Showing posts with label journalism
When I heard that Amy Odell, editor of Cosmopolitan.com was coming out with a book, I nearly screamed. This was a few years ago, and  I immediately bought the book the moment it was available. However, I didn't read it until very recently.

I don't know why I kept putting it off. I don't have a good reason. I was just busy with other self help, career, and fiction books I suppose.

I wasn't missing much though. I finished this book a few weeks ago and it took me a while to get through it.

I'll be honest, I didn't really like it too much. I don't know what I was expecting but it was a bit disappointing.



This isn't a career book -- it's not going to give you knowledge of how to get into the fashion industry. The best way I could put it is a much less toned down (INCREDIBLY toned down) version of "How to Murder Your Life". 

Amy tells the stories that everyone wants to (or should want to) hear; what happened when she wore fancy sweatpants to meet her boyfriend's parents, or how she ended up at Fashion Week. She tells the story of what happened when she interviewed at Vogue and what it felt like to interview Adriana Lima at the Victoria Secrets Fashion Show.

There was nothing riveting about this book. It wasn't particulary exciting and I wasn't incredibly eager to find out what happened ... because it wasn't that kind of book. You didn't really know or care what was going to happen because it was just a bunch of stories looped together.

I'm sure that's the kind of book it's supposed to be and maybe that's on me for not being into those kinds of books but it was a definite miss for me. I love all things related to journalism and this was not a book I'd recommend.

It wasn't bad writing, it wasn't that her experiences weren't worthy of being turned into a book, I just feel like it missed the mark. It could've been really good and it just was kind of boring.

Did you read this book? What did you think?
xoxo
B
How is it the last week of June? How in the world is that happening right now? June definitely has been the fastest month so far, in my opinion.

We are halfway through 2016 and my mind is being blown. The year is flying by and so much has already changed...and so much is still changing.

My move got pushed forward a few days, which I'm not too thrilled about, but a few extra days isn't that bad. I am just so anxious to get in, decorate, and organize myself. I feel like I've been moving for 100 years... I just need it to happen.

This week was good for another reason: I got published on The Haute Mess! I've been obsessed with the website since it launched a few months back and it's basically a haven for all things girly & it was started by Ashley Tisdale so it's even better.

I'm a contributing writer for them now so you'll be seeing my name pop up more & more (hopefully!)

Check out my article on using social media to land you a job here.



Now for the links I loved...


What did you love this week?

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Ahh another week gone! Can it be classified as mid-June yet? I mean, Father's Day is already next weekend. I really need time to slow down. Like really really really need it to slow down.

Mercury is officially out of retrograde and I kid you not, I felt the earth shift Wednesday night. Everything just felt better. Yesterday was even better... I mean I had a mood swing when I came home from work and was sitting in a 90 degree house but laying in my mom's bed, in the dark, with the AC cranked up fixed it.

The next few weekends I have a lot planned and I'm really excited. The rest of the summer seems to be turning up (hopefully figuratively and literally). I just want to feel settled and have fun. Is that so much to ask?

Also, did I mention that my blog calendar is planned through JULY?! That is insane for me especially with the writers block that has been happening lately. I also really want to start "writing", like articles for Elite Daily and try my hand at freelance. I love my blog clearly, and it's a great creative outlet for me but the journalist in me is seething for something real and hearty to sink my teeth into.

We shall see!

I will stop rambling and get into the links. Wait, can we also talk about the fact that two crazed murderers escaped a prison in upstate New York this week and they still haven't been found? That is insane and I cannot stop following this story.

Okay, seriously, here are the links I loved!

TV writers reveal their favorite episodes & scenes they've ever written--awesome! 

Be miserable with or without you? What is your poison? 

Your first love is the realest, deepest, and truest. 

Great blog post on how a blog can launch your career, courtesy of Charmingly Styled! 

Another great blog post featuring one of my fav bloggers, Hallie! She's awesome  :)

I thought I was losing my mind, but then I read this #twentysomethings

50 beauty products to buy before you die--I stand by all of these

I'd be lying if I said I didn't go and watch "Get a Clue" on Youtube after reading this list

What did you love this week?


