Coffee & Honeycomb: Professionalism

Showing posts with label Professionalism. Show all posts

MONDAY'S MEMO: I'M AN AD MAN

Monday, February 3, 2014

Right now, I'm shifting into "student mode" and trying to absorb as much information as I can... Not just from my classes, but from every avenue, as well. I'm reading through Forbes, AdWeek, This Week, and "Lean in" daily. I'm trying to be a student of advertising, not merely an advertising student.

As a second semester senior, my graduation date is creeping up very quickly (May 17th). I'm currently job searching, networking, browsing industries, etc., and I want to be as informed about the advertising industry as I can.

In the same way we shared how blogging is a culture and language you must practice, so is your trade. The more I fill my brain with the trends, jargon, methods of my trade (advertising), the more organically I can speak about it at career fairs, emails, professional conversations, etc.

I take my career kind of seriously. And not in the intense-feministic kinda way, (but if that's your thing, you go, girl) but more so in the way that I'm really passionate about my professional growth, my professional impact, and my professional trade. I want to be in an industry and specifically a company I believe in and respect, I want to be effective as I can in the role I am. So this job searching is not only looking through places and applying, but it's also an internal search, too.

This "search" has been taking up a lot of my mind lately, so I want to share about it here with you guys—my slow, painful, and exciting journey into becoming a contributing citizen of society. (yikes.) This whole semester is a process as I find myself as a professional, as well as find the perfect company where I can dive in and get my feet wet. What does that even look like? Will I be able to identify it right away? If I find the perfect place, will they find me to be the perfect candidate? That sort of thing...

Each monday I want to share with you the update of how my job search is going, what I'm learning, and some tips for you as you search for your own career path, internship, career, etc. Nothing formal or anything—again, this is just my "journey." I'm just going to be writing as someone who's in the same shoes as you and intentionally trying to develop a more professional voice. (Speaking of intentionality, if you want to find a blog all about intentional living, you must check Jess Lively out. She is the queen of living with intention.

So, if this is a topic that interests you, please tune in every Monday and we'll explore different topics/segments related to professionalism/job searching/etc. If this is not really your thing, no worries, come back other days of the week to find the usual content (lifestyle posts, inspiration, photos, etc.)

This week, instead of extending a tip, I kind of just want to (quickly) talk about where I am right now...

What you guys don't know is that last semester I received my first rejection email. And I cant fully describe it to you but my world seemed to collapse. I was defeated and heart broken and confused. Maybe I was also a bit dramatic, but getting that rejection email is never any fun—especially when you thought that prospect seemed perfect for you. Anyway, I don't want to delve too much into this because I'm going to have a separate post on getting rejected later, but that was just where I was towards the end of last semester. I didn't feel like an all-star and my pride was hurt. From then to now, though, things have changed... I was named one of the "Most Promising Minority Students" of 2014, I used the rejection as a learning opportunity and stepped up my game, and I kept trying to learn...

I'm leaving for New York one week from today for an Advertising convention/award ceremony, and I have (so far) two second-round interviews lined up for the week I am there. I'm not going to disclose company names just yet, but I can share the cities they are in! One is an advertising agency in Oregon and the other is a client-side office in Minneapolis. I actually thought I did TERRIBLE in one of the phone interviews and was feeling bummed about it, but today I received an email that I had passed to second round. (PTL! I know that definitely was not me.) Both of these companies are companies I really, really respect and would be more than honored to work for—I'm even honored to just be considered a candidate! The only thing is that they are both out of state. Yikes. So moving forward either way will make for a huge life adjustment.

Other news, I have two Chicago advertising agency prospects I am in the middle of interviewing for right now... These are also really great and reputable agencies, but I'm not sure I'm in love with them, you know? I don't know if the line of work I would be doing there would really fulfill and inspire me daily. I don't know if that's naive for me to think that way, though. I've been really, really fortunate to have positive internship experiences, so I only have high hopes for a full-time position, too! But everyone always says that working is not fun...

