So Good: Put your foot in it...

"Carolina" by Bourne

Retail: $270

First Steps: Internship!

Today was my very first day at my very first public relations internship, and it was awesome!

I am working behind a desk at a local nonprofit, answering phones, making promotional materials and trying not to screw up too badly! It's so nice to feel like I'm finally getting my foot in the PR door, instead of being stuck on the front stoop without a spare key.

Even though the positing for the position came along way late in my search for a summer internship (right when I thought that all was lost!) as soon as I read it, I knew that it was the one

I had been waiting for. It's marketing, it's event-planning, it's social media--it was everything I was interested in and looking for and it's for a good cause!

I think that if you are working for free, there could be nothing better than doing work that means something and will have a positive impact on the community.

I can sell my soul when I have a mortage payment.

Sole Food: Pinching pennies post-grad style

Basic Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1. (1) baguette = 99 cents
   
2. Olive oil
3. Minced garlic = 50 cents (one clove)
   
4. Mozzarella = $4-$8 (shredded or fresh)
   
5. Fresh basil = free if you grow it at home*

Total Cost: $5.50-$9.50 (around $15 with tomato, avocado)

Directions:

1. Cut baguette into 1/2 inch to 1 inch slices and arrange in a single layer on a baking pan.
   
2. Drizzle slices with olive oil a broil until golden and crisp
3. Remove from oven and pile slices with favorite toppings (garlic, sliced tomato, avocado, etc.)
4. Place mozzarella medallions (or sprinkle the cheese) on top of the slices and top with a basil leaf.
   
5. Broil once more until cheese has melted. Serve.
   

*I love to buy basil plant starts and plant them in a pot I keep in the apartment. If you cut holes into a Ziploc bag and shove it over the pot, the plants really thrive = ghetto greenhouse. I pay $1 for the start and have fresh basil throughout the season as opposed to $4 for a tiny package --with one puny sprig-- at the store)

Image: Heartofwisdom.com

So Good: Put your foot in it...

"Crissyy" by Steve Madden

Retail: $109.95

Achilles' Heels: The abominable "generic" interview question

When preparing to go on an interview, most of us will launch full throttle into researching everything about the corporation--from memorizing mission statements to stalking its Facebook.com page--only to find ourselves stumped by the simplest of questions when our timid tushes are actually placed on the hot seat.

These dubious questions have the power to topple even the most confident of interviewees in one fell swoop; some of the most notorious of these (and the subsequent panicked responses that'll ruin the interview) include:

1. "Why do you want to work here?"

...Because it has always been my dream to work here/my friend said it was awesome/It's close to where I live...

2. "Why should we hire you over someone else?"

...I really feel like I could contribute more than another person...because...I am a hard worker. Yeah.

3. "What is your greatest weakness."

I have no weakness...I am invincible. By day I am just an unassuming intern, but by night I am Dr. Spin Doctor! Faster than a forwarded press release and equipped with super speech-giving and crisis-management capablities. Bwahahaha!

On second thought, that might not be such a bad response...

For me, the question was: "What is public relations?"

This dasterdly query arrived at the very end of the interview and it stopped me in my tracks. All I could think about was how horrible and bemusing it would be if I couldn't even define the field I have been aspiring to go into for the past three years--and then my mind went completely blank and my mouth ran off without it.

Instead of having a concise, comprehendable answer at the ready, I took the interviewer for a ride on the scenic route of every aspect of PR and what it meant to me. By the time my jaws stoppped jammering, I had no idea if I had even answered her question.

The result: Did not get the job.

Here is a link to a Wisebread.com article that discusses 23 of the most generic interview questions (including the dreaded "weaknesses" one) and how you should answer.
http://http//www.wisebread.com/how-to-answer-23-of-the-most-common-interview-questions