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Friday, January 30, 2015

Weekend + Links




Yay for the weekend! Ugh and don't those croissants look divine? I'm in love with the concept of a wonderful cup of coffee and a fresh croissant on a leisurely morning. Unfortunately, most weekends we just truck it up the block to Bruegger's :( . Oh well. I am really looking forward to some down time because I have a million errands, need to do massive amounts of laundry,  and have to back for our trip to Breckenridge next week. So looks like I'm doing links again, but I'm not sure if I want to keep it on Fridays. Maybe I'll play around with that. Anyway, here are this weeks links!


I want to start every morning this way!

Thinking about streamlining your wardrobe? Erin made a great list to do it the Parisian way.

Serial obsessed? Check out these books sure to please your inner detective.

Suffer from Sunday Panic? Try these nine things to make your week go a little smoother.

Heard of a wealfie? Bloggers, including me, seem to be pretty guilty of it.




Wednesday, January 28, 2015

On My Radar




All this cold and snow has me daydreaming of long, sunny, tropical days. So while we are elbows deep in winter, let your imagination and these summery picks take you away!



Shop the Post



Monday, January 26, 2015

Get the Look





Monochromatic is back in the best way possible. I love this polished, casual look for the office or for weekend pursuits. Click the items in the collage for more information.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Tips and Tricks for Interviewing




I was very happy to announce last week that I had started a new job. As thrilling as that is to be able to say, it was six months of hard work. Work along the lines of research, emails, phone calls, letter writing, resume fixing, preparing, meetings, interviews, and many sleepless nights. I'm not the best at writing or selling myself for that matter, but one thing I am good at is interviewing. I am a nervous wreck prior to interviews and don't sleep well at all, but when it comes down to it I can magically put my game face on and answer questions like a boss (why can't I always be like that is beyond me). I have yet to interview where I did not get some sort of kudos at the interview for my stellar performance, or in a follow up call/email. Seriously. So I wanted to share with you my tips and tricks that I have been using over the past few months of interviewing that I wish someone would have shared with me.


Before the Interview

Congratulations! You made it past the initial phone screening, and now you are on your way to a face to face interview. First and foremost: do your homework. You should know about the company, be able to talk about what they do, and talk about timely relevant information. Check the company blogs, media clips, and social media channels if applicable. Use resources like Glassdoor to get a deeper dive into the company culture. You most likely will be told who you will be interviewing with prior to coming in. Look that person/people up on LinkedIn. Find out what they do, their background, and their affiliations. You can use in this information as talking points, conversation starters, and also to show how you prepare and research topics. 

Prepare yourself for commonly asked questions, and memorize at least five questions you can ask your interviewer. Almost all interviews at some point will ask the typical behavioral questions, so make sure you think about answers to those questions. If you're not sure what they could ask, do a google search of commonly asked interview questions. Conversely, there's nothing worse in an interview when a candidate has nothing to ask at the end, it looks like you are disinterested when in reality you should be trying to get as much information as possible. Do yourself a favor, and familiarize yourself with universal question that can be applied to all your interviews.


Common Behavioral Questions:

Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult coworker/client/manager.
What would you say is your greatest weakness?
What are things you don't like to do in your current position?
Why are you looking to leave your current job?
What interests you about a career at (insert company name)?


Questions I ALWAYS Ask My Interviewer:

What about my background and qualifications make you think I could be a good fit for this position?
What do you like most about working here?
What do you see as the greatest challenge facing the person coming into this role?
How is success measured in this position, and at the company?
Are there opportunities for professional development and additional training?
What are the next steps in the hiring process?



During the Interview

Arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time. The old adage is true: "If you are early you are on time. If you are on time you are late. And if you are late don't even bother." Your interviewer still has work to do and most likely will not be ready to receive you too much before your scheduled time, so do them a favor and cool your jets. If you happen to get there really early hang out in your car, a nearby coffee shop, or the building lobby. Just make sure you are checked in prior to your start time. You are being judged before they meet you, remember that.

Shake hands with each person interviewing you and look them in the eye when doing so. I know this can be uncomfortable for some, but it really starts your interview off on the right foot. Be confident, they brought you in for a reason. Then proceed with the interview at the interviewer's pace. Be thoughtful in your answers, and genuine. Make sure you answer questions thoroughly and to the best of your knowledge, especially if it's something that can be checked. Lies are never a good idea. They will always ask you if you have questions for them once they are done interviewing them. This is the time to ask the questions you have prepared. Then thank them for their time and be on your way.

After the Interview

I cannot stress this last step enough. ALWAYS follow up with a thank you email to each person you met with. Email is quick, makes sure it gets to the right person, and effective. Don't just use a template you find online either. Make it personal, and touch on points that were discussed in your interview. This makes your note personal and shows your interviewer you are interested. If you interview with multiple people, make sure each note is different. On the rare chance they compare, you don't want them to find a canned thank you that you send to everyone. If you did not get cards from the interviewers, email their HR department and ask for the emails or if they would forward them on your behalf. Below are two examples of thank you notes I send out, feel free to use them. 

