5 Reasons Every College Student Should Start Blogging In 2009

Published by Ryan Healy on January 8th, 2009 in Blogging, Brazen Careerist | 9 Comments

Since founding Brazen Careerist, I've blogged less and less each month, to the point that I only posted three times in December. And that's not cool. Especially since blogging has given me more value than any other activity I do on a day-to-day basis and is the reason I have my dream job today. In short, blogging has changed my life.

So here are five reasons why every college student that wants their dream job needs to start a blog in 2009.

1. You stand out from the crowd
Jarred Taylor works in the legal department at Google in Mountain View, CA. As far as dream jobs go, Google headquarters is probably right there at the top of a lot of lists. Jarred loves his position, and he's pretty convinced that he got the job because of his blog.

"Everyone who interviewed me," Jarred says, "from the recruiter in the phone screen to the senior attorneys during the videoconference, asked me about the blog. 'What do you blog about? Why? Give an example of something you've learned from what you've researched.'"

His blog didn't have a huge following or a ton of readers, but the interviewers at Google understood that if Jarred took the time to write about his career interests in his free time, he would also go above and beyond at work. Including his blog on his resume allowed Jarred to get his dream job by standing out from the crowd.

2. People find you
I'm not all that good at seeking out people or new opportunities. I push myself, but it's not my strong suit.

The beauty of blogging is that people find you. When I posted several times per week, the amount of emails in my inbox from seemingly random people was through the roof. Publishers contacted me about writing a book, journalists sent interview requests, generational researchers asked for input, companies requested speaking engagements, and readers wrote in with career-related questions on a regular basis.

On the days I post, good things happen. And I can say for certain that it's not a coincidence. By putting yourself out there with your blog, people will find you, and your dream job could come knocking at your door. Just make sure you recognize the opportunity when it does.

3. You can show your true personality
I get a lot of applications from people applying for a job at Brazen Careerist. We have a special set of questions that we ask everyone to answer when they apply so we can get a sense of their interests, goals and personality. The answers always give me some good insight, but I often want to know more, before we decide to do an interview.

Because of this, I love when someone leaves a link to their blog along with their resume. It's like saying, "Here's a sneak peek into my world. I have nothing to hide." Other than face-to-face interaction, nothing shows who you really are more than a blog.

Unfortunately, we are in a temporary hiring freeze (click here to read more), but if we were scaling the company at full strength, the people who directed me to their blog would be at the top of the interview list.

4. The connections are amazing
I'm confident enough to say that if I needed a job tomorrow, I could skip the typical Monster.com or Careerbuilder job search and find a great one through the connections I've made blogging.

I've networked with executives, authors, entrepreneurs, CEO's, professional speakers and more. I've maintained as many relationships as possible, some as mentors and others as weak-tie connections, but simply having the opportunity to meet such a diverse and influential crowd could have never happened without writing my blog.

5. You grow up, quick
I never would have admitted it at the time, but before I started Employee Evolution I was pretty immature. I thought I knew more than I did, I didn't work as hard as I could, and I didn't fully appreciate all the things I had. Two years later, I still have a lot of growing up to do, but the amount I've grown as a person has been astounding.

Someone tells me I'm wrong on nearly every post I write. Sometimes I listen and rethink my position, while other times I chalk it up to the other person being wrong. But I'm always able to re-evaluate, compose myself and reply with an insightful response or a nice email. Learning to deal with people who disagree, and treating your blog like a business will teach you a lot about how the world works, giving you a huge leg up on your "non-blogging" peers

It may not be easy, and it certainly won't happen overnight, but starting a blog and following through can take you anywhere you want to go. What are you waiting for?

Pepsi Recognizes Gen Y Optimism, But Fails to Follow Through

Published by Ryan Healy on January 6th, 2009 in Generation Y, Marketing | 14 Comments

Pepsi just launched a new marketing campaign based on results from a research project called the "Pepsi Optimism Project (POP)." POP concluded that despite the tough economy, 94% of Millennials are optimistic about the future.

The marketing campaign started with a facelift to the Pepsi logo that turns it into a more uplifting look, giving the consumer the sense that it's a smile. Next they launched a series of advertisements with bright, flashy colors, a catchy song and the welcoming words "Yo," "Hello," "Aloha," etc., giving the ad a sort-of Apple 2008 meets 90's boy band "pop" feel.

At first thought, it seems a little strange that Pepsi would decide to play to Gen Y's supposed optimism when we're smack dab in the middle of the worst economy since the great depression. But in reality, it's really smart. In the past few years, Gen Y has had its fair share of negative labels, but one thing you always hear is that we are eternally optimistic. We're optimistic because until now, we've never faced a tough economy, we grew up with free-spending baby boomer parents, and if we couldn't afford something, our credit cards always could (Yes, I'm generalizing here).

So even though we are facing some challenging times, deep down, we still believe that everything is going to turn out just fine. Pepsi figured this out with some in depth analysis. And for that, I say, "good job!"

But here's the thing. The commercials won't work.

The commercials won't work because even though Pepsi did its research and concluded that Gen Y is optimistic by nature, they forgot to dig a little deeper. If they had, they would have found an optimistic group of 20-somethings that happens to be very realistic as well.

