College Students: Be Aware of Opportunities that Present Themselves!

During your college years, getting internship experience will be valuable for getting an entry level position when you graduate. Being able to get enough professional experience through your internships will help boost your resume and give employers a reason to bring you in for an interview.

Whenever you are interning for a company or even working part time, be aware of other opportunities to explore and take advantage of. These opportunities may be out of the ordinary for you, however, the experience can lead to more possibilities down the road. These experiences can help pave the path for more career options and give you more opportunities.

For example, during my senior year of college, one of the best opportunities I took advantage of happened when I was hired in as a part-time producer at a local radio station. My job description was to help run the shows the station aired on Saturday morning but another opportunity presented itself a week after I had been hired.

While doing some training in the main studio during my first week there, the sales manager walked in with a copy of my resume and asked to see me in his office afterwards. I'll admit I was a little baffled as to why this sales manager wanted to talk to someone whose job was to push the buttons on the board, screen phone calls, air the commercials and keep the station on the air. I couldn't quite see the fit at first but eventually found out.

When I went into his office, the sales manager brought out a copy of my resume and asked me about some of the other internships I had done. He saw that I had done a sales internship at another station and a marketing/promotions internship at another. The Program Director (who hired me as a part-time producer) had told him I was really personable during the interview and that caught his attention.

After a few minutes, the sales manager asked me a question I didn't quite expect:

"Jeff, have you ever thought about learning how to do sales?"

I mentioned I had briefly and agreed to come in an extra day or two a week to learn under his wing. This sales manager taught me how to cold call, handle objections, listen to the customer and several other skills that paid off later on. There was a bit of a learning curve involved with this transition but this experience eventually paved the way for my first job out of college and opened up more doors and opportunities after that.

Had I not taken advantage of this opportunity to learn sales, I would not have had more options available to me after college and beyond that. Taking a couple days a week from someone who was willing to teach me how to do sales helped open other career opportunities for me and find my career path. This experience helped open up more opportunities for me and it was worth taking extra time to learn.

If another opportunity presents itself, take to explore it and let it grow. You never know where it might take you in the end.

New Year, New Beginnings

2011 officially rang in last night and the New Year has begun. With 2010 over, it's time to start looking ahead to 2011 and planning your goals for the upcoming year. An old year is behind you and it's time to start looking ahead to a fresh start.

Below are some tips on creating goals and sticking with them:

• Ask yourself what you want to accomplish in the upcoming year both personally and professionally - Are you looking to get a promotion? Are you looking to develop more in your job? Are you looking to get more involved with your community? These are questions you should ask yourself to understand what you want to accomplish for the New Year and how you are going to reach those goals
  
• Develop a plan to help you reach your goals - We can all drive to the beach but we have to have the directions to help get us there. Develop a plan to reach your goals and understand the steps needed to get to where you want to be
• Find another hobby to get involved with or another way to meet new people- Having your old hobbies is good but take time to find something else in your life that you are passionate about and let it grow. This will give you something else to look forward to in life and help you grow as a person
  

Taking a Moment to Reflect......

The year is coming to a close and with the holiday season coming to an end soon, I couldn't help but reflect on some great accomplishments I've made over the past year:

1. Budgeting My Time Better and Working Towards My Goals- this was something I wasn't particularly very good at prior to coming into 2010 but have come quite a long way in where I was a year ago
   
2. Being Able To Photograph Solon Comets Football Games For Their Incredible 2010 Season - being on the sidelines this season was incredible and I am thankful to all of those who made it a success. I had an awesome time getting to know the players, fans, parents and anyone who was supportive during the season. It was an honor to take these pictures during the season and I am grateful for the experience. I am thankful for Jim McQuaide and his staff, Jim McQuaide (his son), Athletic Director Mark McGuire, Sandy Ellis, the parents and the Solon Comets faithful.
   
3. Having My Pictures Put on Display at the Applebee's Restaurant in Solon- one of my goals was to find different ways to share my photos and with the help of Tammy Strom from the Solon Schools, some of my pictures from Solon Comets football and baseball made their way into Applebees. I can't thank Tammy enough for her help with this and seeing my pictures up there for the first time was an experience.
4. Getting Published in Terry Pluto's Book "Things I've Learned While Watching the Browns"- I submitted in a piece in regards to why I watch the Browns day in and day out and if you look on page 70 of his book, you can see what I wrote. I am thankful for Terry and his publishers for using my piece.
   
5. Having an Awesome Set of Friends and Coworkers
   
6. Having the Opportunity to Work with the Awesome People on various projects at Mavis Winkle's
   
7. Having a loving family
   

Post from a friend...

