Something new… June 1, 2008
Posted by lindsaydoll in job search.add a comment
Well, like I said before, changes were on the way. My new blog project – Adventures in PR Land – is finally up and running. You can find it here! It documents my thoughts on PR as a young professional, as well as anything that piques my interest, and hopefully yours as well. Check it out!
Changes May 8, 2008
Posted by lindsaydoll in communications.Tags: changes, goodbye, graduation
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As you may have noticed, I haven’t posted in quite awhile. With the madness that comes with the end of college, I had very little time (and sleep) to write anything worthwhile. Plus, my friend who helped with the original idea of this blog, might be taking over. I have other ideas in the works and used this as my first foray into the blogosphere (and for a class assignment). For those who have been reading, thank you, and I hope we can deliver something new very soon.
For now, I shall bid adieu. I’ll keep you posted about where my blogging adventures are headed next.
Bridging the graduation gap April 22, 2008
Posted by lindsaydoll in PR, career, graduation, job search.Tags: career, dream, goal, graduation, growth, job, PR
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What do you want to be when you grow up? Simple question, right?
My aunt just sent me a picture she took 4 years ago when I was on my way to Boston for orientation.
I look so young and happy and completely unaware of all that is to come. Think back to when you were embarking on the college journey. Now, look at everything you know now. Scary, isn’t it? So much growth can happen in such a short period of time.
Back then, I was going to be a political journalist, maybe even a central member of the White House Press Corps. I wanted to turn the American government upside-down. But I quickly realized that you have to be very cutthroat and persistent to do something like that, and I am much more nurturing than that. So I chose a move into public relations so I could build relationships, ultimately between world government leaders. Sounds like a pretty cool job to me.
Now, though, the challenges of just getting a foot in the door abound. I still have that dream goal for the future tucked neatly in the back of my mind, but for now, I want to discover as many aspects of PR as possible, travel to different countries, and just learn the ins and outs from all different angles. Lately I’ve been trying to express this to people helping me find job opportunities, but I feel like I end up sounding more confused than excited.
How do we bridge that gap — between being very excited for our future but completely overwhelmed by the number of choices spread before us? How do you plan now for what you want to be when you grow up? And how do you do so without compromising the path to your intended goal?
For me, this means setting out some short- and long-term goals now, and then developing steps to reach them. Hopefully through this exercise, I can narrow down the types of jobs to look for and where to focus my energy for the time being.
What are your future career goals? What steps would you take now to reach them down the line?
Honesty is my favorite policy April 14, 2008
Posted by lindsaydoll in PR, advice, professional, values.Tags: communications, PR, values honesty lonelyplanet enron lies
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I just saw this post about a Lonely Planet guidebook author who didn’t even visit the country he was writing about (which happens to be Colombia in this case). It really got me to thinking – not only about how that entire book is probably a lie — but also about what values people uphold in their jobs.
When first starting out, it seems most people hold very idealistic goals for their career. Everyone’s out to save the world when they graduate. I would love a job where I can help save the environment, cure societal ills, and always be honest in everything I do. But it seems, at least from our lovely Lonely Planet friend, that somewhere down the line these aspirations are lost. Why? Usually for the money.
Think back to classic scandals, say perhaps, Enron. I had to read up on the Enron debacle for my corporate communications class, and boy, what a mess! Doctoring account registers just to earn a few extra zeroes at the end of their paychecks… how greedy can we be? Plus, it just goes to show that if you lie, you have to cover up with more and more lies, until you forget what the original lie even was. I’ve definitely been stuck in one of those situations before, and completely hated myself afterwards. Therefore, I am declaring that honesty is not only the best policy, but it is my favorite policy to uphold in the workplace.
What is the one value you absolutely refuse to budge on?
Update: Last night we had a lecture in my corporate communications class about ethics and standards to uphold as public relations practitioners. What really got my attention is how honesty and truth can be interpreted a number of ways. It is my belief that all sides of an issue should be presented, but I know that in business, you can’t always provide all information because of privacy and disclosure laws. There’s a fine balance that has to be achieved – one that I hope to learn as I take on more professional responsibilities. So I guess, honesty is still the highest ethical standard for me to personally uphold, but there are certainly some gray areas within the realm of what constitutes “honesty.” It’s really interesting to consider, I think.
What a wise guy! April 8, 2008
Posted by lindsaydoll in advice, graduation, job search.Tags: advice, college senior, graduation, job, wisdom
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With less than 6 weeks until G-day (that’s graduation, not Aussie slang), it’s starting to get into crunch time for me and my fellow seniors. There are the lucky few who already have job offers (congrats!), but the majority of people I know are freaking out. Believe me, I’m definitely one of them.