Regardless, I'm trying to put my best foot forward, embrace every opportunity with an open mind, and keep a positive attitude. :) Keep you posted!

Find more posts on professional development here.

Life of an Ad Intern: Day 2

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Day two was INSANE. Let me tell you about it.
The Insane Story of Day Two:
I boarded the 8:00 am train (per us), found a seat, opened my purse to pull out my train ticket and realized that my wallet wasn't in my there! -Along with all my cash, cards, train and bus tickets... I had a mini-panic attack unsure of how I was going to get through the rest of the day, let alone pay for the train ride I had already boarded. I was like... should i run off, should i stay on, should i lie, should i cry... I felt like I was in Italy again illegally riding those trains to Milan. Anyway, I rummaged through my purse and found a crinkled $10 sitting at the bottom, (lucky instance #1) so I was like nice and I decided I would use that for that train! ...And figure out the rest later.
So, the ticket master stepped in going around to see some everyone's boarding pass. By the time he got to me, I explained to him that I had already purchased a monthly pass but accidentally left it at home so I didn't have it with me that day, but I assured him that I ride that train every morning, yadda yadda wink wink pulls shirt down -- no I'm totally kidding. He asked me if I'd be there tomorrow, and I responded yes, and he let that ride go. (lucky instance #2 -- ticket master pulled through that morning. ps: i saw him again a later day and said "HI" and flashed my monthly pass in the air for a few seconds to show gratitude for the previous day... he didn't remember who i was and sort of cringed for being so enthusiastic. end note). So I was like okay, I can use this $10 for the ride back home then.
AND THEN, the train was delayed. Like I said, I hopped on the 8:00 train which is supposed to arrive at 8:34... BUT we didn't get to union station until 9:40!!! Two trains broke down on the track and one of them had to be tied up to the train in front and dragged into the city. Our train just followed slowly behind that whole ordeal. It was a mess. Do you follow? Picture oregon trail on the train tracks, because that's pretty much what it was.
When I found out the train was going to be delayed for such a long time, I panicked because I didn't want to be late on my second day of work, and decided I would use that $10 to pay for cab fare. I emailed my supervisor letting her know about the metra delay and that I would be in ASAP. She responded by telling me to just take a nice walk cause it was beautiful outside. "no worries" she said. So I was like, okaaaay! So I took that 30 minute walk to save that $10 for the train ride home like I originally planned. (lucky instance #3)
Then I came work, read some blogs, stapled all these packets (i'm becoming an EXCELLENT stapler, btw. I started to play this game to see how quickly i could get through packets... and the time is honestly pretty impressive.) So after I kept winning I got bored and lunch time came around. I had luckily thrown in some granola and decided to just munch on that to save monies. BUT THENNN, one of my supervisors came in and told me that there was a client lunch happening and that we could go out to eat on the company card!!! Just my luck. (: So, we went to Nordstrom Cafe and each enjoyed a $15 dollar meal. I got this amazing chicken pasta and a red velvet cupcake. It was freaking perfect. (lucky instance #4) Way to be clutch, havas.
Then the afternoon is kind of a bluuuuur and the work day ended and , I walked back to union station, and payed $8.75 for the train ride home. What a day. Now all I remember is a blur of mini-panic attacks; but luckily, somehow everything aligned and it was a-okay. (:
Anyway. That's my ridiculous story for the day. Now I will show you my outfit which has nothing to do with said story... HOWEVER, I am linking up with Mix & Match Fashion to daily document how I do biz casual. (:
DAY 2 OUTFIT:

DAILY TAKEAWAY:

PC STILL sucks. My eyeballs hurt so much from staring at this dim screen for 8 hours. And you can't take screenshots. And you can't zoom in/out with your trackpad.
It's hard to type quickly with long nails. I should probably cut them because they keep sliding off these cheap, plastic keys and falling into the cracks in between. ESPECIALLY BETWEEN "k" AND "i" AND "f" AND "t.

xo.

