Page Ranks High

Larry Page will become CEO of Google on April 4^th and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for the company.

My love affair with Google began in my second year of University when my New Media professor had asked us to select a book from the list he had provided for a reading assignment. As I scanned the list, David A. Vise’s The Google Story caught my eye. Little did I know that it would quickly become the best book that I have read to this day. Larry Page and Sergey Brin are beyond inspirational. I’m amazed that two young men were able to transform the way we access information. In the past, skilled researchers were the only ones who could extract information from the Internet. How far things have come thanks to Google!

If you haven’t yet read The Google Story, I highly recommend you do. In celebration of Google’s next chapter, I have put together a few facts that you may not have known about the search engine’s early days.

•  Google was started as a research project while the guys were attending Stanford University.
• When Brin and Page pitched their idea to existing search engines, every single one refused.
• Google’s growth took place entirely by word of mouth instead of advertising.
• The co-founders had avoided going public as long as they could because they wanted to keep their modest lifestyles.
• The Google boys accepted a joint investment from Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins who each invested 12.5 million dollars into Google.
• Many Microsoft employees, including the most significant technologists, left Microsoft to join Google’s team. 

Have you read any inspirational books about a person, company or brand? I think my next read is going to be Richard Branson’s autobiography.

Organize Your Job Search

Over the past couple of years I have done contract work in various communication positions. What’s great about this is that I get to "try on" various jobs which have helped me better understand what it is that I’m looking for in a career.

(Corbis)

However, there is a downside to taking on contract after contract. I have found myself looking for work much more often than the average person. Anyone who has ever done a job search knows that it can be downright exhausting!  In order to minimize my stress level and stay organized, I created an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my search. Being organized during your job search can enhance your chances of landing that dream job. What's great about a spreadsheet is that it's simple to create and maintain. Here is how I went about building my spreadsheet:

1. Start by making a list of all the organizations that you would like to work for. Insert the names of the organizations in the first column (Company name).

2. In the next column (Contact info) add the contact information of the department executive or the HR person that you will contact about a position. Make sure that you contact the person who is in a position to hire you.

3. In the next column (Follow-up) I indicate if the person has gotten back to me or whether or not I've contacted them to follow-up on my application

4. When you land an interview you may choose to keep track of the details in your spreadsheet. Who did you interview with? How did it go? Do you still think that you are a good fit for the organization?

If you find that maintaining your spreadsheet gets too exhausting over the course of your search, you may want to look into online tools such as JibberJobber.

Do you keep track of your job search? Do you have any tips that can help others make their job search less stressful?

Go Beyond The Listing and Other Apartment Hunting Tips

In my previous post I told you that David (Boyfriend agreed to be mentioned by name) and I recently signed the lease for a new apartment. I’m not a professional apartment hunter but I have had quite a bit of experience searching for apartments over the past few years. I also have a terrible addiction to HGTV and have probably seen every episode of “For Rent”. Does that make me credible enough? Probably not, but here are some tips that you may want to consider during your own hunt:

Have a plan

Know exactly what you’re looking for before you start your search. This way you can eliminate any listings that don’t suit your needs and you’ll avoid wasting your time with viewings. Some things to ask yourself: Do you want a place with character in a heritage building or a newer unit in a high rise? Is there laundry on site or are you willing to spend a couple of hours a week at the Laundromat? Is the price within your budget and are utilities included? Do you want your new apartment to be located near your school/work or are you willing to rely on transit?

Go beyond the listing

Don’t shy away from listings that don’t include pictures. I’ve found that pictures are at times outdated or make the place look bigger than it actually is. Also, during our recent search we noticed that many listings indicated “no dogs”. Often we would view the place regardless and found that once we brought it up, the landlords admitted that it wasn't a deal breaker. 

Get an early start but act fast

Starting your search early will give you time to look at a few places without having to jump at the first thing you see.  I found that getting the chance to view different apartments gave us a better idea of what we like and don’t like. However once you find an apartment that you like, I suggest you ask for the application during the viewing and get it back to the landlord ASAP.  If you don’t act fast, chances are that by the time you follow up, the place will be rented out to someone who did.

We have big decorating plans for our new place so I will be sure to post before and after pics!

Do you have apartment hunting tips?

For Rent

If you follow me on Twitter you most likely know that I have been apartment hunting over the past few months. Now that Boyfriend and I are young professionals, we decided to kick our living space up a notch.

Trust me when I say that during our search, we’ve seen it all! Too small, too sketchy, too pricy, not enough natural light, no pets, no laundry… Just when we were about to give up hope, we stumbled upon a potential candidate. (Okay, not exactly “stumbled upon”.  Boyfriend and I have been relentlessly stalking Kijiji and Craigslist.)

The moment we walked through the door, I knew that this young professional couple and their furry friend were going to be very happy living there. Within a day we filled in the application, signed the lease and jumped for joy. The search is finally over!

In my next post I’m going to share some tips that you may want to consider during your own apartment hunt.

Please leave a comment to tell me about your own apartment hunt!

Working Portfolio

Many job interviewers like to stick to a script and ask typical questions such as "Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses".  Sure these questions are important, yet I'm guessing that most people give similar answers. What will make you stick out from the competition during an interview is the way that you present yourself and your previous experience. The professional portfolio will help you achieve just this.

I started building my portfolio during my very first student internship. I made sure to keep every blurb, press release and report that I created. Much like my career, my portfolio constantly evolves and I make sure to work on it even when I’m not searching for work. The trick to keeping your portfolio organized and relevant is to have a master portfolio where you keep all samples of your work. This way you can select the pieces that best suit the position that you're interviewing for.

What should be included in your portfolio?
Really any work samples relevant to your field. If you work in PR this includes writing samples, campaigns, media relation activities, etc. You can also add samples of your volunteer work, school projects and transcripts.

There are many ways to assemble your portfolio. I like to switch it up every once in a while with new sections and themes. However, the best advice that I can give you is be creative because your career portfolio should reflect your personality.

During the interview, use your portfolio to support your answers. For example if the interviewer asks : "How do you prepare before taking on a big project?" you can give your explanation all while giving them concrete samples of work plans and strategies.  Having these examples handy will likely make you more confident during the interview.

I would love to hear about your working portfolio!