Not according to a recent segment on WNYC’s On The Media, which suggested that often-quoted 85 percent is not a reliable statistic.

The show featured an interview with Politifact’s Louis Jacobson, who dug deep to source the statistic and verify its accuracy. His findings are described in this post.

The 85 percent statistic, which has been cited by CNN, Time and other reputable outlets, was originally provided by the company Twentysomething (its website was taken down, but an archived version is available here). Jacobson says:

Journalists were content to copy a number from other news reports without verifying it — or even asking when the survey was conducted.

If the reporters had looked deeper, they would have found some oddities about the firm that claimed to have conducted the survey, a Philadelphia-area company called Twentysomething. The company’s website had an impressive list of staffers, but when we checked on them, we found several who either didn’t work for the company or appeared to be fictional.

Politifact spoke with Twentysomething President David A. Morrison in the Bahamas. “He said the company went out of business a few years ago and that the survey is now out of date. He answered some of our questions but then ended the call, asking us not to contact him again,” Jacobson notes.

As for the number of students who actually move home, it’s probably way lower than 85 percent, Jacobson says:

Based on our research, we can’t confirm the validity of the survey because we haven’t see any details about it and Morrison declined to provide them. We rated the claim False because Morrison said the number was based on a survey done “many years ago” and that economists have said Obama has had limited impact on the economy so can’t reasonably be blamed for boomerang kids. Also, a study released by the Pew Research Center before the Crossroads ad appeared found rates no higher than about 40 percent, and possibly lower, depending on what age range is included in the data.

Listen to the On The Media segment here:

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The post Hey, Have You Seen This? Common ‘Boomerang Generation’ Statistic Debunked appeared first on Brazen Life.

Over at The Next Web, Nancy Messieh describes Jeanne’s campaign:

Each pin introduces a point about Jeanne, detailing her skills, education, experience, achievements, and even her Klout score. Pinterest isn’t the only online tool she’s used to put together her ‘social media’ resume. Items which require more explanation lead to a post on her Tumblr blog.

No word from Pinterest so far, but Jeanne’s campaign has already caught the eye of Francisco Guerrero, founder of the Pinterest analytics site Pintics. “Based on this she totally should at least get a call from Pinterest,” he says, adding that he’d bring her on as Vice President of Marketing at Pintics if things with Pinterest don’t work out.

Yet more proof that social campaigns aimed at attracting attention from employers do work. Guess we’ll have to add this to the list of ways you can use Pinterest to wow your dream employer!

In true social style, Jeanne is sharing the results of her campaign on Tumblr if you want to follow along.

What do you think of Jeanne’s campaign?

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The post Hey, Have You Seen This? Pinterest User Turns Board Into Resume, Lands Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

Let me guess, you think headphones help you focus on your work and make you less likely to get distracted, right?

Listening to tunes at work might be a good way to zero in on the task at hand, but it removes you from “informal office life,” harms your ability to learn on the job and reduces the opportunity to make important connections, according to the writer Anne Kreamer, who was the worldwide creative director for Nickelodean in the ’90s.

She points to the account of one young professional who said when co-workers want to talk, they’ll send a deliberate signal. “I’ve never missed something urgent, usually just part of a conversation that was going on in the office,” the young worker said.

And that’s where Kreamer has a problem. In a Harvard Business Review blog post, she writes:

Precisely. It’s just that kind of loss of daily osmotic information exchange and collaborative bonding that ought to concern 21st century employees and employers. It’s about information exchange, resource exchange, idea generation and on and on. If an employee is glued to her desk with headphones on, immersed in music and G-chatting with her best buddy, she is missing the opportunity to create relationships with people on the job who might be launching a project for which she’d be perfect, or who’s kicking around the idea to launch a new firm that needs precisely her talents. It’s a huge and real loss in terms of career development.

Organizations also lose out on the opportunity to tap into fresh ideas, she writes:

Because actionable cultural knowledge is now so diffuse, to remain competitive companies need all employees to bring fresh thinking into the workplace. Imagine an employee who happened, say, to be the roommate of someone launching a startup in 2010, and missed out on overhearing a colleague ask if “anyone knows anything about this new app that colorizes photographs so they look old-fashioned” — extreme, yes, but even short of missing out on an early partnership with Instagram, every company must be configured to into tap a workforce’s collective informal knowledge base as much as possible.

So what’s a modern employee to do — especially if you’re in an open plan office and your neighbor is munching on chips while you’re crashing on a report for your boss?

Kreamer says “employees and organizations should be helped to understand what’s being lost in the process of mindless, unplanned mass capitulation to the machines.” That means creating company cultures that “encourage physical interaction” through intimate lunches or group activities like an Oscar pool. And yep, it probably means taking off your headphones — at least some of the time.

Do you agree? Are you missing out by listening to your headphones?

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The post Hey, Have You Seen This? The Case For Tossing Your Headphones at Work appeared first on Brazen Life.

Her win makes her “the second-youngest winner of a Pulitzer in the award’s history,” according to The Sports Xchange/Chicago Tribune. Not bad for a 2008 Penn State grad.

When the prizes were announced on Monday, Sara — who has worked at the Patriot-News since January 2011 — was standing in the newspaper’s Harrisburg, Pa., office in her pink socks, according to Matthew DeLuca of The Daily Beast. DeLuca reports:

The 24-year-old crime reporter, who beat the nation’s sports journalists to the scoop of the year, the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal, had become one of the youngest-ever recipients of a Pulitzer Prize. It was the first ever for the 157-year-old Patriot-News.

The honor was the result of countless 60-hour weeks of the kind of shoe-leather journalism that has many admirers but few practitioners. The enterprising Ganim, who keeps a police scanner on her bedside table, will be called a wunderkind, tenacious, the first of a new generation of newshounds with grit and gumption.

So what does a “wunderkind” reporter sound like? Watch this video of Sara explaining her work on the Sandusky story:

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The post Hey, Have You Seen This? 24-Year-Old Wins Pulitzer Prize appeared first on Brazen Life.

You probably thought how nice it would have been to just get an acknowledgement that a person actually received your application. Heck, I bet you even would have appreciated a rejection letter! You applied because you felt certain you were well qualified for the job, so it would be kind of helpful to know why you didn’t even get an interview.

Be careful what you wish for.

A hiring manager recently did just that — he emailed the people who applied — and were not selected — for a web writing position. The emails weren’t personalized though, he identified 42 pieces of advice after screening 900+ applications and BCC’d all the applicants who did not get the job.

Gawker published the full email, which it received from a rejected applicant who said he didn’t consider the hiring manager’s manifesto helpful.

Here are some excerpts from the email:

This dude’s very first tip is to basically be good at what you do.

Do be a badass.
I actually hired one of the 900+ applicants within minutes of reading his application. He writes for a popular site that I’m a huge fan of and is a terrifically talented writer. After I first read his email, I looked up his writing and found a lot of articles that I have enjoyed over the years. I replied back asking if he’d like to work for us. Later that day, his friend and colleague applied and was similarly insta-hired. These two guys are dream hires for us (don’t tell them that though, don’t want them to get cocky around the virtual office) and it was easy to pull the trigger and bring them on board quickly.

A lot of those applicants who passed into the second round have experience writing for outlets like the New York Times, the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, CNN, MNN, and Mashable. When I saw a portfolio link from sites like that, I quickly added the writer to the second round list and moved on to the next new application. A prominent portfolio link won’t get you hired by us, but it will earn you a closer consideration.

This is actually good advice…

Don’t talk yourself into being filtered out.
An application email is not the place for over-zealous humble self-awareness. Some of you lead your email saying that while that you may not be the greatest writer or have any experience in clean technology or an English degree or even ever blogged before, that you are ready to prove yourself with your hard work and perseverance. While I appreciate the admission of not being the perfect candidate, you don’t want that to be the first thing you tell me if you want me to hire you. It shouldn’t be the third or ninth either. Talk about your strengths, not your weaknesses. Let your work speak for you.

Haha, Gawker is funny!

Don’t use the word “passionate”. [Ed. note: DO keep your punctuation inside your quotation marks.]
It’s entirely over-used. Don’t say you have a passion for something or are passionate about a topic. “Ever since I can remember” and “Ever since I was a little kid” showed up a lot too.

What do you think? Is the email helpful or annoying?

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The post Hey, Have You Seen This? Hiring Manager Email to Rejected Job Applicants appeared first on Brazen Life.

Now that changing jobs frequently is increasingly more common, we need new language to describe the phenomenon — “job hopping” doesn’t always cut it.

“The average American changes jobs once every three years; those under the age of 30 change jobs once a year,” writes Richard Florida, an expert on demographic trends.

It’s clear, lots of people are “job hopping” despite its often negative connotation.

Here’s the problem. The term “job hopping” conjures the image of a person balancing on one leg, springing from one place to another. Using only one leg to get around isn’t the most stable way to move, so the implication is that the hopper is shaky, maybe even haphazard.

That doesn’t paint an accurate picture of most “job hoppers.”

My impression — informed by conversations with friends and other job seekers in their 20s — is that most “job hoppers” think very carefully about their transitions and their career trajectories in general.

In fact, many don’t aim to make so many professional moves, but it ends up being the best way to propel their careers forward. They switch frequently because it’s fairly easy to move around when you’re young, and they want to make sure they’re in a job that challenges them and rewards their talents. To achieve that, you have to try things out and learn about yourself and different work environments.

These people who’ve had four different jobs over six years — or whatever the case may be — aren’t carelessly “job hopping,” they’ve elected to undergo a “professional pivot.” So we should call it that.

You hear about pivots all the time from entrepreneurs and people in the startup world. The concept was made popular by Eric Ries, author of “The Lean Startup.” Ries advises a company to test and measure a basic version of its product or service. If the results don’t show that the effort is helping the company grow, it’s time to pivot.

When a company pivots, that’s a reflection that it’s learning. If something doesn’t work, startup employees identify why it didn’t work and then refine their approach based on what they know. There’s a big emphasis on learning by doing.

So-called “job hoppers” are using this approach, recognizing that sometimes it takes a lot of learning — and different experiences — to figure out where to go.

In The Startup of You, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman (here’s his LinkedIn profile if you’re curious) and entrepreneur Ben Casnocha spend an entire chapter on the importance of adaptation — noting how Flickr, the popular photo sharing website, originally started out as an online game. They point to the story of Flickr as a “case study in smart adapting: its founders were in constant motion early on, tried many things to see what would work, and nimbly shifted their plans based on what they learned.” Reid and Casnocha are correct: “These are the very same strategies that define some of the most inspiring careers.”

Of course, sometimes frequent job changing is indicative of deeper issues. Yes, it can mean that a person is unreliable or impulsive. In these cases, it would be appropriate to say the person is approaching their career with little strategy or purpose.