Life of an Ad Intern: Day One

Monday, June 10, 2013

Ello, ello.

Today was my first day of the internship. (: If I hadn't mentioned it before, I am an account management intern @ HAVAS WW, CHICAGO. Never heard of it? It might be because they recently had a brand makeover as of September last year. They used to go by EURO RSCG. Still doesn't ring a bell? You've probably seen their work, though! My office (CHI), specifically has done Sauza Tequila (do you remember that viral Fireman YouTube video?), Reynolds Wrap, The Laughing Cow, Pucker Vodka, etc. And Havas WW in general has done Does Equis (The Most Interesting Man in the World), McDonald's, Evian, IKEA, IBM, Coca-Cola... just to name a few.

Anyway, it was a solid first day. Boarded the 8:00 a.m. train, arrived to Union Station a quarter til 9:00 a.m., hopped on a bus, and got to the office just in time for orientation at 9:30 a.m. Last summer, the office was on Randolph, so it was only a 25-30 minute walk from the station; but this time the office is located a little bit more North. I google mapped it, which told me the walk should take around 30 minutes, but with all the foot traffic, I'm assuming I should factor in an extra 10.

It was pretty chaotic in the office with people running around to and from meetings, trying to maintain the momentum of work from the previous week. I think the arrival of 20 new bodies moving in and trying to set up camp probably didn't help.Yeah, there's nearly 20 of us interns. We're not all together though. The interns have been divided based on department and team. So more than half went to creative, and account/strategy got split into designated accounts. I'm on Bel Brands. You know, the Laughing Cow and those circular cheese wheels that come in little rad wax packing. (I meant red. But it's rad, too.) Those were the hot commodity back in junior high days.

It's fun. I read through all the creative brief and strategy, watch unreleased commercials, sat in on meetings... I resonate with the brand's voice, so I'm excited to be able to touch the campaign in whatever capacity I can. It's a team of about 10 people, including the creatives, strategists, and president. All the interns are given a "mentor," and mine is the Sr. Account Executive on the team. I'll just call her M. But she's super cool and nice and SMART and can't wait to learn from her. Her, along with her friends, and their interns, took us out to lunch today at the Nordstrom Cafe. So we all got to meet each other and have non-biz conversation. Mostly about GOT. (It's always about GOT these days, isn't it?)

Enough words, though. Here's some photos to show you! (:

^ This was on the bus. This weird lady kept trying to guess how much peoples' shoes were. I think she thought she was on "The Price is Right" or something, not public transportation. (Deep apologies if this is your mother and I retract everything I just said. She is probably a lovely woman.)

FIRST DAY TOUR:

^ Sitting right on the kiddie corner of Grand + State... And only ten tempting steps from Nordstrom. DANGEROUS, RIGHT?!

^ welcome inside! :) this is the lobby.

^ My office! (: My desk is the one on the left -- with all those rappers' faces. (It was there before I was, I promise.) On the left, is B's desk. B is also on my team as the Account Coordinator. She was really busy today so we didn't talk too much, but she was super welcoming and helpful.

^ Yes, you are seeing that right. They gave me a PC........................................................ #help. #shouldirun? I have LITERALLY never felt so disabled in my life trying to operate this colossal machine they call a laptop. It took me 20 minutes to figure out how to brighten the screen because the keyboard "sunshine icon" does CRAP. The keyboards are so plastic-y and annoying. The mouse is moves choppy and in order to do ANYTHING, it requires 9 other steps, first. Also, they don't even have an em-dash. If I want to use one, I have to do this. (see photo below):

^ In order to make a punctuation mark, you need to shuffle through 8 other things and then copy and paste it. I've literally been googling "how to do __on a PC" as well as g-chatting my hotdog all day. My hot dog is a PC user by choice. (I know, those exist). Sigh, learning curve, right? Lawl. I'm just being dramatic. But I really do hate PC's. Moving on to other corners of the office... hehe (:

^ That cappuccino maker does WONDERS. So far I've tried the FVL and the Chai Latter.

