"Keep the blinders off..."

This was the overall theme of the talk Drew Lachey gave on campus last night...

BSG (who is being extremely generous and bringing a lot of great performers to campus this semester and charging us next to nothing to attend) sponsored a talk given by Drew Lachey. Drew, as you probably know, is a former member of 98 Degrees, winner of Season Two of Dancing With the Stars, and a two time Broadway performer (Rent and Spamalot). This was a dream come true for me...I remember being in middle school when all of my friends and I were obsessed with 98 Degrees...

I thought I would be completely star struck when I saw him, but was amazed at how "normal" he was. The small audience made for a relaxed and casual setting. Drew walked in wearing jeans and a button-down shirt, took his phone and wallet out of his pocket and tossed them on the stage behind him, stood on the ground in front of the stage, and started talking about what he had just read in The Stylus. He spoke about his career and how he had gotten to where he is today. What struck me the most was how humble he was. Fame and spotlight haven't gotten to his head, and he made it clear that the "Hollywood lifestyle" isn't what he lives by, saying that your family and friends are what life is about, not your career.

So, I know it's taken me long enough to get back to relating the title of this post to my rambling. The most influential part of his talk dealt with setting goals while keeping an open mind. Drew noted that the most successful parts of his career (98 Degrees, Dancing with the Starts, etc) were opportunities that arised while he was pursuing other goals. He asked us to "keep the blinders off" and too not get so focused on planning everything out that we miss the opportunities that arise. Drew even quoted John Lennon by saying, "Life is what happens when you are busy planning other things".

I think this is a lesson we can all learn from. Sometimes we get wrapped up in making plans and setting goals, thinking that we need to be proactive in order to get opportunities, that we neglect to see the opportunities around us. The little insignificant things we do or interactions we have could lead us to the biggest opportunities...

So all in all it was a very successful and enjoyable night for me. I got my cd (that was a birthday present about ten years ago) autographed, a picture with Drew, and some really great advice for planning my career and accomplishing my goals.

Job and Internship Fair

Spring will be here (officially) in two days...Thankfully, that means that the weather should be getting nicer and that our semester is half over!! But, it also means that job and internship searches should be well underway.

Lucky for us, Brockport Career Services is always looking out for us! They have planned a Job and Internship Fair. Dozens of employers will be in the Union Ballroom on April 8th from noon until 2 pm waiting to talk to you and take your resumes! All of the employers attending are looking to hire students for internships or jobs.

So, this all means that you have about two weeks to polish your resume and get ready for the J&I Fair. Online at www.brockport.edu/career you will find a list of the employers that will be attending. Look through the list before April 8th and do a little research on the companies that you want to talk too. That way you'll impress the employers because you'll have your resume ready to go, you'll be knowledgable about their company, and of course...you'll be dressed appropriately and professionally!

Optimal Resume

I agree that the title of 'Optimal Resume' can be misleading. I have had a few people ask me if there is more to the program than just resumes. The answer is YES! Optimal resume can help you create a sparkling cover letter to keep your resume company. It also has the capability to post your resume on a private website so employers can access it directly on the web...it looks pretty snazzy too!

I will admit that I have been using Optimal Resume to perfect my resume since September, but just used it to format a new cover letter about a month ago. I was amazed with how professional it looked. I had been content with my previous cover letter...that was until I saw the one I created using Optimal Resume. The program also gives you a brief description of the kinds of information that you should include in each paragraph.

Play around with the website feature as well. As you create your website there are little sidebars, where you can add additional information that will be placed on your web version. This is useful so when employers click on the links, they are given more details about you and the positions you've held.

Who knew formatting resumes and cover letters could be anything but a dreadful task...

Network, network, and then network some more...

Network...upon arriving at college, this word is one that we hear over and over again. For me at least, the idea of networking is a little awkward and uncomfortable. How do you network? What should you say? Who should you network with? Why should I ask someone I barely know for help or advice?

When professionals are asked how they landed internships and jobs the answer is often through networking. One contact leads to another.

Thankfully, this whole process is becoming easier for me this year. I have begun to network without even meaning to. So, if you are new to this whole process, just start small. Think about the position or opportunity you are looking for. Then contact one person that you know in a related field...they may not be able to help directly, but could lead you to someone else. For example, last Spring I realized that I needed some contacts in the Entertainment Business. My dad contacted the daughter of one of his colleagues, she had majored in Film, to see if she had any advice for me. She happened to work with a local Film Festival, so she put me in contact with the woman in charge of the Festival, who put me in contact with the Volunteer Coordinator, who wants me to intern in the office this spring! See, pretty easy!

In another post, I talked about my most recent project designing costumes for a play in Tower. The professor in charge of internships in my department put me in contact with an alum who advised me to contact the costume designer in the Theatre dept. From that, I was asked to work on the play, and have since been able to meet a bunch of new contacts.

If you don't have any personal contacts, that's ok too. You just need to be creative. Facebook and the internet can be a good tool here! Last week I was searching for theatre groups in the Rochester area to see if there were any volunteer opportunities. Facebook linked me to one company's website where I found out that two of the co-founders have ties to Brockport. So, just doing some research can put you ahead.

Professors are willing to help...so ask, even if you don't know them directly. If they see that a student is reaching out and taking charge, they'll probably do what they can to help.

One last thing to remember, if you are given the name of another person to contact, mention the person who directed you to them. If a person knows you were personally referred to them, they may be more likely to help you!

Festival of Ten

Midterms are, unfortunately, almost here...which means for the next week we are going to be stuck inside studying...or out feeling guilty because we know we should be studying.

But, make time this weekend to go to Tower and see The Festival of Ten. The performance is a collection of ten plays, each ten minutes long. They are funny, serious, and full of emotion. You'll be glad you went! There are performances Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30.

So, don't let midterms get in the way too much. Take advantage of all of the different events on campus.