But that’s just not the right explanation most of the time. That’s why we should have more nuanced discussions about frequent job changes. We should use expressions that accurately describe what we mean and distinguish those who “pivot” — even if they do it very often — from those who are just “job hopping.”

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found helping clients with social media, writing about global health and media, or tweeting.

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The post Why It’s Time to Change the Way We Talk About Job Hopping appeared first on Brazen Life.

If you’re Alex Field, you hold onto the job, make the move and work with your employer to find a good arrangement for working from a different city.

Field, 27, has been working at Burness Communications just outside Washington, D.C. since 2006. After his girlfriend was laid off from her job in 2008, she found a new gig — in New York. So Field went back and forth between D.C. and New York for two years. But just as he was getting involved in some super exciting things at work and moving into a new management role, the weekly D.C.-New York weekend trek was really starting to get to him.

In this interview, he explains the process of making the move without taking a step back from a job and company he loves.

When did you start working at Burness Communications? How did you find the job?

I started at Burness in the summer of 2006 and I came on as an entry-level coordinator on the health policy team. I found Burness through a nonprofit I was working for in Chapel Hill that was a grantee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The communications director I worked with there knew Burness well. I wanted to move to D.C., and so he helped connect me with Burness.

How did you go from your entry-level position to your current role as a strategist and manager for the company’s digital branch?

Every project I touched [when I first started at Burness] ended up digital. Whether it was their website or helping them start social media, or webinars. Any time there was a project related to digital, I ended up doing that piece. I was also doing traditional PR at the same time. I was reaching out to media and doing blog lists, clips — all those things you do when you’re 22 at a PR firm. I quickly saw a need to do more digital projects, and loved doing it so I did as much as of it as I could and I tried to get myself on to the projects where I’d have the most opportunity to do it.

A lot of people at the company started having conversations [about digital]. People were coming and saying: we need more of this. We’d have our company retreats and a close colleague and I would lead sessions on digital and social media. I was still on the health policy team, but I was thinking about more and more of this. Andy [Burness, the president and founder of the company] and I said, this should happen, what would it look like? And I went off and wrote a plan that said what it would look like: These are the clients we think we could do digital for, this is what the team could grow into, this is why we think we need it. We worked on the details and then we started it [officially in 2010].

Alex Field of BurnessDigital

How did the topic of moving cities and working remotely first come up?

So in October of 2010, Andy and I are driving through rural Pennsylvania in a snow storm. We were returning from a client meeting. We’re driving along and talking about the fact that I’m going back and forth [to visit my girlfriend in New York] and what that was like. He said to me: well what if you moved to New York and came here a couple of days a week? He just proposed it. I said, that sounds complicated! But promising, and I feel like there is a nugget of a solution to the problem of long distance. So he said we’d keep talking about it.

Wow, nothing like the boss suggesting it! It’s like that hard part was already done. Before that car trip, had you spoken to your boss about wanting to move?

He and I talk a lot and he knew that I wanted to be in New York somehow. We had talked about it in a “it’s a pain to commute and wouldn’t it be nice if I lived in New York” kind of way, but not in a constructive, “how would we make this happen?” kind of way. This was the first conversation where we talked about how it might work.

Between that conversation in the car and when I actually made the move, I worked remotely a few times when I went into New York for the weekend. So I’d work remotely on a Monday or a Friday so I’d have an extra day there and we could try this out.

So what happened after the conversation in the car?

Shortly thereafter, I hired two new people for the BurnessDigital team. One person was leaving, so I was really trying to get the team together and get everything organized. And then I started planning. I wrote up a plan for him of how it would work. I’d be in the office as much as I could. I’d be in D.C. three days a week. I’d leave on the train [from New York] on Tuesday mornings, I’d come back on Thursday nights, so I’d spend five nights in New York. I’d be totally flexible. If I had a client meeting, I could stay an extra day or whatever. And I’d also work it out so that I was totally accessible. We’d figure out the technologies so that I could be easily accessible via Skype. I’d have a work phone [in New York] set up with my office phone — they both ring at the same time.

How did you go about putting together a plan for working remotely?

We have a bunch of people who work remotely for Burness, even one of the people on my team works full-time remotely from Philadelphia. So I got their tips, which was: make sure you’re responsive, make sure you’re accessible. So I talked to them and I also started reading Lifehacker-type blogs and things about how people have successfully worked from home [ed note: here's a great Brazen post on the topic] and what makes them successful at it, and I incorporated some of that language into the plan I wrote.

We also had to work on the finances. I did research on how I could take the train. There’s a 10-trip Amtrak pass you can buy, which would not only bring the cost down, but would also give me the flexibility to just get on any train any time without making a reservation. It would save a lot of money if I just needed to hop on it to go to a client meeting I didn’t expect … so all that cost information was included.

How long did the research take? Was it longer than you expected?

No. I had total support from Andy and I really just needed to get something down in writing. I think the slowest part of all of this was me just getting my act together, and making sure for me — for my relationship — for my team, for everything, just making sure it was the right move. It was a big move for me. I wasn’t trying to move as fast as possible — I was trying to be really thoughtful about it. I wanted to keep momentum with growing my team, have a good clean break with the city I’d been in for five and a half years — so I took my time. It took about a year from the conversation in the car until this new arrangement started.

Did you consider looking for another job in New York?

I love my job at Burness. I said to my girlfriend, the only way [moving] is going to work for me, is if I get to stay with this job that I really love. That’s the honest truth. I was in the middle of building a team I was really excited about and doing work that was challenging to me, so the time was definitely not right to make a move [to a new company].

How are things playing out? Has anything unanticipated come up since you moved?

I’ve been in the office a little bit more than the plan spelled out. I think that’s natural. I think I was more worried about not being around, and the plan reflects that. I thought there might be a little more negative reaction to it, but everyone has been super supportive, and it has gone smoothly. From a work perspective, I feel like I’ve been able to be more effective. It gives me a chance two days a week to do the writing and the thoughtful work that I need to do and I pack my three days in DC with meetings and the face-to-face stuff. It’s a nice balance for me.

For someone who is thinking about approaching their employer about working remotely, what would you advise?

Just like when you’re trying to convince someone of any idea, I think you need to find out what it is that is going to motivate [the decision maker] to be on your side. And what are the potential issues and questions that they may raise? You need to think it through. In my case, it was telling my boss — who knows me and my girlfriend really well — that I need balance in my life. I really love this job and this company and I need to figure out a way to do this, and that was the motivator to have him help me. With other companies, it might be much more about cost and hours and productivity.

You also have to be blunt that this is an experiment. That’s what I did. I said if it doesn’t work in six months, let’s get together, and if we need to pull the plug on the whole thing we can.

You need to stick with it. You have to believe yourself that this is the right move.

Keep in mind, if you do this and you have a schedule that fluctuates all the time and people never know how to find you, that can be frustrating for people. But as long as you’re upfront about what it is going to be and you do your best to stick to it, I think it can really work.

Do you think you need to be with a company for at least a certain period of time before working something like this out with an employer?

It’s one of those “you’ll know it when you know it” sort of things. It’s about relationships and your role in the company. I wouldn’t do it in the first year or two, but it totally depends on the size and scope of the company and your roles there. You just need to be passionate about the company. You need to feel like you contribute enough to the company that it would be worth it for them to make sacrifices themselves to keep you on board. In my situation, it costs Burness money, it would certainly be easier if I just stayed in D.C. and kept coming to the office each day.

Any final thoughts for the people reading this who want to set up a similar arrangement with their employer?

Buy good slippers if you work from home [laughs].

If you do it the right way and you make the effort to get buy in from everybody, you’ll be surprised how supportive people can be of making a move that is important to you in your personal life and finding balance. People appreciate that. If you do it the right way, you’ll be surprised at the support you will get.

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found writing or tweeting about obscure diseases or media trends.

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The post Secrets Exposed: How Did You Convince Your Employer To Let You Work Remotely? appeared first on Brazen Life.

Gotta love this stuff! Damn You Autocorrect. First World Problems. White Whine. Business Cat. In no particular order, here are some of funniest bits of content from these memes (and others) that relate to young professional life:

Got your own #GenYProblems or FML to share? Please add it in the comments!

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found writing or tweeting about obscure diseases or media trends.

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The post 15 Hilarious Work-Related Memes appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to people who have amazing jobs, are doing something really cool, or have a neat tip or story to share, and we ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

Have you ever been stuck in a meeting that just makes you want to scream from boredom or frustration? Like lift your butt-off-the-chair-and-roar type of thing?

The good news: meetings don’t have to be that way. The maybe not-so-good news: you have to be bold enough to actually do something about it.

To learn exactly how to make meetings a less dreaded experience, I interviewed Jon Petz, a time management expert who is the author of “Boring Meetings Suck.”

As a corporate executive, Jon started thinking about meeting efficiency because he couldn’t stand boring meetings. In fact, he stopped attending meetings all together. When some of his coworkers challenged him to run a meeting he’d actually like to attend, Jon came up with ground rules and ran his first productive meeting. He refined his ideas even more and eventually left his job to work on this full time. These days, he helps other companies improve their meetings and also works as a motivational speaker and magician.

In the podcast, Jon discusses his unique career path (hey, I’d never met anyone who has done this before!) and provides some excellent tips on how to have productive meetings — even when you’re the youngest person in the room. To get a flavor of his approach, here are five components every meeting should have, according to Jon:

1. Meetings must have a clear focus. The first five minutes is dedicated to stating the clear objective and desired outcome of the meeting.
2. Meetings shall not be held to just review material. Materials shall be reviewed before any meetings are held. If material has not been reviewed, then no meeting shall be held. If the material has not been reviewed at the time the meeting begins, then the meeting shall be cancelled and rescheduled.
3. Meeting shall be used to resolve, develop and interact creatively and amicably.
4. Meeting presenters are not allowed to prepare in FRONT of the audience. They must come prepared or not come at all.
5. NEVER ask or allow “What did I miss?” Do not let stragglers commandeer control of the floor. Do not aggravate, punish and disrespect the other people in your conference. Do not rehash what has already been discussed.

Just hit play below or download it later to hear more about how to make meetings suck less. And if you’ve got any tips on how to manage effective meetings, let us know in the comments!

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The post Meeting Hacks To Fire Up Your Productivity appeared first on Brazen Life.

“We have been giving careful consideration to our policy for some time, and we are changing it to apply the good-faith payment to the customers’ balance after they resume a track record of on-time payments,” Patricia Christel, a spokesperson for Sallie Mae, told Brazen Life in an email.

