Ever wish you had your own personal PR rep to guide and guard your reputation in your search for the perfect career? In this podcast interview, I interview Meryl Weinsaft Cooper, co-author of the brand new book, Be Your Own Best Publicist. Meryl shares her tips for taking control of your own personal brand using expert PR strategies.

A few of the many tips Meryl shares are:

• Always have a plan for your career…and have a back-up plan. Have direction. Figure out the steps you will take to get there.
• It’s all about who you know. Your network is your net worth. Make sure you’re taking steps to cultivate your network on a regular basis. Think about who you know, and who you can reach out to. And think outside of the box! Your sister might have a college roommate who may be completely willing to make an introduction.
• Anything you say or post online can and will be used against you. Your digital profile will outlast you. It is your lasting legacy, so be very careful about what you post. Keep in mind that Google is your first resume. Google yourself, and set up a Google alert for your name to keep tabs on the image you are portraying online.

Click here to listen to the full 15-minute interview.

Learn more about Meryl at www.beyourownbestpublicist.com
Find Meryl’s book, Be Your Own Best Publicist, at Amazon.com.

Many thanks to Meryl for her time and for the great tips she shared, and as always, thank you to our sponsor, Manpower Professional.

According to a recent post on NewYorkTimes.com, 75 percent of Millennial-aged American respondents to a survey sponsored by the Wi-Fi Alliance said that a week without Wi-Fi would leave them grumpier than a week without coffee or tea.

I read the article and didn’t give it much thought. After all, when would anyone actually have to live without wi-fi, coffee or tea?

Well.

Late Sunday evening, I landed in London after a long flight across the Atlantic Ocean. About three seconds later, I did what I always do when my plane touches down on the runway: I turned on my BlackBerry to check messages.

Although I had called my wireless provider before I left the U.S. to make sure my phone, email and texting capabilities would work overseas, my BlackBerry did not get the memo. “No Signal” was all it said, no matter how many buttons I pressed, no matter how many settings I adjusted, no matter how many times I turned it on and off and removed the battery.

The next day I tried everything to get it working — hotel concierge, mobile phone store, email to customer support, paying a fortune to actually call customer support from London — but my BlackBerry still would not work. So I resigned myself to four days without constant connection. Here is what happened:

1. I paid more attention to my surroundings. During some down time on my business trip, I took a two-hour double-decker bus tour of London. It was fabulous: Big Ben, London Bridge, Covent Garden, Buckingham Palace and all amazing stops in between. I’m embarrassed to say, though, how many times I felt myself instinctively reaching into my bag to check my BlackBerry for messages.

Each time I realized I didn’t have it, I was forced to notice more of the incredible architecture all around me, discern more of the marks from where bombs fell in World War II and take in more of the historical facts the tour guide was sharing. I know this sounds incredibly cliché, but I really did digest more of my surroundings because I was totally present and not splitting my attention between London and a tiny screen.

2. I missed sharing. All of that said, I also felt some disappointment that I couldn’t immediately share the experience with everyone back home. I’ve become so accustomed to tweeting, Facebooking and sharing on LinkedIn that I kept thinking about what I wanted to tell various people about various things — personal and professional — that happened on my trip. I wish I could share all of that with you now, but I forgot most of it. Social media really has become an indispensable and important part of my personal and professional life.

3. I checked email more efficiently. This is a well-known email management strategy, and one that I have trouble implementing when I’m in my own office. One of the most effective ways to manage email is to check it in batches a few times a day. Because I was out and about in London without my BlackBerry, the only way I could check email was in batches when I returned back to my hotel once or twice a day and in the evenings. I found that I zipped through messages pretty quickly because I answered them in bulk rather than in a trickle throughout the day. If you struggle with email management, give this batching tactic a shot. I’m going to try to stick with it when I get back to my desk.

4. I found alternatives. Instead of calling my husband from my BlackBerry as I usually do when I’m traveling, we used Skype and our webcams to video chat from across the ocean. It was great and we’re planning to do that every time we travel. Instead of calling in to a webinar I was teaching, I tried out the VoIP system on the webinar system and it worked just as well — and was totally free. And, instead of burying my head in my BlackBerry to find directions around town, I asked people for directions and, in the process, had some really nice conversations and got some great recommendations for additional places to see and things to do.

Will I go back to using my BlackBerry when I get home from London? Absolutely. But I’m surprised how glad I am that I had the experience of living without it. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected or in a rut, I recommend shutting off your mobile device for a few days and see what you learn. The results may surprise you.

1. Spell the recruiter or hiring manager’s name right. Of the emails I received responding to the position I posted, about half spelled my name wrong. That’s an instant sign that a candidate lacks attention to detail.

