Tuesday Theory

I have a theory. A Tuesday theory. I have decided to share my theory with the blogosphere on this fine Tuesday morning, so here it goes.

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are always good days because they are part of the blissful weekend.

Thursdays are the days before Fridays so the mood is generally optimistic considering you are on the eve of the weekend. Kind of like Christmas Eve, not quite there yet, but close enough to be excited!

Wednesdays are the "hump days" and you are able to take comfort in the fact that you are half way done with the week. These days can be long days, but still manageable.

Mondays are tough. However, I would argue that on Mondays the feel of the previous weekend is still fresh in your memory making the dreaded wake-up-alarm on Mondays manageable, not likable, but manageable.

And then there's Tuesday. Tuesdays leave you with no memory of the weekend past and it is still too soon to visualize the weekend to come. Tuesdays are the toughest days of the week in my opinion. Despite comments that claim Tuesdays to be the most productive day of the week, they are still in fact doomed by my oh-so-wise Tuesday Theory.

Happy Tuesday everyone! :)

Small Town Girl Meets Big-ish City

It had to happen sometime. I knew that I would eventually have to step out of my small-town comfort zone and enter the Big City Girl mentality. Public Relations is not generally a field that can be easily pursued in the small-town atmosphere.

For those of you who are curious as to just how small-town I'm talking, well I'm talking total population of roughly 6,764. We are the Dairy Capital of Georgia, and I lived 15 miles away from the nearest "city." The biggest claim to fame our city boasts is that it was the birth place of Alice Walker and Joel Chandler Harris.

Now that you have a better understanding of my background you may be better able to appreciate my apprehension about moving (alone I might add) to Atlanta. I have had a stepping stone in my journey towards big-citydom, which is Athens, GA. Home of the Bulldogs, the Classic City, the perfect place for small town people to get away from small town talk (although some get a bit carried away with their new found freedom).

But graduation came all too quickly and here I am again looking to relocate. Except this time I need bigger than Athens. I need as big as Georgia has to offer...and that's why I need Atlanta. One of the main reasons I've decided that I must relocate to the Big City (big-ish really, let's be honest it's no NYC) in pursuit of a reliable, full-time, benefit-paying, dream-fulfilling J-O-B. It has become increasingly apparent on most of the positions I have applied for that the employers post statements such as "local residents only," "no relocation," and "must be within in 15 miles to be considered."

Comments such as those, coupled with the advice of everyone I've worked with/talked to here in Atlanta is what has led me to my decision to make the big move (much to my small-town parents' distress).

However, do not fear! The small-town girl in me is still alive and well, and has swayed my big-city dreams to settle in a small-town environment within the city. Vinings is a quaint little area of Atlanta located near Smyrna with a population of 9,677. A bit larger than my small-town roots, but still small enough to keep that part of me satisfied.

I'm very excited about the move and about the opportunities that may arise as a result. Keep me posted on any job openings you may hear of or any fun things to do in the area! Big City here I come :)

A Job in itself: The Job Search

As a recent graduate with degrees in Public Relations and Philosophy I have been faced with the seeming impossible task of finding a job in this economy. Like most people in my situation I have struggled to compete with the hundreds of individuals who are actively pursuing employment.

My personal theory is that there are so many people in today's market who have been laid off their jobs after having worked for years. This trend in lay-offs is no secret, but what some people may not consider is the fact that for those companies that ARE hiring, a person with more experience who is willing to work for less money is quite the deal. This leaves the poor lowly recent grads no where to turn as the "entry-level" jobs are snatched up by above-entry-level professionals.

Despite the gloomy setting in which my career hunt has begun, there has been an increase in helpful hints and advice for the unemployed. While browsing Twitter I ran across this post in regards to Optimizing Your Online Job Search and found all of the tips useful in terms of turning the unemployed status to employed. (See number 4 in the post and you'll understand my eagerness to perk up my blog) :) I am very thankful to people like this who are willing to offer their input in order to contribute to the advancement of strangers' careers.

Luckily I have been able to remain employed since my journey through the arches. I am wrapping up a PR/Event Planning internship with the Hinman Dental Society, and am now moving on to hopefully even more exciting adventures in the real world. Initially I believed that I would graduate from college and have my dream job in 6 months time, however that really was just a dream! I have found that at times it you must take very small (maybe even frustrating) baby-steps before making that leap into full-time professional life (especially with the economy the way it is now).

My advice would be to try picking up a few part time jobs or internships. As a colleague of mine once said, "No experience is bad experience." And who knows the people you could meet while working a part-time job for a few months! Already I have truly come to appreciate the power of networking and the opportunities it has to offer. Below I will list some sites that I find useful.

• PRSA Job Center
• ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership
• Meeting Professionals International (MPI)
• International Special Events Society
• Craig's List -- I know this sounds surprising, but Craig's List can be a useful resource if used wisely.
  

Just a reminder, continue to be careful when applying to any job, and be sure to research the company thoroughly before jumping into something head-first and blind.

Good luck to you all!