It's ME. I'm Next.

Today I officially received an offer from Lois Paul & Partners; and I accepted (OBVIOUSLY!).

Words can't express how I feel; all my dreams are coming true ( WOW, didn't think this post could get any cheesier, but It just did).

On a serious note. I couldn't be any happier... and it's not even a full-time job (What?!).

It's a paid internship, 40 hours a week, and it's the opportunity I have been looking for. A real boot-camp internship where I can LEARN all the fundamentals of PR, at a prestigious company in BOSTON, but small enough where you are ACCOUNTABLE and NEEDED on a day-to-day basis. That extremely long sentence consisted all of the underlying values I looked for in my future employer. LP&P exceeds every one of them.

Patience is a Virtue.

Not to mention, there is a high success rate for those interns who do well to become an Assistant Account Representative, which includes salary and benefits. If the opportunity doesn't occur, (which it will!!!) I am confident that the experience will be a crucial stepping stone in my professional career path. It is a foot-in-the-door in Boston, the industry, (they specialize in IT/health- care/clean-tech - a huge market in Boston) and I will be truly qualified for whatever comes next.

Ironic as it may seem, #thejobhuntcontinues. As one of my interviewers from LP&P said, "Work for the job you want, not the one you have" and I know I will be working plenty hard to earn my spot there.

A Collection of Quotes, Sayings, and Nonsense

If I may quote my favorite Business book,"Networking is not a passive sport. You need to get to the people you want to meet, and it takes planning and work and overcoming inertia."

An idea I've been living by since I've read it. And now, as Carol from New Directions said, "Things are finally getting sticky." A phrase, that right off the bat may seem like an undesirable feeling but makes perfect sense. After six months of introductions, sending an email here or giving a business card to someone there... my network is starting to truly develop.

After a "Black-Hole" day... (as my former roommate calls it. A day where you're feeling particularly "unemployed-ish" and you grieve over the death of your college days)...

I decided it was time to revisit my contacts. Writing, "Hi remember me again" email after another and leading them all with Khiara's personal favorite, " what about this weather?" I finally had a break through. For the sake of "not counting my chickens before they hatch," (I couldn't tell you who came up with that one but everyone knows it) I will be vague about the details. However, I will say this much.

• I had an interview. (I possibly had a booger in my nose for at least half of it but other than that, it went AMAZING)
• It's A PR agency located in Boston (Check, Check)
• I absolutely love the place and the people (I think they liked me too)
• And I think I have a shot

"Only time will tell." (Again, I couldn't tell you who thought of that one either....)

Thanksgiving Year Round

Well it finally happened...

The golf season ended - even though there is no frost to be seen and the average temperature this past week was 60 degrees. (Sorry Polar Bears; but thank you Global Warming).

... Meaning- I am officially unemployed.

No, I have not joined Occupy Providence despite the roller coaster of emotions I have endured these past weeks. My behavior has been as constant as the New England weather...everything from surges of impulsiveness, (almost bought a one way ticket to Florida) eating away my depression, to days of empowerment, hope and productivity, and right back to what feels like certified crazy.

My mood today? Pure Bliss. In light of the recent Holiday, I have a lot to be thankful for. And although some days are harder than others, I must remind myself to be grateful for these things every day and not just national Holidays.

I am still coming down from my high from one of the best weeks in my life. 10 days of true happiness. I had a great Thanksgiving with loved ones - the final count was 33. I have a HUGE family to say the least. Not to mention activities after activities! To give you a snap shot of the week- I had my first Bruins game, a night at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence, I successfully made my own pizza out of a brick oven , and did it all with great friends- old and new.

The best part of it all- an interview. LinkedIn has finally proved itself worthy. Advice: follow smaller companies. There is a good chance to get on their radar compared to a huge corporation.

My Job-hunt thus far has consisted of mainly major corporations, but now more than ever am I loving the idea of working for a smaller company. This consulting firm has a culture unique from any other. I was fortunate to meet with five associates, one including the CEO, all who value team work, unity and an overall understanding of respect regardless of status. That was very apparent to me from the minute I walked in and until the hour and a half later when the President himself walked me to the door.

It has me thinking a smaller company is the way to go. Especially after reading 10 pros of working for a small company.

http://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2007/06/11/101529_ten-pros-of-working-for-a-small-business.html

#TheJobHuntContinues but I am thankful for each and every opportunity... TO BE CONTINUED.