Previously, when recent grad (or not-so-recent; we know how long those loans last!) took advantage of forbearance — which allows you to suspend or reduce your student loan payments under certain circumstances and for up to one year at a time — it required a fee of $50. Now that fee will go toward the payee’s balance.

The change will be retroactive to private loan forbearances granted on or after Jan. 1. Christel did not respond to a question about how the new policy would affect Stef Gray, the recent college grad who started the petition.

A previous Brazen Life post covered Gray’s motivation to launch the petition:

“I refuse to borrow $300 (for the fees) from friends and family … just to line Sallie Mae’s pockets,” said Gray, who received her M.A. in Geography from Hunter College this past May.

After graduation and a short stint as a temp, Gray found herself staring at mounds of private student loans. With no full-time job or cosigners (her parents passed away before she went to college), Gray chose to go into forbearance on her Sallie Mae loans — an arrangement that permits her to suspend payments, though the loan still accrues interest.

Are you swimming in student debt? Check out these 10 tips for zapping student loan debt, or let us know in the comments how we can help you better navigate this increasingly monumental problem.

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The post Sallie Mae Walks Back Student Loan Forbearance Policy [NEWS] appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

This certainly isn’t the first time someone has pointed out the similarities between dating and the job hunt. But the comparison is just so apt!

So when I learned about A Little Nudge, Erika Ettin’s online dating business, I knew her experience helping people find love would give her an interesting take on job search and personal branding topics. Apart from that, I was also really interested in learning more about Erika’s business and how she left a career in finance to become “part dating coach, part matchmaker,” as her website puts it.

In the interview, Erika talks about that journey and explains how she makes a living as an online dating consultant. But the best part might be her dating tips. This girl really knows her way around an online dating profile!

Erika Ettin

Listen to the interview now or download it later:

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The post How Optimizing Your Online Dating Profile Can Help With Your Job Search appeared first on Brazen Life.

1. Tons of open jobs and not enough applicants.

2. You know you’re probably gonna land up with some gifts you don’t love this holiday season. Here are the regifting rules.

3. The most important website.

4. This writer describes the toughest job she ever had. It’s probably not what you think.

5. 10 key skills you’ll need for work in the future.

6. Agree with this list? The 10 biggest ideas of 2011.

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The post The 10 Biggest Ideas of 2011 #BrazenStuff 12.23.11 appeared first on Brazen Life.

That’s why we’ve selected 20 young professionals to keep your eye on this year, go-getters under 35 who are pushing the envelope and influencing their industry — and sometimes even the world.

You may recognize a few of these names, but we made an effort to feature Millennials who aren’t regulars on watch lists, folks who are up-and-coming. Some are entrepreneurs, while others work for public companies, government or non-profits, often holding positions that are more senior than you’d expect for someone their age.

Many — but not all — have a strong personal brand. Most importantly, for each of the young people we’ve chosen, their best work is still ahead of them.

For future Brazen watch lists, we may implement a nomination process, but this list was compiled by us, the Brazen Life editors, incorporating suggestions from the Brazen community via our blog, Facebook and Twitter.

Of course, lots of young professionals are rockin’ it in one way or another, and it’s impossible to spotlight them all. But here’s our take on who will be influential in the coming year and beyond.

In random order, our picks for brazen young professionals to watch in 2012:

1. Simon Owens: As the director of editorial and outreach at JESS3, the company that makes awesome infographics for Google and Facebook, Owens represents a new breed of content marketer/journalist. And with JESS3’s impressive client list, we think some of his most dynamic strategies are yet to come.

2. Yifan Zhang: A recent Harvard graduate, Yifan founded Gym-Pact, a mobile app that motivates you to work out; it launches nationally on Jan. 1. Yifan also founded Styleta, a nonprofit fashion organization.

3. Craig Kanalley: Instrumental in The Huffington Post’s social media efforts, Kanalley recently left that position to become NBC News’ social media editor. Since NBC owns the rights to broadcast the London games, we’re betting he’ll bring that same energy to the 2012 Olympics.

4. Amanda Hocking: After shocking the publishing world with her self-publishing success, Amanda, who writes young-adult books, landed a multiple-book, multimillion-dollar deal with St. Martin’s Press. Her first traditionally published books will be released in 2012.

5. Srinivas Rao: He’s host and co-founder of BlogcastFM, an audio show that features interviews with successful bloggers. The show recently landed its first partnership, so we’re expecting it to continue to grow next year.

6. Jenny Blake: Life coach and former Google employee, Jenny Blake recently released her Make Sh*t Happen Course. A master of Google templates, she’s now throwing herself into  solopreneurship.

7. Jeff Goins: Though he’s been blogging for less than a year, this writer has already made a splash in the blogging-about-writing niche. He recently landed a publishing deal for a book about finding your purpose, which is slated to come out in 2012.

8. Natan Edelsburg: This Sawhorse Media VP oversees Muck Rack, which tracks journalists on Twitter. He’s also a staff writer for the social TV blog Lost Remote. We’re psyched to look on as he grows the Shorty Awards, an Oscars for social media.

9. Natalie MacNeil: Founder of She Takes on the World, a blog for career-minded and entrepreneurial women, Natalie is also the co-founder of digital media firm Imaginarius. She recently won an Emmy for her online documentary, and plans to produce another digital movie in 2012.

10. Jon Favreau: The pressure will be on Obama’s speechwriter this year as the president comes up for re-election. Wonder if he’ll pull out anything great like he did in 2008?

11. Alex Horton: After serving a combat tour in Iraq, Alex gained the attention of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through his blog; now he blogs for the department as a new media specialist.

12. Saya Hillman: This self-described accidental entrepreneur, who organizes unique, in-person events intended to help you meet new people (you’re encouraged to go solo), is rolling out more underground supper clubs and “fear experiments” in Chicago in 2012.

13. Derwin Dubose: A political strategist who works for North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor, Derwin helps social-sector institutions navigate the intersection of policy, press and advocacy. Next year could be big for him, as he’s gearing up for a possible senior management campaign role or a move to the national policy level.

14. Jared Cohen: This author worked in policy-making at the State Department before becoming director of Google Ideas, a think/do tank. After asking Twitter to delay scheduled maintenance because of its role in the Iranian protests, we’re eager to see what big ideas he’ll bring this year.

15. Kate Kendall: A digital thinker, Kate’s creating a platform called Cloud Peeps, which connects brands with freelancers, including community managers. She’s also in the midst of expanding Australia-based The Fetch, a what’s-happening guide to your city’s business, digital and creative communities, to various cities around the world.

16. Josh Marcuse: Founder and president of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, Josh was recently named an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Next year is promising for YPFP under Josh’s leadership, and the organization expects to hit 10,000 members.

17. Jamie Bowerman: The Savannah College of Art and Design master’s candidate is on a mission to revolutionize the way we carry stuff. He has exceeded his fundraising goal on Kickstarter, so maybe 2012 will be the year his unique Bowerbag hits stores.

18. Simone Koo: The 2003 Georgetown grad is one of the youngest COOs at finance firm Morgan Stanley. Judging from how quickly this marathon runner has made her way on the career track, the sky’s the limit.

19. Chris Golden: A political enthusiast, Chris co-founded myImpact.org, an online platform with a heavy Twitter component that connects both national and community volunteers. The site is in beta, so watch for improvements and growth in 2012.

20. Shama Kabani: As CEO and founder of The Marketing Zen Group, Shama leads 25 full-time virtual employees to deliver social media and digital PR services for clients. The second edition of her book about using social media marketing for business is due out in January.

To make it easy for you to follow these young professionals, we’ve created a Twitter list that includes everyone with a handle.

Alexis Grant and Jaclyn Schiff are co-managing editors of Brazen Life. Alexis, a journalist and social media strategist, blogs at The Traveling Writer, and Jaclyn, a journalist/media consultant, writes and tweets about global health and media trends.

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The post 20 Brazen Young Professionals to Watch in 2012 appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

Here’s a fact: Having the best job in the world won’t matter if your personal finances are a mess. And there’s perhaps no better time to do some financial planning than just before the start of a new year.

So I sat down with Andrew Schrage, the editor and co-owner of Money Crashers, a website that aims to help people make sound financial decisions. The site offers sensible, solid financial advice for a variety of situations. Just take a look at these recent articles:

• 14 Ways to Save Money on Hotels for Your Next Vacation
• When is the Best Time of Year to Buy Large Appliances?
• What is Layaway — Pros & Cons and Stores That Offer Layaway Plans

In the interview, Andrew talks about his own approach to finances, the best advice out there, and financial strategies you should avoid. We talked a lot about saving, which we all know is important, but we really got into the details about developing the discipline to ensure you’re saving every day.

Andrew Schrage

So listen to the interview and tell us in the comments, what are some of your favorite personal finance tips?

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found writing or tweeting about obscure diseases or media trends.

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The post Personal Finance Advice with Money Crashers Editor Andrew Schrage appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

If you’ve ever felt like college taught you nothing about how to succeed professionally, keep reading.

It was that exact realization that led writer Michael Ellsberg on a path of self-discovery, big bucks and professional fulfillment. Ellsberg was so broke while he was trying to make it as a writer in his 20s that he moved to Argentina — just so he could afford to live.

He now makes six figures, has mentors he respects and supports himself by doing work he enjoys. In his book, The Education of Millionaires: It’s Not What You Think, and It’s Not Too Late, Ellsberg writes about how he turned his life around over the last few years by learning how successful college dropouts and self-educated entrepreneurs.

In the interview, we discussed some of the lessons he learned, such as how to get a great mentor (and how old your mentor should be), how to support yourself doing work you love and the most important skills you won’t learn in college.

Michael Ellsburg

Listen to the interview now:

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found writing or tweeting about obscure diseases or media trends.

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The post What You Can Learn About Success From the Education of Millionaires appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

Blogging, networking, social media, health. It’s all in day’s work for Andre Blackman, the director of digital communications/new media for the American Heart Association’s mid-Atlantic affiliate.

Though Andre was on the engineering track when he started college, he soon discovered his interest in public health and started using the problem-solving skills he learned as an engineer to think of innovative solutions for health problems. He launched his blog, Pulse + Signal as a way to further explore the intersection of public health, innovation and technology.

“Blogging has opened up numerous doors for me and has really played an integral role in my own personal development,” Andre said in our interview. And how’s this for cool? Some of the opportunities he’s landed through blogging and other social media connections include serving on the advisory boards for the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, and SXSW Health.

Recently, Andre also helped organize the first Fast Forward Health film festival to highlight innovative public health stories from around the world. I checked out the event a few weeks ago in D.C. and it absolutely rocked! Unique, fun and edgy. It was even written up on NPR’s Shots blog. NPR wrote:

Organizers and speakers described the film festival as a fun way to approach a serious subject, and a great counterpoint to the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting also taking place in DC this week. They dubbed their event “the un-conference.”

