Helpful Tips For Giving A Presentation

We all get a little anxious when speaking in front of a class or group, but there are many things you can do to make it a less worrisome and stressful experience. Please consider these helpful tips the next time you have to present a project, pitch an idea or participate in a public speaking engagement.

1. Practice, practice, practice! Literally, do it like 17 times. Know all of your slides and main points by heart. Whenever you move on to a new slide or screen, you should know exactly what you want to say. Practicing includes identifying points you want to discuss and point out, but also helps you consider tone, speed and time limits.

2. Be prepared. You cannot practice until you have all of your materials prepared and information is logically organized. For the proper preparation, make sure your presentation is done a few days in advance to ensure ample time to practice and make adjustments as necessary. Another great thing to do to put you at ease and help remember important tidbits, would be to create note cards. I suggest that you try not to use them during a presentation, but the are professionally acceptable and are helpful if you really feel like you might choke up in particular areas.

3. Pick out your outfit and styling the night before. This is an important tip because the better you feel and look while presenting or speaking, the more comfortable you will be. Wearing one of your best outfits or doing your hair and makeup better than usual will make you feel confident in front of a crowd. Look your best and you'll feel your best!

4. Take your time. Do not rush through your information. You are presenting or speaking for a reason - to inform or persuade your audience about a topic, proposal or issue. They need to comprehend and understand your presentation. Make sure to take short pauses between each slide or thought so people can retain your ideas.

5. Deep breaths.  Take a deep breath before you begin. It will help put you at ease. You should also remind yourself that even if something does not go as you planned, you missed something or got noticeably nervous, tomorrow is a new day and life goes on. Do the best you can, take deep breaths and take things one at a time.

6. Use language that everyone can understand. Use vocabulary that everyone can understand and is familiar with. You don't want to confuse your audience with big words. Only use technical terms if you know the audience is familiar with these terms.

7. If you're nervous, look above the peoples' heads and pretend you are alone. You should have practiced this so many times that you don't get nervous, but in the case that you do seriously pretend to be alone and don't look directly at peoples' faces. Find a focus point in the back of the room slightly above someone's head and look there. It is much better to look beyond the crowd than to not look at the crowd at all or look down.

There you have it! Hopefully these tips will be helpful to you when preparing for your next presentation. If you have any other suggestions please comment below!

10 Tips to Landing Your Dream Internship

Even though summer isn't around the corner, it is important to understand the process now and start to look for positions sooner rather than later.  If you are anticipating a spring internship, I suggest that you begin applying now if you haven't already.  Time is running out!

Here are my tips on how to successfully complete the internship process:

1. Get your resume checked by a professional, advisor, professor or parent.  Make sure your format is presentable, your grammar and spelling is correct and there are no errors with employment dates or job duties. 
2. Cater your resume and cover  letter to each position you apply to. You should never use the same exact resume or cover letter for multiple internships.  They should be customized to the specific position. If you don't think your resume needs revising, just simply change the objective for the position and company. Another thing you can do is reorder jobs on your resume based on relevance to the internship you are applying to. In the cover letter make sure to include the skills you have that match those they desire in the position description. 
3. Connect with professionals on LinkedIn.  Once you identify companies you want to work for, search for the HR recruiters, managers or directors and employees in the department for which you are applying. This shows that you are interested in the position and took the extra step to get noticed. 
4. Start looking for fall and spring internships at least 3 months prior to when you want to start. However, if you are looking to intern in the summer, I would advise you to start looking in the fall around October (yes, nearly seven months in advance) especially if you are interested in large corporations. They tend to post their positions very early on. Don't miss out on your dream company. Get ahead of the game. 
5. Use school databases and master lists to get contacts and start researching companies. 
6. Ask professors if they have any connections or recommendations. Also, attend internship and job fairs when available. 
   