Trick- or -Treat

...The infamous saying we are all accustomed to during Halloween. Usually you think of happy children at their neighbor's door, waiting to be be awarded with some sort of treat. I can't help but apply it to the present stage in my life.

I will start with the latter.

The Treat:

For Khiara; she has fulfilled our blog's #1 mission - land a job. Not only in NYC but at Glamour Magazine.

For myself; I had an interview. Not only in NYC, but at MTV Networks ! AND just had a phone interview this morning with an HR from Hill Holliday.

The Trick:

For my Co- Blogger; To survive- literally. After college loans, NY taxes and train fees, her allocated budget alone to find a place to live, never mind eating , is scary.

For myself; The horrific feeling of actually being unemployed for the first time. With the golf course coming to a close, my source of income will also. I have been proud of the money I have saved all season, but in reality, without additional income it will be spent fast. Watching Khiara struggle financially frightens me. As elated as I would be to get a job in the city, I could be in the same situation if an offer comes too late and my "cushion fund" is gone. Not to mention the feeling after one interview after another - the phrases such as, " keep on checking in to see if a position opens" feels like a trick. Is anyone really hiring!?!

All I know is- ghost and goblins are not the things frightening me around this time of year. The only dressing up I have been doing...is putting on heels and business suits AND I continue to knock on doors.

And Then There Was Boathouse

My Alumni Reunion was this weekend- can you believe it?! ALUMNI. Mixed in with the conversations of fond memories and gossip, I was prepared for the questions of, "what are you doing now?" To my surprise, I was way more confident explaining my situation than I had thought. 

"Still looking... interviewed at this place...met really awesome people...FutureM... The perfect job waiting is for me." When the conversation was taken to the next level of intimacy, I was asked to describe that perfect place. I answered with three things:

The people, opportunity for growth, and the quality of work.

(Fade into the day before)

My interview at Boathouse Group went so well. I met with five amazing people- two Account Managers, a woman in HR, one of the co-founders, and a good friend. Everyone I met with was inspiring. They were passionate about what they do, spoke so highly of Boathouse, and attributed it all to the people that work there. With this company, there are no titles on businesses cards, no cubicles and no separate departments; everyone is on the same team. I mean, even the CFO met with me- how cool is that?!

I left the interview so pleased. Not only with myself but with Boathouse Group. No matter the outcome, Friday was another experience where I learned a little more about myself and the amazing opportunities that are out there. Big and glamorous in the city, or small and passionate in Waltham, MA- Boathouse Group has caught my attention.

"Pleasure To(oth) Meet You"

It was our last day of events at FutureM and we were ready. Although the previous events were AMAZING, we found ourselves sometimes wishing we had done some things differently. For two girls who find themselves more confident than not, we didn't realize how intimidating networking at this level of sophistication could be. So like I said, this time we were ready...

Elevator speech. Check. Outfit. Check. Rule #4 -No glass of wine until our last event. Check. List of things not to bring up (for example: The reason I have a lisp...."I have a fake tooth in my mouth that can be removed - want to see?") Check.

Unfortunately the dreaded tooth removal (read post) had taken place the day before and the result of it was as obvious as a bad hair cut. The fake tooth caused me to have a terribly embarrassing lisp, and a tooth that would occasionally pop out at the most inconvenient times- like when I was introducing myself to Barbara, CGO of Digitas, or while I was eating cheese and crackers at our last networking event. My eyes lit up in horror as I realized I was chewing on a piece of plastic- now toothless- at a black tie event, while Khiara had to cover her mouth from shrieking in laughter.....

So it was a tiny bit of a hassle, but hardly a damper on the day. Khiara, Dave and I were going to make the most of it- and we did. Our first event, Rich Media and Mobile Advertising was held at Digitas. (The building was something out of a movie!) Speakers gave their perspective on the path of Mobile Advertising and the barriers it has been breaking thus far.

 After, we grabbed some lunch and decided to head to Hill Holiday in order to get good seats for the next event, "The Pitch". We waited in the lounge on the 34th floor and envied employees on their lunch breaks - to them, this was just any other standard work day.... We had another chance to connect with some employees of Hill Holiday. Khiara introduced us to both Chris and Lauren who happened to be walking through, and it was yet another chance to practice our networking skills. Finally the Pitch began, and it was by far one of the more exciting events. Five people representing real start-up companies entering the market, had to give their pitch in a matter of eight minutes, followed by a real live panel of judges made up of journalists and agencies.