In the interview, we discussed how Andre and his co-organizers came up with the idea for the film festival. And bloggers, listen up! You’ll want to hear the part about how Andre is using a unique niche job board to monetize his blog.

Andre Blackman

So listen now, and be sure to connect with Andre in the comments here or on Twitter.

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The post Andre Blackman: Rocking at the Intersection of Tech and Public Health appeared first on Brazen Life.

Ready for some randomness? Here we go:

1. This deal on a five-night stay at the Tower Club might sound familiar. That’s because the Bangkok destination was featured in The Hangover Part II. Let’s just hope amnesia wasn’t also part of the deal.

2. Here’s a good one for car enthusiasts: a deal to drive a dream car. For just under 100 bucks, you could drive something like a Lamborghini Gallardo around a race track.

3. Living Social Austin had a deal for an ’80s roller skate night complete with a light show and fog machine. Awesome for a Twisted Sister.

4. Now this is a safe deal: “stylish” condoms from blissmo. Nope, we’re not kidding. For each condom purchased another condom gets donated to someone in a developing country.

5. You’ve probably never had a desire to get your own custom-made, portable speakers. But if you did, you could have gotten it on the cheap with this Abilene, Texas Groupon.

6. There’s even a daily deal site for medical marijuana. The coupon site is from the folks at Weedmaps.com, a community for medical marijuana patients.

7. Amazing buy? Sad deal? You be the judge of this 70 percent discount on non-surgical nose jobs London Groupon. Twenty-two were bought!

8. This is just kind of random: a Living Social deal for one dozen steamed crabs (with free shipping). Hmm.

9. This deal isn’t for those who scare easily: it’s a discounted ticket to an abandoned 19th century coffin factory.

10. Finally, here’s a deal that is just obscure. Nothing against The Economist, but who can really get that excited about 26 percent off their 2011 wall calendar? Forty-seven people bought it, but the deal required at least 50 to run.

Any odd deals we missed? Add them in the comments!

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found writing or tweeting about obscure diseases or media trends.

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The post More For Your Money: 10 Quirky Daily Deals appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

Here at Brazen, we’re all about using a blog to establish yourself as an authority in your field and networking your way to awesomeness. After all, that is how Brazen was founded.

As an international news junkie and a global health geek, I’m especially a sucker for a rising blogger like Tom Murphy. Tom started his blog, A View From The Cave, to document his year abroad in Kenya, and it has evolved into a must-read for anyone interested in humanitarian issues. He’s also a dynamic presence on Twitter, making connections all day, sharing important blog posts and news and live-tweeting the occasional event.

In the interview, Tom talks about how blogging helped him land his current gig as deputy editor for PSI Healthy Lives. Another recent blogging accomplishment: Tom was selected to participate in the 2011 United Nations Foundation Press Fellowship: Global Health, Global Challenges last month in New York.

These days, Tom is experimenting with being a solopreneur. He left his job and is working on a couple of different projects, including the DAWNS Digest, a daily roundup of news and opinion for individuals who work in the international humanitarian space. Tom co-founded the project with UN Dispatch editor Mark Goldberg with the goal of creating a platform to support journalism for the humanitarian community.

Blog visibility leads to opportunity

When it comes to getting your blogging noticed, especially as a younger person in your field, Tom is a huge advocate of consistency and volume.

“One of the beautiful things about blogging is you can write multiple posts in a day. It doesn’t have to be one every night. So being able to put a bunch of things down and to have content that you’re getting people to consistently read what it is that you have to offer — whether its a really long, in-depth piece or it’s a video with a quick comment — having content and being able to turn people on to different things has certainly been something that I’ve stumbled into and realized that works well,” he says.

Tom Murphy

I hope you enjoy this interview. Feel free to leave questions and feedback in the comments!

[podcast]http://static.brazencareerist.com/brazenlife/2011/10/TomM.mp3[/podcast]

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found writing or tweeting about obscure diseases or media trends.

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The post How A Blogger Used ‘A View From the Cave’ to Advance His Global Career appeared first on Brazen Life.

So there’s this awesome job, the sort of job you’d just die to land (and tell your friends about)! But the awesome job isn’t nearly like the job you have now. So how do you make it from current job to awesome job?

In our podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

There’s just nothing like figuring out what you love to do professionally and going for it. Sometimes that means creating your own job.

And that’s exactly what David Siteman Garland did after graduating from college just over five years ago. David is the creator/host of The Rise To The Top, an online talk show. Here’s how he explains his professional journey on his website:

Instead of taking a “normal” job out college, David immediately began his broadcasting entrepreneurial journey with a hockey startup that led to a radio show on Team 1380 AM in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2008, After falling in love with creative entrepreneurship and learning from successful and interesting people who followed their passion, David took his Bar Mitzvah money (saved up from when he was 13) and created The Rise To The Top. Originally a TV show on ABC in St. Louis, Missouri focused on entrepreneurship, The Rise To The Top ran for three seasons and 36 episodes and was named “Best New Show” by Alive Magazine.

Now that’s Brazen! So I talked to David about the ins and outs of creating his successful online show, which now receives an average of 250,000 downloads each month.

On being a lifestyle entrepreneur

One of the things that David often focuses on in his interviews is tailoring your career choices based on the life you want to live.

“You might not know out of school what your lifestyle is going to be like or what you want it to be like, and that’s a great time to experiment and figure out things,” David said in our interview, noting that he changed the way he did interviews (from in-person to Skype) after meeting his wife. “I wanted to create my business around the lifestyle I was creating and not the other way around. That’s the key lesson.”

Creating a career based on the lifestyle you want is “something that I think our generation understands better possibly than other generations. … Essentially working the way you want to work and working the way that works for you,” David said in the interview.

“It might sound weird to grandpa — my grandpa thinks it’s crazy what I’m doing but he like it in some sick way too — but there’s an opportunity to create a lifestyle that you really want.”

Listen to the podcast now or download it.

David Siteman Garland — @TheRiseToTheTop

If you can’t get enough of David’s story, you need to watch this recent episode of Rise. The tables are turned as Carol Roth, media personality and business advisor, interviews David about how he makes money from the show. Check it out:

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found writing or tweeting about obscure diseases or media trends.

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The post The Story of One Mediapreneur’s Rise to the Top appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

Awesome, true story alert!

There’s this young couple who just bought their first home. It’s a fixer-upper to say the least, but the young couple are excited to dive in and make it their own. So they start documenting their DIY projects for their friends and family.  Before you know it, their blog starts growing, gets a lot of press attention, they turn it into a business, quit their jobs and work on it full time!

Whew. And it really did happen just like that.

Luckily, I got to interview one-half of the Young House Love couple (Sherry) to hear the story piece-by-piece and learn exactly what it is like to be a full-time blogger.

“It was completely my husband’s idea and I was like, ‘That’s weird!’” Sherry said of the blog’s humble beginnings. But eventually she changed her mind.

They started off by slowly selling ad space and after a little bit of money started rolling in, Sherry decided it was time to focus more on the blog. “I took a huge pay cut to do it. It was more like we’ll just see where this goes and after a year, it probably won’t work and I’ll go back to copywriting,” she said.

But of course, several years later, she’s still blogging and not copywriting.

Listen to the interview below (or download it) to hear more about their story.

 Sherry & John Petersik

Oh! And I couldn’t resist including this adorable video of John playing with their sweet little one-year old Clara. Enjoy!

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found writing or tweeting about obscure diseases or media trends.

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The post How the Young House Love Bloggers Turned Their Hobby into a Career appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

Today’s interview is an amazing story of how someone with no idea of what to do after graduation can grab hold of amazing opportunities, travel and learn a ton.

Leslie Forman talks about how she landed in China after graduating with a Latin American studies degree. She walks us through her journey as she ended up staying in China for longer than she anticipated, having lots of great professional experiences along the way. These days, Leslie is working in Chile through the Start-Up Chile program and making lots of interesting connections between China, Chile and her home state California.

If you want to know how to to find opportunities abroad, you’ll dig this interview! Some snippets from the interview follow, which have been slightly edited for context.

On having reverse culture shock when she returned to America after spending time in China:

Oh my god! The sky is blue. It’s so blue. Did you notice the sky is so blue? Wow! I remember I went to Bank of America. And I was like, wow, they have free coffee! Wow. They have free magazines? Wow. I can actually read them? Wow!

On job-hopping overseas:

Any experience in a new industry is really valuable because you learn the vocabulary of that industry. Working as an advertising copywriter, I learned you don’t call them words. You call them copy. I learned how to say all the advertising jargon terms in Chinese. I really learned a lot, a lot, a lot. Even if it was in a short amount of time.

Leslie Forman

Download the podcast or listen right now:

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found writing or tweeting about obscure diseases or media trends.

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The post How To Work Abroad After College appeared first on Brazen Life.

Have a great week! Here’s your young professional lifestyle news:

1. If you’re in law and you don’t want a law job for whatever reason, read this article about J.D.s who are using their degrees for work in other fields.

2. Think online job searching is a total waste of time? Think again.

3. If you’re reaching for the stars, then you’ll want to check out these 15 tips on how successful people think.

4. Girls rule! Especially when it comes to startups. Women-led high-tech start-ups generate higher revenues per dollar of invested capital and have lower failure rates than those led by men.

5. Thinking about what industries have long-term promise? Check out this list of good job prospects for Millennials.

6. How do you get your news? Lifehacker published a list of the five best news aggregators based on reader recommendations.

7. Check out this Big Think video featuring Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organization behavior at Stanford. Pfeffer explains why he thinks Millennials are unprepared to join the workforce.

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found writing or tweeting about obscure diseases or media trends.

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The post Are Millennials Ill-Equipped to Join the Workforce? #BrazenStuff 10.3.11 appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

If you have ever dreamed of making it big in your own social media business then today’s interview with Laura Roeder is sure to inspire. Laura left her web design job at 22 to start her own business. That company has evolved over the last few years and today, Laura has a staff of six and offers strategic social media consulting through videos that are available for purchase on her website.

In the interview, Laura explains exactly how she started out and how and why she changed her business model over the years. Here are some snippets from the interview, which have been slightly edited for context.

On why she decided to start her own business:

“The big driver for me was seeing how long it would take to climb the typical ladder. When I was working at my job, I was a designer, I was a junior designer, and I liked doing design, but I also really loved marketing. I really liked being able to be involved with the clients on the bigger strategy and the bigger campaign. But in the agency world, designers are sort of siloed. … I saw that in order to really have the role that I really wanted to have, I would have to advance to maybe an art director or a creative director … even if I was a total superstar, advancing job after job after job that was probably going to take about 10 years. And basically I didn’t have that kind of patience. And I realized that if I started my own company then I would get to do everything that I wanted to do right away. So I did.”

