It’s Official, I’m a Graduate Student – Let the Adventure Begin….

It’s been a while – but here’s the update!

I got accepted into the program!  I am officially a full-time Graduate student in the Higher Education: Administration program at Rowan University!  It was DEFINITELY an exciting day in my life when I got the notification.  Since then, it’s been a ton of craziness dealing with loans and payments, financial aid, the bursars office, and adding to it all- moving … but, hey, it’s all totally worth it!

I moved this past Sunday, and started classes on Tuesday (well, had 1 of 3) … talk about a quick turnaround period!  Here I am, finding new classrooms, meeting new people, buying new books (ugh, buying books), and getting adjusted to a brand new campus .. basically, just living the dream.

My new challenges: doing GREAT in all of my classes, finding a job while in school, and landing an Assistantship for the Fall!

I’ll be taking each day one hour at a time, crossing my fingers, working hard and hoping for the best!

This is my life…  In Progress.

Totally Out Of My Hands….

I’m at the point where I know I’ve done everything I can do … I’ve submitted everything I can submit … and yet, I’m waiting on other people to submit what they need to in order for everything to be in on time.  On time = 8 days.

I’m a very anxious person – I like to worry (okay, “like” might be a bit of a stretch … but I can’t help it, it just happens).  I like things to be done before the time they’re due.  I like knowing I have a few days (and by a few, I mean more than a week) of wiggle room in case anything goes wrong.  Most people do, right? Maybe?

Getting that email, a week and a half before the application deadline, saying that the school of my choice didn’t have my recommendation letters or my transcripts (when I had requested my transcripts over a month ago, and my recommendations not too far after) FREAKED me out.  All I could think about it, what if they don’t get submitted on time?  What if someone else not paying attention to deadline dates is the reason I don’t get in to the program I want to?  What if… What if.. What if?!  Calling my undergrad and raising hell about the transcripts is (was) easy … but, calling the people who have agreed to write amazing things about you so that you can get into grad school and raising hell … you just can’t do that.

Clearly, these people have lives outside of writing my grad school recommendation forms -but they did say they’d do it … so checking in isn’t so bad, right? I hope I’m right, because that’s what I did.  Finally after two emails, a phone call, and a totally unnecessary October snowstorm (which probably didn’t help anyone with anything) – I got an email back saying the recommendations were sent in as of yesterday.  Phew!  They do care.. they’re not out to ruin my life  (this was obvious, but like I said… I worry too much).  Now I can relax, right?  Nope.

Everything is in now … transcripts, test scores, recommendations, resume, letter of intent, payment … and now it’s all on the school.  It’s totally out of my hands.  What a feeling.  I forgot what this felt like … the last time I waited for an acceptance like this was almost six years ago.  Holy roller coaster ride, Batman.  Eight days left until the application deadline … so, when will I hear from the school?

This is my life…  In Progress.

Wishful Thinking…

So here I am, anxiously awaiting the results of my acceptance or denial to my first choice Grad school… and hating it.

I thought submitting everything super early, and being proactive would be great … everything would be in and done, and ready to go and the weight would be off of my shoulders.  Boy, was I wrong.  I checked my status today, and they haven’t even processed my stuff yet.  The application due date isn’t until November 11th, which means I’ve got a little less than a month before they start even LOOKING at the applications.

As if my anxiety isn’t bad enough- now I have to sit on the edge of my chair, and continuously check my application status as if something is going to change and a the words “ACCEPTED FOR SPRING 2012″ will magically appear.

Wishful thinking.

This applying to Grad school stuff is rough.  I’ve been keeping myself busy; I got a job at a restaurant, I got licensed to become a Zumba instructor and I have an interview to be a part-time bank teller in 2 days… that should be enough to keep my mind off of my application status, right?

Wishful thinking.

All I want is to get into Grad school, get a great Graduate Assistantship, learn everything and more about the field I want to work in (now that I finally know what it is I want to do with the rest of my life), and create the foundation for a great future for myself.  All of that lies on this future acceptance letter (hopefully).  I keep telling myself that maybe they’ll look at it early and make an early (positive) decision…

Wishful thinking?

I guess we’ll see.

This is my life… In Progress

Testing Testing 1, 2, 3…

Grad schools require you to take these tests in order to get in.  There are multiple types of tests, depending on what program you want to get your Masters in.  It’s kind of like the schools are saying, “Oh, hey.. you got your BA or BS, or whatever else you got, and you graduated .. but that’s not good enough.  Pay for this, do well, and then MAYBE we’ll consider you.” (Okay, I’m a little bitter because I hate them…)

The kicker to this is people tell you not to worry about it.. not to let the test psyche you out. For people like me, who aren’t great at standardized tests (never have been) … it’s hard not to psyche yourself out!

