Trusting Your Gut

Well, I've got two weeks left of undergrad, and I keep having to reassure myself that I know what I'm doing.  There comes a point in your life where you don't rely on anyone else to make decisions about your life except yourself.  For me, that's right now--when my parents no longer finance my life.  So how do I know what's right for me when my parents have been influencing my decisions for the past 22 years?

The answer is, of course, that there's no way to tell for sure.  You just have to trust your gut and know that no one else had their life figured out at this age either.

I'm someone that's always striving for more and pushing harder and never settling, and it's hard to grasp the concept that I've settled...for now.  I've dreamt of New York City for a long time, and to have closed that door for now wears on me every once in awhile.  I'll make it there someday.  I know it in my gut.  I also know that if I'm going to get a job in my field, I need to be in Nashville.  I need to work my way up in Music City, pay cheaper rent, pay off loans, and my path to New York will carve itself out somewhere down the road.

I love Nashville to death, but my soul will always wander to New York until I can be there.  Wait for me, please.

The Job Hunt: 10 Tips For College Grads

Well, it's that time of the school year: Senioritis is in full swing, and you need to apply for jobs until you get one.  This means applying to any job you might be qualified for in your field, but you certainly don't want to waste your time.  So, what do you look for when you're picking which jobs to apply for?  Here are some tips to maximize your time when job hunting

1. Spotting Scams
Some posts out there are really just too good to be true.  There are many scams out there for entry level positions at fake companies.  If it sounds like a cookie-cutter posting, or if it just sounds too good to be true, do a web search with the word 'scam' and the company name to see if anything comes up.  There are more out there than you'd think.  For more tips on identifying scams, go here.

2. Basic Qualifications
Before applying to something, look at the basic qualifications.  If they say that a college degree is not necessary, it may be below your level, and you may not get great pay.  Try to apply to jobs that require a college degree.

3. Administrative Assistants
Beware of Administrative Assistant jobs.  Yes, they sound like great entry-level jobs.  The problem with many of them is that there isn't any room for promotion.  Pay attention to the list of assigned duties for the job.  If it is strictly clerical, stay away.  You'll be stuck in that job for a long time.

4. Do Your Research
When you apply for a job, make sure you research the company.  If you don't know anything about it, you may not know if you would even like the job.  The company will most likely hire the candidate that knows the most about what they do.  If you can't name some basic facts, don't bother applying.

5. Cover Letters
ALWAYS do a cover letter.  Unless explicitly stated, always send one.  If you don't send a cover letter, you may as well not apply.  Your application will get thrown out simply because you didn't take the extra effort that everyone else did in your application.  Make sure that you talk about your skill set and how they can help the company in each letter.

6. Aim High, Then Low
Start by applying to jobs that are slightly out of your reach.  If you only have a few months of experience, apply to jobs that ask for 1-2 years.  Find jobs that you know you could do if they gave you the chance and make a case for yourself.  Even though it's unlikely that you get the job, you never know.  If that isn't working, THEN apply to the hourly jobs that are below yoru skill level.  Don't be afraid to apply for some internships either.

7. Location, Location, Location
Always think about the pay rate versus the cost of living.  If you apply to a job in New York City, make sure that you would be getting paid enough to live in New York.  Don't apply to hourly jobs in those locations.

8. Follow Ups
Only follow up on jobs that say calling is okay.  Many job postings ask that people don't call.  If it doesn't say anything, it's always better to follow up with a phone call, if possible.

9. Interviews
In your interviews, be sure to come in with questions.  In addition, you should research the location and job to have a salary range in mind.  If they plan to hire you, they will ask, and they will expect you to have an answer.  It's hard to know how much you should make, but if you don't have any idea, chances are that you'll get screwed over.

10. Stay Calm
The most important tip is to stay calm.  A lot of things in your life are about to change, and most everything is uncertain.  Try to focus on what you can control, and don't worry about the rest until you can fix it.

Good luck out there.

"Command authority by doing your job well, not by telling me how to do mine."

I don't know if I originally came up with this phrase yesterday, or if it's completely unoriginal, but it does completely and accurately describe my situation.