The end of the semester is drawing nearer and I'm beginning to get scared because I can't believe how fast time has flown. It feels like just yesterday I was moving into my house and now I'll be packing up to head home for a month.

I've also been putting off the dreaded internship search. I usually love applying for internships and organizing myself to score a dream internship but this semester, I was seriously slacking. It's December and I still do not have an internship secured. I blame it on my subconscious because I know that this internship is do or die, it's the last one I'll have before accepting a job offer and it's truly scary.

That's not the point of this post though, so back on track.




I've come to realize that I do not need to find an internship right away. A lot of companies are always looking for interns once the semester begins because they realize they didn't hire enough. I have time but I'm still actively applying for any internship I see that interests me.

I have three internships under my belt so I'm pretty experienced when it comes to looking for available internships; I've actually started to help my friends and sorority sisters with their internship hunt, resume and cover letter writing, etc.

If you're an underclassmen looking for the right internship or don't really know where to start, here are a few tips and tricks to get you there:

1. Organize Yourself

Grab an empty notebook or binder and write down every company you want to intern for. No company is too big or too small, just write them down. Have this little book be your internship search book where you record all your contacts, companies, and the dates you apply to the internship. Write down what materials are needed for each company, when you should follow up, and the coordinator's contact information. 

Give each company their own page in the book so you can easily keep track of what is needed for each application.

2. Search EVERYWHERE

There are a few sites you can go on to easily search for internships: InternQueen.com, Ed2010.com, Indeed.com but step outside the box. Go on companies websites, Linkedin pages, and just randomly google the term "internships" attached with your dream company. There are internship postings everywhere, you just need to pay attention.

3. Utilize Your Career Center

Your college or university probably has a career center that specializes in internship and job searches. You may even have a page that has internship listings to apply for. Aside from using them to find an internship, set up an appointment to have them look at your resume and cover letter. 

I was completely clueless on how to write a resume and cover letter before I went to my career center and they saved me. They made my resume and cover letter look and sound perfect to any employer. It was a life saver. 

4. Apply for ANYTHING

You never know where your dream job is going to come from. You may think you want one thing but after working at a particular company or doing that particular job, you'll find out that you actually hate it. For example, I thought I wanted to work in entertainment news but after one of my internships, I figured out that it definitely wasn't for me. If you stay close minded and only go on one track, you may miss out on your dream job.

There are so many other tips and tricks over on InternQueen.com. I've blogged about Lauren and InternQueen Inc quite a few times since I am an Intern Queen Campus Ambassador but she truly does know everything and anything relating to internships. It's definitely worth checking out!

What are you favorite internship search tips and tricks?


I hope you enjoyed my recap of Saturday's part of the Her Campus Her Conference. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all week so here's what went down on Sunday's portion of Her Conference.

This time I was not alone in my journey; I dragged along my best friend, Jacqueline so I would have someone to sit with and enjoy the conference.

Live tweets and instagram of HerConference attendees


We got there earlier than I did on Saturday, registered, got breakfast, took some pictures, shopped the BCBG sale and hung around. It was pretty much the same thing as Saturday expect for different speakers and some different panels. 

The morning Keynote speaker was Chandra Turner, the founder of Ed2010.com and the executive editor of Parents Magazine. I religiously rely on Ed2010 for finding internships are magazines, whether they be big or small corporations so I was super stoked that she was the speaker.

Chandra Turner

Chandra was hysterically funny; she was witty and charming who spoke with great anecdotes. Most importantly, Chandra was incredibly helpful and inspirational. She is one of the smartest people I've ever heard speak and offered great advice that made me both excited, nervous, and content. Feeling all those different emotions made me realize how incredible the information she was offering was. 

Chandra's jokingly advice to us

My favorite piece of advice (which there will be a full post on later on) is that in Journalism, you cannot apply for a job until you are ready to accept it. That means waiting until the last minute before graduation to start applying. When a magazine has an opening, they will fill it immediately. They aren't going to wait for you.

