It took me a long time to start blogging because I couldn’t think of what I wanted to talk about. When I finally got it, it took me even longer to pick a theme and add my widgets. It was quite the process. And even with all that work, I still don’t like my design and the pickings on WordPress were slim slim slim. As I spent the whole weekend sitting in my apartment reading blogs on AllMediocre, which I recommend to everyone, I found some really cool things that other people had on their blogs. In doing so, I found Shauna. A stay at home mom and self proclaimed computer nerd with a major talent for blog and website design. She’s probably one of the best kept secrets in the blogosphere thus far. I checked out her work and it’s pretty awesome stuff. Exactly my taste. All images seen in this post are examples of the custom headers from actual blogs that Shauna has designed.

The major clincher- she’s totally affordable!!! For and entire WordPress makeover she charges only $65!!!!!! TOTAL. That includes a customized header, matching background, customized buttons if you want, and some other great stuff. For Google Blogger, it’s even less. She really takes your opinion into account as well to ensure you get the design of your dreams. I encourage you all to check her out! She’s on vacation until July 7th, but then she’ll be back and customizing away. 

Check back soon towards the middle of July or so for my new theme. I haven’t even seen anything and I’m so excited!

My cat was hit by a car last night and died. He was my cat that I begged and pleaded for and got without my parent’s approval when I was in the 5th grade. I know everyone says this- but he was the coolest cat in the world.

RIP Charlie. Thank you for all the cuddles, the head butts, the swats, the birds and rodents that you caught and left for me on the back porch because you thought I’d love them. You were a good boy. I’m gonna miss you. I think I will spread your ashes in a forest by our house because I know how much you loved to be out there. Thanks for choosing me as your human, and for 13 years of love.

I hate working out. I hate it I hate it I hate it. As a former gymnast, I used to crave the competition and the strength that came with the exhausting and difficult workouts. And damn did I look good in a bikini! I think the only thing I have left from those gymnast days are some strong muscular legs and an innate sense of guilt that I don’t work out anymore. No longer able to be a gymnast, I try really hard to find a new niche to get back into the wonderful world of sweat and pain. To add insult to injury, Boyfriend is a distance runner and I feel major guilt every time he comes home from work and the first thing he wants to do is go out for an 8 mile run. I envy his love of something that is challenging, inexpensive, and can be done at any time he chooses. 

The 9-5 work day is not very conducive to a workout routine either. You leave the office and you’re tired- who wants to go to the gym? Yuck. I’d rather come home, take my dog out, grocery shop, cook dinner, watch some bad reality TV and go to bed. Because of this, my body has taken a toll. I am lucky enough that I’m not a big person but I’m not as fit as I used to be. Putting that bikini on seems like more of a punishment than privilege for a fun day at the pool. SO… I have decided that I’m going to voice a goal of mine. And once I put it in writing- it’s final. So here it is. In the spirit of Boyfriend’s running habit-

I’m going to run a half marathon. 

I’ve gone running with him many times and sometimes I even get really into it. The farthest I’ve ever run at one time is 3 miles. So it’s going to be quite the challenge to run 13.1 miles but I’m going to do it! It’s also nice to have a live-in running buddy and encourager. It’s so helpful when Boyfriend looks at me after a run- all sweaty and gross- and he tells me how awesome I did- even if I did terrible. To break up the running a bit, I want to get back into doing Yoga. I’d also like to try a Zumba class as I’ve heard some great things about it. A few goals for this would be to get back down to a weight where I feel a bit more comfortable. I want to feel good for my sister’s wedding at the end of September and I overall just want to feel less lazy and more productive. And maybe that bikini in my closet won’t be so daunting anymore! 

Now in this spirit I’m going to need some help and encouragement. I’d also like to know what you do for your routine to avoid the 9-5 weight gain. OR if you find yourself in my predicament then join me! Pick some things you’ve been dying to try and actually do them. Decide on a goal and go for it. Feel free to come back and leave progress results. Or leave a link to your blog and I’ll come by and encourage you too! Good luck! 

You did it. You’re a college grad. You’ve walked across the stage in your cap and gown, heard someone wax on about how much you will do with your life, watched the swelling pride and beaming grins from your families as you were handed your diploma, and you can officially say “when I was in college…” Congratulations, you’re an alumni. 

Now what?

When I graduated, I had already been applying to jobs for months. Yes, months. I was an English and Criminology double major, had a great GPA, and naive hopes to go into publishing. I thought forever that I would end up in law school and possibly politics eventually, but after taking my LSATs, I just didn’t see myself happy chaining myself to a desk for 70+ hours a week. But that’s just me. 

