Make Your Resume and Cover Letter Stand Out With Word Choice

Do you stand out in a crowd? Photo courtesy of The 5th Ape. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.It's approaching the time when college students are shifting from midterms to spring break. Before you know it, summer will be right at our toes (I know, I don't really believe that right now either, but I'm just going to keep telling myself that. So as our mentality is changing with the cycles of the school year, we have to focus our attention to internships and jobs for the summer (or perhaps beyond that if you're graduating). While we have written many articles about the internship process and how to make your resume awesome, I'd like to focus our attention briefly on the use of words in resumes and cover letters.

Simply having a sheet of paper with all of your wonderful accomplishments listed on it will not garuntee that you'll stand out in a crowd. However, by carefully selecting your words, you can be sure that your resume or cover letter will not blend in with others.

Read on to learn which phrases not to use!

Click to read more ...

Become the Perfect Interviewer

Even when interviewing a polar bear, you should be using proper interviewing techniques. Photo courtesy of ItzaFineDay. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.Sometime in your college career, you will more than likely have to perform some kind of interview (like this awesome interview Sean did with Tim Ferriss). You might do them weekly for the newspaper, for a specific assignment for a class, or for gathering information on a research topic. Whatever the case may be, there are certain interviewing guidelines that everyone should be aware of before even arranging a meeting. Follow these rules, and your resulting piece will show it. Additionally, good interviews might help you make contacts for the future.

Making Contact

First impressions can make or break an interview. Get off on the right foot by making contact in the right way. It's always best to contact a person you want to interview by phone, especially if you've never met them before. This way, you can get an answer from them immediately if they'll be available to interview. If you contact the person by email, you will have to compete with the many other emails that person receives. However, the tricky part about contacting a person on the phone is that they might have time to be interviewed right when you call. Therefore, it is extremely, extremely important that you have your interview questions ready to go when you call to set up the interview.

Make sure that you properly introduce yourself and clearly state your purpose. Most people are very willing to talk to college students for assignments, especially if it's something that they're an expert on. They will most likely be flattered and help you in any way they can.

Click to read more ...

Whiteboards Make Productivity A Little More Fun

Whiteboard doodles are epic. Loving the Lost references. Photo courtesy of melissaclark. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.Whiteboards. What are they good for except to make awesome huge murals that make no sense? Well, actually whiteboards can be an extremely useful tool for college students. So here is a list of things that I bet you didn't know about whiteboards and how they can help you with your college life.

How to Get Rid of Stubborn Marker Residue

The number one thing I used to hate about whiteboards was how messy and dirty they eventually got. I would have important things written up on my whiteboard for several weeks or months at a time, and when it was eventually time to erase them, they wouldn't come off. I would buy that special dry erase cleaner stuff and spray and scrub and spray and scrub, but to no avail. The words would still be perfectly visible or I would only succeed in spreading a nasty combination of all the colors all over the board. It's frustrating to say the least.

However, there is a very easy solution. Simply take another marker and scribble over the particularly stubborn bit of residue. Completely cover the old markings with fresh marker. Then just take a tissue and wipe it off. The residue should be 99% gone. It's a great way to get your board looking nice and white again. This trick also works with permanent marker on your whiteboard. If you want to write something long term on your board, don't feel afraid that you'll have ruined a whiteboard. Just do the same thing, and the permanent marker will disappear as easily as other dry erase markers.

Click to read more ...

How to Turn that Frown Upside Down

This is how I feel this week. Photo courtesy of Moto@Club4AG. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.I don't know what it is about February this year, but I feel like everyone is going through this kind of life-suck stage. We're in that weird state of mind that comes around this time of year. We're pretty much over the excitement and relaxation that winter break gave us. We're far enough into the spring semester that our classes are no longer "new and exciting." Now they all just suck. And Spring Break sure seems like a hell of a long way from here.

With this "suck stage" that February seems to bring, there are going to be a plethora of bad days. Sometimes, your days just suck. Maybe you know going into the day that it's just going to be shitty or maybe you find yourself in the midst of hell unexpectedly. Whatever the case is, there are a couple of things you can do to help make your shitty day... well, less shitty.

Give Yourself a Breather

When I have a bad day, sometimes I just need to "take a chill pill," as my mother always says. I retreat into my space for maybe just 15 minutes or half an hour. I turn on some music or turn on a completely mindless show on Hulu. And I literally just sit there. Sometimes just taking a short little break from life is what you really need to turn your day around.

On the other hand, sometimes you can use this breather to organize yourself. Today, I felt my academic workload crashing around me and felt completely overwhelmed. I spent a lot of time panicking until I finally just sat down with my computer and calendar and literally scheduled out everything that I needed to get done today. After I had organized my brain and thoughts, I felt immensely better. It helped me be in control of everything, even though just moments before it had felt absolutely out of my hands.

Click to read more ...

Making Valentine's Slightly Less Nauseating

Do these make you want to vomit? Yeah, me too. Photo courtesy of daveparker. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.Valentine's Day. The holiday that somehow morphed from celebrating a martyred saint to decorating everything in sight with red and pink, chocolate, roses, hearts, butt-naked cupids, and those horrible sweet heart-shaped candies that taste like chalk.

