Career Advice

The Perils Of Getting Lucky

Jan 26th, 2012

I had a conversation about luck awhile ago with a mentor. One point he said stuck with me. He said he didn’t believe in luck. At first, I thought this was a little strange. I mean, everyone gets lucky at some point. Maybe you found a $20 bill on the sidewalk? Or you won the lottery. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

Then, I started thinking about it. Most of the lucky scenarios I thought about weren’t one-in-a-million things, like winning the lottery. That’s just chalked up to chance and probabilities. Instead, most of these scenarios, that I perceived as lucky, were really career and life achievements. They were things like landing my current job (which I love), getting an unexpected huge spike of traffic on one of my blog posts here, or even just having the guts to try something new and realized I succeeded.

That’s not luck. That’s hard work and pure sweat equity. I’ve probably been selling myself short a lot. Especially lately. How did I come to this conclusion recently? It’s because I’m notoriously known for being my own worst critic. If I don’t feel like I’m living up to my high expectations for myself- especially if someone else notices- I take it really hard. And probably not for the best, very personally.

Maybe instead of being so quick to chalk up my “big wins” to some element of luck, I should think about all that it took to achieve this milestone. It takes skills, knowing the “right people” and being at the right place at the right time. All of these factors matter a lot more.

5 Apps To Stay Organized In 2012

Jan 2nd, 2012

by admin.

4 comments

It’s the beginning of the year. Most of us are filled with optimism, excitement and big ambitions for the upcoming year. I know I am. Whether you have made lofty resolutions or just set out small benchmarks for the year, you are probably going to need to stay organized to reach these milestones. One of the best ways I stay organized is through my trusty smartphone. I wanted to share my five favorite productivity/organization apps.

1. Evernote

Evernote is my go-to app. It goes far beyond the ordinary reminder apps. It’s great for note-taking, creating to-do lists, taking/saving photos, recording notes/items, bookmarking websites to read later, etc. It’s set up in a way where you can easily categorize “notes” into separate notebooks and folders. It also syncs between all iOS devices.

2. Google Voice

Google Voice is probably one of the most underrated tools in my opinion. I’m notoriously bad about checking my voicemails. Google Voice makes it a bit easier by automatically transcribing all my voicemails and sending it directly to my email.

3. Feedly

Feedly is my blog RSS reader of choice. It has a great mobile user interface design. One of the best features is the ability to save posts for later (to read offline).

4. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a great tool, if you have to manage multiple social media accounts. Whether you are on a desktop computer, tablet or smartphone, all your accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, etc.) are right there. It’s also the easiest app to schedule posts and assign tasks to other people.

5. Mint

Mint allows you to see where you spend your money. You can set budgets, and categorize spending into separate sections (ala rent/mortgage, groceries, entertainment, medical, etc.). It can also be used to track expenses and create expense reports.

What are your favorite productivity apps? Please share them below in the comment section.

The Dangers Of The “Good-Enough Culture”

Jul 6th, 2011

by admin.

No comments yet

I have a confession. I’m 100% obsessed with the show, America’s Got Talent. Yes, I admit it. I have been watching this show, almost religiously since the first season. It’s not just because I’m a big fan of Nick Cannon. It’s the fact that this show is different than other reality shows- like (cough, cough) American Idol. Yes, while there are joke acts and people just auditioning to get their 2 minutes of fame, the show at it’s core highlights real talent and more importantly, PASSION.

Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about PASSION. I even have an ongoing guest post series about following your passion. (Note: Shoot me an email if you want to be featured in my series!) That being said, I truly believe passion is the single biggest thing that separates “the good-enough” from the exceptional.

On America’s Got Talent, the best acts from the beginning auditions to Vegas Week to the finale, are all from the people, who are clearly 150% passionate about what they are doing. I’m not talking about the folks, who are wishy and washy and try out just for the sake of it. I’m talking about the people, such as Elew and Michael Grimm, who make sacrifices every single day and live and breathe their talent day in and day out. For all it’s worth. Yet, they remain 100% grounded and humble. There is something to be said and commended about that.

Yes, passion is about following your dreams. But, success usually won’t come to the cocky ones, who think they are hot stuff. It comes to the ones, who quietly practice day in and day out, and don’t realize just how good they have become. That’s a lesson that every professional- especially marketing, PR and journalism folks- should take to heart.

It’s not about flaunting your talents or professional skills or trying to outshine colleagues just because you can, it’s about honing your skill(s) every day simply because you don’t want to settle for “good enough.” Do you want to be “good enough” or do you want to be exceptional? The choice is yours.

Is Your College Diploma A Piece of Crap?

May 27th, 2011

by admin.

No comments yet

Professional success is a funny thing. For so many, we follow a traditional path: Graduate high school, go to college, choose a “responsible major,” graduate college, get a job, work hard, and then professional success will follow. Maybe, throw graduate school into the mix at some point. That’s the mindset that most people have. For a long time, myself included.