On getting the confidence to jump into her own business:

“You know, I just always think, what’s the worst that can happen? Usually our fears … are really totally invented. The worst thing that could happen with starting my own business is that I wouldn’t be able to make any money and then I’d have to go find another job. And I already didn’t like my job so finding a different job wouldn’t be that bad.”

One thing you can do right now to get business and opportunities to come to you:

“One of the easiest things to do that almost no one does is to pitch yourself for interviews just like this one. Online and offline, I’m talking about blogs, I’m talking about newspapers, any sort of media outlet needs to fill up content. … People are looking for experts. They don’t care so much what kind of degrees you have, they are just looking for something interesting that their audience is going to connect to.”

Laura Roeder

Download the podcast or listen right now:

Jaclyn Schiff is managing editor of Brazen Life. When she’s not Brazenly thinking about careers, she can often be found writing or tweeting about obscure diseases or media trends. 

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The post How Laura Roeder Started a Successful Social Media Consulting Business appeared first on Brazen Life.

Account Manager at the International Bowling Campus

If you’re a bowling enthusiast, get ready to be bowled over (sorry, we couldn’t resist!). The International Bowling Campus is a collection of multiple companies that support the sport of bowling. This position will be responsible for managing the relationship with SYSCO food service. If you’re great when it comes to making sure things run smoothly, and you’ve got a knack for customer satisfaction, this could be an excellent opportunity for those willing to work in Arlington, Texas.

The position requires sales experience in the food industry and a comfort with public speaking. Project management experience is also required.

If this sort of thing is up your alley, submit an application now!

Does your company or organization have an awesome job opening you want the Brazen community to know about? Email a link and description to alexis[at]brazencareerist.com.

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The post Sweet Job: Account Manager at the International Bowling Campus appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

If you’ve ever thought about social entrepreneurship, starting your own nonprofit or international development organization, you’re going to want to connect with today’s guest.

Saul Garlick is the founder and CEO of ThinkImpact, a global social enterprise that hosts the Innovation Institute, a summer program for US students to live and work in rural Africa to end poverty through market-based solutions. Saul serves on the board of several organizations, including Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, the University of the Pacific’s Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Opportunity Collaboration and IonPoverty. He was also recently placed in the Top 9 Young Foreign Policy Leaders Under 33 by the Diplomatic Courier.

Starting young

Saul actually started ThinkImpact as a nonprofit when he was just in high school. After visiting a rural school in South Africa with no classroom buildings, Saul was moved to action and began raising funds for a building where the kids could learn.  “I saw a problem and I wanted to do the first thing that came to mind to alleviate that problem. The next 10 years of my life really ended up becoming about understanding the problem and finding a better way to solve problems,” Saul said in the interview.

We talked about the steps he took to build his nonprofit and the decision to pivot and structure his organization as a for-profit business.

Follow leads, don’t search for mentors

As you’ll be able to hear in the interview, Saul has spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting on issues related to social entrepreneurship and international development. One of the most striking parts of the interview was when we got to talking about mentors. Saul spoke about learning from a lot of people along the way, but thinks it is a mistake to focus on finding an exclusive mentor too early in your career.

“So I would actually not recommend looking for a mentor, which I know maybe sounds a little shocking. But what you might make the mistake of doing is meeting somebody and thinking they have all the answers and then trying to hook your wagon onto their way of doing things too early. And then you might be disappointed by that person because they’re not providing the sort of mentorship you were planning for,” he said.

“What I did is just asked a lot of people what they thought of my idea and what they recommended I do next. … So I think getting a lot of competing views early on and taking them in, and being real honest with yourself about what people are saying about your idea and what your next action should be. And then prioritizing and … following leads, that’s really what it was.”

Another interesting thing about Saul: since leaving college, he’s never actually worked for a larger organization. He has always made a living by building his vision, and we talked about working for yourself right out of school.

The single sentence rule

His advice for people who want to get into social entrepreneurship?

“You have to be willing to put in the time. Commit for more than a year,” he said. “This stuff doesn’t get built quickly and everything takes longer than you think. So be willing to persevere, just commit to doing something for a while. Take your idea and find a way to sum it up in a sentence. If it’s not a sentence-long idea, it’s too complicated. … So an open mind, a willingness to persevere, the focus of a single sentence idea, those things will really set an entrepreneur on the right path.”

Download the podcast or listen right now:

Saul Garlick

Jaclyn Schiff, a journalist/media consultant, is managing editor of Brazen Life. To learn more visit her website or follow her on Twitter.

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The post From Nonprofit Leader to Social Entrepreneur: Creating an Organization That Scores Goals appeared first on Brazen Life.

Online Film Festival Support at Culture Unplugged Studios

If watching films from around the world, connecting with people in different countries and organizing events sounds like the sort of thing you’d typically do for fun, then you’re gonna love this gig.

Culture Unplugged, an organization that aims to connect global society through new media and offline events, is looking for a staffer to support its projects. Main responsibilities include researching documentaries, creating and managing a film database, outreach to global organizations and working on film events.

You not only need to be in agreement with the organization’s mission, but also really get behind what they do. A willingness to get the job done no matter what and great organizational skills are also a must.

And hey, if you’re a globally-minded person, we left the best detail for last: The job is based in Pune, India.

Think you’re the ideal candidate? You can apply here.

Does your company or organization have an awesome job opening you want the Brazen community to know about? Email a link and description to alexis[at]brazencareerist.com.

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The post Sweet Job: Online Film Festival Support at Culture Unplugged appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our new podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

This week’s guest has done something a lot of people dream about — start a business. But it wasn’t really planned.

Matt Cheuvront decided to become an entrepreneur “a couple of hours” after suddenly getting the boot from his Internet marketing job in 2010. Losing the job provided Matt with an opportunity to explore his side web design business and see where he could take it.

After working on his own projects for a couple of months, Matt connected with Sam Davidson, and Proof was born. Now, just over a year after they started the company, Proof is generating between $20,000 and $30,000 per month.

In the interview, Matt talks about exactly what it took to get there and where he’d like to see things go. All in all, there’s a ton of tactical information in the interview for anyone thinking about self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Here are some snippets from our conversation, which have been slightly edited for context.

On making the leap to being an entrepreneur:

“The one thing that separates those who want to be doing their own thing  and those who are is action. I decided I wanted to be an entrepreneur a couple hours after I lost my job. That’s a little bit dramatic, but what I did initially when I decided I was going to do my own thing …   I told myself i was just going to sustain myself to the point where I could take a job I actually wanted. Up until that point, I had graduated college, got a job, I moved to Chicago. I just had to get a job to make money … I wasn’t able to hold out for something I really wanted.”

On the skills needed to start a company:

“I didn’t want to be and I don’t want to be a web designer or a web developer. I picked up those skills sort of on the fly over the past few years. What I tell folks who are starting a business of their own is you have to have something tangible. It’s very difficult to say I’m a consultant, especially at 25 years old with very little experience …  it’s sort of wishy-washy and there are so many folks out there who are consultants. … I picked up web design because it’s tangible, it’s a product you can sell and market.”

On working a lot to get the business of the ground:

“What separates people who are successful from people who aren’t is the hustle. It is the hard work, it is putting in the time that other people may not be willing to.”

Matt Cheuvront

Download the podcast here or listen now:

Check out Matt’s blog or say hi to him on Twitter. Additional questions or comments? Leave ‘em in the comments!

Jaclyn Schiff, a journalist/media consultant, is managing editor of Brazen Life. To learn more visit her website or follow her on Twitter.

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The post What Does it Really Take To Start Your Own Business? appeared first on Brazen Life.

In our new podcast series, we’re hoping to provide insights and answers to that very question. We talk to young people who have amazing jobs or are doing something really cool and interesting and ask them how they did it. So listen along for good information and some inspiration, too.

This week we spoke to Nisha Chittal, social media and digital platform strategy manager at the Travel Channel. Nisha’s job involves managing the Travel Channel’s social media accounts on different platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare etc.), figuring out how to incorporate the latest digital trends into the Travel Channel’s online strategy, and um, watching Travel Channel shows. Not gonna lie, it was a little hard to pretend I wasn’t jealous in our interview… I mean that’s a Sweet Job!

In the interview, Nisha talks about how she got the job, what skills you need to land a job like hers, thoughts on working after hours and more. Here are some snippets from the interview, which have been slightly edited for context.

On not discussing her age:

I’m obviously young … when you’re young and you’re early in your career, people tend to not want to take you seriously, especially if they know how old you are.

I think young people tend to emphasize their age, and emphasize and tell people that they’re recent college graduates, which I don’t think is something you should necessarily ever give away. I don’t think your age is anyone’s business, and I think as long as your work is good, your work should speak for itself.

On networking:

When people find out that you’re looking for a job, they really want to help. They want to connect you with people, they want to tell you about openings at their company. So just being upfront about that is to your advantage. You have to demonstrate that you know how to use the platforms strategically.

On the qualifications needed for a hot social media job:

To work in social media professionally, you can’t just [use it to chat with your friends]. You have to know how to use the platforms a little more strategically.

Nisha Chittal

Listen now to the full interview:

Connect with Nisha on Twitter or Tumblr. Let her know you heard her on Brazen!

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The post Meet the Voice Behind the Travel Channel’s Social Profiles appeared first on Brazen Life.

We asked: Have you ever applied for your dream job – where the job description fit you perfectly – and not heard anything back? Worked with disorganized recruiters? Had your interviewee ask inappropriate questions?

Here’s what you had to say:

“	@BrazenCareerist An employer asked my age and marital status during an interview.
	mplslaker August 23, 2011

“	@BrazenCareerist You mean like the time an interviewer asked me what my father does for a living?
	frogthrower August 23, 2011

“	@BrazenCareerist He was a good ol’ boy lawyer in a small town and I was 20 and naive. I told him the truth. It was awkward.
	frogthrower August 23, 2011

“	@BrazenCareerist A non-profit once told me I wouldn’t get health insurance b/c they kept overhead low to save children of Africa. #guilt
	Gina_Bean August 23, 2011

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The post Hiring Stories That Will Make You Cringe appeared first on Brazen Life.

Senior Interaction Designer at Mint.com

You’ll need interface design skills, but if you’ve got ‘em, you could help create desktop and web-based products for this popular personal finance website.

Looks like there’s some flexibility in required design tools, so you can use your favorite, whether it’s Omnigraffle, Photoshop, Illustrator or Fireworks. You’ll want your portfolio to showcase experience with user experience and interaction design work. And extra points if you have development skills or experience with data visualization.