In that same breath, enjoy senior year! There is no point in worrying about the future when the future isn't going to wait for you. Hearing someone as intelligent and successful as Chandra telling me to enjoy myself and not be so focused on the future really reassured me that I can lay back and be a college student.

For the next panel, I headed over to "How To Make Your Blog a Powerhouse". This was an incredibly helpful workshop with successful bloggers, including Lindsay Tigar of Confessions of a Love Addict, who is a fellow Her Campus Blogger Network member. 




They gave great advice on how to build up your blog, stay true to yourself, and even make a career out of. It was wonderful to hear real life advice on people who have aspirations like mine. It was also comforting to know that blogging is the future and that I'm doing something right.


Journalism Jobs Later On Panel

After this panel, I headed over to "Journalism Jobs Later On" which was all about how to climb the ladder of the journalism world and where the entry level positions could take you. I will admit, this was more intimating than the editorial assistant panel because these panelists were older, more experienced, more successful, and had a firm grip on what they were doing. It was still inspirational and all the panelists, who were from places such as Redbook and the NY Daily News, offered advice that I will remember forever.

Jason Wagenheim

With half the day over, me and Jacqueline headed into lunch which was sponsored by Chiptole and then to the lunchtime keynote who was Jason Wagenheim, the publisher of Teen Vogue. My goodness, this was my favorite keynote. He was super funny, really smart, and gave it to us straight. He knew what he was talking about and once again, gave wonderful advice.

The last panel block of the day was focused on marketing yourself better in different ways; there were workshops on resume and cover-letting writing, social media tips, and the panel I went too, "How to Ace Your Interview". 

I have a confession; I have never been on an actual interview. Phone and Skype interviews, yes, but an actual in person interview is something I have yet to experience. With my anxiety, the thought of an interview makes me go into panic mode so I thought that this was the best workshop for me.

I actually learned a lot and felt better when leaving there. We learned how to answer specific types of questions, what the most common types of questions were and what to do when you can't think on your feet. It was great!

Me and Elana

At the end of the day there was a networking and career fair where I just so happened to stumble upon my amazing supervisor at Levo and fellow Phi Sig, Elana. I even spoke to a few girls about Levo League and why they should apply for their internship program and check out the site, which was super exciting!


At the fair, the lovely HerCampus women gave out door prizes, which I WON! I got this fabulous little tribal styled pouch. I love winning things because it doesn't happen to me often so I was pleasantly surprised.

With that the weekend was over and I was nonetheless, exhausted, but a little upset that this great experience had come to an end.

I felt so official with my name badge

All the speakers at the conference had a great grasp on what it takes to be successful in the journalism industry. That's why I was so thankful that I attended; I was surrounded by people who had the same dreams as me and understood my passion. I had so many questions about the industry that were really answered after listening to all the speakers. 

This was definitely one of my favorite parts of the summer before my senior year. Next year, if you have the chance, try and make the effort to come to NYC and attend the Her Conference, you will not regret it!

PS. I took a ridiculous amount of notes during the conference so I will be rounding the up and doing little advice posts on what I learned so look out for them!


If you follow me on Twitter and Instagram, you probably followed my journey to the Her Campus Intercollegiate Conference or better titled, #HerConference, which was the hash-tag the attendees used all weekend.


I have to say I have been so excited for this conference ever since signing up for it and even though I was slightly nervous heading into Manhattan by myself on Saturday, I could not hide the happiness I felt.

I want to start off by saying this was something I have never done before; I had never done networking events, been to a journalism or blogging conference, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was completely inspirational and put me in the right frame of mind before heading off to senior year.

After sitting through speakers and panels and hearing these successful people I feel more prepared than ever for the professional world. Just because I feel prepared does not mean that I am not scared because I think I might be more scared than ever.

There was a plethora of information and inspiring words of wisdom bestowed on us this weekend so I think I'll spread it out over a variety of posts. I got a lot of different ideas for blog posts during the conference so I won't overwhelm you with information.

This post will basically be a summary of the Saturday portion of the conference and then I'll do a separate one for Sunday. Then, I'll do other blog posts focused on lessons and tips I learned throughout the two days. There was a lot and I think it's important to share with you if you couldn't be there to hear it all.