^ Yes. Yes I did take a panorama of the kitchen.

^ The floor plan is kind of complicated... There's a lot of winding hallways and circular rooms. I don't think I expected the office to be so BIG (and beautiful). Havas has their own building to themselves. It's a five-story office, complete with rooftop seating. (: Which is where we had lunch today! Floors are separated by department; lobby, hr, creatives, account, and media, respectively. So I'm on the fourth floor! All these photos I showed you are only of the fourth floor and I still get lost. Floors are organized into Chicago "neighborhoods," and they're written all along floors and walls to help guide your way... you just need to remember where is called what. I'm in bucktown. (: here's wicker park!

FIRST DAY OUTFIT:

^ I wanted to look buttoned-up, but still comfortable enough to easily do whatever the day's tasks were, so I crossed out a skirt or dress -- and double criss cross on the heels. | Blazer: The Limited | Top: Banana Republic | Pants: NY&Company | Belt & Necklace: Forever 21 | Flats: Italy

DAILY TAKE AWAY:

BTS = back to school

you don't need that 4th cup of coffee -- you will get jittery by 3 p.m.

act confident. even if you don't feel it.

bucktown 1 printer sucks. don't use it.

double check, double chek.

status meetings are essential because so many things are happening at once to each person on the team. these meetings help everyone debrief on where they're at and minimize miscommunication

Phew. That was a long one. I just wanted to document my first day. Cheers.

XO..

What to Say at a Networking Event

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Networking Lines

This article offers very PRACTICAL tips on overcoming the awkwardness of networking.

NYC [in iphone photos]

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Hello. (: I am BACK from NYC and ready to share with you some highlights of my trip via iphone photos. If you are following me on instagram, then this post will probably be boring and repetitive for you. New photos and stories will be up soon. I came home with a terrible flu and have been sleeping 13+ hours a day and haven't found energy to upload photos from my camera just yet. Each day I'm feeling a little bit better and my fever is going down little by little, so once I am at 100% recovery, I will share all the AMAZINGNESS that is NYC.

^ From top to bottom: (1) My recently purchased city boots and color-blocked purse. (: Boots from Nordstrom Rack and the purse from The Limited. Patiently waiting on the floor of the airport while dozing off. Our flight was at 5:45 am, but since our group consisted of 20+ people, we had to arrive at the airport by 3:30 in case we faced any trouble. (2) Traveling essentials— magazines for leisure reading, sunglasses for napping, knit scarves for chilly air. We flew through Spirit which has possibly the MOST uncomfortable seats and smallest amount of leg room. Fortunately the flight was a little less than two hours. (3) We went through Grand Central Station and it was BEEEAUTIFUL. I was having a little bit of a freak attack because this was also the shooting location for Gossip Girl, Friends with Benefits, and the infamous flash mob. (I was secretly hoping to spot Serena VanderWoodsen.)

(4) Um, yes. Anyone else a HIMYM fan? The bar, McClarens, was actually inspired by the creator's favorite bar, McGee's in NYC. And yes, we did make sure we payed a visit there. We took photos at this particular booth, and all purchased tourist shirts. It was so awesome. There were photos of all HIMYM cast and special quotes from good ol' Barney, it was a good time. (5) One of the many dessert cafes we stopped by. All the shops in NYC are so cute. (6) Hellooo, Time Square! The city literally never sleeps, and you could never tell this photo was taken at 2 am. My eyes were twinkling like no other when I first stumbled across Time Square. It is beautiful and speedy fast. There are lines of buildings higher than you'd ever seen, walls covered in advertisements, lights shining from almost every corner, and tourists like me soaking it all in. Did I mention there's a F21 with 7 floors and doesn't close til 2 am? Oh, yes.

