I know I’ve been absent for a while – this semester has been crazy. My second blog post on drakemagazine.com is up, so check it out. This one is on preparing for an interview, so check out important things you should do! Enjoy!

I’ll be trying to stay active, but if you have a particular problem/issue/etc. that you’d like me to blog about, comment here and let me know!

Thanks,

Kristin

“Assess and understand your job and career market”

“Prepare Company Profiles and Job Profiles”

“Prepare a Personal Profile and a Professional Experience Inventory”

Keep a lookout for when the first post is online!

Thanks!

PS I’ll also keep writing for the blog here. I’ve been swamped lately with school-stuff lately, but I’ll be writing soon!

Before you begin, find all the textbooks you need (ISBN numbers are great) and write down the bookstore’s prices so you know if the deal is worth it. Shipping typically costs $3.99, sometimes less sometimes more.

*Also, before you start – check to make sure that your school’s library doesn’t already have the book online. A lot of libraries have an online database of books with the full text online and if your book is less of an actual textbook and more of a novel or something like that, then there is a possibility you can read it online for free instead of buying it!

1) Go to directtextbook.com and search for the book title or ISBN # then click the “Find it” button next to the correct book. It will then list a ton of sites starting with the cheapest price (including shipping). You definitely don’t want to get a rental – it’s a waste of money.

2) Click on the site with the cheapest price and look at the description on the condition of the book etc.

3) Wait! Don’t buy it yet. Always search for the book on Ebay, too because sometimes there are cheaper prices.

4) If directtextbooks.com tells you that Amazon has the cheapest price, check to see if the book is being sold in the marketplace on Amazon. Because if the book is actually being sold by another site, sometimes there’s cheaper shipping on the actual website, so don’t get it through Amazon. Go to the actual site.

5) Here are some reliable sites I’ve found books on in the past:
- Alibris.com
- textbooksrus.com
- textbooks.com
- belltowerbooks.com

6) If you choose to buy a book, put it in the cart and check out. MAKE SURE you have the book shipped to your school address because it might not get to your house in time.

*A bonus about textbooks.com is that when you buy a book they also tell you a guaranteed cash back price if you sell the book back to them at the end of the semester!

The process for finding the cheapest textbooks can get a little complicated, but if you’re really trying to save money, it’s worth it. You can easily save $100 to even $300! Good luck and let me know if you need any help or if you have any questions!

Oh, and don’t sell your books back to your college’s bookstore, you won’t get much. Instead explore your options for selling books on Ebay (requires more work in searching for comparable prices and being available to ship books when sold) or through one of the sites you bought your books from like textbooks.com. (I’ll have a future post about how to sell your books yourself on Ebay.)

Jill Johnson is the president and founder of Johnson Consulting Services, a management consulting firm specializing in strategy development, demographics, and market research. Jill’s consulting work has impacted more than $2 billion worth of decisions. Jill Johnson has been a motivated and determined individual her whole life with a range of impressive accomplishments in the business world. I was particularly impressed by her drive and work ethic. She’s worked extremely hard to get where she is today and she has a lot of great advice because of it.

You often hear, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Well, it’s true. Networking is one of the most important tools you can have in almost any industry. Jill had a lot of great advice for students, here are some of her 15 Rules of Networking, which I found most helpful:

Show up to events. You never know who you’ll meet and what opportunities you could find. Plus, the more you show up, the more people will notice you.

Volunteer. “Volunteer for committees and extra work.” Opportunities to use and promote your area of expertise will build your skills beyond what you’re learning already. Do more and you will reap more benefits.

“Build relationships in small increments.” Don’t get too familiar with contacts too quickly or ask for too much all at once. Get to know the connection first and ask them for advice before you just start asking for what they can give you. Don’t forget about them either when you have an opportunity to help them out or give something back to them.

“Make time for networking.” “Networks take time to develop. Don’t forget about other people in your network if you know someone they might want to know. If you help others, they will be more inclined to help you. “Build your network before you need it.”