Being that I had no real idea what I wanted to do, I was lost. I ended up spending close to 6 months searching for a job-ANY job. And for most college grads- 6 months was considered a short search. To me, it felt like years. I spent countless hours on Craigslist, Monster.com, Careerbuilder. One of the things that is so hard about finding a job is that nothing is done in person anymore. The Web 2.0 days have taken over and you are not getting face time with potential employers, so that dazzling personality of yours, I hate to break it to you, means crap. You apply online and these people look at your resume and see that you’re a recent college grad with no real work experience yet, and throws your humble little resume in the trash. It takes about 15 seconds for them to be your judge, jury and executioner. I felt completely worthless. 

If I could go back and give myself some advice, here’s what I would have done differently..

1. Get a LinkedIn profile
It’s easy and it gives you the chance to connect with people who are interested in networking and careers. You never know who you might meet. It’s all about who you know. What you know will get you even farther when you get your foot in the door. Anyone who tells you otherwise- is lying. Feel free to link with me! Just search for “Megan Hofmann” in Columbus, OH or click here. Let me know you found me on my blog and I’ll be happy to add you!

2. Have an outstanding cover letter
I was chatting with a Senior VP in my company and he happened to be on his laptop checking email. He turned it to me and said, “read this.” So I did and it was a rather boring cover letter from a kid wanting an internship/job. Senior VP turns back to me and said, “well this guy is giving me nothing to care about… delete.” That was that. Usually colleges offer services to help you write a cover letter- use this service! It will turn out to be invaluable. The littlest things can get you noticed. Your personality can shine in your cover letter where it might not shine in your professional resume. 

3.Use your spare time to brush up on some skills 
Learn some new social media. You never know where opportunities might pop up and the more people you talk to and the more people you connect with, the better chance you have that they might know someone who might know someone, etc. 

4. Don’t lose hope
It’s so easy to think- what the hell did I go to college for? Why don’t people like me? If my GPA were higher… if I took that internship… well- it wasn’t and you didn’t so thinking about what could have been will get you nowhere. Do something now instead of crying about it. 

5. Apply for everything and anything 
I ended up getting my job- that I love- by taking a chance at something I didn’t actually know I’d be any good at it. In fact, I’d never even thought about it as a possible career option. Just getting out of college- you don’t need your dream job. Work up to it. Try something you never thought about. It could seriously surprise you.

You don’t have to take my advice if you agree. This is just what I might to differently. I go so lucky that I ended up with a dream job that I love. Sure, I get frustrated and miss my college days, but when you are fortunate to eventually have a job you don’t mind getting up every day for- it’s totally worth it. 

So what do you think, agree or disagree? If you are in a higher up position- what would you want to see from potential employees applying to your company? Essential dos and dont’s? 

Being in advertising, I constantly come across the term, “Brand Management.” For awhile, people would say this to me and I would politely nod and act like I knew what they were talking about. But in reality, we’ve all seen it first hand.

Remember what happened to Britney Spears when her management team quit on her?! Her brand went straight down the toilet and now desperately needs some rehabilitation- pun intended. Does this strategy of brand management apply to professional people as well?

As an individual joe, are we all individual brands? It does make sense. We all come complete with  skill sets, and marketable  qualities. Outgoing? Positive? Accountable? You are marketable. Irresponsible? Dishonest? Unreliable? Your marketability begins to plummet. This “self-marketing,” as a young professional, has to be done with the utmost care. No one wants to be a Britney, or worse, start as a Britney. I never thought of myself as a brand, but now that I’m thinking about it, it makes me want to clean up my act a bit. My swearing could lessen, my timing could be better, and a lot of the time I could just shut up. It’s not as though my life is worthy of Page 6, but if I want to be seen as the person I hope to be- I better start the process of acting like it. 

I was reading on Dave Mullen’s blog where Jennifer Laycock, a brilliant SEO writer and social media pro, commented on one of his post about how people do business with people. And her personality is why people want to work with her. You can still ultimately be yourself because people do want to see the real person, but you want to present an image that makes you look good at the same time. Reputation means a lot. And if you are doing things to garner a bad reputation… maybe you should re-evaluate your priorities. So if you’re entering the professional world… it might be time to untag those unflattering photos at the Pimp and Ho Theme Party or your brilliant idea to enter that wet t-shirt contest on Spring Break in Mexico. And if you have reservations about missing your college years… just remember poor old Brit Brit and the years it will take to get her reputation back… if ever. I think you’ll make the right decision.