Not my salad, but you get it. Photo credit: Chipotle.com

A little back story: I used to be a student brand manager for Chipotle at USF. The other day, I ventured in for my usual: a chicken salad with black beans, veggies, corn salsa, regular salsa, cheese and guac, with sour cream on the side. Everyone and their mom says that Chipotle is horrible for you, but really, it doesn’t have to be. ANYWAY, I get back to my desk to enjoy my delicious salad and my chicken is cold.

I wasn’t looking for any freebies. Really. Having used to work with the Chipotle marketing team, I know how important food quality is to them and I just wanted them to know that the chicken was cold. One less-than-usually-stellar salad wasn’t going to keep me from going back. I love me some Chipotle. I had to go through a couple hoops to get to the right forum to let them know, but once I did I received a friendly email from one of the marketing gals, asking for my mailing address so they could send me a gift card so I could enjoy another salad. Next time, with hot chicken.

So, my dear friends at Chipotle (and fellow burrito-lovers), a little brand haiku for you:

I love Chipotle.
Chicken salad is my fave.
Can’t wait to go back.

Check out Christine Perkett’s Brand Haiku here. See the whole awesome list of haikus (haiki?) over at Aaron’s little corner of the internets.

With that, I say: “Get on the boat!”

And there’s video (this one is the long one).

And there’s more video (this one is shorter, in case you have ADD).

So let’s chat – Gen-Y – all it’s cracked up to be? If you identify yourself as Gen-Y, what are some stereotypes you run into? How can Gen-Y better succeed in the workplace? Are you on the boat with this whole “With” vs. “For” thing? Why or why not?

Thanks for being here!

1. Use social media to find people you’d like to work with. The most important thing you can do for your career is find people to connect with (via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, whatever your medium of choice is) and meet with them offline. Twitter gives you access to people you might not otherwise be able to connect with on your average Monday. Hop on LinkedIn, find a company you’d like to work with, and then see who else is listed under that company. There’s a list to work off of. Or do a Twitter search for the name of the company. However you find these people is up to you and what you’re comfortable with. But get to know them, add value, and meet them offline for coffee or something.
2. Meet up offline. As much as I love social media and I love everything that is coming of this wave of information, meeting people face to face is still the best thing. For example, my first social gathering in Chicago was organized for me before I moved here. A Tweet Up with Tim Jahn, John Morrison and Scott Bishop. It was awesome. I grilled them about anything and everything Chicago and they were my initial circle of friends that quickly expanded.
3. Go to SXSW (or a similar conference for your trade). If you’re interested in social media and how it is affecting PR, marketing, and everything inbetween, you should definitely plan on going to SXSW (read: South by Southwest). Attending SXSW is one of the key factors in how I got to where I am today. I walked into SXSW with the intent of meeting some awesome people. My mentor said it would be like my career fair. I walked out of there with two solid contacts re: jobs/internships and a handful more that I could call on if I had questions about the industry. Mission accomplished.
4. Go to local networking events. Social Media Club is also a great way to meet people and connect with them offline. If your city doesn’t have a chapter started, get on board and start one. Chances are you know some top tweeters in your city – rally up the troops and shoot Chris an email.
5. Talk to people that have been there, done that. For more on how to network in a new city, check out Matt Cheuvront’s latest here. He just moved from Nashville to Chicago and his advice is solid (and timely, since I was just writing the same post). And the podcast at the end shows a little love for yours truly around the three minute mark . If you don’t know Matt and I’s history – we pretty much took identical paths to get to where we are today (only real difference was Matt didn’t have a job/internship lined up and he moved to the burbs).

Some related posts that might help you through the process of networking, getting job leads, etc:

• “With” vs. “For” – it’s all about your mindset.
• A Social Media How To: Jump-start Your Career and Life. Part One and Part Two.

Having a lifelong infatuation with ducks, particularly baby ducks, I was intrigued.

“We’re cool, calm, floating along, doing our thing up top, and furiously moving underwater to get to where we need to go.”

It made perfect sense.