A lot of people assume a college degree is a ticket to being successful. While college is great for teaching the fundamentals in an industry, it is centered around memorizing facts and doing well on exams.

As I’ve come to realize, that’s not how the real world operates. How often do you take exams and memorize facts from a history textbook at your day job? The answer is probably never.

Professional success isn’t dictated by how well you do on a multi-choice exam. Real world success is about communicating effectively (both written and verbal), executing ideas, networking, managing up and solving practical problems in your industry and workplace. Those are things that you can’t teach in a classroom. You learn those by doing.

Now, this post, up until this point, may seem like I’m bashing colleges. It’s actually quite the opposite. I openly admit I loved college. The atmosphere, making new friends, the freedom to make my own choices, and learning new things from some great professors. All of it was great. But, my college diploma has done very little to propel me forward professionally. I’d actually say that my actual diploma is a piece of a crap.

After all, any bozo can get a diploma. You can even get a college diploma these days in your (cough cough) pajamas from an online college. It’s what you choose to do after receiving that diploma that really matters.

The only way you really learn and succeed in the workplace is by applying the skills that you learned in college. And oh yeah, making mistakes and failing. Now, this is ass-backwards from college, where the safe path of memorizing facts, cramming and regurgitating information back for a final are the norm. Cramming isn’t going to help you once you enter the workplace. Because it’s not simply knowing the facts, it’s about knowing how to apply facts in a specific manner.

Success comes from real-life experience, time, hard work, networking with industry professionals and most importantly the amount of times you try something new and fail.

Hey Early Adopters, Stop Trying To “M-A-S-H” The Future!

May 12th, 2011

by admin.

No comments yet

Do you remember the game, MASH? If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, you probably know the mansion-apartment-shack-house (MASH) game. Well, I used to play this game all the time with my friends back in the good ole days of elementary school. Essentially, the whole point of the game was to come up with a set of lists, each with four-five choices, and then you and your friend would randomly go through the lists until you had one left for each category. It was a way to “pretend-pick” your future.

Usually since this was a game of chance, you would wind up with some hilarious combos, such as, “you would end marrying your “pretend elementary school husband,” drive a beat-up 1977 sedan and live in a mansion in rural Kentucky.” That sort of thing.

As absurd as this game is to us now, we play “these types of mind games” all the time as grown-ups trying to figure out the future. While we aren’t creating lists with categories like car, apartment, mate, location, (hopefully!) as adults, we are certainly doing it in other aspects of our professional lives.

For example as a society, we are obsessed with the “what’s next?” or the “this will be the next big gamechanger moment.” We create lists, blog posts, news articles and even books, which are essentially nothing more than educated guesses and blind predictions about future developments.

Early adopters do this all the time. How many times have we heard about the “next big social media site?” (Called it the “social media shiny object syndrome”) In December and January, Quora was that shiny object. You couldn’t find an A or B-list PR/Marketing blogger that didn’t write a post or several about Quora and how it was going to revolutionize the industry. It’s now May, and Quora hasn’t exactly lived up to its early adopter predictions.

Fast forward until today, you see these whole predictions starting out all over again for the two latest shiny social media objects- Empire Avenue and Pinterest. More bold predictions.

This fascination with trying to predict what sites take off and what doesn’t is a bit of a time-suck, if you ask me. All the early adopters spend their time on these sites trying to figure them out and essentially make projections about sites that in most cases will top out a few thousand or (if you are lucky) a few hundred thousands users. That’s a pin in the bucket compared to sites like Facebook.

Instead of always focusing on what will be the next big thing and trying to come up with all these predictions based essentially on chance and semi-eduational guesses, why don’t we spend more time living and understanding the NOW. The stuff that is happening in the present is what really matters. Instead of trying to understand what the future holds all the time (and playing mind games), focus on really grasping and understanding the present. Because, that’s the only way to understand what the future holds.

Finally, if you want to have a little fun or just kill a little time, you can now play the M-A-S-H game online here.

Hey Students, 7 Tips To Ace Your Summer Internship

Apr 21st, 2011

by admin.

No comments yet

As someone who has been in the working world for about a year and half, I can honestly say that the three internships I had in college were so helpful. Not only did I learn a ton, but I also was able to gain a better impression for what it means to be working full-time post college. I firmly believe that no amount of classroom learning can replace what you learn in an internship.

With that being said, I wanted to give back and provide seven helpful internship tips for college students.

1. An internship- paid or unpaid- is a PRIVILEGE.

With that privilege, it means that you need to be mature and act responsibly. Remember, you are not entitled to anything. You have to work hard.