“Ask for what you want.” Be specific and sure of what you ask for from people.

Communication. “Make it personal.” Use the phone to keep in touch. “Hand written notes will make you stand out.” Send thank yous! Be thoughtful about how you are communicating.

Another important thing Jill Johnson mentioned was always doing your absolute best work. Do more than the minimum required. Do more than is expected.

I learned a lot from Jill and I hope you got something out of what I learned. These are important things to keep in mind as you get prepared for the highly competitive work world.

On Saturday, Dave Kimball, a successful businessman with over 32 years at IBM, talked to us students about how to get a job in this economy.

Here is some of what I learned:

• Companies want someone who is smart (not necessarily a high GPA), someone who wants to learn, and someone who knows how to be flexible.
• He highly recommended The First 60 Seconds, a book on the very first impression you make in an interview.
• You need to be considered to get a job, so the more chances you create for yourself the better. So, get out of your paradyme, get aggressive, and do something different than what everyone else is doing to get your resume seen.
• A lot of times it is about WHO you know, so work on networking!
• Always be prepared, clean up your social networking sites, use the phone to contact potential employers (not email)!
• You’re being interviewed 24/7. Be aware of that fact, recognize it, and react to it.
• Use your free time well – make connections!

Dave also talked about his Critical Success Factors:

• work out every day – you have the time, so do it to stay disciplined
• get on a schedule
• make contact with 5 businesses a week
• Google for local internships
• find a mentor and take them to lunch
• get business cards – they’re free
• create an excel spreadsheet of contacts and follow up with them
• subscribe to online industry rags – know what’s going on in your industry

It takes hard work and persistence to even get considered for a job. So, the more work you do, the better chance you’ll have. So stop procrastinating and put that free time to good work! It’s never too early to start making connections.

Here’s what I learned:

Responsibility

Mike Dilbeck of Campuseak was the keynote speaker. He talked to us about “Response Ability: Transforming Values into Action.” Mike specifically talked about “Bystander Behavior” and having the courage to step in when you know something going on is wrong – from littering to hazing. First, you have to evaluate what you’re sick of seeing. Personally, I’m sick of people getting so drunk that they don’t remember what happened and they are rude and obnoxious to everyone – they’re dangerous and annoying.

What can you do? You have to see it as a problem, hold yourself responsible for dealing with it, and understand how you are part of the problem. Join with others who see it as a problem, too, to add strength to your beliefs and getting the right thing done. For more information click the links at the beginning of this “Responsibility” section.

The Art of Conflict

VA Hayman Barber discussed how conflict doesn’t have to have negative connotations or consequences. She provided us with information on how to do conflict the right way. Keep it simple, clarify the issue, be careful about what you say, make sure you listen and respond, and most importantly deal with it within the first 24 hours and complete the discussion! For more about fighting fair, check out what the counseling and mental health center of U of Texas has to say about conflicts.

Good Conflict

Dr. Laura Osteen is Co-Director of the Florida State University Center for Leadership and Civic Education. Dr. Osteen taught us new ways to look at conflict in this workshop. One of the most important things I got out of this session is that conflict is separate from you. The issue is not a part of you or a part of whoever you are arguing with – think about that for a minute.

It’s easier to be separated and calmer about a conflict if you recognize that the other person isn’t going after you, they’re going after the conflict. Dr. Osteen believes conflict is two sides coming to a situation with different perspectives. No one is really wrong or right. She says a great practice is to write out what you want to say, so you can avoid hurtful things and truly understand what you’re arguing about. Feedback is love, she says. The important thing with conflict is for both sides and the relationship to come out of the conflict stronger.

For more on what I learned Saturday morning – check out the next post in this series!

1) Focus. Before you start make sure that you really want to do this – motivate yourself and set your mind to getting this done. Because once you start, there’s no going back. Organizing a mess definitely gets worse before it gets better.

2) Sectioning. Divide your room into sections. It helps to start from the top and work your way down, so start with the top shelf of your closet.