7. The most popular websites that I suggest for looking for internships are: 
1. Indeed
2. Intern Queen
3. Internships.com
4. Ed2010
5. Levo League 
6. The Muse
7. CareerRookie
8. Media Bistro
9. Experience 
8. In addition to checking the listings on these websites, check corporate career websites for specific companies that your are interested in. Large companies do not always put job listings on job sites. 
9. After finding positions you like, are qualified for and have applied to, follow up with a few you are most interested in within 2-5 weeks if you have not heard anything. You can do this by through email, phone or LinkedIn. Try to contact an HR employee or an employee in the department to which you applied. 
10. Once you get offered an interview, exercise proper email etiquette when responding. Reference my previous blog "12 Email Etiquette Tips".  

*I found my four internships through Internships.com, Indeed, my university's communication master list and actually one through Facebook! Utilize your resources and take initiative. You can do it!*

Good luck with your internship search! Please reach out to me for advice or if you have any specific questions; I would love to assist. 

15 Tips for Social Media Etiquette

Since many employers today search for applicants' social media profiles, it is important that your content is clean, appropriate and representative of yourself.  You should never publish anything that you would not be okay with everyone you know reading.  You never know who is looking at your profile and you must be aware of this when you are about to post something.  Once something is on the Internet it is there forever- so make sure you understand and think about that before you hit publish!

Here are 15 tips to help you maintain a positive presence across various social media platforms:

1. Never post in the heat of a moment, when you’re overly tired, upset, angry or intoxicated.  This is dangerous!  Never react when you are not in the right state of mind.  Give things some thought before putting it in writing for the world to see. 
2. When you are publishing posts make sure you are okay with the possibility that any one and everyone is seeing it.  In other words, don’t post anything you wouldn’t want employers or your boss to see.  
3. Do not use inappropriate, discriminatory or derogatory language.  This really discredits your character and not only does it turn off employers, it can offend your followers or friends. 
4. Only connect with people you know, not strangers.  It is more valuable to have people that you actually communicate with in your network. 
5. Don’t get too personal.  Some things should stay private and some things are better off left unsaid. 
6. Be truthful and fill out profiles to the fullest extent.  Never try to be someone you're not and always post information that reflects your own views.  Also, do not exaggerate your qualifications on LinkedIn. 
7. Use an appropriate picture that bests represents you.  Across all social media channels, you should have an appropriate photo.  No cleavage or alcohol in hand. 
8. Edit settings on Facebook for Timeline Review so that whenever someone tags you in a photo or status, you can approve or deny it before it gets shared for all your friends to see.  This helps stay in control of what is available for viewing by your friends and what you want to allow or not allow others to see. 
   
9. Use proper grammar and spelling on all sites.  Just because you're not writing a professional email or report does not mean you can write poorly.  Set an example and use proper grammar.  Posts will look cleaner, be understood by more people and help credibility and instilling a positive reputation.
10. Use hashtags well.  Do not use too many.  Only use hashtags that are relevant and helpful to your credibility, growth and recognition. 
11. Keep things positive!  Your tone is significant.  People don’t like negativity.  Use social media as a platform to be positive and engage in purposeful, fun conversations. 
12. Avoid posting about controversial topics or engaging in a conversation that may lead to an argument.  It’s obviously important to have your own views and strongly believe in them, but there is no need to put it on the web for the world to see.  It’s not worth it.  You never know, that one negative comment could go viral (which would not be good in this case)! 
13. Don’t over share or over post. People don’t want to see 20 tweets within two hours from you. If they do, they will most likely unfollow or unfriend you after awhile.  A few posts a day at most is ideal.
14. Be respectful. Treat people correctly.  If someone sends you a nice comment, reply and thank them. Exercise the same etiquette on social media that you would through email. 
15. Stay away from multi-channel connections/automation.  For example, do not connect your Facebook and Twitter. Facebook posts can be too long and tweets are too short and sometimes include mentions that do not convert well on Facebook.  They are two different sites for a reason so use them differently. 

Happy posting! 

