When we think about effective leadership, the first thing that may come to mind is a “pit bull” attitude, which includes such traits as competitiveness and assertiveness. Is anyone a fan of HBO’s Entourage? Unfortunately, the aggressive Ari Gold method may not work so well for most people. Others may believe in a more subtle approach – to be more collaborative, nurturing, and sensitive towards others. However, if we allow ourselves to find a balance between the two, we may just be able to have our cake and eat it too…

It's summer break. You don't necessarily want to work, but you need the money to support your social life. If you're not cute enough to run that little lemonade stand like you used to, then it's time to find another way to improve your summer cash flow. Luckily, there are numerous opportunities for you to make some side money. And you can do this by using the skills you already have!

I met my good friend Valerie my freshman year of college, and I remember her telling me how she got paid for making company advertisements using her expert Adobe Photoshop skills. Here are some other clever ideas to earn some extra cash:

1. Social Marketing Consultant: So it sounds like a fancy job title, but in reality, you can simply use your Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc. skills to help companies with their marketing efforts. If you're going to be on Facebook anyway, why not get paid for it?

2. Write Product Reviews: If you want to complain or rave about something you bought, write about it! Voice your opinion while typing reviews for places like Epinions.com or ReviewStream.com.

3. Sell Stuff on eBay or Have a Garage Sale: Mom and Dad must have some kind of junk lying around in the house. Turn that clutter into profit! It wouldn't hurt to find that old box of toys you used to play with either. The neighborhood kiddies would definitely appreciate them.

4. Take Online Surveys: You can complete surveys through legitimate online survey sites, and get paid for it. Sounds easy doesn't it?

5. Take Pictures and Sell the Photos: Keeping it strictly PG, you can make money as a photographer. Lots of sites are looking to buy digital photos such as Shutterstock.com or 123RF.com.

6. Tutor: Are you a math or science whiz? Many parents are willing to pay for someone who can help their child develop skills and succeed in certain academic areas. Opportunities can range from designing web logos to joining a focus group.

These are just a few ideas out of the endless possibilities… Do some research and earn yourself some cash this summer!

"Lemonade stand" courtesy EvinDC via Flickr Creative Commons

Congratulations! You've applied to that job or internship position that you've been working towards and have made it over the first obstacle. Someone at the company or organization has reviewed your cover letter and resume, and has contacted you to schedule an interview - a phone interview. You don't even have to wear that uncomfortable suit!

Dear Blog Readers,

Hey everyone! My name is Monica Karkhanis and I am currently a sophomore communication major with a focus in public relations at the University of Maryland, College Park. This is my first semester as an intern for Think Talk and I am really excited to blog about social media and how it can help your career. Find me on Twitter and be sure to continue following ThinkTalk!

For the past couple weeks I have discussed how utilizing social media tools to further your career aspirations and development can be essential in your quest for a job. Then I realized, although I have several networking profiles, I have been neglecting some of my accounts. For example, I have had a registered LinkedIn account for almost a year, but I have only made five connections--two of which are college friends--and that according to my profile, I am still currently a sales associate for Pacific Sunwear in Frederick County.

Even though the information on my page was true at one point, letting get out-of-date can be misleading when potential employers and contacts come across your page. Although I am usually quite dedicated to keeping up with my social-networking accounts, I sometimes find myself overwhelmed with managing all of them- yet I’m not willing to let go of any of them!

On my pursuit to successfully clean up my profiles and get them up and running once again, (as a serious and proactive student), I came across a helpful blog to detangle my mess of social media websites, HOW TO: Manage Multiple Social Media Profiles. The author, Ben Parr, created a simple five-step guide to keeping your social networking profiles fresh, consistent and less tedious to manage.

Parr’s first step in refreshing your profiles is to first understand your current position. During this step you must uncover just how many social media profiles you have by checking usernames from websites like Funny or Die to LinkedIn and everywhere in between. Seems time consuming, but with this handy website called Knowem, all you need to do is type in your name and the site does all the work for you to locate long lost profiles. You may be just as surprised as I was when I discovered a link from an online journal I had when I was 13 years old on the blogging site, Xanga (can you say DELETE).

After you sort through the multitude of online social media websites that has your name attached to them, Parr suggests choosing your platforms realistically. He advises recruits to sign up for the most popular social networking sites, “regardless of whether you are going to use them all.” Parr’s theory in doing so is to prevent another individual being mistaken for you, thus protecting your personal brand and your identity on the Internet. Even if you do not plan to use them all, you can fill out your contact information and place links to the profiles you use the most.

Third, organize, organize, ORGANIZE!!! Parr recommends creating a bookmarks folder for the main social media services you use and filtering your e-mails so all of your notifications are sent to individual inboxes. If an e-mail and folder system is not for you, there are several others you can come up with, the most important thing is to find a system that works for you and stick to it.

The fourth step, which is also my favorite, is to automate and combine your profiles. Basically, use Internet tools that can update all of your social media profiles at once by grouping them together. Atomkeep syncs all of your accounts on to one social network to reduce “information redundancy,” making it easier to manage all of your social networking profiles. Atomkeep can be used with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube, Digg, Google, flickr and an abundance of other websites.

Lastly, Keep it fresh. If you plan to use social media to brand yourself, you must continue adding new content – after doing so you can proceed to network! Parr’s article includes several mini tips on maintaining your online networking identity, so be sure to check it out!

"50 Social Media Icons" courtesy Ivan Walsh via Flickr Creative Commons