Behind the bar, we glided effortlessly around each other, even when it was six deep on the weekends. A tap on the left meant move to the right. “Behind” was your warning that there was probably at least four cocktails in the hands of the person behind you, so freeze, right where you are. Very few words were spoken between us, but we knew exactly what every person was drinking, what food they were waiting on, and most importantly, their name. At any one given time, I knew the names of 24-50 guests sitting at the bar. Twenty-four seats, but probably 2-3 people standing per guest. We were a well-oiled machine.

The taps, the “behinds” and the replacing of bottles was something that was never seen or heard from a customer level. All they saw and heard was their 12-ounce martini being filled all the way to the rim, with a gentle reminder from the bartender to sip before picking up. All that was seen or heard was laughter coming from Dawn’s section, as she continued to entertain her regulars with her quick wit and sharp tongue. All that was seen or heard was the printer going off in the east side well, and probably a glass or six breaking if Kristen was working that well. They were here for dinner and a show. The show was the most important part.

The bartenders at Charley’s were the best bartenders in Tampa. Hands down.

I saw a couple bartenders cycle through while I was there. Some fired, some moving on to bigger, better “real jobs”. Now that I have a “real job”, I realize that bartending was the “realest” job I’ll ever have.

Where else but behind that four feet of highly polished cherry wood can you learn about someone’s entire life in the span of 15 minutes to two hours? When else but after three martinis do you realize how vulnerable your patrons are, as they spill their dirtiest secrets? Where else can you call major league baseball players and hockey players and football players and celebrities by their first name, they know yours, and you’re not a “groupie”?

Now you know why I miss it. Now you know why it’s hard adjusting to the lifestyle that I’m living now. Now I work 8:30-5:30. I go home after work and make dinner, unwind for a bit, then am usually in bed by the time I’d be getting through the late rush at the restaurant. It’s so different.

What I don’t miss? Explaining that I wouldn’t be in the industry forever. Convincing my patrons that I was worth more than a whole lot of wine and spirits knowledge, that I had something to offer besides quick wit and a smile. What I don’t miss? The lifestyle that comes with the industry. I never fully immersed myself in it because I was in school full time, working two internships and was at the restaurant six nights a week. I didn’t have time to develop the party lifestyle to the fullest. I don’t miss the kinds of people that worked there. Bar staff and management excluded, everyone else would throw each other under the bus. They were all money-hungry and would stop at nothing to make sure they covered their own ass and no one else’s.

We were like ducks. Cool, calm, and collected on top, with a whole lot of chaos going on down below. Hopefully that’s a skill I can carryover to my next life, my life in my office, my life in corporate America… to be a duck.

It’s been over a year since that started, and now it’s time for my review.

What do you like? What don’t you like? What am I doing well? What can I improve on?

I think I want to take this blog in a new direction. The “new media” shenanigans is tired, and I’m hardly writing about new media anymore. I have been writing about more gen-y stuff, career stuff, big city stuff, etc.

What do you want to see?

Let me have it. Anonymous if you want, preferably with your name so I can follow-up with you if I have questions.

Sound off!

It’s not just about doing tasks and doing them well. Being the best intern is a mindset. You have to be eager to learn, and let people know that you are. You have to understand that, depending on what industry you’re in, sometimes no news is good news, and good news is great news. One of the hardest things for me to adjust to was not getting constant praise.

Growing up, we hear praise for everything. You make your bed, you get praise. You do your chores, you get praise. You get an A on a test, etc, you get the idea. In corporate America – if you work in a busy place, there isn’t always time for constant praise. So assuming you work for a well-organized and efficient company that communicates well, if you aren’t hearing constructive criticism, you’re probably doing alright. Like I said, that was a tough one for me. Here are a few more tips on how to be the best intern ever.

