to get back to my blog...at least once a week.  This blog is too wonderful to be neglected!   So hold me to it...don't let me neglect you any longer! And of course we're trying to work on my 101 in 1001.  I can definitely see that I'm not going to complete the entire thing by September....but I think in part that's the point....it shows you how your life changes in such a short time.   Keep...

Let's get to work...we need to do a little better this month!   1. Get a new job  I have been really missing working a job where I can make a difference. I really want to light a fire under myself to focus on applying and interviewing for a job where I can really affect change.  2. Read 2 books Ideally I want to read one self-help style book and one more fun book.  So we'll see what is calling my name.   3. Work on my knitting I would love to give my mom a scarf for Christmas!  4. Put a dent in my current craft project I'm working on a t-shirt quilt! 5. Keep up the once/week blogging I want to get myself in a habit of keeping this up! I think we'll settle with 5 this month, since I didn't do so hot last month.  

I have an interview tomorrow at the Helpline of Delaware and Morrow Counties! I'm so excited about the idea that this opportunity could provide to share about my own experiences with mental health and suicide! But I'm so nervous! Think lots of good thoughts for me!

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...

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 looki...

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 def...