Enough with the introduction, here's a break down of the day.

Saturday, July 27th

The entire conference was shaped for women by women. You could tell in the air, through the sponsors, it was so women friendly and it was wonderful. When you first walked in there was a BCBGeneration Sample Sale which had incredible prices and a beauty bar where I got my hair curled with Amika hair products (I scored some free samples and got to check out some other products that I've never heard of.



The conference was sponsored by Intel so scattered around the foyer area there were Intel Ultrabooks, laptops, and two in one tablets that we were allowed to play around with. I am an Apple lady but seeing the awesome features and variety of products that Intel had made me wish I could have one.

When I first got there, I registered with the lovely Her Campus women, got my free goodie bag (more on that later), got some breakfast, and chatted with some of the girls. I met some great ladies there and stuck with them the entire conference since I went solo on Saturday.


After about a half hour we went to the opening of the conference and the morning keynote. It was so wonderful meeting Windsor, Stephanie, and Annie, the co-founders of HerCampus and hearing them speak. They are gorgeous, intelligent, ambitious women and truly an inspiration.

Windsor, Co-Founder, President, and Publisher of HerCampus


They introduced the morning keynote speaker(s) Josie Natori and Jacqui Lividini ; Josie is the founder of Natouri Designs, a lingerie and fashion line. Lividini is the CEO and Founder of Lividini & Co, who revived the Lord and Taylor brand. The keynote focused mostly on Natori. She was a true inspiration and had such amazing advice to offer us young women who have dreams and aspirations. Like I said, I will go through my notes and give you more specific information on each speaker so this post doesn't go on forever.

Jacqui and Josie 


After the keynote, we were able to pick one of the four panels in the panel block. I chose to go to "Does the Devil Actually Wear Prada: Life as an Entry Level Editorial Assistant" which is ultimately my dream job. Listening to the intelligent, smart women on this panel was incredible and really helped me get a better insight into what I want to do.


Side note: all the people on these panels were from incredible publications such as Glamour, Women's Health, Self, Seventeen, and other great magazines! It truly was a journalism, magazine conference so I was in my element.

When the first panel was over, I networked a bit with the women and then headed to the second panel. The second panel was called How to Make Your Startup a Success. Levo was there!! WOO! That was exciting, listening to co-founder Amanda talk about Levo League. It was so inspiring listening to these women talk about their passion projects and what it takes to be successful.


Amanda Pouchot, Co-Founder of Levo League

We then were given lunch by Chiptole which sponsored the conference and goodness, it was delicious! After lunch, there was a lunch keynote who was Fran Hauser, the President of Digital at Time Warner. She was such an inspiration and really instilled some great lessons for careers.

The next block of panels were focused on building up your HerCampus chapter. I don't have one on my campus and don't necessarily have the time to start one but it was still interesting to see all the work that goes into it. 

Afterwards we heard another keynote, this time it was a representative, Nikki Nash, from Intel. Hearing her story from how she majored in Journalism and ended up at a tech company such as Intel was really wonderful. 

Annie Wang introducing Nikki

Nikki Nash

After she spoke, HerCampus gave one lucky girl an Intel Ultra-book (which I was SO jealous of) and then we watched a screening of "Girl Rising". There will definitely be a larger post on "Girl Rising" or maybe I'll write a SLM post on it!


Annie, Nikki, and the winner of the Ultra-book



All the cool door prizes were given away after the movie, which included scooters, books, bags, t-shirts, and other cool stuff!

I have to say, I was exhausted by the time it was ready to leave on Saturday but part of me didn't want it to end. That's why I was totally thrilled that I was headed back on Sunday. Sunday was just as amazing and I had one of my best friends from home with me, which lessen my anxiety. There will be another post on Sunday's portion of the conference.


This summer has been quite the busy one for me. I barely have time to relax or any time to see my friends at home. It has been a whirlwind summer, so many exciting things have been happening and it delights me to the fullest.

Even though it's been an incredible few months, I can't help but feel overwhelmed by everything that has been happening. So much has happened and changed for me since I came home from my junior year in May, I wonder how things will change even further once I enter senior year. 

