When juggling multiple responsibilities it is easy to get sidetracked by the immediacy of today instead of focusing on the end goal or the future. Getting caught up in the minutia of classes and work can leave you exhausted and rather short-sighted, but it is important to take some time to make a plan.

The semester/quarter is rapidly coming to an end for many students across the country. While you are facing transition into either the summer session or vacation, set aside an hour or so and map out your career and personal development goals.

• What is your definition of success?
• Where do you see yourself next year?
• What do you need to do to get there?
• What kind of career would you like to pursue in five years?
• What types of skills will you need to acquire to attain the career of your dreams?
• What new or emerging technologies will keep you ahead of the curve?
• Have you updated your resume, references, work portfolio and TRN profile?

I attend lots of meetings: some formal, some casual, a few impromptu. Most of the time I am paying attention, listening, and taking notes, but sometimes the conversation unexpectedly swings back towards me. The most important thing to do in situations like that is to be prepared!

Here are a few things that will help keep you looking great in the spotlight (and not like a deer in the headlights):

1. Have your business card ready. Keep it in an easily accessible place and pull it out of its case or sleeve gracefully. Always request one in return.
2. Have your elevator pitch ready. You'll need to be able to rattle it off whenever someone starts asking you about you. It'll be disguised in requests like, "Tell me about yourself," "What's your background?" or "What do you do for (insert your company name here)?" Nothing's worse than being caught off-guard. The ability to deliver your elevator pitch with conviction will help you exude confidence, even if you're a little shaky on the inside.
3. Learn some dining and/or business etiquette. I highly suggest attending a workshop with Lisa, our etiquette expert over at Beverly Hills Manners. Chances are, you will all be starting at the entry or intern level. I highly suggest that you defer to those around you. For example, allow more experienced associates to lead the conversation and dining. This is a sign of your respect for them and for the situation.
   

I learned most of those lessons the hard way. Hopefully I can save you a little bit of time and embarrassment!

When discussing your value at an interview, remember to keep the focus on your ability to deliver core attributes the job demands and willingness to adapt to its unique needs. Additionally, if the interviewer asks you to tell him or her about yourself, they are not looking for your life story. Rather, the interviewer wants to hear how your past experiences, both personal and professional, will directly benefit the company and help you accomplish what is required for the job in question.

Most job descriptions are simply an outline of what will be asked of you. It is up to you to spotlight other requirements of that job to which you bring value. Do as much research as you can on the company and the position beforehand, because interviewers love to see that the requisite homework and preparation has been done ahead of time. Check out the company's website, read news articles that discuss the organization, and talk to people at the company if you can. This will help you stand out and, more likely, land the job of your dreams.

By Lance Stacy, CEO

The Rainmaker Network admittedly does a lot of career prep...but what if you've already landed the internship, gig or job of your dreams? Then what? Getting a job or internship is no easy feat, but it's nothing compared to actually keeping it.

Here are some incredibly simple, tried and true tips to help make you indispensable:

1. Show up on time. Being punctual shows that you are responsible and that you respect your employer's time. It also shows that you respect yourself enough to protect your reputation from being damaged by silly little mistakes.

2. Do your job. This seems like a dead giveaway but is not always apparent. Complete your projects with the same amount of gusto you had coming into your position. Also, doing your job also means doing it well. That's right -- doing it WELL is actually built into the job description.

3. Take some initiative. It doesn't mean to you stray from the task at hand to work on ten other things. What it does mean is that you need to go above and beyond what is expected out of you for the tasks you've been assigned to.

4. Ask questions, but only after you have attempted to answer them yourself. There is nothing more annoying for a manager or supervisor to have to answer your every question, especially if there are valid sources of information available at your fingertips (i.e. the University of Google).

5. Be consistent. Also known as being reliable, it is important that your boss can depend on you on a regular basis. Consistency in punctuality, quality of work, level of initiative, and self-reliance are all things that employers want but don't necessarily ask for outright.

What are your tips to keeping a job?

I come from a unique perspective where I was once standing in your shoes. I felt like I had a lot of talent and that I should be getting paid for my work. However, what I quickly realized that saying I wanted to work and telling them I had the ambition to do great things wasn't enough. In short, Ambition and Drive didn't sign paychecks. Fortunately I got up to speed and took a few unpaid, for-experience-only positions first to demonstrate my value and ambition and then the paid internships started rolling in. The funny thing about this world is that you get exactly what you give…and if you're patient, you can uniquely position yourself for success!

Pretend for a minute that you are a hiring manager and put yourself in their shoes. A university student walks into your office for a posted, unpaid internship position with your company. They have no applicable work experience, a small works portfolio at best, and they say that they are really interested in becoming the world's most fabulous fill-in-the-blank. You will have to not only take out time from your busy schedule to train them, but you have no real way to guarantee that the work they will get done will be of any presentable quality. They then ask for a $15-$20 an hour (even though the job posting said 'unpaid') because…well, they have the drive and ambition! Would you hire them then? ...I didn't think so!

Here's a few important things to keep in mind:
-Just because you're not being paid in dollars and cents doesn't mean that you're not getting paid in other ways. Internships are a two-way street: You are being groomed for a job or industry. It is the experience that you have to pay with your time, instead of dollars (like tuition, for instance).
-Don't value yourself too highly. That doesn't mean that you should strive to get paid what you're worth, but know what you're really worth before you ask for a wage, stipend, pay, etc.
-If you aren't willing to bet on your own performance, why should they? Taking on the risk of an internship and knowing that it may not pan out into full blown employment is an admirable risk to take and demonstrates a commitment that you are willing to make.
-Take advantage of your unpaid internship by cross-training in as many aspects of their business or position as possible. You will not only show initiative, motivation and drive (what you probably mentioned at your interview),  but you will also walk away with that internship with valuable on-the-job training that you can now list on your resume or demonstrate your proficiency in.
-Know that nothing is guaranteed. That, of course, is more of a philosophical discussion and we'll go into that later!

Oh, and that first unpaid internship? Mine was with the Special Olympics -- I designed a one-off logo for their Winter Games. My "payment" was building a positive rapport with my faculty (the people who recommended me for the position) and getting a lot of press coverage for it. Shortly after that I got three more paid internships that year…which catapulted my marketability in the job market. (Hey, I started my job hunt in a recession too!)

Hi all! If you didn't already hear about it, Cal State Long Beach was the place to be this past Wednesday. TRN held its first Sustainable Career Fashion Show on their campus. The weather was a perfect mixture of California sunshine and brisk autumn air, and our models looked fabulous!

Each of their ensembles came from recycled clothing stores- but you wouldn't have been able to tell that in office or on the street! It turns out that using recycled clothing to bump up your career wardrobe is a pretty fun and rewarding alternative to buying new.

Two great places to check out are Out of the Closet thrift stores and Dress for Success- a nonprofit that assists women in need by providing them with professional ensembles to wear for interviews and their first week on the job. We also found that Goodwill was another great source for used threads. Check out the amazing outfits our Event Planner put together with all of her finds!

And Rainmakers, we’d love to see even more of you at our next Sustainable Career Fashion Show at Cal State Fullerton this coming semester. In the meantime, happy shopping!