Category Archives: Let’s Be Adults

The Top 8 Things To-Do to Land a Job in Digital

18th November 2010

Finding a job can be scary stuff, but there are plenty of ways to stand out from the crowd, here’s what I’ve learned so far.

1. Complete your Linked-In profile – Whenever you meet someone new, the first thing you should do is look them up on Linked-In and add them to your network. Bonus Points: Start following companies you are interested in to keep up with their new hires, job opportunities, etc.

2. Start a blog – This one may seem daunting and you might feel like you do not have anything new to offer to the blogosphere – that’s OK. Starting a blog will sharpen your writing skills and help you stay in the know. Bonus Points: Try to post twice a week.

3. Get business cards – Sure you can link up with people on LinkedIn, but having personal business cards before you graduate really helps to show you are serious about this job hunt thing. Google Visitaprint coupons and the cost will be next to nothing. If you are looking to design on your own, there are plenty of great creative ideas out there.

4. Attend Networking Events – Join  PRSSA, sign up for things like PRofessional Connection, but remember Atlanta has a thriving interactive marketing community. Tweetups, conferences and organizations like AiMA are always busy.

5. Learn how to build a PowerPoint – This may be a pet peeve of my own, but take the time to learn how to build an effective presentation. If you’re stuck on how to do this, start with SlideShare. Here are a few of my favorites.

6. Make your Twitter account active – Tweet as often as possible to show you’re active in the changing landscape of digital. Be sure to keep it public.. Bonus Points: Join in on weekly chats like #jobhuntchat or #prstudchat and meet new people.

7.  Build a digital portfolio – This may seem lofty, but put your work samples, resumes, elevator pitch, etc. in one place. You don’t have to be a professional coder to learn how to do this. Simple solutions like flavors.me, wix.com or a great WordPress site will do the trick. If you need inspiration, check out my friend Beth’s website, it  served as the inspiration for my own site.

8.  Internships aren’t everything – Sure, you’ll need a few under your belt, but landing that first one can be tough. Seek out campus involvement opportunities. I can honestly say I learned more about running a business and communicating with adults through UGA HEROs than any of my internships. (Insert shameless Join HERO plug here)

This post is the second in a series of posts following the  six-months out of college milestone. It’s a tough world out there, but that doesn’t mean your dream job doesn’t exist, it’s just a matter of finding the right fit. If you have any suggestions or advice for those beginning a search, please share via the comments or email me at kdennihy[at]gmail.com

Three new LinkedIn tools to power your career search

17th November 2010

The transition from student to employee can be a difficult one – especially in this economy. As December graduation looms around the corner, it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, especially when everyone seems to point out to you “just how tough it is to land a job in today’s market.” Believe me, they got to me too.

But…the class of 2010 has something most all before us have not. We are social savvy and that chatterbox mentality just may land you a job.

The most powerful tool in that box is LinkedIn and they have recently added a few new features to keep an eye on, as they too may be the key to landing that first job out of school.

  1. Trends. When looking for a job, I constantly checked to see how many people were looking at my profile or searching for me from day to day (this shows up on the right sidebar on your homepage). This new feature allows you to see a graph of your page visits and appearances in search over time.Checking this frequently might help you correlate why people are looking at you. Did you post a status update, add a job description or make a recommendation last week? Look to see if it caused a spike. If so, this is something you may want to focus on in the future.
  2. Jobs you may be interested in: Once you have listed your interests, experience and have started to follow companies on the site, LinkedIn will begin to show you personalized job results. An easy way to keep up with changing openings. Also keep in mind that LinkedIn’s jobs section is powered by Indeed.com and will allow you to not only see job postings, but also show you who your contacts may know at that company to help you land a job.
  3. Career Explorer: This feature is perhaps the most robust and interesting of the three, especially if you are still at a loss for what you may want to do after tossing your cap. Simply list your major, degree and industry and LinkedIn will begin to show you matching job titles, job openings and salaries and promotions associated with that job. As you move along, you are able to see how your career may progress over time through this path. If you find that path isn’t suited for you, you can start and save another.

If you aren’t on LinkedIn yet, or aren’t an active member, become one. It could be the first step in defying the naysayers and landing that dream job.

This post is the first in a series of posts since reaching the six-months out of college milestone. It’s a tough world out there, but that doesn’t mean your dream job doesn’t exist, it’s just a matter of finding the right fit. If you have any suggestions or advice for those beginning a search, please share via the comments or email me at kdennihy[at]gmail.com

Why I’m watching Sesame Street at age 22

22nd October 2010

When I was little you couldn’t tear me away from Sesame Street for hours everyday  and now it looks like I may be doing it again – but online.  Why you might ask would anyone over the age of 5 be watching Sesame Street? The gang has been hard at work these days – Tweeting, Facebooking and even singing along with Will.i.am on YouTube.

Lately the team has spoofed everything from the Old Spice guy to Mad Men and True Blood. Sure it makes adults laugh, but at the same time Sesame Street is staying true to their roots by infusing their content with educational moments for kids.

For instance, in the Mad Men reenactment below, the guys show off some ideas from the “Happy Honey Bear” account in search of a picture that show happiness instead of other emotions and in the end they all end up as Happy Men.

Amy Poehler, Rev Run, Jack Black and Jonah Hill have all stopped by to visit, each with their own take on education.

Be sure to check out the show on Facebook. Not only does the show have a page, but each of the characters as well. Elmo, Cookie Monster and Oscar The Grouch all have pages and you’ll event find the characters tweeting with  Twitter accounts.

As kids become more heavily involved in social media channels, it’s important to kind safe and relevant content to them, but it’s even better when it’s something you’ll enjoy watching as well!