I had to take the Miller Analogy Test today (this is to this, as that is to that) Oy Vey.  This lovely test was the last step to applying to the grad school of my choice. Talk about intimidating. I studied for days.. no, weeks (months, dare I say?) .. on end for it. How was I not supposed to think about the fact that this could be the deciding factor that gets me accepted to (or denied from) grad school?!

The final results said I did an “average job” … and according to what the school of my choice wants, I should be fine.

But, of course … now I’m playing the waiting game. I have to wait & see if my test results are good enough for the school of my choice, and f they’re not I need to take it again (and again and again, until they ARE good enough). The anxiety should be over, right?  Wrong.  The test is done.. the application is in.. and I have no idea if I’m going to get in.

Argh. Everyone, keep your fingers crossed please.

This is my life…  In Progress.

A Revamped Blog, For A Revamped Lifestyle…

You grow up thinking life is going to go one way – and before you know it, it’s headed in a completely different direction.  My change of direction came from the unfortunate circumstance (so I thought) of being let go from my last job.  However, after really analyzing the situation, I’ve recently come to see it was nothing but a blessing in disguise.

This blog is now just like my life … REVAMPED. Previously social media and PR, and currently on the road to somewhere new.

You’re supposed to love what you do – not be miserable on a daily basis.  Sure, every day won’t be rainbows and sunshine – but what’s the point of working somewhere there’s NEVER rainbows and sunshine?  Life is too short to be miserable.

After losing my job, I wasn’t the happiest person on the face of the planet ( I mean, who would be?).  All I could think about was the lack of money to pay the bills, the lack of things to do during the day (I cannot sit in my house 24/7 – I am way too fidgety for that), OH .. and the pure fact that I was unemployed didn’t make things easier.  But, after 24 hours of feeling sorry for myself – I decided to take the negativity, get rid of it, and do something positive with my “time off”.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going back to school (well, I hope to be) for Higher Education: Administration. So many people, in that field, inspired me in college – and I’d like to be able to pass that on… so, I’m going to .

It still stinks to have no money – but, I’m working on some part-time opportunities at the moment … I don’t have to worry about sitting around the house and doing nothing, because I’m training to run a 5 mile run in November, I’m getting certified to teach Zumba on Sunday, and I’ve been filling out grad school applications and studying for the MATs.

Life is “in limbo” at the moment … some days are great, and others are terribly slow and boring – but, I’m lucky enough to have amazing people in my life to help me through those slow / boring days, and put a smile on my face.

It’s time to live my life how I see fit, and I’m going to work my butt off to get where I want to be.  I’m taking the negative aspects of the past year of my life and using them to push me to do bigger and better things.

This is my life … In Progress

Do You Hate Facebook?

In a report updated and posted  on July 19, by the American Customer Satisfaction Index Facebook is one of the most hated social media platforms / websites!  The only thing it beat out is MySpace (and well, I don’t know too many people who enjoy MySpace nowadays.. so that’s no accomplishment).

What I want to know is why?  Why do people hate Facebook so much?

Is it, possibly, the constantly changing interface?  Unless you keep tabs on all of the changes their making (which I need to because of my job) – you don’t know what’s going on with your private information.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Facebook addict – definitely not one of the “haters”, but I guess I understand where people are coming from.  Some people are more “simple social media” people.  I’ve always heard the “Facebook has too much clutter”, and “I don’t need all that STUFF” excuses.

Is the fact that Facebook is constantly changing necessary?  I believe so.  They need to keep up with the ever-changing social media world.  If they left their product the same way it was when it launched, other companies would eat it up… and it would end up being just another MySpace.

Facebook is the perfect example of social media.  Relatively speaking, it’s not the same as it was yesterday- and will not be the same tomorrow as it is today.  In order to keep up with the times (and the number of people), its got to keep changing.

If that’s why people are Facebook haters, then I say keep on hating.  I’d much rather have a social media platform that is up to date, new and exciting than one that is dated, just so it’s “easier to use”.

Just my opinion.  Any thoughts?

Stuck on GetGlue (see what I did there?) …

Every week, on Sunday nights, I watch The Glee Project with my sister (don’t judge, it’s amazing). During the commercials, they’re always prompting us to “check in to GetGlue” to get stickers and other great stuff.  I always wondered what it was, but was too lazy to check it out.  Until now.

Basically, this morning I checked out the app. on my phone – which led me to the website – and basically, got me addicted to this “interest based” app.

As a lover of Foursquare and SCVNGR – the ability to “chick-in” somewhere is fun for me.  GetGlue takes it to a whole new level.  I get to check in to the things I love, and love to do.