It's not everyone's cup of tea, especially for college students. We've got way too much going on in our lives to bother with some stupid Hallmark holiday tradition. However, there is something positive that Valentine's can offer us. In the midst of all of the chaos of work, it can serve as a day to just take a break from projects, papers, and other school related things and to just have a day of relaxing and togetherness, whether it's with your boyfriend or girfriend or with your best friends. Valentine's Day doesn't have to be something huge or elaborate. It should just be a day for small reminders of why you're with your significant other. There are some inexpensive ways to celebrate the 14th and to make the most of this obnoxiously pink-heart-infested holiday.

Eat Your Hearts Out

Food is the key to every good relationship. So this Valentine's mix food into your plans. Most people think that a dinner date on Valentine's has to be some big expensive, lavish. Not true. It could be the pizzaria down the road or even just the local Chili's. It honestly doesn't matter. The important thing is that you're spending quality time together. In fact, sometimes the more informal you are, the more fun you can have. Last Valentine's, my boyfriend and I had a pizza "picnic" on the floor of his dorm room. 

Click to read more ...

How To Prevent Dorm Room Clutter in 60 Seconds

Got 60 seconds? Then you can avoid clutter like this. Photo courtesy of eflon. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.As small as dorm rooms are, for some reason it seems that they seem to get way messier than they should. Perhaps it's because we're too busy with keeping up with readings and assignments and making times for our friends. Or maybe it's just because it's far easier to just let our clothes have a permanent resting spot at the foot of our beds or let our books sprawl out across the room. Some of us our neat freaks. Some of us just don't have that particular gift.

If you find yourself thinking that you're far too busy to keep your room completely organized all the time, try taking some advice from an article that was posted by Psychology Today. The article gives you ten tips to help keeping your space clean from clutter without having you dedicate a huge chunk of time.

Some of the tips that I thought were the best were:

Follow the "one-minute rule"

This rule basically says that if you find yourself with a spare minute, use that minute to do just a simple task that won't take more than a minute. Examples are taking out the trash, hanging up your coat or jackets, or putting your shoes away in your closet. Just doing one of those simple things will help the state of your room.

Click to read more ...

How To Get Out of Your Box and Boost Your Confidence

Boxes are so nice and cozy. But even cats need to get outside of their boxes. Photo courtesy of CelloPics. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.

I am fulling willing to admit that I am a very inside-my-box kind of person. My box is wonderful and familiar and safe. I don't care to be spontaneous, I get easily frustrated when things interrupt my perfectly planned week, and I am a-okay with eating the same thing for lunch for weeks in a row. I like structure, predictability, and accountability. I'm well aware that I'm a very vanilla kind of girl, and most of the time, that is perfectly okay with me. However, as someone who is about to be tossed into the real world in a year and a half, I'm quickly realizing that my box is becoming a wee bit small.

I know that I'm not the only one who struggles with getting outside of my comfort zone, and I think it would be good to share with you some things that I've been doing to help myself venture outside my familiar surroundings. They're just little things that I try to do daily, but as I find myself doing them more and more, I can feel myself becoming more comfortable with pushing the boundaries of my box.

Be Aware of How You Hold Yourself

Your body language can say a lot about you, and sometimes you can be completely unaware of what exactly you're saying. Try to be conscious of your body language when you walk. Instead of walking with slouched over, keep your back straight and your shoulders back. Hold your head up instead of looking at the ground as you walk. I find that a lot of people avoid eye contact when they pass someone on the sidewalk. Try instead to make eye contact with people and smile. I would say 95% of the time, you will get a smile in return. That kind of positive feedback will make you feel better about yourself and feel more confident in your people skills. Paying attention to how you hold yourself can make you look much more approachable and friendly. 

Click to read more ...

Dropbox Scavenger Hunt Rewards with 1 GB of Extra Space

Love Dropbox? Get ready to love it even more. Photo courtesy of hplusk. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.Dropbox has recently launched Dropquest 2011, an online scavenger hunt that rewards players with up to 1 GB of extra space in their account. Sounds pretty awesome, right? It might kill some of your productive time during the day, but if you have the time or the brains to work your way through Dropbox's series of puzzles and hints, it'll be well-worth your time.

If you're having trouble, Dropbox has an Official Dropquest Thread with some helpful hints. Also, try Google for some walkthroughs.

This type of interactive promoting is becoming more and more common among businesses. As a Communication major, I've studied these puzzle advertisements that encourage people to get involved with a product or service through games or quests. Though Dropquest's puzzles can all be solved from the comfort of your own computer, some companies or products have been taking their interactive advertisements into the real world as well, creating what are known as Alternate Reality Games (ARGs).

I mention ARGs for the purpose of encouraging those of you who are looking to go into business, marketing, advertising, public relations, or any other related field to become familiar with this rising form of promotion because it's gaining quite a lot of interest. If you stay current with up-and-coming methods in your field of interest, you'll be ahead of the pack. Also, ARGs are just crazy cool. If you're interested in doing some on-the-surface reading on ARGs, check out the Wiki page. Pay attention to the article on The Beast, arguably the biggest and best example of an ARG.

Let us know what your experience was with Dropquest in the comments!

[Via Lifehacker]