Week #14 What Color is Your Parachute?

Have you ever thought about starting your own business? I know I have. In the most recent chapter of  What Color is Your Parachute? I read about starting a business. For some people, job hunting might not be going very well or maybe you've realized that you want to be your own boss. If any of those things apply to you then maybe starting your own business may be the right choice for you.

According to the book there are four things you should do before opening your own business. Those are; write, read, explore and get feedback. Write, write it all out. Write down your ideas, skills, interest, knowledge and anything that comes to mind. Read, read about whats its like to own your own business. Read things that you feel passionate about that will help you create your own business. Explore, explore your options. Explore how businesses like the one you are trying to create turned out. See what worked for the business and what didn't. Then think of ways you can use those things to make your business better. Finally, get feedback. The best people to go to for feedback is family. They know you better than anyone and will be able to give you the best advice. It's also important to explore whether staring your own business is going to require sacrifices from them, not just you. Also ask them how they would feel about if they needed to make sacrifices for your business. That feedback may open you eyes to realize if opening your own business will be possible. 

Pictured above in my grandmas dance studio. My grandma owns here own business and it's not always easy. She said she opened her own business because she wanted to be her own boss. Grandma Pat is 81 years old and still owns her own business today. Before opening her own dance studio she did just about everything I mentioned in the above paragraph. And that is because she read What Color is Your Parachute? She told me that she wouldn't have had any idea as to how to start a business if it wasn't for this book. Anyone can be successful as long as you take your time and are willing to learn from your mistakes.

Week #14 Social media and my other classes

Being a Comms major I am always using social media. There is not one project that I have done this semester that does not involve using social media. I am in a class called Media and Society. This class looks at social media and how people are easily deceived by things they see on social media. Many people look to social media to find current events. Lets use the recent hurricanes for example.

During the time of the hurricane Harvey people were tweeting out pictures of the damage, flooding and others being helped to safety. An example of this can be seen in the picture below.

There were also fake pictures people were tweeting as well. The pictures, in my opinion, looked real. It made me realize people are really good at photoshop. These pictures were more or less used as a joke but some of them looked totally believable. The picture below is an example I found.

I saw this picture and had to look at it for a few minutes because it looks so real. Obviously, the picture is not real but it looks so real. This picture was retweeted thousands of times on Twitter. Heck I even retweeted it too because I thought it was funny. But after reading the Twitter thread that followed this picture many people though it was real. 

The problem with social media is that people are so easily deceived. Many people look to social media because it is the fastest way information is spread. It's a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because we can get important information very fast, but its also a curse because false information can also be spread just as fast. This is one of the many things I have learned in my Media and Society class. My tip to you is to always fact check. If you see something that looks strange or doesn't sound right Google it. If you cannot find the information from a reliable source on Google then you will know it's fake. 

Week #13 Internship

In the last few months I have been applying for many different internships. Applying for an internship is kind of like applying for a job. Now that I think of it it's kind of like a job search too. I plan on going into some sort of social media work when I graduate. Super broad topic I know, but thats okay because I have lots of options. With that being said I have an interview for an internship Monday morning. With help from What Color is Your Parachute?  and things i've learned in my social media marketing class I am more than ready for this interview.

Since I am going into social media I know I am going to bring up Hootsuite. I know being able to use Hootsuite will be a big help to me. If my interviewer asks me how it's used and what it does I will be able to show them all my knowledge.

Another thing I did to prepare myself was to write down a list of questions I would like to ask my interviewer, a tip I learned from What Color is Your Parachute? It's always good to come prepared. Sure my list of questions is not very long, but that's ok. This book has made me feel more confident than I have ever felt before going into an interview. I'm very happy I had the opportunity to read the book. If you haven't already, I recommend you buy this book. This book will help you in more ways than you think. I can't wait to test out my knowledge on this interview on Monday!

Week #13 What Color is Your Parachute?

I'm sure everyone has had the thought of changing careers before. I know I have. In chapter 11 of What Color is Your Parachute? I learned the five ways to choose / change careers. Before I go into the list of ways to change careers I would like to say that there is no problem with wanting to change careers after. It's not a big deal. Some of my friends have made such big deals about changing jobs because they thought people would look at them different. That should not matter. You do what makes you happy. Ok rant over, on to the list.