GetGlue allows you to ‘like’ your favorite music, movies, TV shows, books, video games, celebrities, wines and topics.  Based on the things that you ‘like’, GetGlue provides you with recommendations for other things you might enjoy! Can’t really get any better than that.

You check in with GetGlue by typing in the TV show you’re watching, or the music artist and songs you’re listening to – and you earn “stickers”.  Some stickers earned are about the items you ‘like’ and others are totally random, and fun to figure out and find.

Basically, if you’re a lover of anything in the entertainment industry, and you own a smart phone – you should own and use this app.  It’s fabulous.  I’m hooked.

GetGlue. FTW!

Let’s Talk Google+ (and forget that I haven’t posted in 5 months).

Who makes a blog and doesn’t post on it?  This girl.  Clearly, I’ve got an excuse for the past week or so – playing with my new Google+ account has taken over all of my free time (Okay, not really … but it seems as if it could be a valid excuse on a social media blog, right?).

But, really, let’s get to the good stuff.  Google+!   I literally just read (seriously, like 2 minutes ago) a report that Google+ is about to hit 10 Million Users … that’s no joke!  I’ve gotten mixed reviews from people – but, I personally am loving it.

Sure, the features are all similar to Facebook and Twitter -  but for some reason, it seems less chaotic to me.  Anyone else get that feeling?

Circles are my favorite feature, so far (I haven’t played with Hangouts yet, so we’ll see – because that may become the new favorite).  I enjoy being able to pick who goes where, easily.  It’s a more organized version of Facebook Lists.  Granted, if lists were part of Facebook at the launch – it probably would have been just as easy… but, remember, when it launched everyone already had hundreds, if not thousands of friends that they had to sort through.  Not really my cup of tea (or many other people’s, if I remember correctly).

I like being able to post to the people in a certain Circle if I want- and that I can read posts solely from the people who belong in that circle.   It’s neat, it’s organized, it’s simple… and for some reason, I find it exciting.

Sparks is pretty cool – it’s like Facebook interests on steroids.  Basically, you let Google+ know what you’re interested in, and all of a sudden you’ve got pictures, articles and videos on your interest.  It could keep you busy for days (if you were bored enough to sit there and go through everything).

As previously stated, I haven’t “Hung Out” yet – but I plan on it shortly.  Any takers?  Everyone who I have spoken to, who has participated in a Hangout, think it’s pretty rad.  Oh, and for those of you downers who are saying that Facebook just launched a video chat feature – yes, they did … but it’s not for up to ten people at once.

Do I think Google+ is going to take over Facebook? Nope. Facebook seems a little bit more playful than Google+ to me.  What do I mean by playful?  That’s a good question – which I’m still trying to figure out.. but at the moment, I’m going to stick with it.   Do I think Google+ is going to explode (as if 10 million users isn’t exploding already)?  Yup.

I’m excited to see what they’re coming up with next.  Business pages are being rolled out, along with many other features.  Google+ is still extremely new… and I think they learned their lesson with the fail of Buzz.  Google is listening and responding… and doing awesome things.

Oh, and PS the Google+ Android app. is AWESOME.

Thoughts / comments / questions … leave them here!  More posts to come soon… PROMISE!

Job Hunt Lessons Learned… For The #Unemployed As Frustrated As I Was.

So here I am finding myself making one of the worst mistakes you can make in the social media world (at least in my opinion).  I’ve gotten so caught up in life that it’s been forever since I have posted here.  Annoying, right?  My apologies.  Anyway, even though this is a social media / PR blog I thought (being that I am finally starting a new job on Monday) I would share a few of the things I have learned on my 3 month job hunt.  Enjoy and feel free to add anything else!

Lessons Learned:

I’ve learned a lot over the past few months.  Being unemployed and constantly on the job hunt, I found myself spending countless hours watching Twitter feeds, reading people’s blogs and catching up on people’s lives via Facebook.  (Word of advice: When people say they can learn a lot about you via the Internet, they’re not kidding haha).

I was on the job hunt for about 3 months … I used all sorts of job boards, visited tons of company web sites, made a bunch of phone calls, used some of my connections, and crossed my fingers.  In some cases, I connected to people via LinkedIn and then tweeted them telling them I had done so… which proved to be very successful.  Professionals love to know that you REALLY want to speak to them.  The interest that you show, interests the professionals who you want to work for!

Does doing all of this mean you’re going to get the job?  NOPE. But, if you reach out properly you make connections… and in today’s world connections are everything.

I searched for 3 months and made countless connections.  These connections ultimately led to the job that I will be starting on Monday.