I'm already getting so excited and nostalgic as I spit out a few recaps. Sigh. I'll be back, New York.

Anyone else familiar with NYC and would like to share some "must go" places? I did spend an adequate amount of time wandering around and wasting taxi cash. I'd love to hear about new places!

XO.

How to Rock the Informational Interview

Sunday, October 28, 2012

An informational interview is helpful in your job search because you gain firsthand knowledge about a career, build your network and rapport, and show that you are proactive and ambitious. And the cherry on top? They're the ones drawing these conclusions on their own, you never have to self-promote. If your interview goes well, this contact will be more likely to help you on your career path later on.

What exactly is an informational interview?

An informational interview is a meeting where a job seeker asks for advice and insight into a career or industry, not for employment. It's semi-informal; you guide where you want the conversation to go, but you should still maintain professionalism and treat it as such.

How do I schedule one?

You ask.

Often times you'll want to propose an interview after you meet an employee at a career fair or networking event. But not always. With informational interviews, you don't need an "in" or middle man. Cold contacting is definitely appropriate! If you're a little shy and have a smaller network, you can just hop onto LinkedIn and check out your connections. See if any of the people you'd like to contact have a "mutual connection," with you; if so, ask that person to make an introduction!

Once you find an employee or recruiter's contact, introduce yourself via phone or email. Below is a sample of something along the lines of what I would say. Feel free to use it as a guide and alter it to your specific circumstance:

Hello (name)! My name is Jennifer Kim; we met last week at (place) and I really enjoyed learning about (company). I thought of a few questions I wanted to ask and am emailing (or calling) to continue our conversation. Could I possibly borrow 10-15 minutes of your time and ask you some questions? I'd love to take you out for coffee (OR chat with you on the phone) and hear your insights on both the company and your own personal experience.

* Note if you are calling this person, be prepared to have a message to say in either case that you reach the person or their voicemail.

What about the actual conversation?

You got the person to say "yes" and arranged a mutually convenient time, good job! Here are some quick tips to make the most out of your interview.

Be respectful. First thing you need to keep in mind throughout is that this person is doing you a favor; they're taking time out of their busy day to talk to a stranger. So be courteous and respectful. Show up on time. Prepare an outline of how you anticipate the conversation to go. Don't overstay your welcome; if you asked for an allotted "10-15 minutes," stick to it. Say "thank you," both in person and in a letter after the conversation.

Questions to Ask:

Since a bulk of the meeting includes questions, I thought I'd share some of my favorite questions to gear you in the right direction:

Professional Questions

What do you like most about your job?

I know each day at work looks different; but what does today look like? What does tomorrow look like?

How do you see it changing in the future?

What advice do you have for students seeking jobs in this field?

If you were looking for someone to replace you, what skills would you look for?

What activities in college helped you prepare you the most for your career?

What books or articles do you read to keep up with developments in your field?

Do you recommend any other people I should contact to learn more? Or books to read?

Company Specific Questions

Which do you value more upon hiring someone; a filled resume or a high GPA?

What kind of personality would you describe your company to have?

What skills have you seen entry-level employees possess that make them stand out?

What's unique about your company?

Does your company participate in any philanthropy or pro-bono?

How important is cultivating relationships in your company?

What do relationships look like between employees and their supervisors? Is there mentorship? Feedback?

What are your company's benefits?

For more questions, click here or here.

Keep the conversation going.

Even post-meeting, don't lose touch (unless you sensed a lack of chemistry, then be discerning if you want to invest. Whatever you do, do not build bridges and still say, "thank you.") Send them a relevant article to read. Connect them with LinkedIn if you weren't already. And regularly, like once a month, maintain a conversation with them.

Good luck, all you go-getters! XO.

networking 101

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Recently my friend from high school texted me with this question: "Teach me how to network. It makes me scared."

