'Tis The Season ... Almost!!

There is nothing like the holiday season! I think the best thing about the holidays is that it kicks off with Thanksgiving. Once you roll around to December everybody has different religions, you have to be PC and make sure you don't offend people. But EVERYBODY can share in Turkey Day! What's there not to love about good friends and family in addition to lots and LOTS of good food!!

So break out those elastic pants and have a very happy and thankful Turkey Day!

Still Searching ...

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.
That is still what is on the mind.

Yesterday I had a day-long interview down in Indianapolis for a company called ExactTarget.
They are a mass e-mail marketing company -- one of the best and biggest in the nation. It was my first interview that lasted over 30 minutes and let me tell you, it was quite the experience. The day started at 3pm and lasted until 10pm that evening. We went through three formal interviews, two group forum interviews, two separate tours and ended the evening with dinner and a presentation on the software.

It was a great experience overall and I learned a lot, but the main point I took away from the process was the constant reminder to be myself. The program that we were interviewing for is called the Catapult Program. They had over 480 applicants -- finalist day (yesterday) was narrowed down to 23 and from there they will pick 10 people to join the company. Needless to say the competition is fierce. Every single finalist is extremely qualified to become a part of this program; they are all outgoing, personable, intelligent and overall great people.

So how do you stick out? Be Yourself. Capitalize on what separates you from the pack, and know that it is a GOOD thing that you are different from the others in some way, shape or form. For me it was my acting and traveling experience. And that is what I spoke about. I allowed the interviewers to take a peek into the way that I look at life and what I am trying to get out of this journey. I may not have the business experience they are looking for, but I have all the life experience and more that a person my age could obtain. So I was myself: I introduced myself to everyone, I asked questions, I found the topics all interesting, I was a focused listener -- but I also laughed at stupid jokes, expressed new ideas that I thought would be helpful and admitted to my faults and emphasized my strengths. I also told them that I loved my cat and I can't go a Sunday without watching football (both are VERY true).

So who knows what will happen. If I don't get the job then I wasn't the best person for the position. And that is okay, you win some and you lose some. But I can feel confident that I entered and exited the day illustrating exactly what they would be getting if they hired me.
I am who I am and I happen to like it =)!

It's a bird, It's a plane ... It's the Seabreacher!?

For my Advanced Presentational speaking class I had to create a PowerPoint presentation about an interesting technology. After doing some research I found the most interesting concept!

Meet the Seabreacher.

Crazy right!? It is not an emerging technology per say but, none the less it is an incredible concept. Originally designed for marine racing the Seabreacher is now available for commercial purchase. It only cost a quick $68,000! But if you decide to sell your arms and legs in return for a Seabreacher the return perks are pretty awesome -- you have can dive, jump and swim like a dolphin. The spacious cabin allows an up-close and personal view of the ocean and you can submerge it up to 6 feet!

Purely awesome.

Halloween In Indy

Ah senior year ... it's not all about finding jobs! Well okay, for the most part it is, but it is also your last hurrah to have fun with friends before jumping into the "real world." So in addition to utilizing my last few months to become well-educated on the job market, I have also been taking some time to try a few new things around town. And Halloween was a perfect time to explore a night out in downtown Indianapolis.

Now It may seem shocking to those who are not from Indy (or the suburbs), but most people do not go into Indianapolis. There really has never been a reason to go, other than to catch a Colts or Pacers game. So this was a brand new experience. We deiced to head to The Slippery Noodle, the oldest bar in Indy. It has two main stages so there is contestant live music, two bars and various rooms and lounges. Overall it was a fun place to hang out. On Halloween they claim to have a massive costume contest. So I was expecting wall-to-wall craziness of young business professionals getting loose on one of the best nights of the year.

Not quite.

Yes the music was decent, but no wall-to-wall anything. And even better most people were in their mid 30s to 50s! Which of course there is nothing wrong with, but it was quite an interesting mix of people. Following that we went to Tiki Bobs which was more of the young professional setting I was looking for, but only by about 5%. The music was more "club-y" but the DJ was terrible. Either way it was still successful, I mean it is hard to screw up a night where booze and costumes are involved.

Would I go back? Probably. Should you? Yeah, I say check it out =)!

The Facebook Effect

As I continue to delve into the job market I am more and more interested in how social media is continually affecting our world. Social media is still relatively new in our society, and so it seems not a lot of constructive research has been done in the field. I found a study conducted in 2007 on the Benefits of Facebook. The study was focused around the college community of Michigan State University and it examined how college students' social capital was affected by Facebook. The study found that overall college students who utilized Facebook to keep in contact with friends and expand their network overall had higher self esteem. Additionally, it seems that it is not the quantity of the amount of time spent on Facebook or the amount of friends but rather the quality of the time and friends that students kept on Facebook. Again, to those of us who have been using Facebook since 2004 this seems to be common sense. But it is important to understand that as studies continue to prove the effects of social media, the more it will impact and become integrated into our everyday lives. It will be interesting to see how sites such as Facebook and Twitter will be utilized into society over the next 5-10 years!

I have also been wondering, that as businesses begin to incorporate social media into their everyday communication methods, whether they feel as though it is worthy of a "full-time" position. Again, not much as been done as far as being proving a positive capital return in relation to the use of social media. I found a blog that discussed the Facebook Effect. Its a short read, but an interesting concept!

Not keeping up with mainstream society? Jump on that bandwagon and get connected!!

More Food For Thought

So piggybacking off of my last post I wanted to share some information I found. As I continue looking for a job I found an emerging company that is solely dedicated to blogging. And they are headquartered right here in Indy!! The company is called Compendium and they have created a user-friendly blogware. The concept is blogging is an emerging technology that is being integrated into the business world, but many people are unaware of how to create and publish a blog. This software will make it not only easier but also a fun process for businesses.

Also I wanted to share a blog that my friend keeps -- I think she does a good job of talking about a broad topic but still keeping her character alive within her blog.

Check it out!

Blogging Dilemmas

I have to admit I am questioning my blogging abilities. The concept of keeping a blog I do find very intriguing, but most of the time I feel that what I am writing about is irrelevant. Right now as I look for a job blogging is in the back of my mind, especially entering the job market with a communication degree. The ability to keep a blog, or something like a blog, is going to be a selling point for businesses in the near future. The idea of integrating social networks and blogs with corporate america is a fast growing trend. I enjoy keeping up on my knowledge about how they work together, but I think I still have a lot to learn =)!