Look perfect for you? Apply!

Does your company or organization have an awesome job opening you want the Brazen community to know about? Email a link and description to jaclyn[at]brazencareerist.com.

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“	@BrazenCareerist Hurts!
	sfleegel August 16, 2011

“	@BrazenCareerist Hurts more than helps. You want to be friendly and approachable, but “chatterbox” reads as “disruptive.”
	kristahiner August 16, 2011

“	@BrazenCareerist Chatterbox = hurts. Good communicator = helps!
	GenYCoach August 16, 2011

“	@BrazenCareerist I think it depends on your field/industry.
	SaraLanePR August 16, 2011

“	@BrazenCareerist Exactly! I’m in the PR and Marketing industry so it’s pretty much expected of us to be chatty!
	SaraLanePR August 16, 2011

Good question…

 

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The post Is it Bad to be Known as the Office Chatterbox? appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/08/16/is-it-bad-to-be-known-as-the-office-chatterbox/feed/ 6 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/08/10/sweet-job-social-media-associate-at-ae/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sweet-job-social-media-associate-at-ae http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/08/10/sweet-job-social-media-associate-at-ae/#comments Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:30:26 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=2557 Part of a series of occasional posts featuring an open job that rocks. We like to call them Sweet Jobs.

The post Sweet Job: Social Media Associate at A&E appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> Because many of you are looking for a job — or, if you’re already working, likely keeping your eyes open for a better job — we’ll occasionally feature what we like to call Sweet Jobs, or gigs that rock for whatever reason.

Social Media Associate Producer at A&E’s History channel

A&E Television Networks is looking for a social media associate producer to strategize and manage networks for the History channel. This position includes the classic social-media responsibilities, including creating a voice that represents the brand, monitoring trends and competitors and participating in Twitter conversations during premieres (which, let’s face it, you’d probably do anyhow). Could be the perfect fit for a social-media-savvy history buff!

Interested? Go ahead and apply!

Does your company or organization have an awesome job opening you want the Brazen community to know about? Email a link and description to jaclyn[at]brazencareerist.com.

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The post Sweet Job: Social Media Associate at A&E appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/08/10/sweet-job-social-media-associate-at-ae/feed/ 2 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/08/01/bored-and-unstimulated-at-work-here%e2%80%99s-a-solution/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bored-and-unstimulated-at-work-here%25e2%2580%2599s-a-solution http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/08/01/bored-and-unstimulated-at-work-here%e2%80%99s-a-solution/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 18:03:28 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=2484 You’re sitting in your cubicle, bored out of your mind. As usual. Pay attention because your inner entrepreneur is trying to tell you something.

The post Bored and Unstimulated at Work? Here’s a Solution appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> You’re sitting in your cubicle, bored out of your mind. As usual.

You wonder whether you could ever feel satisfied and challenged at work. You wonder whether it’s normal to feel this restless.

I mean, your job sounds good on paper (no one knows that the coordinator in your title just refers liaising with your boss). Heck, you applied because the description sounded pretty awesome (tracking media mentions means mastering Google tools, right?!).

But then after just a few months — or even a couple of weeks — you realized this isn’t a dream job (turns out playing around on Google all day, every day gets boring). Now you’re contemplating what comes next.

News flash: Your inner entrepreneur needs some love.

It’s not a secret that Generation Y is a highly entrepreneurial generation. We’re fulfilled when we get to take ownership and build things. We have great ideas and we want to contribute. Waiting is tough. We want to dive in and make our mark today.

So what’s the solution? Jump ship and start your own business? No. That would be hasty and could create more problems than it solves.

Just because you’re entrepreneurial, doesn’t mean you should be an entrepreneur. But it might.
So take a plunge and move on, but focus on finding a job that requires you to be entrepreneurial rather than diving head first into full-fledged entrepreneurship.

Large Company vs. Small Operation

That means working at a company where you aren’t closely managed (read: you have to be a self-stater), and you’re given a lot of responsibility from day one. You can’t rely on job descriptions to guide you to these positions. You’ll have to do some real research and investigation. Lots of places say they want entrepreneurial employees, but a lot of companies aren’t set up to allow employees to be entrepreneurial.

Small businesses or start-ups tend to be goldmines for real entrepreneurial positions, but there are some major companies that offer these opportunities too. Often with a smaller operation, you’ll be thrown into your responsibilities without a ton of formal training. If you work with a large business, it’s likely that a company-sponsored training will be offered at some point.

There are pros and cons to both, but either option will give you the benefit of being entrepreneurial without the risks inherent in starting your own business.

New, Unfamiliar Terrain

Now if this post is resonating, you should also consider seeking an entrepreneurial job that’s a little outside your comfort zone. Maybe you’re in marketing, but the job that is going to give you a lot of accountability is actually in sales.

Go for it. If you really think entrepreneurship might be the route for you, you need to get comfortable wearing many different hats. Even if venturing along an entrepreneurial path ends up pointing you in a different direction all together, taking a job that forces you to learn other skills is never a bad thing.

Also, a truly entrepreneurial position won’t be defined too clearly and/or allows a lot of room for growth and flexibility within your role. So you can bring your strengths and learn new skills.

Maybe that’s just what you need.

Full disclosure: Brazen Careerist is working with State Farm Insurance to help find smart and savvy young professionals for new agent positions. Talk with the State Farm team about running your own branch office. Register for the online open house.

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The post Bored and Unstimulated at Work? Here’s a Solution appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/08/01/bored-and-unstimulated-at-work-here%e2%80%99s-a-solution/feed/ 22 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/07/22/how-the-heck-do-you-write-a-killer-networking-email/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-the-heck-do-you-write-a-killer-networking-email http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/07/22/how-the-heck-do-you-write-a-killer-networking-email/#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:30:06 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=2385 You've identified a mentor whose career path you want to emulate. You want to meet up to learn and connect. So you start typing an introductory email. But what should you write to ensure a positive response?

The post How the Heck do You Write a Killer Networking Email? appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> You’ve found your very own professional Oprah. A role model. A mentor. Maybe he or she is five years older or 20 years older than you are.

Your Oprah has taken a career path that you desperately want to emulate. You want to know exactly what that person did, why they did it, how they did it etc. More importantly, you want to know how you can accomplish the same things.

Maybe someone introduced you to your Oprah. Or maybe you discovered him or her online. Either way, you know you want to connect, so you hit the keyboard and start typing an email.

But once you’ve determined how you want to connect (phone call, meeting, lunch etc.), what exactly do you say to ensure a positive response? How do you write an email that will make your Oprah want to take the time to meet with you and begin building a relationship?

I write a lot of these emails to my own Oprahs, and nine times out of 10, I get the response I want. I also receive emails from younger contacts who want advice about journalism, online communications or entrepreneurship, and I’ve noticed similarities between the emails from contacts I’m excited to get to know.

So here are some guidelines for writing a first email to kick off a lasting relationship:

Explain who you are — succinctly

Write one or two sentences describing what you do and your interests. This is really important for context. But please, don’t give your life story. Unless you’re Bill Gates, no one wants to read about your high school business venture in an email. Provide just enough information so it is clear who you are, but hold back on some details so you have lots to talk about when you meet.

Take the time to thoughtfully explain why you want to connect

It’s true: Flattery gets you everywhere. There’s no need to gush unabashedly about your contact’s achievements — that’s just awkward. But explain why his or her accomplishments are meaningful for you. That way your Oprah will have a clear understanding of your purpose for connecting.

Get over your age

While you’re focusing on your Oprah’s excellent experience, don’t feel like you need to highlight your deficit of experience. It doesn’t come off as humble, it just zeroes in on your lack of confidence.

Make a specific request

For a busy person, there’s nothing worse than receiving an email without an action item. If you don’t state what you want you Oprah to do, your contact will have to think harder about your email. This usually means he or she won’t respond right away. Or worse, you might not get a response at all. I find it most effective when I put my request at the very end. Ending an email with a question about meeting on a certain date calls for a yes or no answer.

Follow these guidelines and you’re sure to maximize the chance of getting a response. Odds are your Oprah is a busy person with an overwhelming inbox. So even if you don’t hear back initially, be persistent and follow up appropriately.

Jaclyn Schiff is the managing editor of Brazen Life. She writes about media, content and business — often with a global twist — on her blog.

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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/07/22/how-the-heck-do-you-write-a-killer-networking-email/feed/ 40 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/07/01/rock-it-at-work-embody-professionalism/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rock-it-at-work-embody-professionalism http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/07/01/rock-it-at-work-embody-professionalism/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:15:46 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=2019 Brazen Account Director Corbin reinforces an important point: staying in shape has great professional benefits.

The post Rock-It at Work: Embody Professionalism appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> This is part of a series of posts featuring members of the Brazen Careerist team. Brazen staff were asked to provide a little information about themselves and one piece of career advice based on what has helped them most in their careers so far.

Name: Corbin Haresnape

Age: 24

So what do you do at Brazen?

I am the accounts director. I create the magic that ensures events are smooth and enjoyable for everyone involved. I also moonlight as the company design critic.

What did you do before Brazen?

I worked in luxury hotels and helped to build the brand Nick and Zuzu.

Tell us something unique about you.

I hiked the Grand Canyon by myself.

What is one thing that has helped you advance in your career?

Staying fit. Keeping your body in decent shape helps you focus and embody professionalism. Not only is exercise a stress reliever and an activity that boosts concentration, but it also builds confidence and diligence. If you can discipline yourself to run that extra mile, you can discipline yourself to “finish that report” or work on your “side hustle.”

Exercising will also help you sleep. When your body is tired, worrying about “the project” won’t keep you up at night. You will fall asleep quickly and wake up refreshed and renewed. The added bonus… you will look better at the end of the day!

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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/07/01/rock-it-at-work-embody-professionalism/feed/ 5 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/30/rock-it-at-work-get-a-personal-brand-card/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rock-it-at-work-get-a-personal-brand-card http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/30/rock-it-at-work-get-a-personal-brand-card/#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:00:28 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=1977 Dustin Canter, Brazen's business development whiz and a seasoned entrepreneur, gives a powerful networking tip.

The post Rock-It at Work: Get a Personal Brand Card appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> This is part of a series of posts featuring members of the Brazen Careerist team. Brazen staff were asked to provide a little information about themselves and one piece of career advice based on what has helped them most in their careers so far.

Name: Dustin Canter

Age: 26

So what do you do at Brazen?

I’m the director of business development. My job is to create business with global 1000 companies.

What did you do before Brazen?

I started a restaurant (Howbowda Bagel) and moving & storage business (My College Storage).

Tell us something unique about you.

