My Gen Y Life

In college I had so much going on that I didn’t have time to be lazy. Now I’m married with a corporate job and when I get home I’m tired and don’t want to do chores or cook dinner and tend to procrastinate on the things I really should be spending time on. That’s all going to change though – here are the top 5 things I’m going to do in 2008 to be more productive and less lazy:

#1 Go to the gym – This is probably on the top of most people’s lists. My goal though isn’t losing weight, it’s to tone up and be healthier so I can have the energy to do more things when I get home. Isn’t it so ironic that even when you’re “too tired” to go to the gym it usually gives you more energy than if you didn’t? My goal is to go 2-3 times per week.

#2 Cook more meals – As a young newlywed couple it’s hard for us to get motivated to cook a meal for two when we’re both tired from work and just want to relax.  Then what happens is we get take-out or order pizza, which is anything but healthy. My goal is to find a good cookbook that has easy, quick recipes and cook a homemade meal at least 3 times a week.

#3 Have more sex – I don’t think I’m alone when I say that my excuse for not having sex is usually because I need to get some sleep so I can get up in the morning (I’m not a morning person). A lame excuse I know! On a good week, we might have sex once or twice, and we don’t even have kids! Seriously though how long does it take – probably only 20 minutes max (I’m being generous)? Having good, loving sex is probably one of the best things we can do for our relationship, too. If our (his) needs aren’t met physically how can I expect our (my) needs to be met emotionally?

#4 Be on time – As I mentioned earlier, I am not a morning person and when I don’t give myself enough time in the mornings something suffers – being late to the vanpool (and making them wait), half-done hair and makeup, or no sack lunch. While I’m usually on time for meetings at work (thanks Outlook alerts) I find myself often getting to doctor’s appointments, church, and everything else last-minute too! If I could be on time at least 75% of the time I would be a happier person.

#5 Take the GMAT test – I’m a big proponent of giving myself as many options as possible. My job doesn’t require an MBA, and it’s possible that it might not make good financial sense, but I have to take the GMAT while it’s all still somewhat fresh in my head (about 2 ½ years ago). I also found out that my scores are good for up to five years if I want to wait to go to school. My decision on where and when to go will likely depend on how well I do on the test.  

If this works I think I will have quite a productive year. Wish me luck!

So you scrounged up a suit for the interview, but now you have to wear business attire five days a week! Suddenly you seem to have nothing to wear (okay, so you have clothes, but they’re mostly from college with Hollister branded all over them). The business suits I did have were juniors-department-store-polyester-rayon ones, not made to last more than wearing them once or twice a semester.

You don’t have to sacrifice your style to wear business attire, but you also don’t have to spend a fortune. Here are some tips to building up your first corporate wardrobe:

Refresh your sewing skills. No, not to make your own clothes (unless you’re really brave) but to repair them. Do an inventory of your closet and see if you can find any work-type clothes that are of decent quality but maybe just need a button replaced or a hem re-sewn. You can also use a sewing machine to alter your clothes for the perfect professional fit.

Find wardrobe staples. These are the basics of your wardrobe that you can mix and match to create different looks. Depending on whether your work is business professional attire or business casual, you should invest in at least one nice black suit, a few pairs of trousers or slacks, a few blazers, a couple pairs of khaki pants, and some button-up shirts and cardigans or sweaters. I always make sure I have long-sleeve shirts or sweaters to wear even in the middle of summer so I don’t freeze in my cube!

Don’t break the bank. Go shopping during big sales and download coupons from online or get added to their mailing list. You don’t have to go to 5^th Avenue to shop, but try for the nicer department stores. Another thing I have done is to allocate myself enough money to buy one or two nice pieces of clothing each month. After a year or so you’ll start to have a really nice wardrobe coming together.

Don’t skimp on the shoes. Some nice black pumps or boots are essential for work. Find a pair that you can wear for a while, made of real leather and no more than 2.5 to 3″ high. If you are dying to get some new wedges or that cute new sandal, don’t spend a lot of money on them because you know you aren’t going to wear them longer than a year.

Buy trendy accessories. As I mentioned above, if you want to be trendy go for the cheaper items that you can use and not feel bad about throwing away after a year. Spend the bigger bucks on basic things that will last. No one will know you picked up that necklace at Forever 21 if you are dressing it up with a nice suit or pants. Be careful though – you don’t want to cheapen your look with items that are too teenager-trendy and make you look like you’re still in high school.

Take care of your nice clothes. Maybe I was lazy in college but I rarely ever brought anything to the dry cleaners. Sure, your clothes can be washed and dried with everything else, but they will wear down faster and compromise the quality of your new duds. Do yourself a favor and follow the directions on the tag so that you can wear them longer and keep them looking new.

To sum it up, put your money in the quality not the quantity. It’s so embarrassing when you get to work at realize that your lapel is unraveling or when you notice that you’re the only one with huge 4″ chunky heels! Being a professional means looking the part, and building up a nice corporate wardrobe will give you more credibility and self-confidence.

