Saturday, October 31, 2015

Things You Should Know Before Going To An Interview

Hello all! 
I hope you've been enjoying my latest posts about how to step up your game professionally and just some overall tips and tricks to know about the corporate world. For this post, it will be no different because I'll be talking about essential info about interviewing as you go into the work world! Again, some of these are from interview prepping sessions and some are from the conference.


1. Know about the company. 
Do your research. How long have they been in business, what they stand for, etc. This is vital to know because you want to work for a company that aligns with your goals and values. Also, if you're going to work hard for a company, you're going to want to do this anyway because you CARE about the company. As mentioned in the Corporate Confidential book, why should they hire/keep you if your not emotionally invested in the company and looking out for its interests as well? Most likely some of the information you need can be found on the company's website and on the internet.

2. How to answer typical interview questions.
Now, you've probably heard this a million times, but it's true. Google YouTube for classic interview questions and mock answers. It's not only slightly entertaining, but will prepare you for a stellar interview. Know exactly how you're going to answer if they ask about a challenge you faced and what you did to resolve it. Know how to answer the "now tell me about yourself" question and so on and so forth.
Need some help check out this simple YouTube video:
(from www.scoop.it) 

3. What sets you apart from the competition. Why your qualifications are EXACTLY what they're looking for.
As mentioned before in previous posts, know your strengths and weaknesses, what makes you different than any other candidate, and WHAT role you play when collaborating in a group. Are you a natural born leader? Boom. Strength. Are a team player...do you play well with others? Mention it. What are your weaknesses...could you be a better listener? Do you take on too much responsibility? (could turn it into a positive statement about having ambition, etc.) Talk about what skills you possess or what experiences you've had that have prepared you for the role you're applying for.  
To get you started on what strengths you might have, check out this:

4. Questions you have for the interviewer.
One of the most make-or-break moments here is whether or not you have questions to ask the interviewer. The correct answer here is TO ASK QUESTIONS. Not just any question either, make sure your questions are thoughtful, thought-provoking and show that you have in interest in the company and passion. There are thousands of wonderful questions to ask, and for each interview they could be different. To see some examples of what to ask, check here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/173529391868001418/
Infographic from: www.scoop.it

5. Write a thank you note and follow up. 
You should know that being polite and showing gratitude go a LONG way. At the conference I went to, one of the speakers was asked what was one of the most impressive actions a candidate had ever done? Their response...they had received a thank you note. Yes, it is rare. Yes, it will make a positive impression. Possibly one that will also get you a job. 
Want to know a fool-proof way to write a professional thank you note?
Well I hope you all have learned some tips to conquer your next job interview!! I know these will definitely keep me on top of my game. What about you all? Are there any tips that you've learned that will impress future employers? I'd love to know in the comments below!

Much love, 
G

Sunday, October 25, 2015

3 Business Must Reads Straight From The Professionals

Hello! Glad you're back!
 
As always, I'm trying to mix up my posts for you guys, so you never know what to expect! 
As you all know, I recently went to a marketing conference in ATL (SuperNova South) and some of the 
speakers mentioned some book recommendations to read, so I thought I'd jot them down for you all. 
Some of these recommendations are from speakers at the conference, professors at my school, and professional magazines. 

Enjoy! 

1. Strength Finders 2.0 by New York Times bestseller Tom Rath.

This specifically came out of one of the UGA professors at the SuperNova South conference. It's a psychology book that explores the Meyers-Briggs personality traits in depth and how it applies to your personal strengths and weaknesses. There's also a code to where you can take a test to see which strengths and weaknesses you have. Also, I think there's a free version of the test as well. As mentioned in my blog about pieces of advice I learned from SuperNova South, knowing your strengths and weaknesses and how they apply to the real world WILL set you apart in the workforce. 
To see reviews and see a synopsis read here: http://www.amazon.com/StrengthsFinder-2-0-Tom-Rath/dp/159562015X  

2. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Again, this one came from my professor and from the UGA marketing book club. In one of the reviews, it said that this book isn't really one to be summarized, but I'm going to give you the gist of what it's about. In a nutshell, it explains why people say yes and what motivates people to make the decisions they make! Psychologically, what makes a person more incline to make one choice over another? How can you use persuasion to your advantage and avoid being persuaded yourself? It answers all these questions and more. To check it out, go here:
http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Revised-Edition/dp/006124189X
 
3. Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know--and What to Do About Them
Once again, this was mentioned at the conference and wow. After reading the first chapter online on Amazon, I've decided it's an absolute MUST READ. It explores the reasons why people lose their jobs, it talks about everything from layoffs to sexual harassment claims. It even explains how and why hard workers can be laid off. It speaks truth about Corporate America and why companies fire people to save themselves.
To read an excerpt and see reviews, go here:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/corporate-confidential-cynthia-shapiro/1100626219#productInfoTabs

Okay, so there you have it! What are some of YOUR must reads??



Sunday, October 18, 2015

10 Perks of College (So Enjoy it While it Lasts!)

Monday, October 12, 2015

10 Pieces of Advice I Learned From SuperNova South

Hello everyone! How are you today on this windy week of October? I hope you all have had time to embrace everything October has to offer like hayrides, pumpkin carving, and spending time in this beautiful weather with family and friends. I know I certainly have enjoyed the season so far and have had some interesting experiences thus far! One of them being a marketing conference in Atlanta called SuperNova South. SuperNova South is, like I said, a marketing conference where leaders in the industry come and give talks about what their experiences are in the business world and talk about specific topics pertaining to different aspects of the business. Since the conference was just this past week, I thought I'd make a list to remember all the important tidbits I learned from the experience. Now, as a disclaimer, I'd like to say that most of these are general life advice statements and what I learned from the experience personally, not only professionally.


