Does this make me look professional?

Am I wearing something that fits me properly?
Does this make me look younger or older than I actually am?
Is this comfortable?

These are questions that I asked myself when I was about to start my new job (which is going really well in case you’re interested). After I signed on the dotted line and I turned to my closet. What needs to be chucked and what needs to be added to my collection? Dress shirts? No thanks, I already have 16 (I’m not joking).  More blazers? Yes possibly. Better fitting pants? Yes.

I started to weed things through my closet and I thought I was doing well on my own. I knew better than to do it alone and called in reinforcement and got two close friends to help me. I paid them in pizza and they were brutally honest. They forced me to let go of the shirts that I hadn’t worn in well over a year but couldn’t let go of them before. I divided my discarded clothes into two piles 1) for the charity box for clothing outside my apartment and 2) for Dress for Success.

What’s Dress for Success?
It’s an international non-profit organization that helps disadvantaged women get back on their feet by providing them with business clothes and career development. If you have any business clothing that you would like to donate in Toronto then you can do so every Wednesday and Thursday between 10 am – 8 pm at 188 Lowther (Spadina and Bloor area) on the third floor.

In addition, Queen’s Toronto Alumni is hosting an event “Shop in Style” next week at Banana Republic on November 4, 2009 at 6 pm. The fee is only $10 and is open to non-Queen’s grads as well. You get a 25% discount off your purchases that evening.

Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Hence all my dress shirts.

Visual CV vs. LinkedIn

I’m a huge fan of LinkedIn. I think it’s a great social networking site where you can connect with your professional contacts. However, in regards to detail, I think some of it should be saved for another site. I don’t detail everything that I do on LinkedIn (such as descriptions of what I did in each job and achievements) because there’s no room especially since I have other applications added on to LinkedIn including Reading List, Slideshare and WordPress. If I did add a description, my LinkedIn profile would be way too long.

I learned about a new site called Visual CV over the summer and I love it! It gives you the opportunity to give a full detailed resume online. It also asks you for URLs to your companies website. Very useful. You can also make it private or public. Someone can download it as a PDF and it’s clearly organized into your various categories (Work Experience, Education, Skills etc). It’s something that you can customize to your liking. You can also track how many times your Visual CV has been checked out (daily and total number counts). There’s the ability to apply for jobs directly on their site but I find a lot of their positions are American based.

I say Visual CV and LinkedIn complement each other. So shake hands and help each other out. You’re like salt and pepper together.

If you want to check out an example, here’s my Visual CV.

Best conversation in a while

Apologizes for not updating this in a while. I never intended to end my blog but after the last post, a few things happened to me one being the fact that I was without my laptop and internet for almost a week. It’s been busy the last little while but no worries, I’m back. I’ll try to fit in a post a week.

About two weeks ago I had one of the best conversations in my life. I was at a business function celebrating Public Inc‘s first year. It’s a great organization that promotes positive social good through little acts and habits of good. I went to the event and saw a couple people that I knew. One was a COMM 92 grad and another COMM 00 grad. It turned out that they both worked at the same place a few years back but not at the same time. It was an amazing experience to talk them about work, leadership and marketing. I was sort of in awe the whole time. These are seasoned professionals who were recounting their work stories and life lessons. I still remember this conversation and it was two weeks ago. One of the things that struck me was “You learn from organizational behaviour (OB class) that leadership is so important yada yada yada but it’s not until you’re in the job and you have a terrible boss you truly realize how important leadership really is.”

Have you had a great conversation like that?

I have landed.

I have announced this via LinkedIn and Twitter in the last few days but now it’s time to make a “formal” announcement on my blog. I have landed.

I will be the marketing manager for Extreme Brandz which is a private Canadian franchise company. I will be managing one of their brands/restaurant franchise and am very excited about the opportunity. The people are good, the challenge is great, and the opportunity to use my marketing/project management/social media skills is amazing. I’m very happy and excited.

Looking back on the last few months, I have learned a great deal about the job search, myself, and the amazing people in Toronto. The process was at best an exciting opportunity and at worst, frustrating when it felt like my efforts weren’t paying off. I kept a regular schedule and got up at 6.30 am to exercise and start my day. During the day, I worked on applications, called/e-mailed people for informationals, met people, attended networking sessions, practiced interviewing etc. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about getting out of this unemployment phase. It became a mental challenge. How do you keep yourself motivated and positive? Answer: you just have to believe that things will work out and you have to keep trying. Staying positive was the key to it all. The scariest part about the process was not knowing where my next opportunity would be coming from so I frantically tried to do everything and pursue every lead. I avoided writing cover letters/resumes for positions that I found on Workopolis. I knew my chances there were much more slim if I pursued that route. So I talked to people in the marketing industry. I had a target list of people. Told them my story and my interests and passions. I asked them what their path was and what advice they could offer me. It was about developing relationships with people who cared enough to meet with me and cared enough to want to see me succeed. I’m going to be sending personal notes to the people I have met. It just may take some time since I met with over 30 people for coffee and also kept in touch with loads of people from the past. Every single person I met in the last little while has helped me on my journey whether it was recommending a company or giving me a nudge of encouragement. For that, I thank you as I am very grateful for it.

