Hello everyone!

The average person fails to stick to their New Year’s resolution past January. Let’s be honest – putting 1/12 of the effort towards your goal isn’t all that impressive. Resolutions are difficult to keep, as we are challenging ourselves to do things we may not be accustomed to. Whether it is developing a new routine or learning to kick old habits, New Year’s Resolutions require consistent effort and dedication. So how do you stick to your goal? While saying “Keep your eye on the prize” may sound cliché, there is more truth to that than you might think.

Have you ever met a fellow classmate who is clearly well-versed in a subject or field, but is a far cry from a team player? As you enter the working world, you’ll quickly find that having people skills is a vital element of your professional success. So how does one develop these social skills? Reading “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie is the perfect place to start.

Have plans of moving to a new state after graduation? While the prospect of starting your next chapter in a new can be exciting, finding work in an area that you are not familiar with can be difficult. Sure, you can take a leap of faith and wait to look for a job when you get there. But doing some groundwork in advance can help make the move easier, and perhaps even help you land a job before you get there.

One of my least favorite questions that often surfaces in an interview addresses my verbal and written communication skills. While this question may seem cliché, effective communication is essential to practice, in any work place.

It can be jarring when grads quickly realize that a new set of communication skills to function in the "real world". While you may have gotten an "A" in biology despite sitting quietly in the back of the classroom, this will get you nowhere in the working world. You need to have a voice, and you need to know how to use it effectively.

Of all the interview questions, the ones that I dread most? The ones that address strengths and good qualities. This question has managed to manifest itself in some form in almost all of my interviews. Naturally, you might respond that you are self-motivated, trustworthy and hard-working. Funny that…so did everyone else.

It is your goal to set yourself apart from other candidates during the interview. So how do you answer a question truthfully without giving a generic response?

Simple: get specific.

Throughout college, Facebook enables you to shamelessly stalk your crush, share pictures from last night’s raging party, and send passive aggressive notes to your roommate asking her to throw out her trash…again.

So who would have thought that the same social networking site that allows you to “poke” someone could also help advance your professional career? That is, if you know the content to include on it…and the things best left in a shoebox under your bed.

Exhibit A: Girl and boy are on a movie date. Boy is leaning away from girl in chair. Girl thinks boy does not like her.

Exhibit B: Boy asks roommate if he borrowed his iPod. Roommate says “no”, but looks away as he answers. Boy does not believe roommate.

Exhibit C: Girl asks friend if she looks fat in dress. Friend hesitates, looks her up and down, but still answers “no”. Girl gets angry at friend, deletes her number from cell phone and de-friends her on Facebook.