Cosmopolitan's Fun Fearless Life Conference NYC 2014

As I have stated in previous posts, it is important to take advantage of networking opportunities and professional events if they become available to you. Her Campus's President and Co-founder, Windsor Hanger Western was invited to speak on a panel for this fun-filled weekend and offered me a discounted ticket so I happily accepted! I have been to several similar, worthwhile events over the past few months, but Cosmo's Fun Fearless Life was by far the most exciting and beneficial.

Cosmo intended to hold a 2-day conference with amazing speakers, but in my opinion, they basically brought the magazine to life! Topics spoken about included career advice, following your dreams, creating goals, the importance of power posing, building your personal brand, fitness, health, beauty, style, financial tips and expressing yourself. Some of the amazing speakers included Cosmo Editor-In-Chief Joanna Coles, Kelly Osbourne, Chrissy Teigen, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, Megyn Kelly, Jillian Michaels, Gabrielle Union and Nasty Gal's Sophia Amoruso. Along with these amazing speakers and panels there were makeup tutorials and free makeovers from Maybelline and a super cute shop with Cosmo goodies like sweatshirts, emergency kits and tanks. We also received a few freebies from Maybelline and Express who helped power the weekend!

I had so much fun meeting new people and learning new things. Here are the 4 completely life-changing lessons I learned:

Drive and Attitude are Key to Success
The founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely, told us the story of how she began Spanx with no relevant experience, no knowledge of the business, no financial help and no encouragement. However, she was able to be so successful because she believed that her product could have an enormous impact on women's lives and self-esteem. With her drive and positive attitude she was able to create this multi-million dollar worldwide brand. She encouraged us to prioritize our goals, stay focused and fake it till you make it.

Weak Ties are Actually Quite Strong
Weak ties are all of the people you have ever met. Strong ties are the people that are close to you. Although the stronger ties care more about you and know you better, weak ties can often be significant down the road in life when a favor is needed or you need a new job. Every connection you make is unique. Your best friends cannot open new door for you, so this is when a persons weak ties come in handy.

Surprising Women's Health Facts 
Dr. Meg Jay educated the woman-dominated audience on ways to reduce your risk of cancer.  I was surprised to learn - along with everyone else - that the #1 cause of breast cancer that can be prevented is alcohol. She recommended that every woman intake no more than 3 glasses of wine per week. She also told us that taking a birth control pill reduces your risk of ovarian cancer later in life.

50-20-30 Rule for Budgeting in Your Twenties
One of my favorite speakers was LearnVest's founder Alexa von Tobel because she offered practical, smart tips for cutting costs, growing savings and learning how to have money for everything that matters most to you. She suggests following the 50-20-30 rule each month. 50 percent of your monthly income should be for essentials such as food, bills and gas, 20 percent should be put into a retirement fund of savings for the future and 30 percent should be used for fun like shopping or events. She also encourages those in their twenties to live below their means and to save for potential emergencies.

Here are a few other tidbits I'll share from this weekend:

• Have 10 outfits in your closet that make you feel awesome
• "You can't be what you can't see"
• "Helping other people helps you find yourself"
• Work backwards to achieve your goals by completing small tasks one at a time
• "Don't underestimate what you can bring to the table"
• "No job is too small, no job is too big"
• "Do one nice thing for yourself every day" 
• "Who you know is what you know"

I was lucky enough to receive a special invitation to Cosmo's VIP Cocktail Party at the Hearst Tower with several notable people. I got to mingle with other attendees, panelists, speakers, celebrities and Cosmo editors while enjoying a beautiful view of NYC. I met my absolute favorite blogger, Perez Hilton and Kelly Osbourne. Such an incredible experience! 

One of my favorite recaps: https://www.levo.com/articles/career-advice/best-career-advice-from-cosmos-fun-fearless-life-conference 

Tips for LinkedIn Beginners

On Monday, November 3rd, Her Campus WPUNJ hosted a LinkedIn Workshop at William Paterson University to familiarize students with LinkedIn and understand its significance. It is never too early to create a LinkedIn profile! There are some truly beneficial features including things you couldn't otherwise include on your paper resume like links and photos. LinkedIn is the best way to make connections with professionals, join groups, and look for jobs and internships, so it's important that students start to do this the very next chance they get.