2. Know as much as you can about the employer. The job I posted was for an intern to help edit the second edition of my book, Getting from College to Career. Although I didn’t require anyone to read the book before interviewing with me, the two people who had taken the time to read even one chapter impressed me the most. The one who read my entire book got the job. Given the amount of information you can find on the web, it’s inexcusable not to thoroughly research the company — scour its website, use its products, read its press releases — that you want to work for.

3. Be positive. Particularly in challenging economic times, employers want to hire people who will be a positive, helpful presence. No one likes a complainer. This includes criticizing a previous employer. A job interview is your chance to shine and to demonstrate your enthusiasm for a position; even if you’re a little bitter from a previous experience or a long job hunt, don’t let those emotions creep out in front of an interviewer.

4. Send a thank you email within 24 hours of interviewing. If I don’t receive an email within a day of the interview, I assume the person is not really interested in the position. The thank you email doesn’t have to be long; it just has to be sent. Although handwritten notes are lovely (and can be sent in addition to an email), in this day and age you have to be fast.

5. Respond positively to rejection. I was extremely impressed by a few applicants to my internship who wrote me very nice notes in response to my email saying that I had chosen a different candidate. Their graciousness has led me to keep their resumes on file in case I have a position in the future that might be a good fit.

What other simple strategies do you recommend for job seekers? Remember that seemingly small actions can make a very big difference!

Here is an excerpt:

Dan: When you go to speak to students across the country, how have you accessed their proficiency in job searching and resume building through online means?  Most students I talk to don’t know what LinkedIn is.  What are your experiences?

Lindsey: A year or so ago, very few students I met had even heard of LinkedIn. Today, I’d say about 1/4 of students at my workshops are aware of the site, but most don’t really know how to make the most of it. I believe that an active presence on LinkedIn is no longer optional for a career-minded person of any age, so I talk about it in every speech and workshop I give.

1. First, I advise students (and everyone else!) to set up a complete profile including keywords a recruiter or business owner might use to find someone with your skills and interests.

2. Then I recommend joining groups on LinkedIn (such as the Personal Branding group, of course) to build connections and become part of conversations about industry news.

3. Third, I recommend customizing those little “I’d like to add you as a connection” messages – that’s a great way to stand out and show that you are someone who takes the time to personalize your communications.

Another important tip, particularly for those who are just starting out in the workforce, is to scour other people’s LinkedIn profiles to look for companies you may want to apply to, job titles or professions you didn’t know about, professional organizations where you might network and people with similar interests who might be willing to offer some job search advice. If you’re trying to build your own personal brand, LinkedIn is incredibly valuable as a massive database of other people’s personal brands and career paths to research.

Click here to read my full interview with Dan.

The 30/20 Vision series is for the 20-something woman who wishes she had three 30-something big sisters to clue her in on the ins and outs of life after college. The radio show features me and my co-hosts, Christine Hassler (20 Something Manifesto) and Alexandra Levit (How’d You Score that Gig?).

Hope you’ll tune in live or download the podcast later!

My first article is “10 ways to job hunt during winter break,” a guide to using your holiday vacation to help your job hunt. Here is an excerpt:

Welcome to late December. ‘Tis the season for celebrating the end of finals, catching up with hometown friends and family, exchanging gifts and good cheer and — gulp — dreading the question: “So, have you found a job yet?”

Whether you’re looking for an internship or a full-time first job, the holiday break marks the unofficial start of job hunting season. (Or, if you’re graduating in December, it’s absolutely official.)

Of course, the bad news this season is that you’re facing the toughest job market in recent history. The good news is that there are always opportunities, especially for entry-level positions. But you have to act fast, and you have to act smart. Here are some tips for what to do over the next few crucial weeks to land a great job or internship.

Click here to read the rest of this article on ABC News on Campus…

This series is for the 20-something woman who wishes she had three big sisters to clue her in on the ins and outs of life after college. This month, my co-hosts Christine Hassler (20 Something Manifesto), Alexandra Levit (How’d You Score That Gig?) and I will chat about how to cope productively with the holidays, both at work and in our personal lives.

Hope you’ll tune in live or download the podcast later!

Image: Active.com

Click here to listen to our discussion about how to not only survive, but thrive, in troubled economic times. We discuss career strategies, stress management techniques and tips for living “a champagne lifestyle on a sparkling cider budget.”

If you have additional thoughts and suggestions, please share in the Comments!

In this episode (our one-year anniversary show!), we’ll chat about friendships after college, including how you can make new relationships, maintain old ones and troubleshoot troubling friendship issues. And yes, we’ll ask the classic When Harry Met Sally question: Can men and women really be friends?

Hope you’ll join us live or listen to the replay!

We’ll be talking about the dos and don’ts of social networking.

Hope you’ll join us on the call, and if you can’t make it, be sure to check out the archive!