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.

I was full of energy and hope the first two weeks of my project and started off with many ideas on how to sell myself, but time and results are wearing me down. That’s where I am. My current job stats are: six apps, one reply, one strike out. I just remind myself that the app was good practice. After all it’s only February, and I still have three months till graduation. With each passing week, not getting a response from some employers and grinding out more apps has shown me how much easier contacts can make this process.

I attended my first University networking event, CUA’s Etiquette dinner to take a break from the piles of applications. Most of the topics discussed were things your parents hopefully taught you at the dinner table, but I picked up some very useful hints.

If you are going to attend a meal with a potential employer, it will most likely be for a semi-formal lunch. The picture provided generally represents what that looks like. I personally get confused as to which bread plate and glass is mine. A neat trick to help you remember is, hold up your hand in front of you and make the letter “b” with your left hand and “d” with your right. Remember, “b” for bread and “d” for drink. Hopefully you’ll be discreet with your hand hints while at the interview.

The first thing you do when you sit down for the meal is gently unfold your napkin on your lap. Don’t shake the napkin out of its fold then spread it on your lap. Next, the instructor talked about utensil positions and what they mean. Angling the stem of your knife in the one to two o’clock position of your plate is the rest position. Cutting all your meat or salad at once is not proper etiquette, so cut two or three pieces at a time and then put your knife in the rest position. According to the rules of etiquette, placing your knife and fork parallel in the four o’clock position tells the wait staff you are finished with the meal. I was taught a little differently but, the main idea is, don’t place your utensils on the table cloth and don’t make a mess of your plate.

If you like sugar in your drink, like iced tea or coffee, after empting the package fold it neatly into a small square and place it under the rim of your bread plate. When the courses arrive, even if you know you won’t like it, try it! For instance, we had apricot soup at the dinner. It didn’t sound too appetizing but turned out to be pretty good. The proper way of eating soup is, hold your spoon to the side, as if it were perpendicular to your cheek, and fill the basin of the spoon by gently scooping away from you. Sip; don’t slurp the soup from the side of the basin, not the front.

If you have to leave during the meal, fold the napkin in your lap and place it to the left of your place settings. In case this wasn’t obvious, turn your phone to silent so “Party like a Rock star” doesn’t go off during the interview.

One great suggestion was that you eat a good breakfast or a snack before the lunch. You will be talking for a good portion of the meal and may not be able to finish your plate. Besides, you don’t want a growling stomach or to stuff your face as soon as you’re served.

The instructor had also mentioned that some employers will purposefully not bring up the company during the meal or will talk your ear off. They want to see your social networking skills in action. Ask some questions or mention things that interest you about the company towards the end of the meal if it has not been brought up already. Be aware of your role in the conversation, don’t dominate the conversation but also make sure you are being heard.

The most rewarding part about the dinner, other than the chocolate mousse, was that I felt ahead of the game when talking about my blogging, internship, and use of social media like LinkedIn. Some seniors at the table hadn’t heard of LinkedIn, or understand that twitter can be used as an advertising tool for your network of contacts. Now I have a few a few more twitter followers and additions to my blogging audience. Not bad for a $10 exercise in Etiquette eh?

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