1. The internet
2. Tests
3. Using the flower exercise 
4. Changing a career in two steps
5. Finding out what the job market may need

The job market is always a good place to look for a job. The only problem with looking into the job market is, you may not find a job you want but you'll find a job the job market wants. That could be good and bad. Good because you may get to experience a job you never thought you would do and bad because you might end up doing a job you hate. In my personal opinion I think looking to see what the job market needs is a great place to dig into. You never know what you could find. Heck I would totally apply for a job that the job market needs just to get my foot in the door somewhere. It's good to get all kinds of experience. That is what most jobs look for when you apply, what kind of experience do you have. The more experience you have the better shot you have at getting a better job. So, there is no shame going out and finding a job you may not want to do, you could end up falling in love with it. No matter what it'll be a learning experience. I think thats what matters most. 

Week #12 What Color is Your Parachute?

This week I read chapter ten of What Color is Your Parachute? This chapter was titled, How to Deal with Any Handicaps You Have. In this chapter we learn how to deal with things we can and cannot do. The book uses a chart with two sections labeled, I have this skill and I don't have this skill. I think this is a good way to look at the positive side of things. It is always good to realize that there are in fact skills that you do have. After creating your own chart the books suggests to write down why/how you can and cannot do certain skills. This is a good way to look at ways in which you can improve your skills.

This chapter also talks about shyness. I think this plays a huge role when trying to get a job. The idea of going into a place you do not know, talking to people you've never met before and just the whole process makes people shy. Heck I have even experienced it.

Something I learned from this chapter is that shyness can stop you from doing things you've always wanted to do. Hence why I included the little cartoon above. It is important to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. Sure, things might be awkward but who cares. Life is awkward. Getting out of your comfort zone can result in so many great things. So get out there, go to the job interview even  if it doesn't go well. You did it. You did something in life that you've always wanted even though you were too shy in the past. You got this.

Week #12 My grandma knows about, What Color is Your Parachute?

Tonight I was doing my homework at my grandma's house and she saw my What Color is Your Parachute? book sitting on the kitchen table. She picked it up and sad "Gianna are you reading this book?", I said yes gram I am reading this book for a class. She looked at the book and said, "You know what, I read this book before I opened my own business." I lifted my head from my computer and looked at her and said, "really?". She said, "Yes! I actually used tips from this book to help me with my studio.".

Little bit of background  my grandma, Pat Toniolo, opened up her own dance studio in 1979. When she first opened she had 800 kids and within a year she had to open a second studio because she was so busy.  My grandma is now 81 years old and STILL has her dance studio today, and she has no plans of closing the studio any time soon. She has been very successful in her 38 years of business. If tips from this book can help me be as successful as her I would be so happy.

The picture above is the front of my grandmas dance studio. It is located in Elmwood park IL.

After grandma looked at my book for awhile she started talking to me about it. She said that she remembers reading a lot of helpful tips from this book. I am in utter shock that she knew what this book was.  She even knew what the Flower exercise was! My dad on the other hand had no idea what the book was LOL. My grandma said she actually might still have her copies of the editions she read in the basement. If she does I plan on looking at them to see what has changed and what hasn't. I think that would be really cool. I will update everyone in the coming weeks on if I find the old What Color is Your Parachute? books.

Week #11 What Color is Your Parachute?

In the most recent chapter of What Color is Your Parachute? I read about five steps that job-hunters or career-changers have found super useful to take, but you must follow them in order. Those steps are:

1. Find out what careers or work your flower points to. (see flower chart in chapter 8)
2. Try on some of those jobs before you decide which one to pursue.
3. Find out what kinds of organizations have such jobs.
4. Find names of particular places that interest you.
5. Research that place thoroughly before formally approaching them.

I really like how the book discussed #2. I'm my opinion I too think it is important to try out some of your possible job choices before you find just one to pursue. The book mentions how trying out a job is just like trying on clothes. You might see a dress that looks beautiful but when you try it on it makes you look horrible. The same thing goes for careers. One job might sound perfect, but it might not seem perfect once you get an up close and personal experience. 