The realist in me does not want to see bright colors and sing along commercials proclaiming optimism for the future. The realist in me wants to see that Pepsi is doing something to help people out during these tough times. I want to see Pepsi cares about their consumers and that Pepsi is going to stand next to us optimistic Millennials and fight the good fight to get through the tough times.

Yes, Gen Y is optimistic, but we're not naïve enough to think we can close our eyes and ignore what's happening and expect some higher power to fix things. We want to do the fixing, and we want the brands we choose to associate with to help us out.

There are some companies who seem to "get it." Hyundai's new commercial talks about their newest program that will buy you car back if you lose your income in the next year. That's pretty cool. Hyundai is essentially saying, "We recognize the crisis and we want to make money. But we have a heart." The company is doing something to help, and they are sharing that information in their ads.

IBM's new smarter planet ads all center on the people who are doing the actual work to make a difference in one way or another. They give the viewer a reason to believe that IBM is more than just a huge brand name, and that the people who work for them are optimistic about the future BECAUSE they are doing something to make it better, which validates the optimism.

So, Pepsi, if you're strictly trying to appeal to the Gen Y tweens and teens who haven't experienced life away from home, this campaign may have a chance. But if you want to reach the coveted twenty-something demographic, it's probably time to rethink things. I would ask one simple question, "How is the Pepsi brand giving Gen Y a reason to be optimistic?" If you can answer that question, you've got your new ad. If you can't, than it's safe to assume that advertising is the least of your concerns.

It's Been a Crazy Year: Employee Evolution's Top Posts of 2008

Published by Ryan Healy on January 1st, 2009 in Site Related | 9 Comments

As I look back on 2008, with all of its highs and lows, one thing has become glaringly obvious. It was one hell of a ride! I often tell people that I learn more every day running Brazen Careerist then I could have learned in a whole year at a corporate job.

Professionally in 2008, we launched a site on a tight budget, we raised a round of funding, we moved Brazen headquarters from a coffee shop to an office, we hired great people, we re-launched a site on a bigger budget, we let great people go, and we changed our business model on a dime to have a chance of surviving the economic crisis. Personally, I've been lucky enough to live with my brother, to work with my friends and to start a great relationship. I've also dealt with the pain of two friends deaths in the past two months.

While all of this has happened, blogging has unfortunately taken a back seat. This is something that will change in 2009, expect a lot more posts. But 2008 still had its fair share of thought-provoking, controversial, and heart-felt posts on Employee Evolution. Here are a few of my favorites.

The hands down favorite

10 Ways Generation Y Will Change the Workforce
We have a voice, and we have the ear of the decision makers. Not bad for a group of lazy, entitled, twentysomethings. We've learned the importance of balancing work and life from our overworked parents, and we've watched our older siblings and cousins struggle with their baby boomer bosses who refuse to retire. Now we're primed to change the workplace for the better. Here's how we'll do it…

You know your company should be using social media. Don't you?

Why Every Company Should Use Social Media
Social media is changing everything. Business Week recently published an article about the power of social media and how companies are beginning to embrace it, because they really don't have a choice. Not everyone has a blog, or wants to blog, but you would be hard pressed to find many people who aren't on some type of social network. Now it's time for corporate America to follow suit and meet their potential customers on their own turf, or risk falling behind the times…

3 More New Marketing Rules for Recruiting Millennials

What I've come to realize is that recruiting and marketing are not as different as one would expect. Godin's 14 new rules for marketers capture perfectly the new rules for recruiting and retaining Gen-Y…

Why Your Company Can't Afford to Ban Social Networking
Social networking is not a fad. It's not one of those things that people think is cool for a few years and then it simply fades away. Much like the internet did, social networking and social media have changed the way the world works. We're now connected to every friend, acquaintance, girlfriend, boyfriend, and business contact that we have ever encountered – it's a powerful and even revolutionary tool…

Gen-Y is the best! Just kidding. But we are going to change the world.

Does Gen Y Really Want to Change the World?
Generation Y and activism have been braided together for some time. And while it makes me proud to say that this generation has what it takes to make improvements in the world. I wonder if we're kind of jumping the gun…

A Message to Generation X
Most of the questions I get from Human Resources and Recruiting professionals about Generation Y are the same. They are all about why this generation expects to get so much so fast, why we feel entitled to flexibility, why we think we deserve high pay immediately, and so forth. The thing that surprises me every time is that it's not the Baby Boomers who are so upset with Gen Y, it's the Gen Xers…

Generation Y: Inheriting a World That Must Be Fixed
The world, and more specifically, The United States, is screwed up right now. The House just rejected a $700 Billion rescue plan, effectively causing the largest drop in the stock market since 1987. And the word is that House members pending reelections played a major role in the rejection. You've got to be kidding me…

Forget About Generation Y. We're All to Blame for Workplace Woes
We all have a lot of similar traits that make the workplace really suck sometimes. But for some reason we're so distracted by the minor differences between us that we forget how we're all a pain in the ass sometimes. Generations aside, here are three things that will always remain the same…

7 Things to Look Past When Managing Generation Y
Managing Generation Y isn't all that different from managing anyone else. You need to demand a lot, manage a lot and respect the fact that they have a life outside of work. That being said, there are some things that Gen Y employees believe that past generations may not have thought at the same age. So for all you confused managers out there, here's a list of things you should consider accepting when it comes to managing Generation Y…

Generation Y: Here Are The Real Dues We Have to Pay
Due paying gets a bad rap because it's consistently associated with cubicles, meaningless work and low-paying jobs with little benefit. But I believe that there are other inevitable obstacles—more important ones—that we need to conquer before deciding where we stand within the working world…

Community Manager might just be the hottest new job out there. Learn a few things from one of the best, Ryan Paugh.