Last week I saw perhaps the most brilliant interviewing technique and wondered “why didn’t I think of that myself?” I was asked to be one of the interviewers for an opening on my team and was blown away by how well this one candidate did across the board despite being the underdog on paper.

Don’t stress out. “How do you deal with stress?” is one of the top ten interview questions (in some form or another). It’s because no one wants to work with someone who is going to freak out easily. This particular candidate could have easily been stressed out from being at the wrong building and then the wrong conference room (on accident because of last-minute changes on our part) making him 20 minutes late to the interview, but instead he just smiled and said with a chuckle how great of a start it was for the day.

Do show your passion. Despite my frustration with the beginning chaos I couldn’t help but like the guy. His passion and enthusiasm were infectious. I found myself trying to think of how his ideas could work for our team and picturing him sitting in the empty cube across from me. Providing examples of your innovation and strategic thinking do wonders for your interview.

Don’t be perfect. Nobody’s perfect right? If you have the perfect answers and ask the perfect questions and appear to always be successful the interviewers are not going to believe you, even if they smile and nod. Instead, be honest about a time when you were unsuccessful and how you dealt with it. Show your tenacity by examples of how you challenged a manager or project team on something that you knew wasn’t right, even if your idea didn’t win out in the end. Be willing to work in an imperfect workplace and be adaptable to change.

Do brag about how much you’ll be missed. Demonstrate how valuable you are to your company in a casual way. This candidate was the only one who told us how disappointed his teammates said they would be if he left – and how they all agreed to take the others with them if one ever left. I came in to the interview wanting him to prove to me what he could do for our company and left feeling the exact opposite.

Do have recommendations on your Linked In profile. If you don’t have a profile - start making connections now. It’s an easy way market yourself and your capabilities in a less formal environment. The recommendations were invaluable to me as an interviewer – there’s something about reading a spontaneous recommendation from someone that makes it more genuine. Oftentimes the recommendations from your friends and colleagues can demonstrate your true personality better than a 30-minute interview or resume.

Don’t send a thank-you note right away. Don’t skip this vital step, but do wait at least 2-3 days. E-mailing the people who interviewed you the very next day may seem a little too eager. Being seen as overbearing and borderline desperate is that last thing you want. Showing them that you’re in no hurry can be your best negotiating tool (even if you are itching at your heels to leave).

The candidate’s technique to make me feel like we were recruiting HIM instead of him looking for a job with us was exactly how it should be. The hiring process is a two-way evaluation and I think we early careerists sometimes forget that.

In a Harvard study, 90 percent of men and 82 percent of women said their motivation comes from the adrenaline rush of high-pressure situations, compared to only 43 percent and 28 percent, respectively, saying motivation comes from high financial compensation.

It’s like an adrenaline rush to be on the go and busy and have the day fly by. I love days where I have lots to do, places to go, and people to see.  I thrive on the more thrilling days – that can happen even in the corporate world. Like when there is a high priority project that only certain people are asked to be a part of – and it takes precedence over everything else you’re doing that day. Sure you had other things planned, but this is more fun! Or when you are going five different directions all day and realize how versatile and multi-talented you are. Any time you get a big win on a project or in a meeting. It feels like you’re on top of the world!

If I’ve gone too long without an adrenaline rush at work, or anything that resembles one, I tend to get bored of the job. Even just once a week keeps me going and makes me feel satisfaction in what I’m doing. The adrenaline rush can be the confidence booster that gives me that extra edge.

In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-actualization is striving to be the best you are and making the most of your abilities. Having an adrenaline rush gives you the motivation and confidence to make it to that point where you are doing your best – and enjoying it. If your job isn’t meeting your needs – psychological needs – then you should re-evaluate your job and start looking around. It’s more important in the long run to find a job where you can make the most of your abilities than to make more money.

It’s that time of year again where I must send my accomplishments of the year to the Big B in hopes of a raise and bonus. This brought me to remember my first salary negotiation all of two years ago. I can’t stress enough how important it is that you negotiate for a higher first corporate salary. Sure you are grateful that they are actually going to hire you, but you also have to think about your future salary and annual raises.

In a Forbes.com article, Chris Fusco, vice president of compensation at Salary.com, says negotiating often results in “about 10 percent improvement on the initial offer.”

If you start at $35,000 annual salary, then with annual raises of about 3% you will still be making under $40,000 in 5 years. If you start at $40,000 with the same raises you’ll be over $45,000. That’s almost $10,000 difference between where you would have started to where you could be in five years.

Do your research first. Go to salary.com or industry journals to find out the average salary for that job. Also do research on the company and take into consideration the benefits that the company might consider compensation as part of the offer. Some employers offer up to 30% of the salary in benefits and most salary calculators don’t take this into consideration.

Ask for a day to think about it. If your employer won’t let you take at least a day to think about the offer, then they are not worth your time. This gives you time to sleep on it and refer back to your research. After all this is a big decision for you and even if you’re really excited, you still need to sleep on it.