Boris from CampusLive receiving feedback from the panel

The seminar was then broken up into a networking event, where Khiara and I broke rule #4 and found ourselves sipping on some wine as we mingled. We had a chance to meet with the young entrepreneur of CampusLive, Boris and his lead sales member Melanie. Melanie was nice enough to share her story of how she got to where she was in Boston, and encouraged us to reach out to her.

Leaving Hill Holiday we had some time to kill and headed over to Faneuil Hall. Khiara dragged me into Coach where we almost impulsively bought a bag (the equivalent of half a months of rent in Boston). In return, I dragged her to the Salty Dog across the street to indulge in something more in our range of financial capabilities, Sam Adams on tap.

One drink later we headed back to our final event, Content Curation, where we had the chance to get more insight on start- up companies from a Community Manager herself, Elizabeth.

Although this conference wasn't going to result in a job offer, the insight we now have about the industry is twice as much as we had a week before (and nothing we could have learned in class). Above all, now that I've had a taste, there is nothing stopping me from having anything less.

City Lights

Here we are back at Sophies. Walking in from the torrential down pour we couldn't help but reflect on our first meetings here at the beginning of the summer. It really put the time that has passed into perspective comparing our cold shiver to the heat we were trying to escape just a few months ago.

Today's goal- make business cards. (Don't get me wrong, there's a list of 50 other things behind that) We've been brainstorming for nearly an hour now. How can we be creative while portraying the right message? What will differentiate us from the millions of others while still being professional?

...That's what we've come up with so far, but no purchases have been made yet.

This coming week is the FutureM in Boston. Gessenia and I are registered for Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for awesome events involving Sports and Entertainment, Branding, Social Media and virtual workshops as well. While the intentions behind this production is to educate marketers and keep them on the forefront, we want to take it as a networking opportunity and be as prepared as possible.

It's been a hectic week of playing catch up all the while trying to stay ahead of the game. My trip to Oklahoma was just what the doctor prescribed. I enjoyed spending time with my family, clearing my head and finally having time to relax. I soaked it for all it was worth because the fantasy world came to an abrupt end as soon as I returned home. Wednesday morning I was off to New York for yes, my interview at GLAMOUR MAGAZINE! That day I spent 8 hours traveling for a 45 minute interview and to me, it made perfectly good sense. Thanks to the "I'm Awesome" chart Gessenia and I had worked on just a few weeks prior, some serious research on the company and a good friend in NY, I walked out of the interview beaming. Finally an interview I had no hesitation when saying it went really well. Not only that, the role of Promotion Assistant turned out to be one that I genuinely believe I could thrive in- Creative proposals, budgets, event planning, even stuffing bags- it's a position that would get me excited. I can just see it now......*sigh* (daydreaming)

Before I left the city, my sister and I had the perfect dinner date at Alice's Tea Cup on the corner of Lexington and 64th. The tiny place sweeps you into a fairy tale as soon as you step in. Fairy dust is sprinkled everywhere, the food is exotic and tasteful,and the waitstaff are super sweet.



The whirlwind of my return didn't stop there. I afforded myself 5 hours of sleep when I finally got home only to make my way up to Boston for an all day Brand Camp at Jack Morton. SO worth the lack of sleep!

...more to follow

A Light Bulb Just Went Off - (Or On)

Yesterday around 5pm, a light bulb simultaneously was ignited by not only electricity but also an epiphany.
After going Five whole days without power, running water and cell phone service, I was feeling disconnected. both the world and myself.

A lot can change in a week huh? To get everyone up to speed. Following the freak- of -nature earthquake on the East Coast, came Hurricane Irene (said to be in the top 10 deadliest hurricanes to hit the US ever). Rhode Island was fortunate enough to not get hit dead on with the old broad, but the storm that radiated off her caused 60% of the Ocean State without electricity, and some still won't expect it until Labor Day Weekend. Of course it could of been worse, at the end of the day you realized what's important, your family and friends- and life basically - but still... it was TERRIBLE.

Not only did Irene come abruptly, so did a a job opportunity. A friend of mine gave me a lead to an opening at Konnessi, (a company he's been helping while finishing his MBA). The lead turned into a interview, which then lead to a second interview, which then lead to a job offer and a " See you on Tuesday at 9 and we will get started."