Anyone that I have ever looked up to professionally has had the following things in common:

1. They love their job.

2. They care about other people, especially those below them.

3. They work really hard to do an excellent job.

If you don't have these things, then I have a hard time respecting you as a professional, especially if I have to answer to you.  So, let's talk about these things.

1. You love your job.

I understand if you work at a job you don't like to get by for awhile, but I then assume that you are working hard to find a job that you like or are figuring out what it is that you want to do.  If you love your job, your quality of work is better and your attitude is better.  Nobody wants to hear you complain about your job, and nobody can respect you if you're not trying to get yourself out of this job that you hate.

2. You care about other people, especially those who work below you.

Everyone cares about the opinions and feelings of their boss, but it takes a really good person to care about somebody that works underneath you.  Without those people working for shit money doing shit tasks, you would have to work and extra 40 hours a week doing those shit tasks for no extra money.  Paying attention to them and letting them know that they're appreciated will help them remember that they're important to the company.  They will respect you so much more if they know that you respect them.

3. You work really hard to do an excellent job. 

I don't understand the people that are more obsessed with other people doing their jobs correctly than doing their own job correctly.  If you aren't doing your job, no one else is going to do it.  Trust in your co-workers and make sure to converse with them appropriately if you feel like they may not be doing their job.

What does that entail, you ask?  For instance, if you feel like they didn't do something they were supposed to do, ask them if they did it.  Then, ask them if they knew that they were supposed to do it.  Then, if they answer the questions accordingly, go ahead and tell them off.  90% of the time, it was a misunderstanding.

Meanwhile, make sure that everything you are asked to do is done efficiently and excellently.  Making sure other people do their jobs well still doesn't reflect well on you if you aren't doing your own job well.



The main reason I love working at Taillight so much is that I can genuinely respect almost every person that I work with.  I wish more offices ran the way that this one does.  Have I run into a few people that I don't respect as professionals?  Yes.  However, you would think that it would be more than the two I can think of, especially being in the entertainment industry.

I've never met so many humble, hard-working people that love their jobs and love everyone they work with.  Even though I'm an intern that does those shit jobs as described earlier, I love coming in to work every day.

I just hope I can work in a office like that when I need to find a grown up job.

Work and a Worldwide Media Revolution

So I'm at work right now.  If you didn't know, I work at the front desk of my residence hall.  It's a pretty sweet job.  We can basically do whatever we want at work.  Even update a blog. :)  I usually try my best to do homework, but that doesn't work out a lot of the time, like right now.  Most of my hours are weekend night shifts. So last night, while you were fast asleep, I was working from 2:30 am to 5:30 am.  The problem with trying to do homework during a night shift is: 1. You're tired.  It is so unnatural to wake up in the middle of the night for a few hours.  and 2. There's always 2 people working at the desk on a night shift.  So would I rather do homework or talk to my friend that I'm working with?  I feel like that's not a very hard decision.  I have to be very determined to get work done on a night shift.

Now usually, on Saturdays on B weekends I work 2:30-5:30am and then 1pm-5pm.  However, I wanted to go home today to help take care of my mom again, and so I switched hours with Jenna and now I work 9am-1pm instead of 1-5.  Needless to say, I haven't slept much.

While my original plan was to do homework right now at the desk, I am instead using my time to update my blog and watch the very first episodes of "FRIENDS."  It's already been three hours, so I'm doing pretty well so far.

I also wanted to post this awesome video that was shown last week at a Public Relations meeting.  My friend, Alex, who is a PR major posted this video, and I really enjoyed it.  Alex just came back from a week-long internship for a designer during New York Fashion Week.  Want to know how she got that internship?  Twitter.

I know that people have their issues with the pointlessness of Twitter, but it doesn't have to be useless if you use it right.  A lot of companies will post job openings on their Twitter pages.  Want to know about that opening first?  Follow them!  I also think that Twitter is a great source for other information.  I am kept up on world news since I follow my local news channels as well as CNN, Huffington, etc.  As a music major, it's also important for me to keep up on music news, so I can follow my favorite artists, my favorite venues, and many other music news sources to stay updated.  As this video points out, we don't have to search for news anymore, news finds us.