If you leave this page and take nothing else away from this post, take this piece of advice: ALWAYS FOLLOW UP.  If you submitted a resume and cover letter, made a phone call, and got an interview … don’t stop there!  With the amount of people searching and applying for jobs, you need to make yourself memorable or you’ll be “lost in the fog”.  Feel like you’re being annoying?  It’s okay … think of it as being persistant.  I wouldn’t recommend calling everyday or e-mailing every hour …. but calling or e-mailing 2 or 3 days after the initial interview, and then following up a week later shows dedication and responsibility.  Make it happen.

Next piece of advice: If it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end of the world.  Don’t get down on yourself and lose confidence.

If my boyfriend or may parents saw this, they’d be patting themselves on the back… because I learned this the hard way and this is the advice they gave me.  Don’t take it personally if you meet up with a company for 2 or 3 interviews and they just don’t have the decency to call you back.  Remember, it’s their loss.  Clearly they saw something in you… they saw you more than once.  When things get hard remember that they thought you were awesome… EMBRACE THE AWESOME and just keep looking.  That’s right, I said it… EMBRACE THE AWESOME. Keep the confidence level high and move on to the next plan.

And another thing… If you’re good at something, and you know you’re good, don’t be afraid to show it.  Here’s where it gets tough.  You want to exude confidence to your (hopefully) future employer…. but you DO NOT want to come off as a know it all!  Remember, they want to learn as much from you as they want you to learn from them.  If you come across like you already know everything you may annoy the interviewer… and then ruin your chances of returning in the future.  If they ask you a question, obviously don’t play dumb … answer to the best of your ability and wait until they ask you the next one.  Sit up straight, don’t be afraid to smile and laugh, and try not to come across as desperate!  Interviews are just as much about your knowledge as they are about your personality! They want to know if your personality type will fit in with the overall dynamic of their company.  Don’t be afraid to be you.

Social Media Do’s and Dont’s of Unemployment:

• DO let the world know you’re looking for work … make connections and hope for the best!
• DON’T trash talk a company who hasn’t gotten back to you after an interview … no company wants a trash talker!
• DO follow the companies pages to see their most recent news – you can use that in an interview!
• DON’T be afraid to reach out to the President or CEO of a company on LinkedIn and then follow up via e-mail or on another social media platform – it shows confidence, and they want confident people working for them!
• DO be careful what you’re posting about yourself … companies will check up on you.
• DON’T give up … strike up a conversation with the company / RT their info … show them you’re interested.  If they can’t take you on now because they’re not hiring, it doesn’t mean they won’t expand in the future!

Well … hopefully that helps people that are going through the job search in this crazy economy.  I wish you all tons and tons of luck, and my heart goes out to all of you!  Hang in there, because before you know it you’ll ge the job you deserve! Remember: EMBRACE THE AWESOME!

Looking for Input! Social Media in the Unemployed World… A Help or A Bust While Job Searching?

Follow up… Be persistent… Go for what you think you should have… Make your presence known!

 

These are all pretty common phrases you hear when searching for that “dream job”.  Here I am,  searching for my dream job in the public relations world … mainly the social media realm of the industry … and as much as I follow up, be persistent, and make my presence know, it’s proven to be impossible (for the time being).

So, for those of you in the industry… read on, and let me know how I should be improving my job hunting skills!

I find a job I love,  I find them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and wherever else they might be (I mean… if I’m applying for a social media job, I want to see what it is that they’re trying to improve or add upon), I put together a cover letter and submit my resume, and then I connect.

I have 2 years of experience in my field and I love what it is that I do… and I know that I’m good at it.  I’m a confident young woman, who is the ultimate people-person, and I don’t mind working my “you-know-what” off to get the job done quickly, properly, and fantastically.  I have a pretty fair resume, and I highlight the things I’m good at and have been recognized for in my cover letters.

What I’ve learned: Very few companies will get back to you on Twitter, and even less will get back to you via Facebook.  LinkedIn is good if an HR rep. posted the job, because then you can connect to them and “speak” with them that way… bu, you still very rarely hear back.  Personally, I believe an introduction outside of a resume and cover letter is a good thing, so why don’t companies like to interact?  I’d love someone’s input on that, especially if there’s a better way to go about what I’m doing.

Someone once recommended that I put together a video resume, but when I asked a handful of HR reps. what they thought about the idea, it basically got laughed at.  They don’t have time to sit there and watch videos all day… they scan through a resume and cover letter (if they don’t already have a machine doing it for them), and you either get considered or dropped that way.

I’m just looking for advice here, because the more input I get from different people and companies will help me in the long run.  Do you think connecting via social media, when you’re looking for a job in the social media world is a good idea or not and why?

Thanks to anyone who helps out, I appreciate it!