2. Don’t assume you are above grunt work!
As an intern, assume you will be having to get people coffee and make photocopies on occasion. Don’t bitch and complain about it. Remember, everyone has to start somewhere. Think of these tasks as a way to prove you are responsible, hard-working and capable, and slowly, but surely you will get more responsibilities.

3. Don’t sleep with anyone in the office!
Monica Lewinsky is probably the most famous intern to do this. While most interns won’t sleep with the president, sleeping with a coworker is still a bad idea. It might work in your favor at first, but just don’t do it. It’s only going to lead to trouble.

4. Dress appropriately!
Professional attire can vary in offices. That could mean anything from jeans and a blazer to a suit and tie. If you aren’t sure, just ask. That being said. Ladies, skimpy shirts, mini-skirts and stilettos are never okay in the office. Dressing provocatively may initially get you noticed, particularly if you are a female intern in a male-dominated office. But, that’s not how you want to get noticed and may result in mistake #3.

5. Don’t think you’re entitled to a full-time job after your internship!
While some interns will work their way up to a paid position, it’s by NO MEANS A GUARANTEE. Asking this before you get the internship or walking in there assuming you are going to get a great job from a short internship is cocky and just plain dumb.

6. Don’t get “power-hungry”
There’s a big difference between an intern and a full-time salaried employee. Don’t confuse that distinction. No matter how hard you try, you cannot fully understand an office environment until you work there full-time for at least 6 months. Interns, who get power-hungry and think they know it all, will end up coming across cocky and arrogant. Don’t be that person.

7. Be an open book and ask questions

Remember to help out. listen and volunteer for any opportunity that comes your way. An internship should be a glimpse into the working world. Use it as such. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

7 Crucial Things I Learned Outside The Classroom

Apr 11th, 2011

by admin.

No comments yet

In elementary, middle, high school and college, there are a lot of useful things that you will take with you in your career and in life in general. But, you ultimately have to take ownership of your own career goals. As a new (ish) PR/marketing professional, here are seven critical things I have learned outside the classroom.

1. Don’t try to hide mistakes and shortcomings

As a new professional, it may be tempting to try and cover any mistakes. But, it usually works better if you come clean and learn from it. Most people don’t expect you to be perfect and mistake-free. They do expect you to learn from mistakes and not make the same one twice.

2. Pick your battles wisely

This should seem obvious. But, it’s so important to remain level-headed and rational. If you fight for every little thing, you will either a.) annoy your boss and coworkers b.) kill your chance to work on bigger better projects, and possibly future raises c.) both.

3. Embrace criticism and then learn from it.

This isn’t college anymore. People don’t write detailed feedback every time you finish a project. Consider, yourself lucky if you have coworkers that are willing to give you constructive criticism. You don’t have to always agree with everything they say, but you must be receptive, grateful and willing to learn from it.

4. It’s okay to take “me time.” Don’t try to be the “office martyr!”

So many times, new professionals, myself include, think you have to be the first one in the office and the last one to leave everyday. While that’s an admirable goal to strive for, it’s not necessarily the smartest. That’s because most bosses could care less about how late you stay, instead they just want to see the great work that you produce in a timely manner.

5. Be indispensable – but don’t horde info or skills. Part of being indispensable is willingness to help others in the office. -@MLBee

This is a great point. Every office needs a handful of indispensable employees, or linchpins. Make yourself one of them.

6. “That’s not really my job.” –@michaelbittner

These are five words that can instantly kill your career. I don’t care what your “job description” is. Everyone is expected to pitch in and do things outside their traditional responsibilities from time to time. Don’t complain about them. Be a team player and just get it done.

7. “Under promise and over deliver” -@LeslyCardec

This might be one of the hardest and most important lessons to master as a new professional. On the one hand, you don’t want to sell yourself short. But, you also want to constantly exceed your boss’s expectations. It can be a tough road to master.

What are some lessons that you learned as a new professional? Please share them in the comment section below.

7 Things I Learned In School That Were Completely Pointless

Apr 4th, 2011

by admin.

5 comments

Before I start listing these things, I want to clarify that my elementary, middle and high school teachers taught me a lot of things. There is a lot I’ve taken with me in my career as a PR/marketing professional. (But, that’s for a later post.)

This post is going to be about those things that we, are most of us, had to learn in school, and were told were so important. Our teachers used to tell us that if we didn’t know these things, we were ultimately going to flunk out of life. These seven things I’m about to list I’ve never used in college or to date in my career.

1. Cursive

In second and third grade, all my teachers made me use cursive for everything. They always said you will have to use cursive for everything in high school, in college and your career. I can safely say now that aside from my signature, I’ve never used cursive since my elementary school years.

2. Long Division

Long division was one of the fundamental learning blocks of third grade. If could do long division, you were put in the smart math group. If you couldn’t, you were placed in the “slow” group. Thankfully, nowadays we have calculators that do this kind of stuff for us.