I have tried out a few jobs in my life so far. They all have their fair share of pros and cons. But each job has given me better incite as to what I want to do in the future. So far I have learned that I learned that I would love helping people, I love social media, being ad advisor for a college is something I would love to do, marketing is very interesting and working for a sports team would be pretty cool. Its all about trial and error. I think that is something we all need to remember. Everyone has to fall down a few times, but each time you fall you learn a new lesson. It's also important to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. You never know a job you thought you would hate, you might fall in love with. 

Week #11 Facebook ads pt 2

Facebook ads, love em or hate em they are here to stay. A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about Facebook ads discussing the pros and cons. This past week I had the chance to make a "mock" Facebook ad for my own Facebook page. Creating the ad was very simple. The first thing you need to do is brain storm what kind of ad you would like to create. Then once you have an idea of what type of ad you would like to make you click on this link: https://www.facebook.com/business/
This link will lead you to a page that will help you create your very own ad! The image blow is a "mock" ad I created.

I crated this ad to promote my Facebook page. The image above would typically appear on the right hand side of your newsfeed. One thing to note is that making a Facebook ad is not free. You can spend as much or as little money as you want of your ad. You do not need to pay for the ad until after you see what the ad you created looks like. 

There are also many different types of ads you can create. The one I chose was "engagement". Engagement helps promote your Facebook page to gain more likes. In the picture above you can see there are 11 types of ads you can create. Once you choose a type of ad Facebook guides you through the steps to creating your very on ad. I my opinion it was very simple to create an ad. As much as I think Facebook ads are a pain in the butt, they are very helpful. After doing this mini project I do not hate them as much as I used to. If you guys have a business or a Facebook page that you want to promote I suggest testing the waters and creating your own Facebook ad! Here's the link if any of you guys want to give it a try! https://www.facebook.com/business/

Week 10: More Hootsuite

Last week I talked about how Hootsuite and how it can be used as a tool to make posts and send them  to all forms of social media. This week I did a test post to get my feet wet. The first thing I did was make sure all my social media platforms were linked. As seen in the picture below.

After selecting which social media platforms you would like your content to be posted on click "send now" and your content will be posted! Below are some sample pictures of my test posts on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.

As you can see "testing Hootsuite" was posted to all three of my social media platforms at once! Say you did not want to post your content at this time. You can set a timer and have you content post whenever you want. That tool can be useful for time sensitive material. Last semester I took a public relations writing course. I wish I knew about Hootsuite while I was in that class. During that time was constantly posting to multiple social media platforms at once but I had to do each individually and all at different times. PR is a possibility for me in the future so I'm very fortunate to be learning how to use Hootsuite now. Can't wait to keep learning more!

Week 10: What Color is Your Parachute?

This week I read chapter 8. Chapter 8 was called self inventory part 2. This chapter builds on all the skills from the last chapter. On the first page of chapter 8 we learn about the flower exercise. The flower exercise consists of seven petals because there are seven sides to a person or seven ways we think of ourself. These seven petals are ways we can describe ourself. These petals consists of different categories.

1. You and people. 
2. You and a work place.
3. You and skills.
4. Your and your purpose in life.
5. You and the knowledges you already have.
6. You and salary/responsibility.
7. You and geography.

The chapter goes through each petal and uses chats, graphs and fill in the blanks that correspond to each category.  I love that each chapter comes with these tools that I am able to fill in and use for my personal benefit. Like I mentioned in my last blog post I am a visual learner. Writing things out and drawing pictures really helps me better understand what's going on.

The picture above is called the fisherman's net. The fisherman's net is used in petal five. This chart is used to map out all the things you've learned about yourself though your pervious job experience. I really like this chart because ultimately this chart may help you unearth a job or job fields that would be ideal for you. The book suggests that it is good to spend some time on this chart so you can really think about your answers before writing them out. There are many other charts that will help build a better understanding of where you want to be in the job world. If you want to fill out your own charts you can google the ones used in the book and print them out for free! That is something I will be doing so I can physically see how my job hunting career is going.