1. If there are other interns at your organization, make friends. Not just with each other, but with full-timers as well. If you want a shot at getting a job here, you better have some people to be your cheerleaders when/if a position becomes available. You want to be on the top of everyone’s minds when they’re hiring.
2. Learn social media. This should be number one, technically. All of the skills we learn here are important, but social media is increasingly important. You probably already know this, because we talk about it ALL THE TIME. So make sure you “get it”. If you have questions about what that means exactly, talk to people on the digital team. Talk to me. Just figure it out. Your career depends on it.
3. Find your person. Like on Sex and The City – everyone needs an “in case of emergency” person. Who is your person? Find someone that you can bounce ideas off of, vent to, ask questions, etc. Your person will make your time that much easier, and you’ll probably make a really good friend out of the deal. And if your person has an office with a door – you’ve hit the jackpot.
4. Learn how and when to say “no”. If you think that saying yes to every single project is the way to get noticed, chances are, you’re wrong. Better to say yes to a couple and really do some quality work than to get way too much on your plate and do poorly. Learn how to say no, or how to ask about saying no. Get in touch with your mentor if you have too much going on and don’t know how to say no. They’ve been there – they can help you.
5. Work with as many people as you possibly can. The more people you get to work with, the better. You’ll get to have a lot of different experiences. And, when it comes time for your review (monthly, mid-point, etc), you have more people to call upon for feedback – which will help you learn that much more about the business and about yourself.

Coming up next: why you need to be continuously networking your face off.

You go through whatever steps you need to, and now you’re invited in for an interview. Congratulations! This is just another step to bigger and better things.

Now, depending on what you’re interviewing for, you may be asked to do interviews over the phone. If that’s the case – read this.

If you’re doing them in person – the tips from the post above still apply – but you’ll be answering questions face-to-face.

Now, I know what works for me, and we’ve all googled “interview tips” a thousand times. So I’ll spare you the standard advice: do research before you go (duh), dress the part (really? You can’t wear flip flops to an interview?), and ask questions.

I asked some of my colleagues and mentors for any advice they’d like to share on the topic, here are some of the tips:

1. Showcase your social media skills – many digital communications-focused companies LOVE to see (appropriate) posts from job candidates to include “going to the interview of the job of my dreams”, “just had the best conversation with a thought leader in PR”, etc.
2. Be enthusiastic. There are so many people that are super-talented but don’t know how to sell themselves. That’s fine. You’ll learn. But come in there with a positive attitude – show that you’re a go-getter, and it’s a no-brainer. Everyone wants to be surrounded by positivity – whether or not they’ll admit it.
3. Be willing to learn. People should come into an interview not only with what they know but also what they think they can learn from the position. Especially in the more junior level. It’s a major turn off when someone interviews for an internship position and doesn’t seem like they are excited/open to learning from others.
4. Have a point of view. It is great to read all of the blogs/industry news. Even better if you can provide a point of view on recent topics vs. just know what’s being said about the topic. (See this:
5. Write a thank you note. Hand-written, the day of, no later than the next morning after your interview. Show that you listened and learned during the conversation.

So come in there educated, dressed the part, enthusiastic, willing to learn, aware that “I don’t know” isn’t an answer (always have a POV) and follow-up.

And of course, you can always read through the wackiest interview questions to get yourself pumped up if you’d like.

Next up? Part three – be the best intern they’ve ever had.

While you wait – check out these posts to get yourself started in the social media scene if you aren’t already:

• Find a Mentor
  
• Why You Should Blog
• Build Your Network

The series of blog posts to follow will go through, very simply, the steps I took to get to where I am today. I’m starting at the beginning, the moment I realized that I didn’t want to be graduated and on the job-hunt. I had this light-bulb moment that I wanted to have job options lined up BEFORE graduation. If you’re already graduated, you’re probably thinking that you’re too late. You aren’t. If you have decided that you want a career, not just a job – then keep reading.

I have to preface all of this by saying that I’m just telling you what I did. How it shapes up for you could be completely different. By this time next year, these steps might not be enough to set yourself apart from the pack. Or maybe you don’t want to do PR, and if that’s the case, then shape this advice to whatever industry you’re trying to break into. I’m not guaranteeing that by following this that you’ll waltz into a dream internship which will turn into your dream job. I get it, I’m the exception to the rule, I’m lucky – blah, blah, blah.

I concluded my last post with this very simple thought regarding your future: You have to want it.

Given that you want it, when all your hard work pays off, you’ll understand why it’s not luck, it’s being prepared and creating opportunities.

If you don’t want it, save yourself the time that it’s going to take to make things happen. If you don’t want it, reading this will sound either really stupid or too difficult.

