Drop and Meet us at Fenway!

Twitter is a great and curious networking tool. I was recently sought out on twitter by a company seeking to hire college seniors for a graduate program. I was a bit skeptical, but opted to go with it. And, after a few cold call phone interviews, they invited me to what soon became the strangest and most exciting job interview of my life.

Disclaimer: I LOVE job interviews.

Because I love job interviews I was intrigued when I was told on a Tuesday evening to clear my schedule from 6pm the very next day until 10pm Thursday evening. The only instruction was to report to Fenway park with a photo id. The dress code? “Come as you are.” Part of me wanted to hang up the phone and forget about it, but the another part rationalized that it must be a legitimate program if they can rent out Fenway Park… so I went for it.

After a brief cocktail hour/networking session with company managers, the 20 job candidates were divided into teams, provided with a tool kit, and sent to come up with a project. We had 20 hours to come up with a project that would inspire others and report back to present it. The tool kit contained a camera, a slinky, duct tape, and 5 cans of red bull- what more could we have POSSIBLY required?

As it all transpired, it was a tremendous learning experience. I am fascinated by organizational behavior and the dynamics of teams, so I found the entire ordeal very rewarding and insightful. My team of 4 came up with some great ideas and accomplished a lot in that short period of time. In the end, I wasn’t selected for the next round, but I think it is for the best. I had a ton of fun and learned a lot, but I don’t think the job was the perfect fit for me.

College Bucket List

This is a bit of a fun post. I recently came across this list of 25 things to do before you graduate college. I tackled almost all of them, but I still have a few to cross off by the end of the year! Here’s my status on the 25:

1. Earn a degree – One semester away… Just 3 more classes! 
2. Get involved in an organization you believe in- I’ve been involved in several and have an active role in a BUTV10 political debate show, but I would LOVE to be a part of PRSSA. Unfortunately, there has NEVER been a semester when I didn’t have class during meeting time, but next semester I plan to at least attend some meetings! 
3. Take classes you like. I have LOVED every business class I have ever taken and definitely have a passion for organizational behavior. I think my business minor is the best decision I’ve made in my education. 
4. Study abroad. YES, YES, YES! And it was the best semester of my life. I wish I could go again 
5. Get a letter of recommendation. DONE! I plan to get a few more, but I have received some already. 
6. Pull an all-nighter. I’ve pulled my fair share… probably about once a week this semester. 
7. Network for future employment. This is one you can never cross off because networking requires maintaining those connections. I’ve got my business cards and am working hard to continue expanding my network. 
8. Exercise regularly. This is something I recently took up, and LOVE! I feel so great after a nice work out. 
9. Leave town for Spring Break. This is the year! 
10. Do an internship…. Or 5? Definitely have this one covered 
11. Go to class. I try my best. 
12. Go see a concert. Check! 
13. Thank a professor. Many of my professors have had a profound impact on my life. I’ve thanked a few, but probably not as many as I should have. 
14. Update your resume. This is something I do on a monthly (sometimes weekly) basis. 
15. Take advantage of the student discount. Fire and Ice? Movie Tickets? Student Rush? #BargainShopper. I also recommend the MBTA Charlie card discount… Upper Crust offers a discount if you flash your Charlie Card. 
16. Talk to the guy/gal you’ve been admiring from afar all semester- no comment.
17. Create a LinkedIn profile and get connected. I’ve been LinkedIn for a few years, but I definitely need to start using it more now! 
18. Read a book you want to- Who has the time?! 30+ hour work weeks, being a full time student, and trying to see all my friends make this pretty tough. Maybe it will be my mission for Thanksgiving or Christmas Break. 
19. Turn in an assignment early… like by an hour? 
20. Attend a sports event on campus. Go BU! 
21. Hone your elevator pitch. I think I’ve got it. I know it doesn’t literally mean elevator, but I am that girl that makes friends with strangers on my way up to my 13th floor apartment. 
22. Take a road trip. I dropped everything and drove up to Portland Maine with 4 friends a few weeks ago. It was awesome. More road trips coming soon =) 
23. Kick the procrastination habit… No matter how much I plan, this will never be possible. I work best under pressure. 
24. Learn to communicate effectively… I’ve overcome my fair share of communications disconnects over the past 4 years, but I like to think I am now an extremely effective communicator (or else I’ve wasted $200,000 on a degree in PR) 
25. Establish a personal brand. Got it- Hard worker, reliable, motivated and ambitious. I aspire to be a Chief Communications Officer for a large organization so that I can help build culture internally and also help maintain corporate reputation. 

Confession: I like beer... and moms

I recently became obsessed with my Klout score, only to realize that I am supposedly influential about two things: moms and beer.

My immediate response was to private my Twitter and check my Facebook privacy settings, but then I also began to wonder when I had ever motioned either of those things on social media. I think Klout is confused.

How, then, as aspiring young professionals do we guard ourselves against the publicly available misconceptions created by Klout? I might have made everything else private, but my Klout Score is still available for the world to see. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good brew and I think all of my friend’s moms are wonderful people, but I don’t shout it from the rooftops (or my keyboard). I guess for now I am left with the task of tweeting about news and hoping that I eventually become “influential” about something else by Klout standards.