I'm sure you're wondering - Is it worth completing a LinkedIn profile right now? Yes, start early and be ahead of your competition! Here are ways students can benefit from LinkedIn:

1. Connect with others. Stay in touch with previous employers, current employers, colleagues, fellow classmates, friends, club or team members, professors, alumni, family and more. You never know who you are going to need one day so it's good to connect with everyone possible.

2. Explore opportunities with organizations that don't recruit on campus. If you join specific groups, follow companies, or check your news feed for updates from your connections, you will get to take advantage of the information or events they share.

3. A strong profile can make you stand out among the rest. Getting a job or even an internship is more competitive than ever before. Anything you can do to make yourself shine, do it! Include links to published work, portfolio clips or sample work, add skills, brag about the awards you won, and so on.

4. Research companies and career paths. Although many of us may have distinct interests and passions, we still may not be sure what companies or industry appeals to us the most. A great way to investigate and learn more about particular job responsibilities of those within certain companies is to do relevant searches on LinkedIn. You can learn so much information that is valid and reliable.

Now that you know a LinkedIn profile can benefit your future and understanding of the corporate world, here are the necessary items that need to be completed in your profile:

1. Photo. Keep it professional and appropriate. It should only be a head shot.
2. Headline. This can state your current internship position or career ambitions.
3. Summary. Make this only a few sentences describing your career aspirations and how your skills or experiences have helped you.
4. Experience. Include internship positions, jobs, volunteer work and clubs you participate in. Give a brief description of your responsibilities for each and provide links if necessary.
5. Education. Include the college you attend, anticipated graduation date, major and minor (if applicable), GPA if above 3.0, and scholarships or any other awards. If you want, you can list any relevant courses.
6. Skills. Add all of the skills you think you possess. Once you do so and start making connections, people will endorse you for the skills they think you attain.

5 more tips to make you a superstar among your connections: 

1. Provide endorsements and recommendations for others. If you do something for others, they are likely to return the favor.
2. Comment on discussions and posts in groups you joined. Having a voice in a professional group is great because it will help you build more connections and stay in the know about a certain topic or industry.
3. Customize your URL. LinkedIn URL's are super long. Personalize it if possible!
4. Update your profile when needed and check status updates daily. Whenever you start or end a new job or internship or acquire a new skill make the proper changes on your LinkedIn.
5. Provide contact information. Make your email accessible to your connections. If someone wants to collaborate on a project or recommend you for a job, it would be convenient to have your email readily available.

Good luck creating your LinkedIn profile. Sell yourself and make new connections everyday! 

The Significance of a Professional Portfolio for College Students

It is never too early to start creating your professional portfolio! Even as a freshman in college, you are writing papers and starting to make your networking connections. Because of this, it is important to start compiling materials early on.  As time goes on it should be constantly updated, but beginning this project ASAP is worth your while.  A portfolio showcases your talents, strengths and achievements.  Employers for any job or internship you apply for in college would love to see samples of your work to better access your ability and see what goals you have. Plus, just having that portfolio on an interview will immediately impress the interviewer since there are still so many college students that do not take the time to make one.

Why should you create a professional portfolio? 

You should start compiling your very best pieces NOW! After each semester concludes, you should update it as necessary since your writing abilities and skills will improve as you take more challenging courses.  Keeping a record of your best accomplishments helps you to self-monitor your growth and progress. This portfolio with set you aside from the rest. We all have unique experiences, but what make yours special? Your portfolio will show details that your resume or LinkedIn do not. It is personal, yet professional.  It gives the people reviewing it a better sense of who you are, the work you are capable of and how creative you are.

What things do I need to create this portfolio?

