Every morning, I roll out of bed and can just FEEL winter. Last year, all I did was be lazy and enjoy my winter break. This time around, I'm interning. I'm being much more productive.

I remember watching lots of movies, and lying around. After a hard semester, it felt great! And I bet you are doing the same thing now, enjoying your hard-earned winter break. But at some point, you'll have to get up and face the new semester.

Here are some good tips for life after college...Enjoy!

Sincerely, Hansol

Hey ThinkTalkers, my name is Molly and I am a senior English Major at CUA. As part of my internship for ThinkTalk, I will be blogging my epic search for a job in the D.C. area, giving you all my take on what has worked, what has failed miserably, and hopefully giving a splinter of insight to those of you who haven’t quite reached job hunting maturation yet in your young adult life.

Greetings ThinkTalkers, I know it’s been a week since I’ve written due to the “Snow-mageddon” here in the Northeast. If you’ve felt the inches, I hope you’ve been more productive with your job hunt than I was. Unfortunately I got around to completing only one job application. I’ve told myself that it’s my lack of organization that kept me from using those snow-days as application days. So, I made a list of things I can do to make my application process easier and more efficient.

First, I printed out all the job descriptions and made a folder for them. So I have a physical copy as well as an electronic copy. That way you can bring the folder to a boring class or your work-study job to make notes on. I keep an electronic copy on my USB key with my house keys so I can take advantage of any free moment at work.

Then, I made a calendar of when each application was due. On the date it was due I even wrote down what time the job description specified. Pay special attention to that because I almost missed a great opportunity for the Federal Government because I thought it was due before midnight when really the application window closed at 12:30 pm. That is a careless error that could have lost me a potential job. I suggest you email your applications a day early and assume that it should be in before 5 p.m. because that is when many businesses conclude their workday. Also, have someone read your cover letter, resume, and other application documents over for mistakes- everyone makes little ones all the time that are easy to overlook.

Next, create a spreadsheet containing your application progress information. Make a column for where you applied, the application due date, the documents you sent (cover letter, resume, writing sample, transcript, recommendation letter, etc.) if you contacted them for a follow-up, and when. This will ensure that you don’t forget to contact a recruiter or contact he or she twice by mistake.

Most importantly, make sure you read the job description or application instructions at least twice! I almost missed the recruiter's request for a transcript. Again it's a careless mistake I would have been kicking myself about for months for losing such a great opportunity. This brings me to my next tip; keep a spare transcript around just in case, especially if your school gives it to you for free! It usually takes at least one business week to receive one, so just in case you miss a request for a transcript or get contacted by an interested recruiter for one, have an unopened transcript in stock.

Finally, no matter how proactive you think you've been with the job hunt, there is always room to do more- much to my dismay. It's frustrating because it all seems endless, but I can't afford to be lazy. That's why I signed up for my university's Etiquette Dinner. Attending these events is crucial right now, because in the current job market it’s more likely that grads get hired through a contact rather than a faceless application. Still I find myself making excuses not to go because I would rather spend a free evening watching re-runs of Beverly Hills 90210 (don't hate, relate) than go smooze with alumni and professors. However, as Mary Katherine Ham the wise once said, "No one is above networking". So join me in the potentially lame "mock-tail" hours hosted by universities and snag those contacts. You never know what great people you could meet.

Next week, check out my report on CUA's Etiquette Dinner- how to dine with the finest!

"messy desk" courtesey yatoobin via Flickr Creative Commons

Hey ThinkTalkers, my name is Molly and I am a senior English Major at CUA. As part of my internship for ThinkTalk, I will be blogging my epic search for a job in the D.C. area, giving you all my take on what has worked, what has failed miserably, and hopefully giving a splinter of insight to those of you who haven’t quite reached job hunting maturation yet in your young adult life.

Hello again ThinkTalkers. I hope you’re finding time in your busy schedule to repel the overwhelming sense of senioritis and hit those job sites and your local career centers. I know the job hunt is a daunting task but in a suffering job market such as this, we grads can’t afford procrastination. If you’re following my lead and have created Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, you might be wondering what now? I’ve come across just that very problem. Here is what I’ve found from reading a couple career blogs.

First, spend just as much time on creating your LinkedIn profile as you would your facebook. And you should probably spend more time than that because employers will not be impresses with interests such a “pong” or “watching Jersey Shore.” Do not choose a picture where half of someone’s head is cut out, or your out-of-focus formal pics. Then join some groups that speak to your business interests. Don’t be afraid to join or start a conversation amongst these people. Be a pioneer and ask questions, don’t be afraid to sound under educated- just be professional.