I used to think Twitter was pointless too.  I understand more and more as time goes on that it is a very useful asset.

Aside from the fact that you can follow people and places that are important to you, also think about who will follow YOU.  A lot of people follow me that I don't know, but a lot of them also have connections in the music business.  If they know what I'm up to, then when I'm looking for a job or internship, that might just be one more opened door.

So if you still don't want a Twitter, that's fine.  So long as you don't mind losing a few dozen (at least) job opportunities.

-AK

Reading the Fine Print

Today was such a long day!  I have a lot to talk about, though!  First, I have some of the best friends in the world, and my suitemate, Jenna was so nice to come down to Grand Rapids today to visit my mom with me.  My mom had surgery today to get a lump removed from her breast.  Everything went really well, and the doctor said that he was very confident that the lump was not cancerous!  Good news!

We also got a nice home cooked meal from my aunt, which I miss quite a bit.  I am very sick of dorm food.  Of course about two hours later, we ruined that by stopping at Culver's on our way back to Ferris.  It was necessary.

I also learned a lesson or two this week about paying attention to details.  I have been waiting for a long time for CMT to put up their 2011 application for download, but every time I looked at it, it said 2010.  Turns out, they didn't change the link, but they changed the inside information.  The application is due on the 28th with two letters of recommendation.  Bye, CMT.  It's too late to intern there.

I have also been working on an application for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.  I went to put the application with my letters of recommendation together, and learned that I also need an official transcript.  Now I have to pick up my transcript (after paying $8) tomorrow at 1pm and get it in the mail before the mail gets picked up (even though I have class until 2:45), so it can be overnighted to D.C., where it is due on friday.  Lesson learned: READ THE FINE PRINT

I'm really bad at that some days.  That's why I don't like math, and I don't like True/False questions.  I forget little details sometimes.

I also had a great conversation with my friend Robin today.  She might go intern at Rock Hard with me this summer!  She helped me decide on the Advertising major thing.  If I really like Rock Hard, I am going to keep my advertising certificate and get a Film Studies minor.  If I don't really like Rock Hard, I'm going to get the Advertising degree.  I can't stay in school forever, as much as I would like to believe that's true.  If i had my way, I would get an advertising degree and the film studies minor.

I am super excited to be going to bed before midnight tonight.  I can't remember the last time that happened..

"That's All For Now, Folks!"
I don't want to bore you.  Although if you're bored, you really should've just stopped reading...
-AK

Stream of Consciousness

So I think I am way too excited about this blog thing, for real.  I love just being able to put your thoughts down.  And people can read them or not, and I don't really care.  My life isn't that interesting, but if you really want to know, you can read this.  For me, it's just fun to write.

I am so excited about this Rock Hard Films opportunity.  It sounds absolutely amazing.  I also completely spaced on the details of my mom's cousin in LA.  She is Mary Hart's personal assistant.  Mary Hart, if you didn't know, is the Lead Anchor for Entertainment Tonight.  How did I not remember this? I don't know, but *lightbulb*  There's a bunch more doors that just opened for me!  I'm excited to get in touch with her!

I'll be able to do more this weekend when I go home.  My mom is having surgery and I'm going home to take care of her for a couple days.  She will be able to get me in touch with her cousin Lori (Laurie?) Things are finally looking up on the internship front, and I'm so excited to go away for the summer and learn more!

I am also debating getting a second degree in advertising.  I am in a class called promotional writing this semester and it is supes fun.  I've also discovered my new favorite ad, the Chrysler 200 commercial (more like a Detroit commercial)

If you don't like this commercial, you're insane.  We spent about 45 minutes in class discussing this ad, and we've watched it 3 times.  It's quite amazing what they did here.  I've been so intrigued with advertising lately.  I'm pretty sure that I want a double major!

I should really go to bed.

-AK

Rock Hard

I just got an email back from a really nice person at Rock Hard Films in LA!  She is so nice and said she is certain there will be a position open for me this summer!  I'm so excited!  They've done some great videos for Willow Smith, Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, etc. I called my mom and her cousin actually lives in LA so I will probably have a place to stay as well!  I am so stoked for this opportunity!  I can't wait to go on internship!
-AK