I had an experience once where I was offered a part-time job and I asked the manager if I could get back to her within 24 hours so I could think about it and make sure I wouldn’t have any conflicts with the hours, but she said that I had to tell her right then and there. Well I said I couldn’t accept it and the hiring manager was upset that I had “wasted” her time. Then lo and behold two weeks later she couldn’t find anyone else with my qualifications and asked me if I was still available, but unfortunately for her I had already taken a job with someone else. I hope she learned a valuable lesson.

Give yourself a confidence boost. Before you go in to negotiate do whatever you need to do to get that extra boost. Penelope Trunk tells about what boosters work for her, such as dressing up for work. It might be a special caffeine drink, wearing your “power” tie, or getting up early to eat breakfast (early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise!). The extra boost will go a long way.

Remember the least they can do is say no. My mom always said that. When you go in to negotiate remember that they have given you an offer and they want you to work for them. Fusco recommends saying something like “Based on my understanding of the job, the company’s needs, and the skills and experience I bring, I feel I’m worth $5,000 more than what you’re offering me.” Usually they will meet you somewhere in the middle. At the very least, they would say no and you will still have the original offer. You might be able to negotiate other things than just the salary, such as vacation days, flexible schedules, or a hiring bonus.

It may be nerve-wracking, but you will be proud of yourself that you negotiated well and were professional about it. Your manager will be impressed (and usually expect) that you will negotiate. Your wallet will thank you, too.

Millennials are a new breed of consumers who are well connected – to their families, friends, and online “communities”. They spend time with the people that matter to them, whether virtually, on the phone, or in person. These connections are influential to Millennials at work, home, and in the consumer world.

Don’t underestimate social networking
Getting connected with this generation is less push and more pull. No longer does one-way communication work. Instead you have to tell us “what’s in it for me?”, and then we might include you in our comparison process. The result if you can connect with our generation is a very loyal and influential network. Something not to be underestimated.

If you’re a young professional, you have likely been asked by your boss (or you asked them) to attend an industry conference to expand your knowledge and receive relevant training. I recently attended a week-long conference in New England and by the time you hit Hump Day your head starts to hurt. Instead of getting overwhelmed by all the information and “useful” techniques, try to focus on how to get the most out of it for yourself.

1. Be adventurous. The conference will be more memorable if you can enjoy your surroundings. Being that you’re far away from home you will have a lot of time to spend outside the conference and should take advantage of that opportunity by exploring the city. Ask the locals where the best places to eat or favorite sites to see are.

2. Attend a session that is completely off the subject. It’s easy to overload yourself with information that is tied to your job. Hearing about other topics outside of your sphere can actually stimulate you to think differently about what you do in your job. It’s also refreshing to change your frame of mind and think about something else.

3. Think practical. Oftentimes speakers hype up the topic and give you best-case scenarios for fixing a problem. Ask yourself if this is something realistic and accomplishable at your organization, and if not, how can you tailor it to meet your organization’s needs. Seeing and doing are completely different things.

4. Do a brain dump. Even if you took good notes on the slides, it’s hard to remember what it meant six months later if you just stash your conference materials into the bottom of your file cabinet. As soon as the conference is over and you’re back in the office, compile your notes and the concepts you learned into a document, sorted into categories that are relevant for you.

5. Don’t try to boil the ocean. It’s cliché, I know, but seriously don’t try to accomplish the impossible. Pinpoint a few simple things from the conference that you can implement right away, and then prioritize 2-3 larger concepts for implementation.

Your boss won’t expect you to come back and revolutionize the workplace. You can prove the value of the conference by implementing a few key concepts that you may not have thought of otherwise. Hopefully the conference exposed you to new ideas or paths for your career and new people that helped you grow not only professionally, but personally too.

One of the greatest pieces of advice I received in college was to develop a relationship with at least one of my professors each semester. This would give me a network of professors that would support me, share advice with me, and (maybe most importantly) be able to write recommendations for me.

The same rule applies to your career, too. If you make the effort to build relationships with mentors you will have greater success both personally and professionally. Here are the tips I recommend:

Build a relationship with at least 2 mentors each year
Logistically, you could start a new mentorship every six months. Some companies help by providing this kind of “service” to their employees to promote career development. Kudos to those that do. If you’re at a majority of the companies that don’t, you can initiate the mentorship either formally or informally.

Choose mentors outside of your bubble
Your manager is likely some kind of mentor to you, but you would enhance your experience by going outside your comfort zone and meeting with someone you hardly know. Use your manager to get suggestions of persons to mentor with. Find a mentor that works in a field or specialty that interests you but that you may not have experience in. You never know, it might be the catalyst for pursuing a new area.

Starts with “me”
As a mentee the ball is in your court to develop the relationship and think of questions and ideas to discuss. As long as the mentor is okay with it, you can gain valuable insight beyond just the basic job information into things like how to negotiate, where to go on vacation, and how they maintain a work/life balance.

Once you have a network of mentors, you’ll find that you get more exposure in the business, become more knowledgeable, and stand out more to your manager.