3. Physics

As a PR/marketing professional, I’ve never had that “AHA moment” where I went, “Gosh, all those hours close to tears stressing about my next Honors Physics test were worth it.” The only thing I got out of that class was having an amazing, awe-inspiring teacher, who was super patient about explaining all these stuff to me numerous times until I somehow learned enough of it to pass the class. Thank you, Mr. Legare. (Sidenote: Since I know, I didn’t say it enough in high school. You definitely were one of my favorite teachers as well as a mentor.)

4. How To Use A Compass and Protractor

Remember, geometry class? I remember spending several weeks perfecting my compass and protractor skills. I’m not sure why. I’ve never used them since 9th grade.

5. How To Use A Library Card Catalog

The Dewey Decimal system. I was actually really good at this in elementary school. I could find any book in the school library in no time flat. Too bad, I’ve probably forgotten all of this. Thanks to a little thing called a computer.

6. Formatting A Floppy Disc

Floppy Discs were all the rage when I was in elementary and middle school. Then, CDs and later flash drives, which were millions of times more powerful, came around and floppy discs went out the window.

7. Dissecting A Fetal Pig

In 9th grade, I literally had nightmares every night for a month during our hands-on biology dissection unit. For what? I have no idea what I learned from sitting in a lab room that reaked of death and Formaldehyde examining organs from a dead stillborn pig.

What were some of the now pointless things that you learned in grade school? Please share them below in the comment section.

What We Can Learn From TCU’s Rose Bowl Victory

Jan 2nd, 2011

by admin.

No comments yet

Photo Credit: Paul Moseley | MCT

It’s obvious that TCU had a lot more to prove going into the Rose Bowl game against Wisconsin. It pits a Big Ten dominant team against an undefeated and underrated non-BCS team.

Before the game, TCU’s football team made it very clear that they were playing for all the little guys in college football. They weren’t just playing for themselves, but for all the non-BCS teams. They wanted to prove that a non-BCS team could play and win against the traditional football powerhouses.

TCU could have been bitter and resentful for being passed over for the National Championship game. But to their credit, TCU stayed classy, graciously accepted the Rose Bowl bid, practiced hard and came to play on game day. They came out on top.

It’s a reminder that life isn’t always fair. Things aren’t always going to go your way. But, with class and lots of hard work, that’s how you will get ahead in the world.

In sports, work and life, how many times do we discount or belittle the underdogs. In the case of TCU, we think that they are undefeated because they played weaker teams and got lucky. We don’t factor in the hard work and dedication it took to get to where they are at. It’s an unfair conclusion. But guess what, life is unfair. Deal with it.

TCU didn’t win that game because they complained and lingered on the unfair situation. They won because they practiced hard and proved they were better than Wisconsin.

It’s the same thing at work. The successful entrepreneur or star employee didn’t get where they are at today, because they whined and complained. They found a way to persevere and conquer all of life’s curveballs and challenges.

That’s the true secret to success. It’s all about how you deal with adversity.

Do you work hard and come to play hard every single day, like TCU? Or, do you complain, say it’s unfair and give up? It’s your decision.

What Young Professionals Can Learn From The Blind Side

Dec 29th, 2010

by admin.

1 comment

“Should you always do what others tell you to do? Sometimes you might not even know why you’re doing something. I mean any fool can have courage. But honor, that’s the real reason for you either do something or you don’t. It’s who you are and maybe who you want to be. If you die trying for something important, then you have both honor and courage, and that’s pretty good.” -Michael Oher in The Blind Side

I was watching The Blind Side for what seems like the millionth time last night. For me, the biggest takeaway has to do with honor.

Honor is what defines you personally and professionally. It’s not only about who you are now, it’s also about what you are doing and what you want to achieve in the future.

Going into the New Year, it’s time to evaluate the choices and decisions you have made this year. Ask yourself these questions.

What do you really want to achieve at your current job?
Are you putting forth the maximum effort to try and achieve your goals?
Are you just following the chain of commands and doing things without thinking?
Are you doing everything your boss and coworkers ask without questioning what you are doing?
Are you checking out of tasks altogether?

Often times, we get so focused on going about our daily business that we lose track of our ambitions and goals for the future. We become blinded by our routine. We forget all the courage and honor it took to get to that point where we are at.

When we feel like we are losing that drive, we need to take a second to regroup and refocus on how we got to the point that we are out and what we need to do to get to the point that we want to be at.

Make sure that whatever you are trying to achieve is of diehard importance to you. As Big Mike says, it takes a lot of honor as well as some courage to achieve your goals.

Many times, we demonstrate our honor in the workplace by picking our battles wisely. If you fight against every little thing, you will quickly become jaded and lose track of your goals. So choose wisely and be honorable and you will eventually come out on top.

What goals and ambitions will you be fighting for 2011? What will motivate you next year?