This is a post my friend and activist Britni Tozzi recently posted on her blog. She is planning on doing a mission trip to Africa again and her story is quite incredible. I know I have dedicated this blog to a lot of my sports heroes but wanted to take a moment to honor a real hero and true blessing in my life.

http://britnitozzi.blogspot.com/2010/12/seeds-of-growth-great-thanks-to-you.html?spref=tw

Take Time To Be Grateful

As the year is coming to a close, you may be looking back at both the good and the bad from the past year. Every year is different but there are usually good points and moments to be grateful for during that time. Before the year ends, take time to really think about the good moments from the past year and be grateful for those times.

To start off, take time to be grateful for those you have met and helped you along the way. Chances are, you came across people who helped you professionally or personally during the year. These people may have helped get you through a rough situation, may have helped you land a position or been a shoulder to cry on at times. Take a few moments to remember who was there for you during the good times and the bad, the people who were the first to say congratulations when you landed that big promotion or job, or who were always there for you no matter what. Take time to realize who these people are and find a way to say thank you.

Once you have done that, take time to be grateful for any goals you have accomplished. When looking back at where you were at previously, you may realize you have come along way from a certain point. Take a few moments to realize where you started, what path you took and how far you came from a previous point. You might end up being surprised as to how far along the path you have walked and how much you have accomplished.

Lastly, take time to realize what lies ahead for you and what opportunities may arise. Take time to realize what can be ahead in your future, how these opportunities came about and why you are excited. Having a solid foundation with opportunities is an incredible thing to be grateful for and be thankful for what is in store.

Before the year is over, take time to be grateful; you might be surprised as to how much you have in store for you.

Building Relationships Can Start With Finding Common Ground

Taking time to build relationships is key and can be done in several different ways. Taking time to keep in touch and learning about others are a couple of different ways to build relationships but finding common ground and interests can be an excellent way to develop a relationship with someone. Finding a hobby or common interest with someone can lead to building a stronger relationship with that person.

When trying to develop a relationship with someone, finding a common interest is a great starting point for finding time to bond and socialize with that person. For example, I am a huge hockey fan and one really good friend of mine shares the same passion for the game. When I first met this person, we found this common ground and built our relationship by going to games with one another. During this time, I was able to socialize with my friend, learn more about him and have developed a great friendship with him as a result. We often go to games each year and have a great friendship as a result of that.

Even though sports can be a common ground, other interests can help create similar friendships. For example, if you have an interest in fishing and come across someone with that same interest, going out for a fishing outing with this person can be a great way to develop that friendship. If you enjoy scrapbooking, inviting someone with that same interest to a scrapbooking party can help you create a stronger bond with that person. The sky is the limit and finding that common ground with a particular hobby can be a great way to develop that relationship.

Finding common ground is key in develop a relationship but taking time to enjoy it with another person can help strengthen that friendship for the future. Whether your interest is in sports, fishing, photography or anything else, finding that common ground can pave the path for developing that relationship.

A Postive Attitude: It's Contagious

A positive attitude is contagious. I understand you have probably heard that line many times before but think of it this way; how often do you feel better when you come across those who are pleasant, happy and willing to share the same feelings? How many times have you sat through an assembly, program or speech where the person speaking was positive, energetic and could transfer that energy to the crowd? Chances are, you’ve come across those who maintain a positive attitude and felt that attitude was contagious.

Being positive may not always be easy but can make the environment you are in more pleasant and enjoyable. For example, one of the reasons I enjoy going to Mavis Winkle’s Irish Pub in Twinsburg and Independence is because the people who work there are always positive and fun to be around. The servers enjoy talking to the patrons, they take time to know the people they are serving and makes the atmosphere inside the place more enjoyable. It’s apparent the positive attitude the employees have spreads to the people eating the awesome food inside the restaurants and makes for a great dining experience. The business they are in is not always easy to have a positive attitude in but the friendliness and positive feelings the employees have becomes contagious inside the restaurant.

Even though there are times in which being positive can be difficult, taking a lighter view can help get you through the process. Let’s say you are a college student and have a 20 page paper to write. Writing the 20 page paper may not be easy to do, does not sound like fun and may be boring but how you choose to handle the experience can make a difference. Instead of taking a “this will never get done” attitude, try taking an “I will get this done attitude.” Create a step-by-step plan to finish the paper in sections, set deadlines for yourself and believe in yourself that it can be done and you will do a good job. This will help you stay motivated during the process, help you feel better about yourself and give you a positive way to channel the anxiety of writing the paper. Taking a positive approach to a difficult situation is not always easy but can be done.

When thinking of taking a negative attitude towards a situation, think of the times you have come across others who weren’t pleasant or nice when they needed to be. How many times have you gone into a coffee shop, retail store, etc. and the person assisting you acted as if he or she didn’t care or didn’t want to be there? How did you feel when you walked away? What impression did that person leave? This negative attitude obviously came across and left you with a negative experience. Remember how this experience felt and ask yourself if that is the impression you want to leave one someone else.

While there may be instances in which taking a positive attitude is not easy, possessing a positive vibe can be contagious to those around you and leave a great impression.