You should make this a daily thing actually, especially if you have an internship. Ask your supervisors and co-workers about the kind of work they do and why they chose it. You want to have these conversations because it shows interest and ambition to learn. Then you’ll have a foundation for a practical business relationship. Add your co-workers to your LinkedIn network. If you get a business card from professors at school, internship or work clients, add that person to your LinkedIn network in a timely fashion. This is how you build your network of contacts.

Twitter has been quite an adjustment for me. I believed in the stigma that it was only for people who felt the world needed a play-by-play in their daily life. However, after glancing at different organizations, individual bloggers, and friends, I’m beginning to see the potential uses. But before you start tweeting about how The Shins “get you”, think about what kind of audience you would like to attract. Ideally, who are your readers? If you need help deciding what kind of followers you want, work on who you want to follow.

Search through different interest groups and keep tabs on what they’re tweeting about. It might inspire you to retweet their comments and develop into the Tweeter you’re aspiring to be. Don’t forget to join some groups that are for personal interests as well. It’s important to not only engage with the technological opportunities but to also enjoy them. Tweeting or blog posting about a great book you just read, or a fun concert you attended gives your page personality. It is what sets you apart from the millions of other tweeting, blogging, and linking graduates so don’t be shy.

Unfortunately, non-repetitive tips strictly for new or upcoming graduates are hard to find. They usually cover what I’ve mentioned in the past two posts. However, I did find one interesting tip that I will try over the next few weeks.

Paul Carpino, an Internship Coordinator from the University of Nevada Las Vegas suggested that students should be flexible. Meaning, investigate jobs that pertain to, but are not exactly your ideal career. Contact establishments such as, “Theme Parks, Office Building Concierge or Fast Service Food. Finance / Accounting / Management goes to Federal Government or Non-Profits” for open positions in your related field of interest. You never know what you could find and you’ve got nothing to lose but priceless experience.

"Twitter" courtesy respres via Flickr Creative Commons

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!

If you are anything like me, it is very likely that you are checking your Facebook more than a few times in a 30 minute span and your Twitter, Linked In and email accounts are all connected to your cell phone, which also has a direct link to your hip.

I'm a new intern here at Think Talk and for my first blog I figured I would write about my obsession with social media and how this obsession has become widely accepted and used by students, professors and career professionals alike. Okay, maybe I have been taking it a little too far ever since I downloaded the new Facebook app to my phone, but these days it has become nearly impossible for a company or business to survive without implementing and encouraging the use of social media. Before college, accessing Facebook during class was an absolute taboo. In fact, my high school in Maryland blocked all social networking sites from every campus computer. Today, however, many of my college classes at the University of Maryland actually praise and even require the use of social media and networking sites.

I believe adding social networking know-how and tech-savvy skills to my resume keeps me ahead of the game. Several of my college professors in the communication and public relations field hold a series of lectures based solely on social media. My professors encourage learning about different methods and platforms of communication to effectively send a message across while still being able to keep up with today's fast-paced and growing world.

In an article I just read from the University of New Hampshire (ThinkTalk school!), a student writer interviewed a professor teaching a new course covering all aspects of social media. Professor Chuck Martin of UNH is not only an accomplished author of eight different business books, but he is also the third most followed marketing professor on all of Twitter. In my eyes, that means he has made it big and he probably has a few words of wisdom to give to students in the field of marketing and communication.

“Social media is really, really big in business right now,” said Martin. “Even if the business doesn’t want to do anything in social media they have to because their clients and customers are connecting in these ways.”

Because social media is impacting all aspects of business and all kinds of business, said Martin, anybody in marketing needs to understand social media.

They don’t need to like it, but understand it,” said Martin.

So businesses have no choice but to keep up with social media to connect with clients, even if they cringe at the thought of managing a profile or Twitter account to tweet their daily activities. While it sounds silly, I agree with Martin in that using social media to promote and establish a brand for yourself or your business can go a long way. Take Google, for example; even though they are one of the largest companies right now in the world of business and do not need much more promotion, they know all too well not to neglect the importance of social media. With over thirty separate Twitter accounts based on region, cultures, types of technology and other areas, Google manages to continue to stay on top -- connecting the company to the world and beyond.

If even Google has to do it, then I figure I should, too. Stay tuned for my next post as I start exploring how social media can help me (and you) find a job.