Networking is scary; it's completely out of one's comfort zone to reach out to a stranger with the personal interest to get ahead in your career. How seemingly selfish.

So I decided to just take this opportunity and turn it into a Q+A post. (: Networking for me has become a habit and also led to great purposeful relationships and mentors. Small efforts of networking showed others that I was serious about my career; and so they were willing to help guide me in the right direction or lead me to those who can take me somewhere.

Don't think networking is relevant to you? Allow me to convince you.

Networking is ~~important~~ necessary. For those who think their laundry list of leadership skills and experiences will omit them from the horror of networking, let me remind you of this. It's not what you know, it's who you know. The employee of [dream company] is more likely to hire his son, even if he's an unqualified druggie, along with his unqualified druggie friends, over you. Any day. Truth: people are more likely to help out people they like or know over a stranger. Wouldn't you? You need an "in"— a foot in the door, and the only way to get that is through networking.

You learn (a lot). As college students, we really don't have any idea what the real world is like. Or what the industry we're pursuing is really like. Even if we have a sparkling 4.0 as a GPA, we don't have a clue. All we know is limited to the dated textbooks and reminisces of has-been professors. So what we need, is a safe way to understand the job; first, to make sure it's the job you want. And second, to show the recruiter that you're the best candidate for the job. How can you accurately market yourself for a job if you don't know what the job entails? Recruiters will be impressed of how aligned your experience and their prospectives are.

It's not superficial. Some people are weary with the concept of networking because the relationships seem need-based or forced. But like everything else, you get what you make out of it. All relationships have a purpose. We have gym buddies, study buddies, classmates, roommates; and now it's time for us to develop colleagues. People who challenge you to be more ambitious, people who connect you to resources, people who can relate to where you are. Networking does not mean contacting people when you need something. It's intentionally building relationships. What does that look like? When you come across an article that might be of interest to them, send it their way. When you haven't spoken to them in awhile, drop by to say hello and update how you're doing (and then ask them how they are doing). You want to be fresh in their mind as "the person to go to" in terms of your profession. And eventually, like most organic relationships, you guys may or may not actually like each other (gasp); and these efforts to stay in contact won't be so forced. And that my friends, is
~~how babies are made~~ how networking is done effectively.

So hopefully you understand the positive effects of networking more than you did before you read this. Let's begin on HOW to start your networking endeavor.

Get your name out there. Where? Everywhere. Literally. It's a small, in-direct step; but it'll help you eventually connect to the people you want to talk to. And it'll remind people that you're there. Digitally, you want to be present; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blog sites, online portfolios. Just to name a few. Don't just leave your page static; update. Each update will bring your name to the top of their news feed. Outside of the digital landscape requires a little more effort. Meet with professors. Attend informational sessions. Develop a relationship with a worker at the career center. And when you do attend these things...

Always ask for a business card. If you ever have a question or comment directed towards them, you won't have to worry about that one person you met once upon a time. You'll have the means to do so. Can't think of a reason to contact them? Create one. Make up a reason just so they remember you and notice that you are courteous. Thank them for their time. Bring up a new point or article that reminded you of what you guys talked about. Ask them a quick question. Schedule a time to grab coffee.

Join a club. This is something easy to do; especially if you're on a college campus. I know, there are expensive membership fees and it seems like all they do is go on bar crawls. Join them, because in a few years, those are the people who are going to be in the same work field as you, and you want to be friends with them. And also, it develops a good practice of working with others that you wouldn't necessarily be friends with. It'll teach you how to be a good teammate, to speak boldly and pitch new ideas, to make new friends, etc.

Be nice (to everyone). Everyone has a story to share, so be nice to them. Even if they are difficult to work with. Even if they are rude. Even if they are lazy. Do it; because it really is a small world, and you never know where they will be in the future. You never want to burn bridges. That's the number one "no" to networking.