1. 3-ring, hard binder. Get a neutral color - either white or black. A half an inch or one-inch binder will suffice. 
2. Clear, plastic, protective inserts. You need to put all your clips and samples in these inserts to protect them from getting wrinkled, stained or wet. 
3. Collected materials.  These are all of the pieces you want to include - papers, presentations, releases, emails, recommendations letters, awards, etc... 
4. Table of Contents.  After you order your materials, type up a table of contents. No need for page numbers - just simply list the pieces in order so people know what it includes. 
5. Resumes, cover letters and reference list.  Print out five copies of each and put them in the front and back sleeves of the binder. Resumes and cover letters should go in the front sleeve with your resumes on top and the reference list in the back sleeve. 

What pieces should I include? 

1. Papers, presentations, reports or assignments from relevant classes.  You should have received a B or higher on any of these pieces you want to include.  They also must be relevant to the job and internship positions you want. For instance, if you aspire to be a marketing professional, do not include that paper you wrote for History class.  If you have yet to take a related class since you are a freshman, include a paper from your college writing class because the writing topics are more general. 
2. Kudos Emails.  If you have ever received an email or note from a professor, employer, supervisor, co-worker or advisor that praised you for your work and efforts, include it! Having written proof that you were commended for excellent work is essential.  
3. Awards and Recognition.  Include any copies of awards won, scholarships awarded, your most recent Dean's List letter or an acceptance letter from an honor society. 
4. Writing Samples.  Any writing samples you have done outside of the classroom like blogging and newspaper articles would be great additions. 
5. List of professional development activities attended. If you have attended any workshops at school that relate to LinkedIn, interviewing, resume or cover letter help, social media etiquette, etc... put it on the list. If you have attended any professional events like career conferences, professional speaking engagements, networking events or webinars these are key things to add. Employers will love that you took initiative and went out of your way to find these special events. It shows that you enjoy learning, are passionate, want to make the most of your college experience and do whatever it takes to benefit your professionalism. TIP: Make sure you remember things from these events! It is very likely that an employer would ask you to tell them about topics discussed and would want to know what you got out of it. 
6. List of community service and volunteer work.  If you donated to a charity, attended a charitable function or participated in a philanthropic effort for your sorority or fraternity, create a list and include a brief description (a few sentences) on how you contributed to it and how this benefited the cause and yourself. 
7. Recommendation Letters.  By the end of your college career, you should have asked for at least TWO recommendation letters.  This can be from your professors, faculty or staff members, internship supervisor, employer or advisor.  If you developed a strong relationship with any of these figures they should be the ones you ask first. It would be preferred you get a letter from someone that knows you on a more personal level, rather than from a professor you never stayed after class to talk to or email! 
8. Samples of work from previous internships, if applicable.  Email or print some of your assignments from your internship(s) to keep a record of your work. Pick a few pieces to showcase in your portfolio. 

Good luck with your portfolios! As always, leave a comment and I would be happy to provide you with some more advice.

12 Email Etiquette Tips

As a young professional, it is important for your reputation and success to exercise proper email etiquette when emailing employers, recruiters and other professionals. Understand and apply these tips in your next email to a professional.

1. Have a clear subject line. Make it brief, but tell the recipient exactly what the email will be about.
2. Formality. Make sure to address the recipient appropriately and correctly spell their name.
3. Use short sentences. Professionals get hundreds of email per day and have limited time. Get to the point and be effective! Keep the whole email brief and use only a few small paragraphs, if needed.
4. Include relevant details. Skip the fluff, tell them only what they need to know.
5. Proofread, proofread, proofread! Make sure everything is spelled correctly, punctuated correctly and use proper grammar. Make spellcheck automatic before sending.

6. Be objective. Do not offer your opinion unless asked and remain objective to all issues. Avoid any biases.
7. End it politely. Use "Thank you", "Best" or "Sincerely" when ending your note.
8. Avoid caps. You will sound like you are screaming or angry!
9. Use generally accepted fonts. Nothing too fancy or hard to read!
10. Refrain from emoticons or colored fonts or backgrounds. Keep it clean and professional.
11. Beware of "Reply All". Only reply to people who need to receive your response.
12. Be polite, respectful and friendly to a point. Exercise good manners!

Remember, your email is a reflection of you!

