Marianna’s Goals: 1st Sept

Angie

As per your request, here is the first "goal setting" thread, Marianna! Just as with Kari, before we start holding you accountable to your goals, you’ll need to set them and break them down into stages and tasks: month, week and day.

Start by setting the BIG goals you want to accomplish in 3 months. Then work them back to one month, then a week and finally day to day. Once you have these in place, you can take one BIG goal and break it down further. For example, in order to find a job you have to do research, update your resume, volunteer, learn new skills and network, network, network. Then set monthly, weekly and daily goals on how to accomplish the BIG goal.

So Marianna, I’m going to hold you accountable to thinking about your BIG goals today. I shall be expecting you to report back on this thread tomorrow. Tomorrow, your task will be to break the BIG goals down to a weekly and daily task level. A HUGE task!

As always, this process is flexible and you can chop and change the modus operandi as you see fit because it has to work for you.

We are here to give your life a bit of structure and keep you motivated because it’s hard to do those things on your own. From now on, you’re accountable to YLF and big bad Angie :0)

And good luck, I know you’ll do great things!

16 years ago

General

12 replies

Latest reply was from marianna

marianna

Veteran

How amazing is Angie? This is unbelievably kind! Thank you SO much.

I don't even know where to start. I'll give a little background.

- I just finished up my undergrad a few weeks ago.
- I also recently finished an internship with a nationally syndicated TV show.
- After my internship the show hired me, but only part-time for now.
- Currently I am working twice a week, and being a lazy bum the rest of the time. BAD!

My issue is this: Working for this television show is a very rare opportunity, and I have a foot in the door... but I am not sure that I want to work in the TV industry. The hours are beyond insane, and it's not my dream. That being said, I have this amazing opportunity in front of me, and I know it will turn to full-time eventually, but I don't know if I want it. Still, giving up this chance is scary too.

What do I want to do? I'm not quite sure, but I think I am most interested in event planning. Not wedding planning, but corporate business events, promotional events, and that type of stuff. My degree is in Integrated Communication with a concentration in Public Relations, so event planning is in line with what I studied.

Let's get to my goals!

My BIG goals for the next 3 months:

- Continue perfecting my resume and cover letter and SEND IT OUT! I think I should apply for one job and one internship per weekday. (I am interested in internships as well as jobs because internships can become jobs!)

Note: I applied for about 5 jobs/internships yesterday and already got a call back today! I'm going to set up an interview for when I get back to Chicago in two weeks. The internship is with a luxury fashion and accessories company! That would be amazing!

- Instead of sitting at home doing nothing, I need to get out and volunteer. There are a few organizations I am really interested in and would love to get involved. So this is my next goal - Find a volunteer opportunity! Not to sound greedy, but maybe volunteering could lead to work down the line as well.

- Gain skills. I'm not sure how to do this, but maybe I need to take a class of some sort... maybe to learn Excel? A lot of job ads want proficiency in Excel and I'm not too familiar with the program. Seems easy enough, though. Maybe I should read books about event planning? Anything to use my brain a little bit more...

- I know networking is key, but I'm shy and don't know how to network! I could use tips on this. I know I need to go out and meet other young professionals, but I don't know where to start. I was just telling my boyfriend that we should socialize with more like-minded people. I wonder if a networking website like meetup.com would be helpful? But this is another goal... meet people!

- Also, not directly related to finding a job, but I need to start exercising and watching what I eat again. I don't want to make concrete goals on this yet because I always fail, but it's something I want to have in the back of my head and figure out soon. I have a stationary bike in my apartment that I never use -- maybe I should give myself the goal of riding my bike for 30 minutes at least 3 days per week? That's a very reasonable goal.

- Eventually I need to start tracking my calories again, but that's something I need to ponder over more thoroughly before I make any concrete goals.

So, what do you think? Seems doable, yes?

THANK YOU, ANGIE!

16 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Those sound great!

I think that by taking classes and sening out resumes, you are also networking so don't forget that. Every time you make a call or email for a follow up, it's also networking. Pick a like minded friend or couple and ask them to drinks or dinner.

One thing that helps me get more exercise in is to pull out my elliptical in front of my computer and watch something online. We do Netflix, so I put on an hour episode of whatever show I am watching. The time goes much more quickly that way. If you can put your bike near your TV or computer, you can watch somethign while riding.

Good Luck!