Contact alumni. Learn about the students who graduated from the same program you are in. Where did they go post-grad? How did they get there? And if you find someone who is on a path you are interested in, reach out. Don't be hesitant or fear that you will be a creep— you already have the common ground, alma mater, and they'll be flattered you trust their opinion. Once you decide who to contact; find their email or connect on LinkedIn. Introduce who you are and that you're curious to learn more about their job as well as how they got there. Have a list of questions ready to ask them. (Don't forget to say thank you.)

Cold call. That means contacting people you don't know. Look at companies you are interested in and figure out recruiters' contact information. Email them and politely let them know you are curious to learn more about company culture as well as what kind of employees they look for. Schedule a phone interview; or if you're in town, ask to take them out to coffee. Conversations like this are so much better than just handing your resume onto a job board; because this is when you can showcase your personality and ambition and professionalism. You can also sneak in your resume at the end if it seems appropriate. It's the scariest, but the most worth it. You will never know where that conversation will take you; maybe not an immediate offer, but a connection.

Make weekly goals. If it's not in your comfort zone to reach out to a stranger, it'll most likely never happen unless you create a tangible goal. For me, I make a goal to reach out to two people each week; as well as help two people each week. I don't always meet the quota, but it keeps me in check. Trust me, it was nerve wrecking the first time; I stumbled over my words, I called them by the wrong name, I lost their business card, etc. But again, practice makes perfect. And the more you network, the easier it'll become. Some have led to dead ends, and some have led to great relationships. Some have taken a lot of investment and involvement, others required quick emails. In this case, quantity will lead to quality.

Lastly, be a human. Remember that the people you are networking with, or even the people who are looking to hire, are first and foremost people. Just like you. And people are the same; they like nice people, interesting people, people who remind them of themselves. So don't forget your personality when you network; because that might be your golden ticket. At the end of the day, people want those they can trust to do their work and wouldn't mind staying at the office together til 10 pm if needed.

So, don't forget to smile. Don't forget to laugh. Don't forget to talk about your dog, or your favorite show, or secret hidden talent. And lastly, don't forget to breathe. (:

Good luck! And see every opportunity as a learning experience.

--

I know that was really long; hopefully some points were helpful. Some points were vague but not always obvious. If you'd like me to expand on some points, I'd gladly do so. That might be easier. For example; what questions to ask when you meet up with someone, how to properly write an email, how to create a Linkedin profile, etc. Comment below if you'd like me to expand on a topic or comment below if you have a networking tip!

XO.

Mid-Semester Slump

Sunday, October 21, 2012

It's half way through October and that excitement of being back on campus is starting to wear off. The snooze button gets pressed more often, the effort to attend office hours dwindles, and you're counting the days until Thanksgiving break. (46 six days to be exact). Trust me, I'm right there with you.

But we can't stay in this slump forever. It's all about finishing strong; and it will be good practice for the future. And I'll practice what I preach by sharing a few tips that help keep me sane...

Plan your semester out. Pull out your syllabus— yes, those two sheets stapled together, crumpled up at the bottom of your book bag— pull 'em out! Locate all the important dates your professor so kindly gave to you as prior knowledge. No sarcasm there, professors who plan assignment and exam dates in advanced give you the luxury of planning out your schedule and deciding whether or not you should drop it. So, find those dates; assignment due dates, no lecture dates, exam dates, etc. And mark all of them in the calendar so you never show up to class one day in a panic that you completely forgot to study for that exam.

Fill out your Google calendar. Wondering where you can jot down all those important due dates? One step ahead of you. In that handy Google calendar of yours. I do and it has changed my life (for the better). This is what mine looks like for this following week:

- It allows you to color code all your future engagements from class to nap time.
- There's also a section to place your "to-do" list; both as a side-note or on top according to their days.
- If there's certain appointments that happen on a regular basis such as class or church, it allows you check a box and will then automatically place it on those particular dates for all following weeks. This is really handy so you don't have to sit there placing the same thing week after week.
- It gives you reminders based on your preference: 1 day before, 1 hour before, 30 min before, etc.
- It syncs to your smart phone and reminders pop up there, as well.
- It's digital. So it's easy to rearrange or delete events as needed, so don't worry about your flexibility.