I sought mentors (formal and informal ones). I volunteered with the Heart and Stroke and Toronto Community Foundation. I scored an internship with Summerhill Group, a leading environmental management consulting company and did online work for them. I learned some Mandarin. I entered into a blog-off contest with the Community Marketing Blog which now I’m a strategic partner for. I joined Toastmasters. I attended seminars and webinars on marketing/social media. I joined the Queen’s Alumni Association Toronto branch. The list goes on. These are things that I *wanted* to do. There’s much less structure when you’re unemployed and I wanted more structure. I still wanted to contribute to society. I was working harder unemployed then employed (HA! ) because the job process consumed me. I was never “off”. I didn’t want the recession to be my excuse for not being employed. If it means I work that much harder then so be it. This journey taught me great life lessons. Some of which I share in the blog, some of which I don’t. If you would like to learn more, I am happy to connect. You can reach me via this blog by submitting a comment, sending me a tweet or e-mailing me at jenmy.huynh@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading this and joining me on this journey. I am about to end one adventure and about to start another.

Constructive feedback

Constructive feedback is so important. How else do you expect to improve yourself? That’s what I like about Toastmasters, you’re given feedback on how to improve your communication skills. I find that people in ‘real life’ are less willing to give you you real feedback unless you ask for it.

The other day I was given a great deal of feedback on my job search strategy from a stranger who happened to stumble upon my various social networking profiles/sites. It was a very thoughtful note and the person may have been misled in how I depict myself online. No, I don’t just blog and tweet about my job search. I do many other things in my job search strategy (you can’t expect me to give everything away in this blog but I’ve given some pretty good hints in what I do). Every job seeker has a different strategy and while I think it is of value to provide/receive constructive feedback, I think giving criticism should be done in the proper way.

First, offer it to people that seek it. That way the person will be more receptive. Unsolicited criticism won’t necessarily be shut down but it’s definitely not a great way to go.

Secondly, think about what your goal is when you’re trying to provide feedback. Are you trying to connect with someone in a genuine way? Well then provide things that the person does well and things you think they can improve upon. It’s a give and take. If you can’t take it, then don’t dish it.

Lastly, think about how your phrase things. Take the other person’s perspective. Would your tone sound accusatory or threatening? If so, reword it. Do not rant. Keep it short and sweet.

The note that I got was very thoughtful and I was flattered that someone would spend such a great deal of time trying to help me in my search while they had their job search to deal with. This experience made me realize how public I am. Am I okay with it? Yes. I keep this blog knowing that people will read it. If you don’t like what I have to say, don’t read it. It’s as simple as that. Thanks to those that do read it and especially those that comment. I truly value constructive feedback because I know that it will make me a better person in the end.

You Can’t Force Inspiration

For the last few weeks I have been thinking about my third Toastmasters speech. I couldn’t decide on a topic for the longest time. It just wouldn’t come to me. Yesterday while I was sitting on the bus I came up with my concept and outlined it. I’ll have to flush it out some more but I have the points I want to make. The most difficult part about Toastmasters speeches is the fact that you can speak about ANY topic. My working title for my next speech is: “Green – Why It Isn’t Environmental” (it’s just a colour and equating the colour/word ‘green’ to being environmental is a dangerous assumption – hello greenwashing?)

Monday evening I met with a few others a part of “Creative Club”. I met the organizers back at Refresh Events. We both presented at the same event in July. They have weekly meetings on Mondays at the Victory Cafe. We talked about blogging and inspiration. I was relieved to know that they too have issues when inspiration doesn’t strike them. It’s not something that can be forced but it just happens when it’s right. I’m pleased that inspiration finally decided to hit me.

Take It or Leave It: Free Advice

I love how social media has enabled me to connect with people from around the world. When I had this idea for this blog back in April I decided to see what else was out there. I’m pretty sure I googled “recent grad job blog” or something like that. I came across a recent Boston graduate looking to go into advertising. We’ve been conversing about the job search in the last few months. We’ve never met yet I feel like we are leading parallel lives. This is her blog: Confessions of  Recent College Graduate. Great person and candidate. Advertising people in the states: You want her on YOUR side.

Anyway, here is her recent post: A Slightly Better Economy.

She talks about her recent experiences in the job search, the positive signs of the economy, and submitting resumes to “Whom It May Concern”.

I commented on her blog and here it is as I’m sure not everyone will click on her blog (though you should because it’s a great post). This is what I’ve been thinking about in the last little while.

