Location Based Updates...

Foursquare has more than a half million users, 1.4 million venues and more than 15.5 MILLION check-ins.... And has only been around for 1 year! Although the trend hasn't gone mainstream yet, I think it will relatively soon. There are many pros and cons to Foursquare, and it's value hasn't been defined quite yet, but I see many pluses to this start-up.

First of all, many people refuse to use Foursquare because it's deemed "unsafe" to be telling everyone where you are and what you're doing at all times. But twitter and facebook both can find your locations and tweet where you are, while Facebook status updates let people know where you are, who you're with and what you're doing... It's basically the same thing. I think people need to get past this part of it, and see Foursquare and even Gowalla for what they're worth...

Businesses and venues need to start embracing these as well, because once they start offering more discounts and deals for all customers checking in (and special deals to "Mayors", Starbucks) people will be more inclined to check it out and see what good it could do for them. Businesses really need to look into it because it could open so many doors, create brand and product loyalty to their food, products, whatever AND create an entirely new channel to interact with customers. How great would it be to walk into your favorite coffee place, where everyone knows who you are and congratulates you on being the "mayor"... Stupid, maybe... but fun enough for all, and who doesn't want to compete with others to be a mayor when all you have to do is frequent the shop?

I think it will be interesting to see how well these do in the next year and see how they transform. Look out for all of this.

And the job search continues... On to the next advertising agency.

In the past few days, I have learned a LOT about job searching, interviewing, preparation and execution of the interview. Obviously finding a job, especially one that you are passionate about doesn't always seem to be the easiest thing in the world, but if you open your ears and pay attention to people's advice about where to look, what to do, and how they did it... It can make things a lot easier.

I have begun the job search, making searching for a job my day job- even though I still have social media work to do part-time. I have starting looking at every website I can think of, bugging all sorts of people about what they have heard, searching for my passions as well as any entry level position. I have had a few very informative informational interviews where I received information about the company, an idea of what a day in the life is, as well as general information about even MORE things I could be doing to find a job... I've taken away the fact that I need to get creative (I guess I could do more) politely ask as many people as possible about jobs, their ideas for help, as well as scour the web for any and every job!

I have only just started searching, and I'm actually very excited about what the future holds for me (as well as other entry-level graduates!). We really do have our whole lives ahead of us, and while I would love a job that I could immediately be passionate about (social media :) perhaps?) I would be able to be just as passionate about the fact that I have A job.

The search is on, the road is winding, but I'm looking forward to anything that comes next!

No Job Is Beneath You...

This is a great mantra for those of us who are newly graduated, searching for a new career, or currently unemployed... I have recently come across a few blogs and recent articles discussing the fact that graduates or other young adults are upset by the jobs they are being offered, if they are offered any at all. They think working at a McDonald's is beneath them, even though it's the ONLY thing available.

I hope to never be this way, because you never know when a new opportunity will come knocking on the door while you are working at McDonald's, or at a "crummy" entry level position. Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you do your best at any job, whatever it may be... people notice. They notice your attitude, your hard work and your drive, and it always pays off, not matter how long it takes.

So if you get a job, any job, you should be thankful and try your hardest at it. Eventually the tides will turn, and if you have the right attitude, ideas, and help others out, people will notice and you never know where you might end up.

One important key to success is self confidence. An important key to self confidence is preparation.

While reading Malcolm Gladwell's "What The Dog Saw", I came upon a chapter about talent called "The Talent Myth". It talked about how the best companies at different times over the past 10-15 years, including Enron, were OBSESSED with finding talent and letting their "rockstars" do their thing. Malcolm brought up a great point asking what is talent and do we really want EVERYONE we work with to be the most talented?

I would think not. It talks about how the company most obsessed with finding top business school students from the top MBA programs and letting them do as they please, was Enron. Obviously, this did not work out for them. I'm not saying that smart people are overrated, but I think that just because someone is not the brightest in a classroom, does not mean they will not be the best, hardworking employee a company will ever have.

What does getting all-star grades in a classroom even really suggest? I understand that learning is important, and did well in school myself but there are many reasons for this. I think that companies should be looking for real-world experience and how someone uses what they learn and translates it to the job. It is one thing to get an A+ on a marketing test, and a completely different thing to run an entire division of a company.

I think we need to look past grades sometimes, not throw them out completely because learning is important, but start looking for people with tacit knowledge as well. You want a person who can work hard, try hard, and give you results. I'm just saying it isn't always the top student from the MBA program who will do this, but the average student from a public university who knows they need to work harder and shine brighter so that they're noticed.