Life Before Noon: A Millennial’s Manual

You have officially moved into your new city post-graduation. Congratulations! You have a handle on the commute, the corporate culture and your daily tasks. You are on the path to success.

And then Friday night rolls around. Crap.

You have no social life.

Maintaining a work/life balance is important, especially when moving to a new city. Friends may be difficult to find, and finding good friends who share similar values and work ethic is even harder.

But finding those friends isn’t as hard as you think. It just takes stepping outside your comfort zone to make connections. Here are some guidelines I follow:

1. Talk to people. It’s that simple. Waiting for the subway, tell the girl standing next to you that you like her scarf. Talk about the weather to the guy in line next to you. It may seem uncomfortable at first, but it can be a good networking exercise as well. Disclaimer: don’t be a creeper, just be social.
2. Be open to different types of friends. That’s what moving to a different city is about. Talk to a variety of people. Just because you had a certain “type” of friend at home or in school doesn’t mean you can’t make very different friendships in your new home.
3. Don’t sit at home. You work hard and want to relax. Go to a coffee shop and read. Sit in a park, go to the gym, take a walk. Put yourself in a social atmosphere and cancel that date with your TV and Ben & Jerry’s. Then follow #1.
4. Be friendly, but not too friendly with co-workers. Spending time outside the office with co-workers may increase camaraderie, but don’t let it interfere with your professional life in the office.
5. Don’t wait for the bar. Chances are you may make some friends at the bar. Just don’t wait to go out on Friday or Saturday night to make friends.
6. Maintain your friendships from home. Continue to maintain your friends from school and home. With ever-changing social media it is easy to stay connected despite distance.

Solid friendships may be hard to come by, but by putting yourself in different social situations it may become easier.

-Carla

While watching the news recently, I saw a report about the funniest, and most creative, way to post your resume – wear it.

DamnINeedAJob.com, a new Web site that’s all about the job hunt, allows people to create a shirt which boasts their skills and abilities, just like a resume. The $25 shirt, written as a type of cover letter, includes text chosen by the buyer and even starts with a hand-picked salutation. And to make sure no potential employer misses the message, the shirt boldly displays the words, “Damn, I Need A Job. Know of Anything?” across its front.

The creator, who seems to prefer being anonymous- I couldn’t find his name anywhere on the Web site- is completely changing the way people look for jobs, while at the same time poking fun at the “your next employer could be anywhere” mentality. He says the shirts attract so much attention that he’s started carrying around resumes to hand people who are interested.

Several new features have been added as the Web site gains popularity, including a blog, discussion forum for the unemployed and DamnINeedMoney.com, a collection of articles and other resources for those finding the job hunt difficult and tedious.

No word on if the idea has actually landed him a job, but I think he should get props for sheer creativity.

-Haley

The Internet has officially taken over my life.

From spending hours job hunting online to constantly checking GMail and all things so brilliantly Google, I’ve literally given myself over to the Web. And like the majority of Gen Y, I too have a Facebook account that keeps me updated on all things going on in my social world. But looking into my professional future how am I supposed to showcase my personal profile sans those less than flattering photos from Homecoming? Welcome LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site spanning 150 industries. With 20 million registered users, the organization is the Web leader when it comes to connecting colleagues and creating new contacts.

One reason the site is so awesome is the fact that not only does it provide job postings based on industry or geographical data, but users also have the opportunity to see the profiles of people who currently work at various companies (i.e. your potential boss) and get to know a little about them before actually meeting them.

There are also nifty features that allow users to maintain a list of people you know and trust in the business field. Making connections with these people builds your online network, linking you to countless other professionals in your field. Once you’ve begun to establish your system of connections, current or former peers and supervisors can make recommendations for you based on the work you’ve done with and/or for them. Getting these references boosts your profile on the site, making you more desirable to browsing prospective employers.

If you haven’t already done so, jump on making a LinkedIn profile immediately. In this age of ever-increasing dependency on technology, it is an absolutely essential tool for success in the business world. And bonus — it’s nice to know that colleagues and future employers have a chance to check out your stats without seeing that video of you dominating the Beer Olympics at last year’s block party.

*For JMU’s very own social networking site, be sure to check out JMUNation.org. It’s LinkedIn with a Madison twist.

-Marilyn