What I did the past year involved a lot of sacrifices: my dating life (I didn’t have one), my social life (extremely limited), my energy (I was drinking way too much Red Bull), my best friend (she gave me an ultimatum in Austin, our friendship or my career), and my expenses (both of my internships while at USF were unpaid, but I bartended at night and I saved every penny I made from November-March to go to SXSW).

As a result, what do I have? A fabulous studio apartment in Chicago, a full-time job at a global PR agency, and some great friends, colleagues and mentors that I’ve met along the way. If you’re still reading, I think you might want it.

So, where do you start?

I was in the first semester of my senior year and I needed to start networking, fast. I had only been in Tampa for a year and I didn’t know a lot of people on campus. So I started speaking up in class, talking to teachers about what my goals were, and reaching out for internship opportunities.

Hopefully, if you’re a senior in college in PR, you’ve already started on the internship thing. If you haven’t, then get on it! Internships.com is a great resource, and check with your school’s PRSSA chapter for other sources.

So, step one: Get an internship while you’re still in school.

1. Check out internships.com. USF had purchased a membership through the career center so any college student at USF could use the database to find an internship.
2. Ask your classmates and teachers. Fellow classmates are great resources for finding internships. Both of the internships I did senior year I found through one of my friends, and she was a year younger than me. If your friends don’t have any leads, ask your professors. Chances are they’re well-connected in the community and will know somebody that needs free help.
3. Do some digging. If both of those turn up no results, visit the career center, Google local businesses/agencies in your area and shoot someone an email saying you’re interested in gaining real-world experience. In this day and age, there aren’t a lot of people who will turn down free help if they need it.

If you realize the importance of having an internship and you’re set on finding one, you will. If you get frustrated half way through and quit – obviously, you won’t.

A lot of this business is making things happen, be it for your teams, your clients, your business, what have you. You need to make things happen for the rest of your career, you might as well start with yourself and start practicing now.

Up next: You got an interview, great, now what?

YAAAAAAY!

::calming down, kinda::

It’s official. The days of being an intern are starting to fade, and life as I know it in Chicago is developing faster than I had hoped. I. Am. Full. Time.

You know, I had hopes and dreams of this fantasy life. I had my own little College to PR fairytale in my head, and so far, it’s all coming true.

I set out on this journey last year, but things really picked up speed in March when I went to SXSW. I came home, had some phone interviews and on April 1st (and it was no joke), I accepted an internship with Weber Shandwick in their Chicago office. I was scheduled to start August 17, which gave me time to graduate and get settled into Chicago. Business slowed down at the restaurant I was working at, and I wasn’t saving money, I was spending, and spending a lot. So I planned on moving to Chicago ASAP, get a bartending job up there, then start my internship. 

I couldn’t even start to research what bar I’d want to work at in Chicago because I was asked to start on June 22nd, just five days after my last final on campus. Teeeeechnically, the only reason I said I could start in August was because I was going to save money. I was done with school in Tampa on June 17th. So I packed up everything I could fit in my car, drove it to finals, made a pit stop in Orlando, and moved to Chicago. I started my internship the Monday after my last college final. Not a bad start.

The fairy tale continues, I love the job, the people I work with are phenomenal, and I’m learning more than I thought anyone could conceivably learn in such a short period of time. The experience far surpassed my expectations. I knew it would be awesome, but I had no idea how much I would love the pace of working at an agency, and had no idea that I would be able to be a part of so many awesome things as an intern. 

And Thursday, what I hoped would happen, what I dreamed would happen, did. 

On Thursday I accepted a full-time position. 

On Thursday, I had a little moment with myself. 

I have worked so hard for so long to make this come true. I kicked it into high gear my senior year, and everything that I sacrificed is so worth it. When people back home doubted that I’d even get the internship, let alone the job, I said “just wait, you’ll see” and now here I am. 

I’m so thankful for the people and events that made this possible. I’m working on a series of how-to’s that will outline exactly how I got from A to B. But in the mean time, in light of everyone who was a part of this journey, and to everyone who wants to take a similar path – here’s a very simple piece of advice: 

You have to want it.