For those who have been keeping up with this blog, have most likely gathered the following: I am determined to get out of RI - want to have a career at a prestige agency - and have a career in Public Relations or Marketing. On the contrary, this job opportunity is in RI - is a small start up- and is a sales position. To my surprise all my determination for a goal I have been tirelessly working for was being thrown out the window, and I was beginning to entertain the idea of this new career path. After all this market is unforgivable, I don't have any planned interviews or ins at the moment, I am young and everyone needs stepping stones, and time is passing faster than sand in an hour glass.

I weighed the pros and cons back and forth. I would be excited at one moment as I envisioned a day working for this company, and the responsibility I was accountable for, and overall dominating the human race. The excitement would then be replaced with anxiety and second guessing. The salary being offered was "peanuts" as my father said. Granted in sales, the sky is the limit to make income, but there was an undeniable risk here for what seemed to be an extensive demand for a more than 40 hr work week.

But in the end, it wasn't the amount of work being asked that bothered me, nor the pay check. It was my vision. Life throws you windows of opportunities at random times and there will always be a risk in taking them- that's the only way you get anywhere. But the one thing I hold dearly is this vision, well- you all read it in the first post. And this wasn't it. As Khiara puts it - "do you feel like you have exhausted all your options?" - and I don't. The fight in me is not even close to being tarnished.

So what did I do? The unthinkable for an inexperienced college grad living in this economy. I said I respectfully declined.

As I sat in the living room with my father, as I internally made my decision ...A sign from God, Buddha, or just the right tilt of the earth in this universe - The electricity I was lacking all week fired back on literally and figuratively all at the same time.( I am not even lying.) Not to mention Khiara was back in town and I finally had a phone that was charged long enough to be able to fill her in. After talking to her I felt grounded again...so as of today we are both officially signed up for a marketing conference in Boston in two weeks and it looks like the #jobhuntcontinues.

A Quick Hello from OK!

Thank goodness for my BFF, Gessen. While I am away for a week with limited internet access- she of course is constantly keeping me in the loop (and sane) by tweeting job opportunities and sharing her job search status via #GraduateSwagg. What would I do without her?!

During the first 20 minutes I had a chance to get on my laptop, I opened my inbox to a formal invitation to Jack Morton's Brand Camp September 1st. More than a little excited!! ....as well as tip that there may be a job opening at Glamour Magazine in NY! I said I wasn't going to limit myself...so let's put that to the test! I forwarded my resume... and we'll see what happens next.

I've only been gone for a day.

All I Want for Christmas Is My 2 Front Teeth - And A Job.

Following Khiara's last post - I admit I was withholding the same sentiment. It is getting tough. Some weeks are easier than others, some feel down right hopeless.

It doesn't help either when you had three days off in a total of three weeks. You go to a dentist appointment and they tell you that the line-drive that hit you during softball practice six years ago in high school - an accident that left me with seven root canals, three crowns, and some funny yet embarrassing home videos- is now coming back to haunt me with a bill that my insurance won't cover and over a year of future surgeries. Several Surgeries, that with my time of healing in between them will leave me with a temporary fake tooth that needs to be removed at night. All I could think of is Obie Trices song- Hopefully she's got some teeth as the Dentist explains all this to me. Not to mention a scale that reads I am five pounds over my usual- a direct correlation of now living at home and having food already supplied for me rather than my college days when a bowl of soup and grilled cheese would last me a good day and a half.

Depressing? Yes. Dramatic? Maybe. Nevertheless- down.

Being sick and tired of this funk I was letting myself get in, I decided it was time to take control. I have been to the gym everyday taking classes at the YMCA, brushing my teeth three times a day, and eating basically only fruit veggies and salmon. This health kick has been uplifting, not only physically, but inside too. My newly acquired energy has altered my attitude and I feel people taking noticed. Especially on Monday while working a double at the golf course...

A day that is usually dead, hence only one bartender is needed that day, but of course -it was extremely busy. Doing my best to make sure I was servicing everyone at the bar, golfers coming in to grab a pick up order, and groups of people sitting for lunch outside on the patio- all with same enthusiasm and quality service. I had waited on this elderly man with his grandson who began making small talk with me - half of me wanted to throw his hot dog on the table and run considering I had X amount of other people to attend to and didn't have time to chit-chat... but Instead, smiled sweetly with my bright white teeth, (that will soon be removed) and engaged in casual conversation. He overheard me speaking to some customers about my goal to be in Boston doing PR, and that he was in fact a Public Relations Practitioner affiliated with Lois Paul & Partners based right outside of Boston.