Example 1

Dear Interviewer,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about the insert job title with Company X. It was a pleasure speaking with you and your team, and I truly enjoyed learning more about the role and the company. After our discussion, I am confident that my skills and experience are a great match for this opportunity and that I can quickly become a valuable member of the Company X team. 

I am very enthusiastic about the possibility of a career with Company X, and look forward to hearing back from the hiring manager about the next step in the process. Thanks again.

Regards,

Your Name


Example 2

Dear Interviewer,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. After speaking with you and your team and learning more about the job title position, I am even more enthusiastic about the possibility of working at Company X. I particularly enjoyed hearing about insert specific example of something discussed during your interview.


If I can provide you with any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a great weekend.

Regards,

Your Name



And there you have it, the steps to crushing your interview. It seems like a lot, but with a little time and preparation you can be confident in all stages of the hiring process. I've been through my share of let downs with jobs (final rounds with two companies and weeks of interviews only to be passed over for internal candidates), to making the choice to turn down offers because they didn't feel right. Always listen to your gut. It is the hiring managers job to make positions look appealing, but if you get a bad feeling in an interview address it and walk away if you need to. 

I'd love to know if you have any can't fail tips for the interview process. Also, if you have other questions about interviewing or job hunting feel free to send them my way. I would be happy to help out!


Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The New Favorites






The holidays are a great time for acquiring stuff, and if you're lucky stuff can be really good. I thought I would share some of my new favorites.

Sorry if this is dramatic but I don't know how I lived this long without the Dior  glow products. The nail glow has been such a life saver as I am incapable of keeping a manicure past a few days, and this stuff is easy to apply and makes my nails look amazing. The glow balm adjusts to the ph in your lips and becomes the most perfect pink for your pout. Some other things I love include a new night face treatment, amazeballs blow dryer, healing face mask, the most bonkers smelling shampoo, and a crazy albeit somewhat creepy charcoal tooth whitening powder.

You want to know what I hate? Adjusting athletic pants during yoga class. These high-waisted yoga pants literally have you covered. I struggle with earbuds not staying in my ears and knocking them out accidentally with too much arm movement, these bluetooth gripping ear buds will allow my special self to feel more normal. I won't wax poetic about this bracelet, just know that I could... pretty much ALL DAMN DAY. I love it, it does with everything, I want to be buried in it. No explanation needed for the freshy fresh kicks. They make me want to work out. HAHA I can't even type that without laughing.

You may be thinking my home faves are very beverage centric, and you would be correct. We have majorly upgraded our libation game with a few choice pieces. I somehow miraculously won a Nespresso and it is literally the shit. The coffee is sooooo good. Get one. I was the worst at drinking enough water (like perpetually dehydrated to the point where my doctor lectured me), but since I've gotten a soda stream and I have wonderful bubbly water on demand I can't stop drinking water. That's a win in my book. A Rewined candle is not news, but their newest scent Rose is and it's positively heavenly. Buy one. The rest are pretty glasses that make me feel like an adult because 1.) I have stemware and 2.) my shit matches but most importanlty 3.) WE ARE DRINKING ALCOHOL WITH ITS CORRECT AND CORRESPONDING GLASSWARE. Drops mic.

Now it's your turn. What are some of your recently acquired items that you can't imagine living without now? Please do tell!

Monday, January 5, 2015

New Year, New Gig




Hello friends! I am back from my holiday hiatus, and I really really needed it! I can finally share the news I alluded to back in early December: I got a new job! I start today and I am all sorts of excited, nervous, scared, anxious, happy, etc. Not only is it a great step up for my career, but I am going into a new industry that is very important, timely, and literally booming these days. I will tell you more about it later, but it's one of the reasons I walked away from the blog for two weeks. Just to getaway, relax, take everything in, and hopefully be refreshed and ready to tackle the new challenge.

I feel like this is happening at such a great time with the start of the new year. New job, new outlooks, and hopefully new habits. I'm horrible at sticking to resolutions, probably because I make giant lists of things I want to do, try, tackle, change, but ultimately it's just too much. I can tell you that getting healthy is number one. My new job is literally less than a mile from my building so when the weather permits, I am going to walk to work. Also now that I am getting at least an hour back each day due to zero commute, I have vowed to make that hour productive. Hopefully I will use it for exercise, but if it gets used to do some tasks or read a book I consider that success too. 

I would also like to recommit myself to the blog, and find out just what that means to me. I want to have a schedule I stick to so you know what to expect from me on each particular day. I want to bring you great content, and I know for me that means stepping back or not posting every day to keep the quality up. This is still in the works, but I'll get back to you.

So rather than spew out tons of things I resolve to do, I want to take some time to think about it and ultimately set myself up for success. I welcome you sharing your resolutions and goals for the new year as I often get great ideas from my readers and other bloggers. Also if you have tips for staying on track with goals please please please throw them my way! Have a great Monday!

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