My Blog Posts Elsewhere

In addition to this blog, I've had a couple other blog posts go up around the net. Check them out!


Exclusive Interview with RealityWanted Member and VH1's Tough Love Star Courtney McElwee
I chatted with Courtney about her time on Tough Love: Couples and how she used RealityWanted.com to get on the show.


Happy Birthday, LinkedIn!
My thoughts on how to use LinkedIn and your online image to help you stand out from the other job applicants. Even if you're not in PR, it helps to think like a PR person when you're selling yourself to potential employers. 


Welcome to the Real World
What I've learned during my first job that college couldn't/didn't teach me. 


I'm trying to write more for Reality Wanted and other entertainment focused blogs, so keep an eye out! And if you hear of any opportunities, please keep me in mind.

Welcome to the Real World

They say college is supposed to prepare you for the working world.  In many ways, my degree in Communication Studies has proven immeasurable when it comes to research methods, knowing media outlets, brand messaging, and distribution platforms for entertainment products. 

However, what college didn’t teach me is how the real working world works.  There are a few things that college could not prepare me for that I’m learning at my first job at Bender/Helper Impact.

Even with my Communication Studies degree, my communication skills at work are constantly being tested and stretched.  I’m learning the dynamics of working in a group and as a team player.  While college work was mostly a solitary experience – writing papers, taking tests – I am never really working alone on the job.  Everything I do goes through a review process and is refined and improved upon by various members of my team.

This review process also throws my usual time-management skills for a loop.  Whereas in college I could get away with procrastination and pull an all-nighter here or there, that isn’t possible when projects require constant feedback and review.  Also, in school you’re given all your assignments in the beginning, laid out like a map that’s easy to follow.  But in the real world of PR, where seemingly every hour new tasks pop up from the client or as an offshoot from an existing task, you need to be flexible and efficient.  This is an industry where you need quality and quantity, and the only way to get to that level is through experience.

In my time here as an account coordinator, I’ve learned so much.  My university gave me the building blocks for the real world, but it’s here at Bender/Helper Impact, where I’m using these blocks to form a solid foundation that will help me grow and succeed throughout my career.

[cross-posted]

Linkulous: Booze, 2012, Twitter Effect, and more!

Some of the more interesting articles I read this week: 

Millennials: The Workers of the Future?

Naps Boost Learning Capacity -who else thinks nap time should be come standard in all grades and the work force?

Chile Earthquake May Have Shortened Days on Earth - 2012 is coming!

Bringing New Understanding to the Director's Cut 

Scientists Create Hangover Free Booze 

10 Signs You Should Unfriend Someone on Facebook 

George Washington University: Our Bad! - that's one brutal mistake. Poor students!

Oh dear, who's killed film criticism this week? 

How Lionsgate Plans to Take on 'Twitter Effect' for 'Kick-Ass' 

5 Reasons Lost's Parallel Universe is a Waste of Time - I hate to say it, but I kind of agree with this.

Aspiring Sports Anchor: Kevin Taylor

As most of you may know, my boyfriend Kevin Taylor is applying for sports anchor jobs. Check out his reel! Spread it around so more people see how awesome a newscaster he is! The goal is to get him hired.