I can eat six saltine crackers in 20 seconds.

What is one thing that has helped you advance in your career?

Creating a personal brand card. I was at a transitional point. I’d just moved to a new city and was looking for good opportunities. So I created a business card with my name, email, phone number and personal website. I also included four words on the card that describe what I want other people to know about who I am, what I am looking for and why they can turn to me for advice or questions in a particular field. My card says:

Dustin Canter
Adrenaline Junkie, Entrepreneur, Health Nut, Philanthropist

If you’re in a transition or even if you aren’t, get a card and brand yourself in a unique and interesting way. It’s a conversation starter and will prompt people who might want to work with you, to ask questions.

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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/30/rock-it-at-work-get-a-personal-brand-card/feed/ 6 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/29/rock-it-at-work-start-a-group/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rock-it-at-work-start-a-group http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/29/rock-it-at-work-start-a-group/#comments Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:00:33 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=1935 Brazen's software engineer Andrew Shell took initiative and formed a PHP group. He discusses why he did it and how it has been instrumental in taking his career to the next level.

The post Rock-It at Work: Start a Group appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> This is part of a series of posts featuring members of the Brazen Careerist team. Brazen staff were asked to provide a little information about themselves and one piece of career advice based on what has helped them most in their careers so far.

Name: Andrew Shell

Age: 29

So what do you do at Brazen?

I’m one of the software engineers. I build the site.

What did you do before Brazen?

I worked for PBworks (formerly PBwiki).

Tell us something unique about you.

Just one thing? Hehe. The only two times I’ve been to L.A. have been related to Pee-Wee Herman. The first time was to see E.G. Daily’s (Dottie in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure) one-woman autobiographical musical “Listen Closely” and the second time was to see the Pee-Wee Herman Show.  Plus I share the same birthday (Aug. 27) with Paul Reubens (AKA Pee-Wee Herman).

What is one thing that has helped you advance in your career?

Starting a group.  We all know it is good to network.  Well it’s even better to lead a group because then you are automatically viewed as an expert.  When I first started out doing PHP development I discovered that not only was there no PHP group in Madison, but a whole bunch of developers wanted one.  So I started the group on Meetup and had over 20 people show up at the first meetup.

At the beginning the group was mostly novices, so I presented on a variety of advanced topics, which forced me to learn the material inside and out.  So even though I wasn’t an expert when I started the group it didn’t take very long before I was. The other benefit is if the group is directly about or related to your industry you’ll start getting contacted by anyone who wants to hire someone related to your group.  I got first crack at all the PHP jobs happening in Madison and if I wasn’t interested I could hook up my friends.  Almost every one of my jobs I’ve gotten directly because I was the organizer of the Madison PHP Group.

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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/29/rock-it-at-work-start-a-group/feed/ 4 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/29/rock-it-at-work-get-the-ear-of-the-ceo/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rock-it-at-work-get-the-ear-of-the-ceo http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/29/rock-it-at-work-get-the-ear-of-the-ceo/#comments Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:00:16 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=1943 How did Ashley Hoffman, Brazen's director of communications and marketing, get a promotion at a previous job? She reveals all in this post.

The post Rock-It at Work: Get the Ear of the CEO appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> This is part of a series of posts featuring members of the Brazen Careerist team. Brazen staff were asked to provide a little information about themselves and one piece of career advice based on what has helped them most in their careers so far.

Name: Ashley Hoffman

Age: 28

So what do you do at Brazen?

I’m the director of communications and marketing for team Brazen – and I love it! I get to promote all the great things that my colleagues are doing and the smart conversations our community members are having. There is a lot of interest in gen Y and careers – from reporters to recruiters – and it’s exciting to work with a group of people on the leading edge of it.

What did you do before Brazen?

I spent five years in communications and public relations for national security and foreign policy think tanks. At a non-profit, “communications” usually means everything from classic PR to social media, web strategy and public outreach. Foreign policy is and always will be a passion of mine, but I’ve enjoyed digging into the technology and career scene.

Tell us something unique about you.

I’ve crashed into a pole on a segway. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s impossible to fall off one of those things. To make myself not look like a complete klutz, I’ve also completed one marathon and four triathlons (and didn’t fall once!).

What is one thing that has helped you advance in your career?

Getting the ear of the CEO. Thankfully, Brazen’s CEO sits right across from me (hi Ed!), so it’s not a hard challenge. Start-ups are also some of the most flat organizations — almost anti-hierarchical to encourage the sharing of ideas among every level. But for young professionals in more traditional settings with a pecking order or hierarchy, making sure your CEO – or your boss’s boss, or someone above your immediate supervisor — knows who you are and the good ideas you have can help you get ahead. Don’t just rely on your supervisor to go to bat for you, go to bat for yourself with the ultimate decision-makers.

At my previous job, I had an amazing immediate supervisor who encouraged me to develop a relationship with our CEO. When the topic of my promotion came up, my supervisor went to bat for me, but I also know that my relationship with the members of the leadership team (because I had spent time with them individually to talk shop and share ideas) played a big role in the decision to award me a promotion.

Bottom line, don’t be afraid to share your ideas (and most importantly, how to implement them) with more than just your immediate boss. Aim high!

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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/29/rock-it-at-work-get-the-ear-of-the-ceo/feed/ 9 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/28/rock-it-at-work-do-what-scares-you-most/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rock-it-at-work-do-what-scares-you-most http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/28/rock-it-at-work-do-what-scares-you-most/#comments Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:00:43 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=1890 In this post, Brazen co-founder and COO Ryan Healy discusses why he voluntarily sought out something he was afraid of doing.

The post Rock-It at Work: Do What Scares You Most appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> This is part of a series of posts featuring members of the Brazen Careerist team. Brazen staff were asked to provide a little information about themselves and one piece of career advice based on what has helped them most in their careers so far.

Name: Ryan Healy

Age: 27

So what do you do at Brazen?

I am the co-founder and COO of Brazen. Basically, I do all the stuff that no one else wants to do!  Just kidding, every day is different for me.  Some days I’m working on investor presentations and summaries. Other days I am brainstorming and wireframing new products and services we can offer, and other days I am making sales calls, doing our finances and even reviewing legal work.  It definitely keeps me on my toes.

What did you do before Brazen?

Before Brazen I was a financial consultant for IBM. For most of my time at IBM I was staffed on a project for the U.S. Army, and had the opportunity to work at the Pentagon every day. I also ran a blog called Employee Evolution at the same time. The blog ended up spawning Brazen, so it was definitely a good move to take on a side project.

Tell us something unique about you.

I have an undergraduate degree in Accounting.  Most entrepreneurs despise doing finances, but I actually don’t mind it.  I will never, ever, be an accountant, but it’s a skill I can use for the rest of my life.

What is one thing that has helped you advance in your career?

Volunteer to do the thing that scared me most. I used to be terrified of speaking in front of a group. I decided the only way to overcome the fear was to tackle it head on.

When I was 22, I wrote a section on the about page of my website that said I was a recognized public speaker, and was available for conferences, events, meetings etc. About a month later I got a call from an organization. Not only did they want me to speak to 150 executives, they wanted to pay me!  I wrote my speech, then practiced for 2 hours every day for 30 days straight. Somehow I got through the speech without a hitch, the attendees loved it, and so did I! Since then I’ve done more than 50 speeches, and it’s one of my biggest strengths as an entrepreneur.

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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/28/rock-it-at-work-do-what-scares-you-most/feed/ 6 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/27/rock-it-at-work-underpromise-and-overdeliver/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rock-it-at-work-underpromise-and-overdeliver http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/27/rock-it-at-work-underpromise-and-overdeliver/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:10:12 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=1866 Jason Parker, Brazen's director of strategic partnerships & college strategy, talks about effective communication skills and his secret love of cooking.

The post Rock-It at Work: Underpromise and Overdeliver appeared first on Brazen Life.

]]> This is part of a series of posts featuring members of the Brazen Careerist team. Brazen staff were asked to provide a little information about themselves and one piece of career advice based on what has helped them most in their careers so far.

Name: Jason Parker

Age: 24

So what do you do at Brazen?

I’m director of strategic partnerships & college strategy. I create high-level relationships with potential partners, manage our sponsored and hosted events program and oversee the college strategy division.

What you did before Brazen?

I was the marketing director for a recruiting placement organization, I was also a recruiter for that same organization. In addition, I had a side-hustle as a social media consultant, working with nonprofit clients.

Tell us something unique about you.

I play Ultimate Frisbee and volunteer with the Washington Area Frisbee Club. Additionally, I serve as the chair of the Career Committee with Gettysburg College’s BOLD Council. Secretly, I’m a fantastic cook, and love to get creative in the kitchen.

What is one thing that has helped you advance in your career?

Learn how to ask for help effectively. Demonstrate willingness to take ownership of new projects but set expectations correctly. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you UNDERPROMISE and OVERDELIVER. Essentially, it all breaks down to “soft” skills. You have to be able to communicate to be effective.

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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/27/rock-it-at-work-underpromise-and-overdeliver/feed/ 5 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/27/rock-it-at-work-figure-out-what-makes-you-want-to-be-a-workaholic/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rock-it-at-work-figure-out-what-makes-you-want-to-be-a-workaholic http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/27/rock-it-at-work-figure-out-what-makes-you-want-to-be-a-workaholic/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 09:00:29 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=1861 To kick off this new series, Whitney May Parker, Brazen's VP of user experience, describes how she found her professional passion.

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]]> Here at Brazen, we’re all about giving you tools to help you move ahead professionally. So we’ve started a new series where we ask awesome people for the single thing that has helped them get ahead at work. We’re starting close to home and for the next few days, we’ll feature advice from members of the excellent Brazen Careerist team. Enjoy!

Name: Whitney May Parker

Age: 31

So what do you do at Brazen?

As vice president of user experience, I’m listening to feedback from all sides to guide and improve your experience on Brazen, as well as improve overall website aesthetics.

What you did before Brazen?

I’ve designed and built websites for a variety of clients as a freelance professional, I’ve held senior management positions in Washington, D.C., in a communications and marketing capacity and I’ve worked as a fellow for a national security research group in New York.

Tell us something unique about you.

One of my first jobs was for the Wilderness Society in Idaho — I had the opportunity to “ground-truth” a proposed off-road trail in a remote area of the state and document potential threats to endemic wildlife and habitats. Translation: I spent three days in a 4×4 pick-up with a photographer friend in one of the most remote areas of the country and took pretty pictures. It was amazing!

What is one thing that has helped you advance in your career?