Lesson: Never throw a hot dog and run aka treat everyone as if they are a potential network facet.

Turns out his grandson went to high school with my brother - so Rhode Island- and we exchanged contact information. The next day I followed up on his offer of sending my resume through some contacts, and a week later I got an email from the HR of LPP.

Yes it is tough right now. I mean, everyone said it was going to be - but every now and again a lucky break comes your way.

Marketing Yourself 101

Well the date is set - this Monday at 11:00am I will be having an interview of sorts with the HR of Lois Paul & Partners- on the phone. Despite my attempt of trying to get physically in the door at the agency, keeping in mind the advice I learned early on this summer - the HR had said it's protocol to have a phone conversation before any meeting is arranged. Khiara who played phone tag with the HR Manager of Alex And Ani last week, found herself getting blind sided with an interview, while babysitting two kids. Being resourceful as she is, she pulled through of course- but we both agreed further preparation is needed in case such an event occurs again. The reality of someone calling you on the spot, and not having a face in front of you to read and detect how the conversation is really going- is nerve wracking. Especially with all our resumes being sent through various networks we have met this summer while trying to get our foot- in -the- door. As thankful as we have been for the people who have been sending our resumes through for us, we find ourselves getting phone calls from business contacts who then begin probing us for a position we don't even know exactly what it entails. ( Half way through a conversation you realize we are talking about Project Management... when you studied Marketing.) We both have realized we need to think outside the box, and be able to take our knowledge about ourselves and apply it in any given situation at any given time.

I faithfully follow @AvidCareetist on Twitter - so helpful! And she recently posted an article by Career Shepra, The Best Job Search Tool Ever. It is basically a Marketing Plan of yourself. Of course ours is slightly different, but thus far its been a great help for organizing all our skills and their related experience.

Hopefully it will help my phone conversation lead to an invite for a face-to- face conversation. I'll let you know.

1 Down... (enter # here) More to Go

As I'm driving to Waltham, MA , I have the AC blasting to keep my curls to their most non -frizz potential before I have to face the heat wave outside. My go- to professional business jacket is hanging in the back seat, my heels are in my purse while I sport my Sperrys in the meantime. I have a folder stacked with resumes and Map Quest directions in my lap that read my destination is only an hour and 20 away -yet I left three hours in advance. I have my A game on. The only challenge left is to get through an interview at Racepoint Group flawlessly. Wrong.

My next challenge is to find the building. After circling a parking garage, walking across the street to the wrong industrial park, asking a few people,walking back- I found it. Leaving three hours early didn't seem so silly after all (hate that my mom is always right.)

Now in my jacket and heels standing tall in the waiting room, smiling at everyone that walks by, I'd say I was doing a good job at hiding the pit in my stomach filled with nervousness. The secretary asks me if I would like anything- a juice a water etc. I politely say "No thank you I'm fine" even though I'm dying of thirst (stupid habit) - she hands me a water anyways and replies "you're going to be talking to a lot of people you'll need one."

With my newly acquired water came along with an increase heart rate. Talking to a lot of people? What was I getting into. To make it worse while I'm filling my application I come across the reference page. Shouting at myself in my head on why the hell don't I have a an already printed out paper with all my references information -(amateur move!)- I fumble through the business cards I brought with me and try to get the rest of the info on my phone that has no service.

Shana, the head HR at Racepoint Group finally greeted me and lead me to a room -and it was all up hill from there. Of course it helped that she was an incredibly sweet woman, but the nerves disappeared and I just felt like - Me. The best part was, I meant everything I said, and I believed it. While talking about my experiences and what I have learned a light bulb kind of went off like - Hey I am qualified for this job! And I could feel my confidence shining through, Throughout the 2 hours there I met with another Account Executive and an Account Coordinator. All three conversations were genuinely pleasant, and It felt great.

Leaving the building, (after switching out of my heels and back into my Sperrys of course) I felt like skipping to my car. But coming down from my high I stopped. As great as it was, I have to keep going, keep applying, keep networking. This is no one and done. But the experience was so worth while and I know with each interview it can only get better. But Racepoint Group isn't going anywhere and either am I. I have a feeling we will meet again soon.