16 years ago

Inge

(website)

Moderator

I think you are off to a great start MC!! I'm quite impressed with how both you and Kari can describe in such detail what exactly your goals are. (I always feel that things become more clear when you break them down into smaller "pieces" AND when you write everything down. And also: doing this is an important and integral part of the whole process, in other words: you have already started!;-)

By the way: there are online courses to learn Excel too, but if you take an irl class, you have another opportunity to meet new people, network, get out of the house etc.-)

Reading books about event planning and researching this line of work is a very good idea. You can never know too much about a career you are considering.
(I think I once came across a blog written by an event planner, I'll see if I can find it again).

What kind of volunteering work are you considering MC?

16 years ago

medusa

Veteran

What a great thread! Well done, MC.

16 years ago

marianna

Veteran

Inge, I am really interested in women's reproductive rights, so I'd love to volunteer for an organization that works towards women's equality. Really, I'd be interested in any feminist/women-positive organization. The organization that Angie volunteers for sounds really great too.

Thanks for all the support!

16 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Marianna, I am so glad you are joining in!

Just a couple quick thoughts:
* Often community colleges can have low-cost courses on Excel or computer software skills, or you might even be able to find free workshops.
* You can also sometimes find free tutorials for programs like Excel through unemployment centers or job search services.
* RE: networking, Kristen posted some great suggestions in the thread Angie set up for me yesterday. Networking doesn't necessarily have to be a formal introduction to someone you don't know. I've had several informal encounters that led to my former jobs, such as bumping into a girl I used to be friends with when I was a teenager and finding out that her company was hiring for a position that would involve working with her, or a family friend learning that I was job-searching, telling me that she thought I would be a good fit for the company she worked for (and giving me LOTS of advice about her own process of finding a job), and even forwarding my resume to someone who had let her know about an open position.

16 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Wow, Marianna! A fabulous start! And an interview too. You are going like Boeing!

Excellent tips from Khris, Inge and Kari. Here’s my 2 cents:

o Pursue the TV career until something better comes up. A foot in the door like that is virtually impossible at the moment – and yours in on a silver platter. You can always change things up later because you’re young.

o Event planning is awful hours too. A fun job but insane hours. You work when others don’t. Research on this is a very good idea.

o Try and start volunteering asap, perhaps once a week. I volunteer as a personal dresser every Wednesday with one of my very close friends. We have been doing this together for 6 years every week! We have tea first, catch up, and then hit the grindstone. It is a fabulous way to network AND give back to the community. I also get to spend time with my friend.

Tomorrow’s goal is to formalize the info received here today. Pop it into a weekly schedule. How does that sound?

16 years ago

marianna

Veteran

I'm definitely sticking with my TV job for now. The show's season ends in December and I have a gut feeling I will be offered a full-time job... we shall see!

Great advice all around. I will definitely look for volunteer opportunities ASAP.

Can't wait to start working on my weekly goal schedule! I have a lot to think about.

16 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

You have an excellent attitude, Marianna. I’m proud of you :0)

16 years ago

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

Kari is absolutely right; when I talk about networking, I'm talking less about interacting with strangers (although that is good too, I have some friends who use Meetup a lot) than about talking directly with people you know. Friends, acquaintances, old co-workers, people you have fallen out of touch with, etc -- get back in touch with them and ask them what they're doing now, what kind of jobs they might know about, etc. In your case, if you are looking for a position different than what you have, you must describe to them what you are looking for. Otherwise they will think, "Oh, I don't know anything in television," and not stretch their imagination to visualize you doing something else.

Oakton Community College might be a great place for you to get started looking at Excel classes or anything else you are considering learning about. I've taken photography classes there.

I am attending a Girl Scouts event on Thursday night in Vernon Hills. They are always looking for volunteers, they have councils and groups all over the state, and they do a lot of events. Might be a place to start volunteering and seeing how you can eventually get involved in the events. My friend works for them in HR, so I've been able to see what a large organization they are; it's not just troop leaders and girls, it's a huge organization that is going on all year long and is obviously very pro-girls.

16 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Kristen, you ROCK.

16 years ago

marianna

Veteran

Yes, Kristen, you do rock! Oakton might be a good idea! It would take up some free time while allowing me to use my brain. I should look into the class rates.

Also, when I think about networking, I usually do think of meeting new people, and not actually catching up with old acquaintances. That's GREAT advice. I also should really talk to the people I work with now. Many are seasoned professionals and might know of some event planning (or other) positions. I don't take advantage of what I have in front of me.

Girl Scouts is another good idea. I would have never thought about that because I'm not a huge kid lover yet... but it's an interesting proposition. I'll do some research.

16 years ago

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