1. Employers want to know what you are all about and what you can do.
One of the main takeaways I was surprised to learn was that employers not only want to see if you can do the job, but what EXACTLY you bring to the table. This may seem simple in theory and it is, but it goes beyond that. Of course it goes without saying that employers want to know if you can do the job, but they want to know more. They want to know if you have a willingness to learn. They want to know how you fit into the company culture and what you bring to the table. Essentially they're seeking to know if you have all the characteristics that fits their team's needs, not only if you can do the job. They want to know what SETS you apart from the other hundreds of applicants and WHY YOU ARE THE PERFECT person for the position. It's a good thing to keep in mind that what they're after is your skill set as a person, personally AND professionally, and not just looking at the perfect gpa or work experience. I don't know why, but this was a revolutionary concept for me that employers care more about the whole individual and well-roundedness of the individual rather than how perfect the person is on paper.

2. Employers want to see your personality. They don't want only GPAs and numbers.
I heard from multiple speakers that they wanted to get a sense of personality from the person they were interviewing. They want to know what makes you tick. They want to know what motivates you, what causes you to do your best work and what you enjoy. They want flair and someone who has a personality along with being a hard worker. This also brings me to my next point of...

3. Start a project to show off your skills.
Another piece of information I heard from many speakers was to have a project or craft to show potential employers. They want to see pieces of writing. They want portfolios of work that you've created. Good news is, I heard multiple speakers making the suggestion of having a blog..! Yay! Do you write periodically for a website? Show them! Have you improved a business's social media account? Take before and after pictures of how you improved their internet presence and show them!

4. Know your strengths and weaknesses.
Along the lines of point 1, interviewers want to know if YOU know your own strengths and weaknesses. Can you be honest and talk about what areas you need to improve in? Do you know specifically what you bring to the work environment? For example, who are you and what role do you play when it comes to group work? For example, I know I'm somewhat of a mix between a cheerleader and an analyzer. I'm encouraging and enthusiastic, but I also want to keep on track and get it done. A weakness is that I'm stubborn and can *sometimes* be closed to new ideas. On the flip side, my stubbornness is also what makes me great. If I want something bad enough, I'll work to get it and won't give up simply because I'm too stubborn to! To find out what your strengths and weaknesses are, read the book Strength Finders 2.0. It was suggested by a professor at the conference and he swore it was a must read!

5. Where you start is probably not where you're going to end up.
I don't think a single speaker at the conference originally set out to do digital marketing specifically. Maybe they had started a business that had involved some marketing, yes, but I don't think any one of them set out with the specific dream of being a digital marketer. Each one of them had a laundry list of different jobs they had had along the way and how it led to where they were now. Just be aware of this. Where you start your career is probably not where it's going to end up. Be flexible, be open. If you're a type A personality like me, it's important to hear this now so that later in life I won't be all bent out of shape because my entire career didn't go EXACTLY like I had planned. It's okay. Where you are now can lead to wonderful opportunities you never expected later!

6. You can get to where you want to go through MANY different avenues.
This was shown to be true by every speaker at the conference. There was at least 20 speakers there to give you an idea. All of the professionals worked in marketing, but how they got there came about 20 different ways. Some people never went to college while others had degrees in history, english, public relations, journalism, political science...you name it! Moral of the story is, you can get to where you want to go even if where you're at now is totally different.

7. Love what you do.
As cliche as it is, it's true. Waking up in the morning and being passionate about what you do is inspirational. It needs to be what drives you. Being passionate will serve you in your professional life and in personal fulfillment. It will show up in your work and is what creates the best pieces of work. Passion for learning more and showing passion in whatever you do will let you go far. Passion is contagious.

8. If you want to live in a big city do it now while you can.
Granted, not everyone had lived in NY or CA, but a few speakers mentioned that if those are places you'd like to go and get experience then do it while you're young! If you want to go to CA and learn employable skills at a small startup then do it now. This will allow you to get it out of your system now, so that when you want to settle down and have a family you can move to a bigger company wherever you'd like to because you've already learned some skills from the bigger cities.

9. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate.
In other words, have the ability to work well in teams. The ability to work well with others was mentioned and emphasized a lot. I would almost go out on a limb and say that there's a good chance you won't hired if you flat-out have no teamwork skills. Playing well with others may be more important than you think. Most of the time it's so valued that employers will list it as a job requirement. Think about that.

10. Networking is important, but don't be afraid to reach out to people either.
Something refreshing I heard was that it's okay to reach out to future employers. This could mean everything from connecting with company heads on LinkedIn to calling their headquarters and asking to scout out certain positions. Following up is important as well. If you meet someone cold-turkey one day at an event (cough cough, for example, SuperNova South..) don't be afraid to follow them on social media and even ask them to meet up for coffee one day to ask them specific questions. As you already know, networking and having connections can ultimately end up with having a job.

Alright you all! These were some of my favorite lessons learned from the event and I hope you all learned some insight and enjoyed reading the takeaways. So were YOU at SuperNova South? What was YOUR favorite piece/s of advice?! I'd love to know in the comments below!

Much love,
G

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Tips to Keep in Mind When Eating Healthier