My dad and I are pretty much best friends. Normally, I’m not really one to take advice from my parents (I like to figure things out for myself — I won’t even let my dad touch my financial aid or taxes or anything important like that), but he and I had a nice little heart-to-heart that really put things in perspective. Here are a few bits of advice or at least things to consider during this crazy time:
1. It’s okay to move back in with your parents. No, really!
For some of us, this is the hardest pill to swallow. College brought that sense of freedom, independence and responsibility, and then suddenly we’re expected to give it up to save a few pennies. Granted, I could definitely stand to make some bank and not have to worry about rent for awhile, but is it really worth the sacrifice of all that personal freedom I’ve come to enjoy? I’m a huge proponent of pro/con lists, and I think this is a situation that could certainly be determined by such an analysis. Pro – save money, con – oooh, parents. Can someone say curfew? I hope not.
2. The first choice isn’t necessarily the best choice.
It is extremely tempting to take the very first offer placed in front of you. But always keep in mind all the costs and benefits at hand. Think strategically about how this fits into your career path. Do you have a specific area of focus? Where do you see yourself in 3, 5, 10 years? Are you compromising personal values for the sake of a job? You probably won’t be able to answer all these questions now, but it’s important to keep them in the back of your head.
Also, think about where you really see yourself living. I’ve already run into a dilemma in which most of the opportunities for my field are in a great city, but I just don’t see myself having fun there. If the location doesn’t fit into your idea of the perfect work/life balance, don’t go there. Remember to factor in cost of living as well. Salary.com provides a cost-of-living tool that helps determine the change between your current location and where you hope to live/work, as well as an average salary to live comfortably.
3. Think practically
Right now, the possibilities are (for the most part) endless. Yes, there are financial constraints and so forth, but ideally, we can go anywhere and do anything we want. It’s difficult to stay on track with what you want to do and what you can afford to do. I’m all about having a dream and following it, but if the risks are too high for your taste, take a step back. This seems pretty obvious, but for any people out there who are stubborn and goal-driven like me, you understand how hard this can be!
4. Take a breath. Take your time. Have fun.
Again, pretty basic. But getting caught up in all the leads, phone calls, interviews and everything in between, you can really lose sight of enjoying these last few weeks. Just remember: eventually everything will fall into place. It will, I promise (or at least so I’ve been told by some of my school’s recent alumni!).
So now that you’ve gotten a sense of what’s getting me through this whole ordeal, what are some other words of wisdom that have proven helpful as you near graduation? Or, if you’re on the hiring side of things, what would you like to tell those of us applying to your companies?
Bring the Heat April 5, 2008
Posted by lindsaydoll in communications, economy, job search.Tags: communications, competition, economy, jobs
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We all know the economy is a mess right now. It’s just one of those touchy topics that everyone thinks about, but doesn’t want to discuss. [Side note: I absolutely HATE that. Without discussion, there isn't even hope for a solution. But that's just one girl's opinion...]
The New York Times reported earlier today that Nancy Pelosi is proposing an economic stimulus package on top of next month’s tax rebates because of the ridiculous numbers of job cuts over the past 3 months. In March alone, 80,000 jobs were lost. Eighty. Thousand. As if it weren’t already hard enough to enter the job market right after college, now we have to compete with the exponential growth of America’s unemployment lines.
I think this is something interesting to consider, especially as a communications student. A) Any jobs in the communications field are competitive, so this news is just icing on the cake. B) In-house communications departments usually face major cutbacks, especially as the divisions between marketing, PR and advertising are no longer as defined. C) There seems to be a growing trend toward blogging (fancy that!) which now apparently poses health risks to communications practitioners, and also changes the landscape with work-at-home models.
Will the competition be so great that it forces us into other industries, or that it forces us to try harder?
Hi, you don’t know me… April 3, 2008
Posted by lindsaydoll in job search, recruitment.Tags: career, entry-level, HR, job search, job seeker, recruitment, resume
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- Like many of my fellow college seniors, I am completely frustrated/baffled/overwhelmed by the entire job search process. The biggest dilemma for job seekers is trying to persuade complete strangers that not only are they qualified, but they also fit into the social framework of the company. You can’t illustrate all of that in a resume and cover letter. And recruiters understand that.
- I can’t imagine sifting through hundreds of resumes and applications and cover letters searching for the perfect employee. To any HR people out there, I applaud and thank you for all you do. My goal here is to make it (maybe) just a little bit easier.
- This blog is basically my social experiment to really humanize the job search and recruitment processes. I would like to showcase job seekers the way their peers would see them, either through profiles or personal interviews or the like. The more candid the better because then recruiters can get a better sense of us, the potential talent, as people, not just pieces of paper.
- Any tips and tools I find along the way will also be posted. Feel free to make suggestions, too, as I expect this to be almost a forum for everyone in the job market.