7 Ways to Jump-Start Your Success Before an Internship

Landing an internship is just as competitive as getting a job. It's important to stand out from the rest by doing valuable work and participating in worthwhile activities to make your resume better than the rest. When applying for your first internship, companies like to see that you already have relevant experience, but how are you supposed to get an internship when you haven't had a previous internship? Below are some tips to make you an exceptional candidate for your first internship. 

1. Seek out a mentor. Getting advice and learning about someone else's experiences is extremely beneficial. Your mentor can be a professor, school advisor, athletic coach, club leader, an older, upperclassman friend or anyone else you has had more experience in the industry or field that you desire to be a part of. A mentor can give you advice, answer any questions you have, offer guidance and provide feedback for anything you partake in. It's important to hear others' perspectives because it will help you determine what you want the most. Identify someone in your life that would be an ideal mentor and talk to them about your ideas for mentor-mentee relationship. Most people enjoy helping others and would be honored if asked. It is suggested that you create a small contract that outlines your goals and expectations of the relationship. 

2. Attend networking events, conferences or workshops. It's never too early to start making new connections or learn from professionals. Seek out some events on your campus or nearby that relate to your values and could help you learn more about a particular industry or skill. Many events are free, especially on your college campus. Check out your university's website, Eventbrite, Meetup or your local newspaper or magazine for upcoming events. Look into your specific college's event calendar or Career Center's calendar.  There are always plenty of events in the fall and spring during the semesters!

3. Schedule informational interviews. Setting up informational interviews with industry professionals is invaluable. You will get to ask these professionals any questions you want, which can really help you understand more about their company and determine if a particular industry is the right fit for you. Get contacts from LinkedIN, your advisor, a professor or through a university database and reach out to a few professionals via email. Briefly tell them about yourself and ask if they would be available to grab coffee or meet for 30 minutes for an informational interview. If they agree to meet or chat, have some questions ready and take notes. This interview is strictly for more information about their job responsibilities, the industry and corporate culture so take advantage of what they divulge! 

4. Start a blog or personal website. Having an online presence and showcasing your talents and writing skills is super impressive to employers. It shows that you took initiative to do something that you like for your benefit and is not required by your university. Start a blog about anything - food, sports, beauty, fashion, fitness - and put the link on your resume. Your blog should be a fun new hobby that would be beneficial to your readers and be of interest to recruiters. Just make sure to watch out for misspellings or grammatical errors and keep it appropriate! 

5. Join your university's Her Campus chapter or start your own! HerCampus.com is an online magazine for college women that offers great tools and skills to help make you a successful student. You can write for any of the six sections of the magazine or contribute to the marketing, public relations or social media teams. Being in Her Campus shows that you can work well with a team, meet deadlines and communicate effectively. Whether you're journalism, PR, marketing or communication, being a part of Her Campus will be a worthy asset on your resume. 

6. Write for your school's newspaper. If you love your school and want to show some pride, reach out to the newspaper's Editor-In-Chief to cover some news. Pitch them an idea for a monthly column, offer to attend events and recap them, or write features. Just like Her Campus, you will need to meet strict deadlines and work effectively with others. It will also help you be aware of what's happening on campus and who the university's influential people are since they are most likely reported about in the paper. 

7. Create a professional portfolio. Even if you are only a underclassmen, it is important to start compiling pieces now! Get a one-inch binder and start putting in things that showcase your work, skills or achievements. If you made Dean's List, put the letter in there. If you got an A on your final paper, include it. If you won an award or received a kudos email from a professor, add it. You can keep making changes as time goes on, but start it now to monitor your success and progress. This is something you should absolutely bring on an interview! It will make you stand out and presenting this to an interviewer sets you aside from other candidates. 

I strongly suggest implementing some of these tips since they will help you become a more well-rounded, successful internship candidate. If you have any questions, please leave a comment. Good luck jump starting your success! 

Welcome to The Collegiate Scene, I'm Jenna!