“Lauren,

I think you’re right. There is much more movement in the economy which is good to hear. For folks in marketing and advertising, it’s a tough industry as many companies/agencies have let their employees go. That being said, I know that the hardest part for companies is retaining good people.

I went to a networking event which had 200+ people there. It was interesting and I’ve found that my interests have changed slightly (erm…maybe dramatically) from two years ago or even a year ago. Maybe it’s because I have had a bit of corporate experience and I’m much better at reading between the lines. Anyway, I was speaking to some other recent grads and they all asked me what site I used to look for postings. I personally haven’t looked at postings in a while but threw out a couple sites (Eluta, Workopolis etc.). I suggested that they target companies they want to work for. They all seemed to brush my advice off. Bad call as your chance of targeting a letter to someone and doing an informational interview with him/her at the company is much higher than sending a resume via online posting. 500 seems quite small. I’ve heard of 7,000 applications for one online posting within a couple days.

My advice to you: target the agencies you want to work for (research, see if you have connections with this company/person, meet with them for coffee, keep in touch) and you’ll be in a better position. Network, volunteer, and invest time in what would make you a better marketer/account exec. Make this job search not just a job search but an investment into your future. You’ll thank yourself later.

Jenmy”

Thank You Business Career Centre

The latest headline in the job search world besides Jobless Rates Hold Steady is the story of the jobless grad suing her university. After three months of searching (how hard did she really search and three months is not a long time in the bigger picture) a recent grad has not found a career opportunity and has decided to sue her alma mater because they have not tried hard enough to find her a job. I can understand her frustration with the job search since I think many of us have gone through that stressful process of looking for employment. However, taking it so far to suing your university? That’s taking it too far. I heard once “blaming others is an excuse for your own faults.” Yes, life is tough with debt and the stress of a job search but how is entering into legal disputes going to help you? How will it help you get a job because if employers Google your name (and they will, trust me) they’ll see “GRAD SUES UNIVERSITY FOR NOT FINDING HER A JOB”. Sounds like a lose-lose situation to me.

That being said, I think that career centres are not given enough credit. They do so much work behind the scenes to help their students. I love my Business Career Centre. They’ve been very helpful to me over the last few years and even now after I have graduated. I am always seeking to help them back by sending them information that I hear about. I think the Queen’s Business Career Centre is top-notch.

My suggestion to students is to know that it’s never too early to start career planning and to work with your career centre. What do you want and what are the steps you need to take to get there? Are there information sessions with employers, resume workshops, and mock interviews you can be a part of?

My suggestion to recent grads is to get back in touch with your career centre and university. Some people have strong ties to their university (myself included) and are always willing to help. Talk to your previous professors, career counselors, and alumni network. Don’t forget to give back! Volunteer with your local alumni association! Plan an event, volunteer time, or donate what you can.

Pay it forward. It’s good karma.

Link to Refresh Events Presentations

This is the link to the Refresh Event presentations last week. It also has the audio synced up. You can see Adil Dhalla and Jonathan Dunn‘s presentations. Let me know if you have any questions or feedback.

After the event last week, I have met up with four people that I met at the event. It’s about taking networking to another level where you’re actually connecting with people.

One great quote that was said at a coffee meet up earlier today was:

“Toronto is this great place where people actually want to do good and strongly believe in karma. You can’t do that elsewhere.”

I truly believe this. I have only been in this city for nine months now and I am amazed by how many passionate people I have met in the last little while. It’s about improving our city by giving back. Give where you live.

Recap of Refresh Events

Last night I was an Ignite presenter at Refresh Events. It was a great inspiring event. I saw some familiar faces that I’ve seen from previous events in the Toronto area. I also met some new people in the interactive community. Every time I go to an event, I realize how small the world is. I met a couple Queen’s grads doing amazing things such as My City Lives and met someone about to change the Canadian education system whose sister is about to go into Queen’s Commerce in the fall (small world indeed).

There were two memorable moments:

• Watching people speak impromptu about various subjects such as finding your passion, going from an employee to an entrepreneur and there was a great communication story (I like fish story)
• Jonathan Dunn spoke about mobile marketing and it was a great speech. As he spoke, I would turn around every now and then and see people on their smartphones tweeting about what was said (Twitter tag: #RefreshEvents)

Earlier in the day, I met with a great person who is also between opportunities. We shared tips and advice. He worked in the financial field for years in a business development role. He had the decision to get back into another similar role or to travel the world. He took a huge risk and travelled the world. He actually made it to the event (he had another appointment that evening) and spoke as a impromptu speaker. I was completely inspired by his speech. In fact, I was blown away by all the speeches. I will upload the link for the podcast when it’s up and ready.

Here is my presentation slidedeck of “Finding Opportunities.” Did I mention that I had exactly 15 seconds per slide? It was automated and it was very tricky because the timing had to be perfect. It was a great challenge though. Would love to get your thoughts about the evening if you were there or what you think of the slidedeck.