Love what you do. Love talking about what you do. Love sharing what you do. You can’t compete against other people in your field and really get ahead unless you truly enjoy it and literally have to make yourself stop working and “go home.”  I’ve tried going down a couple career paths where the work didn’t fit and I struggled to want to learn more; in the end I realized that success really starts to “click” when you figure out what that subject is for you, and you just can’t get enough. Figuring out that my true passion was for websites and design helped solve my frustrating experiences of feeling like everyone else knew what they wanted except for me!

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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/27/rock-it-at-work-figure-out-what-makes-you-want-to-be-a-workaholic/feed/ 7 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/23/how-young-professional-organizations-can-aid-professional-success-interview/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-young-professional-organizations-can-aid-professional-success-interview http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/23/how-young-professional-organizations-can-aid-professional-success-interview/#comments Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:25:15 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=1826 You might have seen Brazen’s upcoming networking event for young professional organizations. But maybe you’re unclear on what these organizations are about and how they can help you professionally. To find out more, I talked to Molly Foley of Madison, Wisc.-based Next Generation Consulting. Molly shared details about what young professional organizations do and how […]

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]]> You might have seen Brazen’s upcoming networking event for young professional organizations. But maybe you’re unclear on what these organizations are about and how they can help you professionally.

To find out more, I talked to Molly Foley of Madison, Wisc.-based Next Generation Consulting. Molly shared details about what young professional organizations do and how they can help your professional development.

Jaclyn Schiff: In short, what does Next Generation Consulting do?

Molly Foley: We’re a small market research firm, founded in 1998 by Rebecca Ryan. Our purpose is to leave the world a better place for the next generation and our niche is in bridging generational gaps and helping cities and companies create cultures that attract, retain, and engage young, educated talent.

JS: That’s neat! What is one of the most interesting findings from your research on young professionals?

MF: In terms of the workforce, “life-work balance” has different meanings for everybody and older generations need to better understand younger workers’ definition of “l/w-b” is more defined as having flexibility in how, when, and where they get their work done. It is less defined as the number of hours they want to work, which is what older workers tend to assume.

JS: So what exactly is a young professional organization (YP Org)?

MF: YP Orgs are organizations in communities that target the “under 40″ demographic and typically offer a customized, locally relevant blend of offerings, such as: social activities, civic projects, philanthropic efforts, political advocacy, volunteerism, and professional development.

YP Orgs play a key role in attracting and retaining a city’s younger workforce.  As “brain drain” becomes a critical issue in communities across North America, YP Orgs help their communities engage and retain talent by giving them a dynamic forum of their peers, committed to making a difference in their communities. There is no “recipe” for a YP Org.  Each city is different and YPs have broad interests and passions.

Molly Foley of Next Generation Consulting

JS: Okay, sounds interesting. How do you find YP Orgs near you?

MF: The best way to find local YP Orgs is to ask your peers or do a simple Google search for the name of your city and “young professional.”  Many communities have more than one kind of YP Org with different focuses. You can also check with your local Chamber of Commerce as many are affiliated with Chambers.

Next Generation Consulting also offers an online directory of more than 300 YP Orgs throughout North America. Click here to see if your state/city is listed. If you don’t see a listing but are aware of a YP Org in your community encourage them to post their information.

JS: There are so many things to get involved with outside of work. What are some of the benefits of joining these groups?

MF: Young professionals should take advantage of these groups in their communities for a few reasons: 1. Many offer great community engagement and development opportunities; 2. Networking options – developing strong relationships early on in ones career can help catapult success; and 3. We need stronger YP voices in our cities and YP organizations can help foster this advocacy.

JS: Do you have a favorite YP Org?

MF: Well, I have to be a little biased to the organization I helped develop, The Network, in the Quad Cities region (Iowa/Illinois). FUEL Milwaukee is another favorite group of mine because they really paved the way for this YP “movement” in many ways. FUEL was very lucky to gain community and business support early on, something many YP Orgs struggle with year after year.

JS: I hear that there’s a good opportunity for those who are already involved with YP Orgs. What’s the deal with that?

MF: The Next Leaders initiative was started to bring together leaders of the “YP movement”. Those emerging leaders and change agents who are passionate about building better places to live and work for the next generation. The primary goal of Next Leaders is to outfit YP organizations with the resources and tools they need to grow and engage their local young professionals.

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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/23/how-young-professional-organizations-can-aid-professional-success-interview/feed/ 13 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/06/the-gates-foundations-eye-catching-headquarters-5-other-amazing-offices/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-gates-foundations-eye-catching-headquarters-5-other-amazing-offices http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/06/the-gates-foundations-eye-catching-headquarters-5-other-amazing-offices/#comments Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:00:47 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=1487 The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hosted a reception last Thursday to celebrate the opening of its grand new Seattle headquarters. The 900,000-square-foot campus took seven years to fully construct and cost a total of $500 million, according to The Seattle Times. Gates Foundation officials said sustainability was a “key driver” for the new campus, […]

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]]> The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hosted a reception last Thursday to celebrate the opening of its grand new Seattle headquarters.

The 900,000-square-foot campus took seven years to fully construct and cost a total of $500 million, according to The Seattle Times.

Gates Foundation officials said sustainability was a “key driver” for the new campus, which includes a one million-gallon rainwater storage system that will be used for irrigation, water features and toilets.

The office space inside the buildings is also innovative. Some walls are completely covered with whiteboards for brainstorming sessions, and window coverings automatically filter the perfect amount of sunlight into work areas, seattlepi.com reports.

Images by Joshua Trujillo/SeattlePi.com.

The Gates Foundation’s Flickr page has more images. From the priceless view of the iconic Space Needle to the incredible art installations around campus, the Foundation’s headquarters seems like a rather appealing environment. But don’t send in your applications just yet. It seems the organization is fully staffed, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal, but plans for a third building suggest the Gates Foundation might significantly expand its current staff of more than 1,000.

Inspired by their opening, I’ve compiled images from other standout office spaces around the world.

Google Zurich

Image from Jobs at Google.

Google’s Zurich office features several interesting meeting room designs. Think the ones in this photo seem a little odd? Blame the Google employees who played a significant role in formulating the design.

TBWA / Hakuhodo

Image by Arch Daily.

The Japanese ad agency’s office features trees, outdoor furniture and meeting rooms that can be accessed through ladders that attach to the top of the rooms. The company’s website is also a testament to creativity.

TerraCycle

Image by Amanda Wills/Earth911.

Waste elimination company TerraCycle stays true to its green goals at its office based in Trenton, N.J. The company, which was founded in 2001 by two Freshmen at Princeton University, uses clear plastic bottles to form its meeting spaces.

Pons + Huot

Image by Luc Boegly.

If there is one thing almost any open-plan office worker can do without, it’s the noise. The shared headquarters of French companies Pots and Huot solves this problem by placing Plexiglass spheres over employees’ work spaces. The trees probably help muffle sound too.

JWT – New York

Image by Eric Laignel/Clive Wilkinson Architects.

The ad agency has no private private offices, but features a diverse range of collaborative spaces that look more like living rooms than conference spaces. The 250,000-square-foot space is organized around a central “narrative tree” that splits off into colored meeting rooms.

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]]> http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/06/06/the-gates-foundations-eye-catching-headquarters-5-other-amazing-offices/feed/ 6 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/05/02/hi-my-name-is/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hi-my-name-is http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/05/02/hi-my-name-is/#comments Mon, 02 May 2011 13:14:48 +0000 http://blog.brazencareerist.com/?p=1011 I first started blogging, because I was curious. One of my broadcast journalism professors during my junior year of college often talked about how blogs would soon change the news industry forever. At the time (it was 2005), that sounded pretty bold, and I wondered whether the massive changes she predicted might actually happen. So […]

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]]>

Blogging Wordle

I first started blogging, because I was curious.

One of my broadcast journalism professors during my junior year of college often talked about how blogs would soon change the news industry forever. At the time (it was 2005), that sounded pretty bold, and I wondered whether the massive changes she predicted might actually happen. So I created a Blogger blog. I wanted to see what the fuss was about and decided I could only learn more by participating.

With no clear vision or strategy, that early blog didn’t rocket me to stardom or get me a prestigious job offer right out of college. But it did change my life — incrementally.

During my senior year, I landed an internship at CBSNews.com and started contributing to a multi-campus news blog. The blog editor linked one of my CBS stories on the homepage, which led a fellow blogger write me a complimentary e-mail. Last year, that blogger became my husband.

About a year after I graduated from college, I started thinking about blogging outside the news context. I read Penelope Trunk’s blog and realized that blogging could be a great professional networking tool. I started a new blog, but this time I actually focused on building a community and meeting like-minded bloggers.

That led me to Employee Evolution, where I started contributing. Then Ryan Healy and Ryan Paugh, the founders of Employee Evolution, joined with Penelope, and Brazen Careerist was born. I wrote for them too and met a lot of  bloggers who inspired me and challenged me.

Blogging led me to adopt other social media tools. I hopped on Twitter in 2008. It didn’t take long before I was blown away by its lightening-speed and explosive networking potential. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over the way that 140 character dialogues has helped me meet friends and mentors.

Now I am excited to continue my involvement with Brazen Careerist as the editor of its blog (you should help us pick a name for it on our Facebook page poll). It will debut a new design and lots of fresh content in mid-May. As a community, I hope we will craft it into the go-to destination for news and opinions about all things young professional.

Many blogs focus on young professionals and many young professionals blog about being young professionals. But this blog is going to fulfill a new niche. There don’t seem to be many blogs that offer proper context.

Most of the writing will be from people in their 20s and 30s. Some of it won’t. We’ll focus broadly on career and workplace topics, but we’ll also delve into issues and events that affect people who are building their careers.

The new blog will spotlight people who have achieved significantly and provide solid information you can use on your own journey. It will include voices from entrepreneurs, corporate types, politicos and social changers. We all have something to learn from each other, and this is a central place where we can gather to do just that.

I am also excited to announce the new Brazen Contributor Network, which will be at the core of our blog content. This will be an exclusive group of writers who will provide two to four posts per month. The contributors will not be paid, but the position comes with ongoing perks, including getting a featured bio on the blog, as well as special offers and free access to members of the Brazen community. Please complete this form if you’re interested. For those who are not able to contribute regularly, you can always submit guest posts. Just e-mail me with your idea.

The other thing you should do if you’re interested in writing and participating in the new blog, is sign up for the Bloggers Forever! Network Roulette event on Wednesday. I plan on participating and we can connect then. But it will also be a good opportunity to connect with other great writers and further your blogging journey.

Please feel free to leave comments about the type of content you’d like to see on the Brazen blog or share a highlight from your blogging experience so far.

Jaclyn Schiff is a writer based in Washington, D.C. and the editor of Brazen Careerist’s blog. Connect with her on Brazen or Twitter or Tumblr.

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