3) Piles. Have a garbage bag, a donation bag, an important stuff pile, and a pile for stuff you need to figure out what to do with it.

4) Variation. If you start to get bored, switch to another area of the room – whatever part of the cleaning/organizing you feel like doing is the part you should do. Just don’t skip steps or completely avoid the tedious stuff cause it has to get done sometime.

5) Places. Make sure you roughly know where everything is going to go before you start putting stuff back. Clean out everything first and/or put away only the stuff that has a definite spot as you go. Make sure everything has a spot, don’t just throw stuff together.

6) Importance. Make sure you put your most used items in the easiest to get to places.

7) Finish up. Now that you have everything away, you’re almost done! When your room is at its most organized is the perfect time to do a little cleaning – vacuum, dust, break out the glass cleaner, etc.

Once all of this is done, go through your lists and condense them or just get stuff done right then. Now that everything is put away, it’ll be easier to organize the rest of your life and throw out some of those sticky notes! Check out this link for Dorm Organizing 101 – this site is also full of other great tips and is on my Blogroll under My Roommate is Driving Me Crazy.

The Online Education Database has “88 Surefire Tips for Succeeding in College,” which help remind you why your in college and jogs your memory of what you should be doing while you’re there. An important one is to take risks. Maybe to get yourself reenergized for the second semester you should try something new. Join a new organization, start volunteering, take up a leadership position. Filling your time with activities makes you feel accomplished and like you’re really getting a lot out of your college experience.

You don’t have to take advantage of all the 88 tips, but I recommend you check them out.

And don’t forget about constantly looking into internships! You never know what you’ll find out there!

So, try to enjoy the rest of your break, but focus on the good things as you head back to school.

So I’m trying out a new name for the blog formerly known as, “The In.” In an effort to make the blog more searchable, I’m trying to choose a unique name. So far “College ID” has been my favorite, but let me know if you have any ideas for a new name!

Here are some of my other possibilities:

U of Advice

Locked Out

Inside the Quad

The Textbook

Intro to College

The College-Times

If you think I made the wrong choice or if you have a better idea, let me hear about it!

Thanks and I hope you enjoy the new name and look!

But, like most people, you probably do. The thought of staying focused for another week or two inevitably induces feelings of lethargy and the increasingly strong desire to just go to sleep.

You’ve heard all the typical stuff – sleep well, study, don’t party, but make sure you still relax sometimes. For the typical tips the University of Pennsylvania’s Office of Health Education has a good handle on “Ten Tips for Surviving Finals Week.”

Here’s what I have to say about preparing for finals because even if I don’t have actual tests I have to go into class to take, I do have a 25 page final paper and a take home exam. The trick to studying is to take advantage of those times you actually feel productive. A lot of the time I don’t feel like doing any homework, but there are ways that I use to get myself into “productive mode.”

1. Once again one of my favorite tips: Make a list

I like to plan everything out so that I know what I have to do and when it’s due. Then I can spread things out so I don’t feel so overwhelmed.

2. Plan distractions

If you plan when you can take a break and relax, you’ll be less likely to waste time because you’ve already allotted a certain amount of time for a break. Plus, it gives you something to look forward to at a set time. Just don’t get sucked into relax mode!

3. Just sit down and get started

Even when I don’t want to do something, I find that if I just sit down and get started I’ll get focused as I go. Once you push past that initial resistance to work, you’ll get more focused and motivated.

4. Once you get something big done, celebrate

Take time to actually be happy that you accomplished something. Don’t take the rest of the night off and go out drinking because that will inevitably lead to more procrastination. Just allow yourself to take a break and do something fun for a while after you’re done with your paper or one of your finals.

You’ll make it through finals week. It will be okay. Just breathe. Try not to stress too much and that whole thing about getting sleep the night before is true, at least for me. Try not to think too much about break because that can demotivate you to get things done now.

Focus on getting things done and just think, in a week or two it’ll all be over… until next semester.

Good luck! And have a good break! Now stop reading this post and get to work!