Are you a female college student? Do you want to have an extremely rewarding college experience? Do you want to take advantage of all opportunities possible during your time as a student? If you answered yes to all of these, congratulations - you came to the right place! The Collegiate Scene will provide insightful tips that will help you excel your college career. 

Before I start writing my posts, let me introduce myself!  I'm Jenna and I am a senior attending William Paterson University of New Jersey. I am a Marketing major and a Public Relations minor. I always knew I wanted to be in the business world, but found through college that I really love communications too. 

Upon starting my second year of college, I discovered Her Campus. It is an online magazine for college women with numerous sections of content and an admirable start-up story. I related to a lot of the articles and became addicted to checking the site. I read about it's history and was inspired by the founders and knew I desperately wanted to be a part of it. Six months later, my friend and I co-founded our own chapter of the magazine at WPUNJ. This was without a doubt the best decision of my life. I have learned so much from this, have made tons of connections and have attained many achievements because of my work and dedication. 

As a Campus Correspondent for Her Campus, I am responsible for managing an entire team of writers and social media assistants, creating and planning events, directing and overseeing social media activity, working on marketing campaigns with Nationals, completing weekly reports and writing content for the site. Her Campus WPUNJ is now recognized nationally as a Platinum level chapter, which means we are among the top 30 chapters in the world. We receive at least 3,000 page views per week, have won numerous awards from Her Campus Media and the WPUNJ Student Government Association and have been featured in several on-campus news publications and student projects. It has been incredible achieving all of this success and I am so glad that I have a wonderful team of girls that are just as passionate and hardworking as my co-founder and I are. 

Within two months of launching Her Campus, I started two other jobs! I was recruited to be a MTV Trendspotter for MTV Insights. Basically, I contribute news and feedback to a Facebook Group to be used as marketing research for MTV. It's like an online focus group of select Her Campus girls. Through this small commitment, I have visited MTV Studios in Times Square and got paid to watch the 2013 MTV VMA's with them there. The other job - or I should say extended internship - was for a cast member on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Kim "Kim D" DePaola. Kim posted on her Facebook that she needed a social media intern so I messaged her and she told me to come in. No interview! Because of the message contents and my friendly professionalism, I was in. While she was featured on Season 5 of RHONJ, I managed her blog and social media and assisted her with appearances and fashion shows for her store, POSCHE. To this day, I still help Kim out and have made many amazing connections because of this. I have always been into entertainment and am a huge fan of the show, so I definitely consider this to be one of my most unforgettable experiences. 

Through my junior year, I took some challenging courses, but continued to put my whole heart into making Her Campus WPUNJ the absolute best it could be all while jugging those other two priorities and my job working as a Student Ambassador in the Admissions office (my source of income!). For my junior year, I was promoted to Tour Coordinator for one year after serving as a Student Ambassador for two years and was asked to be the Student Representative of the WPU Marketing and Public Relations Committee. 

I know what you're thinking - how does she do it all?! I have excellent time management skills. Definitely something to discuss in a future blog! 

This past summer I took a well-deserved break from this madness, but I'm back at it again this fall with a new internship! I landed a PR internship with InTouch, Life & Style and Closer Weekly magazines. I am happy to report it is paid and super cool! No matter how many opportunities you have, you are always learning new things or seeing things done in a different light. At this internship, daily tasks include updating media coverage reports, creating PR meeting outlines, writing press releases, updating media contact lists and coordinating weekly PR mailings. My most recent fun assignments were creating a press release for Life & Style's 2014 Best of Beauty Awards and a celebrity face sheet for Life & Style's 10 Year Anniversary Event in L.A. next week! 

All of these experiences have made me so well-rounded, confident and academically successful. I am so thrilled to begin blogging about my college experiences with you and hope that you will benefit from my tips and information! I will let you know about all the things I learned from workshops, classes, conferences, networking connections and professors that helped me land these fabulous opportunities! 

If you ever have a question or anything, leave your email in the comments and I would be happy to reach out. 

XO! 


P.S. Read some of my published articles for Her Campus WPUNJ here.