10 Tips for Successfully Managing Online Communities
When companies, especially startups, get caught up in the hustle of post-funding mayhem, a sturdy bridge is what will keep you aligned with your loyal, pre-funding customers. And those loyal customers are important when you're community building. It's a messy and erratic job, but somebody's gotta do it…

Why Bringing Your Online Community Offline Is So Crucial
I can't think of a more important goal to be able to meet as an online community manager. Because while we all know the Internet can be a powerful vessel for cultivating relationships, nothing beats the personal touch of face-to-face interaction…

What My Frat-Guy Years Taught Me About Building Community
But here's the deal. I learned a lot from my years as a greek. Sure, I partied hard, got up late and skipped a bunch of classes. But I spent a lot of that time building community right outside my door, in my frat. Here are few things I took away from the fuzzy, fun-filled days and nights I spent with my fraternity in college…

List Posts get a bad rap. These ones are really good though

3 Ways to Be More Professional Than You Really Are
Being thought of as a professional is not all suit and tie. It's not all about qualifications either. True professionals have an aura about them. And even though they may not completely understand every situation they're thrown into, they can navigate their way through it with little problem…

3 Ways to Appear Older Than You Really Are
While most women love to hear they look much younger than they are, it's not necessarily a good thing when you're trying to get people to invest in your start-up company. People seem to think that if you're older you have a better chance of being successful. I don't think it's true, but it's something you have to deal with as a young professional…

7 Reasons Why You Won't Be Getting a Raise This Year and What You Can Do About it
In the grand scheme of things a big raise won't make much difference in your life, but we'll all keep chasing it anyway. Maybe it's the big number, maybe it's the increased value that society places on us when we make a lot of money, or maybe we all just want more stuff. Whatever it is, everyone's gunning for that big raise. Unfortunately, most of us won't be getting anything more than the standard 3 to 6% Cost of Living Adjustment anytime soon…

8 On The Job Rules Your Unfortunately Won't Learn in College
College is a great place to learn how to work hard, party hard, and make friends. College also teaches us how to live on our own and why debt sucks. But, college doesn't teach us as much about the business world because business in the real world is more about experience, confidence and the network you build. Here are 8 business rules you didn't learn in college…

5 Steps to Never Worrying About a Job Search Again
The economy sucks right now. Every media site you go to is littered with stories about the pending doom and gloom of the job market. But the truth is, if you're young, smart and motivated, there is no reason finding a job should be difficult. You just have to put in the extra time and effort to make yourself employable…

Everybody loves a little controversy. Especially me

Is Gen-Y the First Post-Racial Generation?
The bar immediately started booing. I looked at my friend Keith and said, "Why does it have to be about race?" He shook his head and remained silent. None of us wanted this election to be about race. To us, it was never about race. It was about hope and change and the future of our country…

Death is a part of life. Unfortunately this only becomes more obvious as we grow older.

All the Little Things Really Are Important
Tragedy will happen more and more as we get older. When it does, we sit back and reflect, but unfortunately we probably forget too soon. And we go on stressing out about life. But you know what; I'm not going to forget. Maybe for an hour, maybe for a day, and maybe even for a week, I'll get wrapped up in my own head and my own worries. But somehow, I'll remind myself of Val and how she handled her hardships – real hardships, and I'll snap out of it…

Thinking about going into business with a friend? We did it. Here are a few tips before you make the big leap.

I Just Went Into Business With One of My Friends. Now What?
Every day is different. Some days are just like college. Others, we're nearly at each other's throats. Starting a business with one of your friends is an incredible experience, but if you don't prepare yourself for the unavoidable drama, it's really going to suck…

I Used to Be Terrified of Public Speaking. Now I love it. You Can Too.

6 Public Speaking Tips for the Young Professional
Its been said that the number one fear in most people's minds is the fear of public speaking. Does this mean that people would rather die or become critically injured than speak to a group? I doubt it. But standing in front of a group of people alone and vulnerable is a scary thought for most of us…

So you're sure you want to be an entrepreneur. Are you really sure?

Before You Commit to Being an Entrepreneur, Stop and Think
In hindsight, I was probably ill-prepared to make such a big commitment. Would I have made the same decision if I knew about the pressures I deal with today? Sure, but I'd certainly plan better. Preparation is key for any soon-to-be entrepreneur. Timing can be everything, and the people you work with can make you or break you. Not to mention, it's a commitment that's not easy to walk away from…