This was my last summer, the last summer vacation I ever had and I spent it working my butt off. I don't regret that in the slightest though, even if it was tough at first.

Between interning, working a part time job, running the blog, and a few other side projects, I haven't had a moment to breathe. I am awesome at time management and great at juggling a bunch of different hats, during the school year. I've never had to deal with this much on my plate during the down time that is supposed to be summer vacation so it was definitely an adjustment. 

The first few weeks were the toughest and I found my feet and was able to handle everything. I figured out a routine and even though I haven't had much time to hang out with my friends and go out, enjoying summer time, I am happy doing what I'm doing this summer. When I go back to school in three weeks, I will fully embrace my senior year and have fun. For now, I will work.

I will be better off in the long run, I know I will. Because I worked so hard this summer, achieving so many goals and milestones, it will help me achieve my biggest dreams. I have to believe that.



It all comes down to work-life balance. Working at Levo this summer has taught me SO much about the career life women want, deserve, and have. One of the biggest challenges women all over, from every industry face is the challenge of work-life balance.

Balancing your work life and your personal life is something no one will ever get right. I've heard from so many career experts and mentors on Levo say that work-life balance does not exist. We cannot achieve this balance we all crave. 

What we should start to think of balance as is integration. Your career is not some separate part of your life, it is not imaginary. Your work and career IS your life, you have to think of personal and professional as one, not separate.  Keep one calendar for personal and professional engagements, don't schedule work over personal plans that you have already in place. There are so many tips and tricks to achieving work-life integration. 

Applying those tips and advice to my own life this summer has helped SO much and it's something I will carry with me forever.


A few months ago, Royally Pink became part of the HerCampus Blogger Network and since then, it has been an incredible journey.

Royally Pink has grown more than I could've ever imagined and I met an incredible group of ladies who are fabulous, talented, and so supportive of each other! It's such an honor to be part of this network, and it's so much fun!

HerCampus, if you didn't know, is an online magazine for young college women, talking about everything your college heart could desire. Seriously, they talk about everything; even the stuff you don't want to talk about, which is so refreshing to see!



HerCampus, being the awesome company they are, are hosting the Intercollegiate Blog Conference (which I will have the amazing experience of attending) on July 27th and 28th in NYC.

The conference will consist of different workshops and panels, allowing you to learn how to make your blog better or how to immerse yourself into the world of Journalism or PR. The conference will have speakers from Teen Vogue, Glamour, Seventeen, The Huffington Post, Random House, my beloved Levo League, and SO MANY MORE.

The conference is being sponsored by Chiptole, BCBGeneration, and many others! All attendees will receive awesome gift-bags, free lunch from Chiptole, a BCBG sample sale, free manicures and a braid bar. 

I am so insanely excited for this conference it should be illegal! It's going to be an incredible experience and I can't wait!

Do you want to get in on the action? Register here before it sells out! The conference is being held in New York at the Convene on July 27th and 28th. 

You are not going to want to miss this!


It's now mid March which means one thing; summer internship deadlines are coming.

As a journalism major, internships are a crucial part of the job search. Internships, networking, and creating a personal brand are all things that my school and Journalism program promote and really stick to us. 

There is so much expected of people in the Mass Communications field and it's a lot to handle at times. I'm a second semester junior looking for summer internships and it's very draining. With one internship and a bunch of writing experience under my belt, it's still difficult to gain an internship at a company that has a high standard.

The competition is tough out there and getting a job in the bad economy is harder than ever. It's putting a lot of pressure on Gen Y; you have be able to multi-task, have knowledge of ALL social media, know how to work Photoshop, and a bunch of other different skills and abilities. It's exhausting and so competitive.

No matter what your credentials are and no matter how qualified you think you are, there is always going to be someone who is more qualified, someone who is better. It's your job as the applicant to make yourself stand out and know what the dos and donts of internships are.

In the year that I've been applying to internships, I have become a little bit of an expert in the applying process. It's something that I enjoy doing, even though it stresses me out a tad bit.