Outside Providence

How is it the end of July? My goal all summer was to take a little trip somewhere in the beginning of August. It has finally occurred to me, that time frame is next week. And after August.. Is September... Time to kick it up a notch.

I have been really busy working at both the golf course and in Providence at the Media department at RISD. I can't believe there was a time when I would leave that building in Providence on 20 Washington Place, and have to wipe snow off my car. Now leaving the AC filled office I'm hit with a heat wave. I will tell you though, there is something about Providence, especially the East Side, in the Summer time ( for those who don't know that is the area where the ivy league school, Brown is.) I mean, it ain't no Boston, but it ain't that bad either...

The work I have been doing at RISD is less than exciting, but I don't mind it one bit. The more I can learn about anything, the more it will help me in the future - even if it does make me go cross eyed . Let's just say I can utilize the PR Program, Cision Point with my eyes closed.

However some good news! Since I didn't send my resume directly to Racepoint Group (My supervisor and a former employee at Racepoint Group herself, did for me) I decided to follow up with the head HR of the agency on Linked In, with a personalized message of course. Thank God I did.

Now this is where I have analyzed the situation up and down. I don't have the job, but at the same time I don't Not have the job either. The E-mail I got in return, overall thanked me for my interest, admitted she wasn't "entirely sure there is an opening, but these things change at any moment,day to day." She also said "with that in mind, she would like to have a phone conversation, to see if I'd be a good fit." I was peeing my pants basically, and I don't even have the job...Yet.

Keeping in mind the advice from my last informational interview, - Get in front of the person that hires you - I knew the phone conversation wouldn't be enough. Nervous that I was being too - pushy, (I did it anyways) and asked if I could have the chance of engaging in a face-to-face informational interview, but expressed my understanding of her busy scheduled and that I would be more than appreciative to take up her on the phone conversation.

Result- I am going in next week!

I am so excited! My mind is already getting ahead of itself. Racepoint Group is in Waltham, MA. so maybe not exactly in Boston, but close enough to drive to the Harvard Sq and get on the red line (I already did my homework.) Either way, I am excited to get some practice in for interviewing.

Funny how things work. A job that I want so much has become a little closer to becoming a reality, and all I'm thinking is I need to go and get on a plane to Europe or on a beach in Florida. Can you say Indecisive? There are just so many options! I guess I don't have to figure out my life in one night. But I am about to look up some tickets. I need an adventure before this 9-5 happens any sooner.

Looking for Answers

...Never thought I would find myself in this position...
The good news: I got offered a position at the Sports Marketing company I interned at last year.
The better news: My tickets to Boston were used up sooner than expected- I got an interview at Hill Holliday!
The bad news: Now what?

 While I was in school I would have jumped at the opportunity to work at the company I interned at last year- I had so much fun there, the people were great and it was in the sports industry which I really enjoyed, naturally. However, now that it has been a couple of months since I have been out of school, I have really taken the time to get to know myself, the career possibilities out there, and WHAT I WANT. When the invitation was delivered to my inbox for an interview at Hill Holliday, I nearly cried. THIS is what I want. While the interview at Hill went well, I didn't leave there with a job. I did my part but now the rest is in their hands.

In the mean time, I have a huge decision to make myself. Do I turn down a respectable job for a potential one? And what if Hill Holliday doesn't come through? More importantly, if I take the job... will I be happy?

I'm in love...with Jack

I couldn't help but grin when the elevator doors opened to the fifth floor of 142 Berkeley Street in Boston.

 This is exactly the type of place I'm looking for.

My boyfriend and I left Rhode Island at 9am yesterday for my 11:30 informational interview with Jack Morton. The entire trip up there I couldn't get out of my day dreaming mode. I have been following Jack Morton on twitter as well as keeping up with their blog, but I still had no idea what to expect. How will the interview go? What are the people like there? Who will I meet? What will the place look like? Will they like me? Is it as cool as I think? Let's just say it was better than I imagined. The women I met with were absolutely wonderful, gave me great insight into the company, and could not say enough great things about Jack Morton. Lucky for me, a woman from HR stopped in to say hello and informed me that they were interviewing for an open Freelance position....even though I wasn't there to be interviewed, she said I would considered if it was something I was interested in....(how exciting!) so we'll see what happens! Overall I left there beaming and was sure to snap the above picture before the elevator doors closed on me.

