Tag Archives: jobs

Looking for a New Gig?

Me too and the news is pretty hopeful.

The US Department of Labor reported an increase of 120,000 jobs during the month of November (a New York Times article details it here) and there’s nothing but improvements coming our way. If you’re as impatient as I am, and if I know anything about #millennials it’s our inability to sit idle too well, rest assured that you’re lucky enough to have the right tools with which to amplify your career prospects.

Something I find most interesting about our generation is the ability to make navigating the internet look like child’s play. Members of older generations might consider this skill to be borderline stalkery, but for the incredibly lucky members of our generation who grew up using computers full-time, we know that the only thing holding you back from a role on a CSI show is your overall lack of acting ability. Adversely, this wonderful ability can also be a hindrance to your job searching if you’re not handling yourself properly on the internet.

That being said, it’s best to use your knowledge of the interwebs to enhance your over-all job searching.

Here are three quick tidbits of advice before you start disseminating your resume:

  1. Know Your Footprint: Do an audit of yourself online.
    Perform a quick Google search of your name and be sure to use quotation marks. If you’re unaware, the use of quotation marks in a search makes the query an absolute. If you’re a John Smith type, hold your pre-emptive self-congratulations. You’re no easier to hide on the internet than the rest of the John Smith’s out there after you provide additional details such as where you’re from, or you went to school. Entering “John Smith,” “Stamford, CT,” “U. of Whatever” will tell me a lot in a search engine.
  2. Self-Edit: So you’ve figured out what kind of websites your name is tied to – now what?
    First of all, you need to ask yourself what kind of things would you like associated with your name. It’s probably not pictures of you doing a keg stand, or a link through to an unsavory website. Leave the college years in college. Remove tags and associations with groups that lost their funny-factor, and ask friends (or blurry acquaintances) to remove pieces of content (photos, notes, etc) that may not show you in your best light.
  3. Become an Expert: While the internet has given us things like LOLCat.com…
    it has also given us a stronger ability to self-educate. Figure out who the prominent people in your field of interest are and learn from them. Stay up to date with the latest and greatest in your field and be able to speak to them. Remember folks, a college degree will only get you so far.
This post originally appeared on MillennialChat.com 12/7/11. 

Gone Huntin’ – Fall Edition

 

Currently in the same position I found myself in about a year ago: unemployed. There’s been minimal room for moping around and optimal time spent figuring out exactly what it is I want to do with my life. Without dwelling too much into the nitty gritty – if you know of a cool digital gig, hit your girl up.

Besides the obvious here (my current state of excessive job hunting) – my newfound free time has allowed me to explore my new neighborhood. Yes, it’s true. The middle-bird has flocked the nest and landed in the distant territory known as Brooklyn and I’ve been a resident for about a month or so.

There’s been impressively good weather this past week. Considering the chaotic shitstorm that mother nature subjected us to for the past few months, it’s nice to see her giving us all a solid favor with the 60+ degrees and sun. That being the case, I’ve been trying my best to not confine myself to the potential doldrums which excessive amounts of time in my apartment would create.

Early this week I opted to take a two hour sanity break. Being new to the area, it felt best to use this time towards urban exploration. Part of the process included a stroll down the Eastern Parkway and the ultimate quest – actually stepping foot in Prospect Park. Boy did she not upset. That place is simply beautiful. I am, of course, relatively biased in this observation seeing as my ideal dream land is similar to the that in the opening sequence in The Sound of Music (best version I could find…) and the Long Meadow. I found myself completely overcome with excitement at the sight of an open, sprawling, hilly lawn, surrounded by trees sprinkled with newly minted foliage. This quickly led to me collapsing to the ground in joy and 20 or so minutes of breathing in the fresh autumnal air.

Alas, there wasn’t enough time to devote to proper photography of my new favorite place on the planet or to explore the park further, as I had to return home to the ultimate hunt – finding a job.

(photo from http://www.inetours.com/New_York/Brooklyn/photos/Long_Mdo.html)

Operation: Get Real

Yes, I’ve finally decided to name my job search – Operation: Get Real seemed like the most appropriate moniker for my life these days. This morning I woke up with a rejuvenation and desire to stop being a bum because I will not find a job from the confines of my comfy bed!

As a result, I now find myself at my local library in a cubicle searching for social media, blogging, editing, promotions, and PR gigs within a 20-or-so mile radius to my home. There are a lot of positions of this nature in my general area so I decided to make a brief list of requirements (for lack of a better word) that I would like to see in my future job… Some attributes include job security, proximity to home, opportunity for growth, work with other people, team environment, and so forth.

Here’s to seeing if my list of expectations helps me as I go forward in my job search.

Post Grad Update

Did anyone happen to catch the season 7 finale of Entourage?? I’m supposed to write a solid review on it – mostly just my thoughts about what happened and what not but that last episode has left my mind all aflutter. The episode was like stepping in the mind of an ADHD ridden 10th grader and at the end Vince got his ass beat. Needless to say it’ll take me some time to compose my thoughts. Be sure to check out my thoughts later this week on Player Affinity.

Anyhoo – my internship has ended and I presently find myself in the midst of a mini-quarter life crisis. Did I go to school for the right thing? Am I going to find a job? Should I go to grad school right now? For that matter, should I go to grad school at all?

So many unanswerable questions!

Well, that’s a lie. My thoughts obviously have answers, I just am incapable of figuring everything out right this minute and that irritates the you-know-what out of me (I’m practicing refraining from cursing, how’m I doing so far?)

I definitely want to go to grad school – I effing love learning. I love the process of learning, I love interacting with others on an intellectual basis, reading materials which I probably wouldn’t even fathom of taking on by myself, and a slew of other reasons…

The whole reason I got into this grad-school kick today was because I went to an interview and left the meeting unhappy – upset to the point where I almost cried during our conversation. I’m not a complete whack-job, I’m actually pretty good at doing interviews, most likely because I’m very comfortable talking to complete strangers, ha. The almost-tears were a result of this frustration that’s beginning to build inside of me. – Am I ever going to find a job? Let alone, a job that I actually like?

Errghh.