Go to professor office hours. I have three midterms coming up this week and as I've (kind of) started studying, I'm realizing there's a chunk of material I don't understand or I didn't quite write down in my notes. Yes, I can email my professor to get a quick response; but personal interaction is always more preferred. Professors like to put a face to a name, and when they can, they're more likely to bump you up when you have a borderline "A," as well as write you a recommendation later in semester. Go to office hours as often as you can; whenever you have a question regarding lecture or just their study of academia. It'll only benefit you and flatter them.

Find a friend. Find a friend in that class.First, going to class will be more enjoyable because you have someone to share material with, as well as complain with. Complaining isn't always bad; if class material is at the point of discussion, it just helps make the content tangible and easier to digest. Also, if you ever oversleep and miss a lecture, having a friend will secure a set of notes. And like most people, they're competitive when it comes to grades; another person in the class can stir up motivation and push you to work hard. A little friendly competition is a good thing.

Type up your notes in class. My professor gave me this advice freshman year and I've been (trying to) keep it. Your professor probably talks fast. Faster than you can neatly hand-write each bullet point before Professor changes to the slide. (the entire class groans and slams their fist on their desks). When your professor is a chatty cathy, bring your laptop. Most people can type faster they can write. Then after class, open up your notes and rewrite them with by hand; studies show that muscle memory helps your brain absorb the info. If your professor is not a chatty cathy, stick to old school pen and paper. You will be less distracted to just "quickly" check Facebook or shoot an email; then after class, type up on your laptop. In case you only wrote a word down, you can elaborate on Word and neatly organize it.

What are your tips on fighting mid-semester slump? Share here. And good luck with exams, everyone!

XO.

Dream Big and Drink Coffee.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Earlier this week, Ogilvy & Mather recruiters came to our campus to share about their summer internship program and offer advice to interested students. At one point during the session, the recruiter mentioned that typically around 2,000 applications come in each year, and only 20 of them are considered, and then finally hired.

Of course, I was interested.

And today one of my classmates and I were having a conversation about this opportunity; discussing how amazing of an experience that would be as well as how difficult the application process seemed. He started to described Ogilvy as "the Harvard of ad agencies" and proceeded to tell me it was a waste of my time to apply. I responded, "It's not a waste of time. If Harvard is an option, you choose Harvard, always."

After the conversation, his comment and overall attitude just lingered in my head throughout the day. It forced me to realize that he wasn't alone in his thoughts, everyone thinks that way, myself included. We sell ourselves short and create limits on what is possible and what is not. Some call it "realistic," but really, it's a trap.

We need to have bigger dreams, bigger ambitions, and even bigger faith in ourselves that we can make it. One Forbes article I read recently described the top 10 traits of the most successful people in the US, and none of those traits included intelligence, inherent skill, or adequacy; however, traits did include persistency, optimism, and self-respect.

What does that mean? It means you don't have to settle for plan b and watch your better friends steal the life that you imagined. Countless times throughout my life, I quit a sport/hobby/club because I genuinely believed I wasn't "good enough"— someone else was better, prettier, faster, smarter, stronger, richer, etc. But it's not those type of people who make it in the world, it's the people who work hard, see their weaknesses and make adjustments, it's the people who envision a goal and make realistic steps to make it happen. Ultimately, it's the people who don't give up. You don't have to be inherently gifted or naturally smart or born from a rich family, you just can't give up.

We all have a "Harvard," and if you can define what that personally means to you, make it your goal right now and shoot for it. Because in the end...

Harvard is never a waste of time.