As an Intern Queen Campus Ambassador, I've learned so much about internships and what it takes to stand out. One could say I've become a bit obsessed with getting the perfect career; reading Levo League articles daily, taking advice from women like Kate White, and applying to a ridiculous number of internships kind of has taken over my life.

There are so many different things that could help you while applying to internships and how to help make yourself stand out.


-Gain some experience

First thing first, you need to build your resume. Start a blog, do some freelance work, write for your newspaper, do anything to get some experience in your field of choice. If it's marketing, join the Marketing Club on your campus, get involved in PRSSA, do anything! The more experience and side work you have, the better it will look to employers.


-Go to your career center

The best place to get your resume and cover letter checked out is your campus career center. They are trained to help you with these kinds of things and they're free, so why not take advantage of them! I went to my career center to get my resume looked at. They helped me re-write the entire thing and really changed the wording so certain things sounded better. I also went to them to help me with a cover letter because I had no idea where to start with that. Now I'm an expert at writing cover letters and fixing up my resume.

-Read internship books

I've learned a lot about internships from reading books on the topic! The best book is Intern Queen's 'All Work, No Pay' where Lauren Berger (The Intern Queen) talks everything from where to apply to interview tips to what to do once you land your dream internship. This book calmed me down from the internship panic attacks I was having and really opened my eyes to how serious internships are. Might I also suggest reading general career books; Kate White's "I Shouldn't Be Telling You This" is AMAZING! 

-Do your research

Make a list of companies you'd like to work for and then google jobs available with that company. For example, if I want to work for Glamour Magazine, I would say "Glamour Magazine Summer 2013 Internships" and see what pops up. Google might not always be your friend so also rely on internship sites such as InternQueen.com, Internships.com, and your school's career website. Save these postings on your bookmarks so you can look back at them later, which leads into my next step.

-Divide your time

The best strategy I've used when applying for internships is to set a few hours or a whole day aside to apply. This will decrease the stress that you experience because it won't be on your mind for weeks. Sit down with your computer, a notebook, and a pen and get to work. Get yourself organized so make a list in the notebook with the companies you're applying too, the contact person, the materials needed, and the deadline for the application. Sitting down and knocking out a few applications on a given day will make you feel better and a lot more productive.

These are just a few tips on how to help you apply for internships. If you write an incredible cover letter and have a pretty great resume, you'll be fine. Your dream internship is out there and if you keep looking, you will stumble upon it.

The best advice is just stay positive, do your best, and keep applying. You'll get that internship eventually, just keep working.



I'm going to start a new little segment called "Spotlight Saturday" where I focus on a specific person, blog, brand, or company that I'm really loving and think you guys should know about :) Hopefully you enjoy it!

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As  a journalism major, it's my natural instinct to read and be up on the news. My area of "expertise" is Entertainment news, that's what I'm interested in and ultimately, the field I want to work in after college.

I was never interested in "hardcore" news. I know that as a citizen of the world and especially as a future journalist, I need to be informed and semi interested in what is going on around me. Through my journalism classes at school, I've learned to at least read the news apps on my phone. It's kind of boring but it keeps me up to date.

Well, I discovered something even better!



theSkimm is a newsletter that you sign up for that SKIMS the news of the day so you don't have to read the newspaper or sift through stupid, pointless stories to get to the important ones. theSkimm gets delivered to your inbox around 6am every weekday.

The thing I always find difficult is understanding what the news story is actually talking about; I'm an intelligent young woman but the New York Times doesn't always use language that a 20 year old college student could understand.

theSkimm explains EVERYTHING in simple terms so anyone could understand the current events.

It has a fun little sections that are featured every day such as "Repeat After Me." theSkimm is so much fun, it's a delight to read and the creators actually care about giving their readers the best/ most important news of the day.

Danielle and Carly (the creators) have coined a great motto that sums up the purpose of theSkimm "We skim the news so you don't have too."

I love theSkimm, I think it's a great, fun tool for people on the go or people who want to be informed about the news but don't know how to get started. 

If you feel the same as me and want to know about what's happening in the news, go sign up for theSkimm. Also, follow them on twitter!


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