Tag: graduation

Making post-graduation YOUR time

May 19, 2011

I’m thrilled to have Jason Mollica provide the VERY FIRST guest post on my blog. My first offer to guest post came from Jason and I felt it only fitting to do the same. We connected through a tweet, but I’ve grown to consider him a mentor in not only my career, but in life. In today’s contribution, Jason shares advice for how to handle setbacks during your journey to the top.

 

Graduation from college can be an exciting and stressful time. There are no more classes, but now you are prepared to take the next step. If you have a job, you have started on that “real world” path. But there are going to be bumps in the road, whether it is two weeks or two months from now. You need to focus your energies and create your own moment. Try these on for size. These are three things I try to do when I hit bumps in the road.

 

Step back

We get so immersed in wanting to get that next job or get that first job, we lose sight of the plan. Step away from the hunt for an hour or a day and clear your head. A healthy perspective on your hunt will help make you more focused and more positive.

 

Make an Opportunity

One of the more important aspects of a job search or even job improvement is seizing an opportunity. What may appear as an insignificant moment, may just be a chance to shine. Never pass up a chance to show what you’ve got. When it comes to the job hunt, follow a prospective employer on Twitter. You just never know when a Tweet could end up being a job.

 

Envision success

The only way to succeed is if you see yourself on top. This doesn’t mean you have to be cocky, but being confident in your abilities goes a long way to how you carry yourself in personally and professionally. What is your plan? Do you even have one? If not, write down five objectives you would like to see yourself reach. Another good resource (if you are a PR minded person) is the Public Relations Society of America. They offer valuable webinars that can often assist you.

 

The late Herb Brooks once told his 1980 U.S. men’s hockey team that, “This is your time. Now take it!”  Take what Coach Brooks said and make it happen.

 

Connect with Jason at oneguysjourney.wordpress.com and on Twitter at @JasMollica. You’ll be glad you did.

Don’t take the first offer

May 8, 2011

During graduation season I wanted to offer a piece of advice students might not hearing often: you don’t have to take the first offer.

 

If I took my first offer I would have been a club promoter. A great job for many, but for a girl who prefers jeans and converse sneakers to a mini skirt and stilettos, not so much. After hearing several no’s and nothing at all’s I started to worry. A degree from a top university and three internships was apparently not enough. I was convinced I needed to leave college with a position in hand. After all that hard work, what would I have to show for it?

 

Fortunately, at just the right time, I met the Senior Vice President of JSH&A Public Relations and was offered at internship. Looking back on my mindset I’ve realized I had it all wrong. Go after the position because it’s the right one for you, not just because you need one.

 

Competition for jobs and internships is very tough. I’ve said it before: if you walk across the stage this May without a clue as to what is next, it’s okay.

 

Seek challenges.

Forget about other people’s perception of you.

Keep learning… and the pieces will fall into place.