I extended my stay in the city and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Boston with my boyfriend. He took me to lunch at Salvatores (where we spent our first Valentine's together!) and we window shopped on Newbury Street... something I'll be doing one day with my bff during our lunch breaks ;)

It was such a perfect day....and I can't wait to soak it all in again this Thursday with Gessenia.

Informational Interviews 101

Another rainy day - it's OK- Another productive day.

Went to the doctors and got medicine for this on going sinus infection- Kept up with the Weight Watcher's Diet... Soup for dinner followed by 6 Oreos (It's within the points!) And got a confirmation for an informational interview.

Thanks to a friend of a friend my parents know, I was able to reach out to VP of New Directions in Boston. They are a Portfolio company, and from my understanding a little mix of life coaching, marketing and branding for individuals and businesses. They help people get to their next step. (HELLO Just what I need!!) But- I am not going there as a client, but as a young professional to ask questions and flatter. We finalized the date, for Thursday next week - in Boston (YES)- I already have my outfit picked out in my mind. But that is the only thing I have prepared thus far.

I need information on how to make use of an informational interview.
Kind of Ironic when you think about it. Your are going there to get informed, yet I need to be informed before I get there.


The way I see it, is people of these industries love talking about themselves and an informational interview can play out in 2 scenarios. 1- they do the same song and dance that they do for every graduate that reaches out to them, telling them the same story of how they got to where they are. or 2- I suck this interview for all it's worth and really make and impression.

Now how to accomplish situation 2. Dissect their company's website. Make a list of questions pertaining to my life at the moment. etc. etc. There is going to be some major preparation for this, and this isn't even a Real Interview. I might even go buy Crest White Strips. Over the top? I don't think so people, this is a recession.

Unknown Number

"Always keep your phone charged and answer every unknown number." Words of wisdom from who else but my other half. Our day at Sophies is already paying off! I just received a call back from Jack Morton in response to my request for an informational interview. #ThereisaGod I couldn't be more ecstatic. I'm all about experiential marketing- and if there is one agency that rocks at it, it's Jack Morton. Follow them on Twitter to check out their latest work- In the mean time, I have some preparing to do.

Ready... Set... Elevator Speech

It's Mid-June. (When did that happen?) And I feel as if I have gotten no where and so far at the same time. After getting in a little argument with my Boyfriend, (also a URI alum who now works for APC in Costa Mesa, California) - I was frustrated.

I Keep on talking about my Senario 1, ( read 2nd blog post) all day, everyday, even in my sleep. I am very enthusiastic and self-assured about my future life. I'll spare the trigger of the argument, but as it escalated low jabs start blowing ...

"You can't be making all these plans Gessenia, these things cost money" - "You need a job to live there"- and even worse-"What the hell have you been doing? Where have you even applied too?"

Talk about a supportive boyfriend. I was mad. Mad that he was being so insensitive, and mad because he was right. The jobs I have applied to thus far can be counted on one hand. But here I go, acting like I have it figured out, that I know it's going to happen, yet I have little to show for it.
An hour goes by and I'm over it. Know why? because I have been doing something. Even though it's June 19th (crap) I have been working a lot towards my goals in other ways. Off the bat, the golf course. Yes, for the obvious reason I am making money (and saving) for my scenario 1 life. But it's more than that, I have been making opportunities out of the available resources I have. I started a Facebook group for the restaurant end and even wrote a press release for a charity event we do every year. Not to mention I just made another Facebook group for a Charity Foundation, Kenvo Foundation (Okay Okay it's my parents) nevertheless I am taking the skills I've learned and applying them. Learning. And I am networking. So it might not be a CEO's BBQ, but I am on Twitter, on LinkedIn, and shaking hands with anyone I meet.

Take for instance, at the Kenvo Open on Friday, I introduced myself to a women who works for Bank of America, I remembered to shake her hand firmly, flash the pearly whites that I have gotten so good at doing at the golf course, looked her in the eye and repeated her name. - I got her Business Card and she has a potential job opportunity to share on direct marketing and social media.

Or today, making small talk with the employees who work at Beaver River. I shared my awesome time at the Bruins Parade (that deserves a whole post in itself - my crazy boyfriend flew 300,000 miles to be in Boston for 24 hrs, literally) but I continued to tell Dave at the Pro Shop how much I love the town and what I want to do, and how I will get there. - He tells me to to connect with him on LinkedIn and he knows a guy that works at an agency.

So- Do I have job prospects? technically no, but it's in the works. As the saying goes, Luck happens when opportunity meets preparation.