Dress for Success

In one of my past posts I talked about the importance of dressing for the job you want. In this video I talk about dress in the office and how to tie 2 different types of ties. Feel free to email me with any questions about how to dress in the office.

Also the music is a little louder than I wanted but the song is "Words of Wisdom" by Hoodie Allen. He is the first artist I managed when I started my business Invite Only Management, LLC, and he is really starting to get popular so make sure to check out his music.

The Wrap Up Report

It's been a good ride this summer and with just over a week left my internship is coming to a close. I've learned so much this summer about what I want to do with my career, office culture, and the sports and entertainment industry in particular. Since I feel I have learned so much, I feel it is my duty to impart my new found wisdom upon you with my 3 simple easy tips to making the most out of your summer internship.


1. NETWORK- This may seem extremely obvious but it is often done wrong or not enough. I think I have done a pretty good job, but may have not done enough. Some ways to network wrong are:
- Start asking about jobs or connections your superiors have too early in the internship.
- Ask people for a recommendation when you do not have a lot of experience working with this person.
- Suck up. This is my biggest pet peeve. I hate when interns make it a competition with other interns to get on the good side of the boss. And to be honest your boss will recognize this as well.

One way to make sure you do enough networking throughout the summer is to get your immediate supervisor on your side early in the summer. Get them to help you set up with meetings in the company. Also when you see someone you have never met in the company don't be afraid to introduce yourself. Lastly always have your elevator pitch ready. This will allow you to be always ready even when caught off guard.

2. Have fun. Make friends, laugh, and always have a smile on. If you have a positive outlook on your job or at least portray that to your co-workers and superiors, the people in the office will enjoy working with you. This can lead to my first tip which is networking. Because if you are happy people will open up to you and want to help you. No one wants to help the debbie downer of the office.

3. Dress for the job you want. This is a motto that I have stressed time and time again. Appearance and hygiene are two of the most overlook aspects in the office. Wearing a tie or something equivalent for girls if it is not required goes a long way. People recognize it and will remember you. It is subtle touch that separates you from the rest of the pack. Remember, and summer internship is just a 10 week interview. Doing the little things and showing committment will get you the recommendation or job offer you covet.

Best of luck in the future.

Keep Busy...Look Good

One of the hardest things to do in internship is to keep busy with good work. All of us interns now that there is always the administrative type work that can be done but none of us want to do that. In an early post I had talked about learning how to say no when you have too much work, this post is the antithesis to that one. How to get more work when you don't have enough.

One of the worst things an intern can do is sit at their desk with no work, go on facebook, gchat, or just surf the web. Granted a little of that stuff never heard, and I am one of the greatest offenders to that. But it is about creating a good balance, and of course not letting the boss see. If you find yourself going to your list of websites that you go to when you are bored go ask your supervisor if they have any projects for you. If they don't have anything ask their supervisor. This type of attitude will make you look like a diligent worker, and as we all know an internship is just an extended interview. Showing your commitment and hard work will leave a good impression of you with your bosses. However don't say "Do you have any work I can do?" This will lead to those killer tasks like making copies, filing, and other monotonous tasks. Instead say to your boss "Do you have any projects I can help out with?" or "Is there any project that I can work on?" Phrasing it like this shows the boss that you want a real project not a time filler. If you end up doing files so be it, it is the little things that get you to the top. In the sports and entertainment industry (more specifically agencies), in which I work, entry level is often in the mail room. Those who work the hardest at the job they hate the most will ultimately be the one who networks the best and climbs the corporate ladder.

My internship to this part has been a lot of ups and downs as far as work load. There have been times when I am the last intern in the office, and other times when I am the first out the door. Recently I asked my supervisor, "It is now the second half of the internship, is there anything I should improve or focus on in my second half." His response was, "Make sure you are always asking for work if you don't have anything on your plate." He said that since I already do this there wasn't much to improve but that the higher-ups like interns that are always working and asking for more work. I am lucky that my supervisor was recently an intern and knows the ins and outs, but if your supervisor isn't willing to offer that advice, take it from me your boss will like to see you in their office if you are always looking to do work.

Enjoy the rest of the summer it's almost over.

Just Say No!

One of the hardest things for me this summer has been managing my workload. We all know that an internship is nothing more than a summer long interview, so we all want to impress our bosses and do the best job possible. However, doing a good job and managing your workload do not have to conflict. It is always important to know exactly what you have on your plate at one time so you know what new projects you can take on.

Although it may be hard to tell a superior you can not work on something, sometimes it is necessary in order to do the best job possible. No boss will look at this as you being a slacker, but rather they will appreciate your honesty and they will expect you do your best work on whatever it is you are working on. Although it has been uncomfortable for me to do this, I have done it on multiple occassions this summer. I report to more than one person, and each of my bosses doesn't know my workload. Everytime I told one of them that I could not work on something they were completely fine with it and actually respected me for respectfully declining the work they had for me.

Despite what I just said you can easily mess this up. Once you are done with the large project you are working on make sure to approach the person again, tell them you are done with the other project, and then ask if they would still want you to work on their project or if they have anything else for you. This is not brown-nosing but rather showing that you are a diligent and respectful employee. Being able to manage up is a very hard skill to learn, but an internship with a heavy workload can help you learn to do it effectively.

So if you can't take on a new project because you are swamped remember, JUST SAY NO! (politely of course)

New City, New Life

Michael Wieder, BBA 2011, Octagon

Last week was a very busy week for me, I took the LSAT Monday, moved to Washington D.C. on Tuesday, and started work at Octagon on Wednesday. My hectic life just made it harder to get adjusted to living in a new city. Unlike a lot of people, I have an advantage adjusting to city life because I grew up and live in New York. However, it always takes time to get acquainted with a new place. The people, culture, food, and layout are all different and take time to adjust too.

I have found that there are ways to alleviate the stress and potential frustration cause by relocation. The first tip is, do RESEARCH. Going on the internet and searching everything from food to maps, and entertainment to transportation can make all the difference on how easy it is to adjust to a new city. At first I found it very difficult to get adjusted to how DC was layed out. I found it hard to navigate the city, and although cleaner than NYC subways, the DC Metro is just inferior to other mass transit systems in cities like NY, London, and Paris. After I looked at a couple maps I was perfectly acclimated to my new city.

My second tip to adjusting to a new city is to EXPLORE. Get out and see what the town, city, or state has to offer. If you hide you will never know how great (or not so great) the new city is. By exploring you open yourself up to new things, and really get a chance to adjust yourself to your new surroundings.

Lastly, make sure that you have FUN. Don't hold back at all. See what the nightlife has to offer, meet new people, go to cultural places. Without having fun, your transition to a new place won't be the same. I have found that if I let myself have fun in a new city I automatically adjust to my surroundings better, because although I may be a foreigner, I feel like a native.

Hope this helps with everyone adjusting to new cities because it has definitely helped me in the past.

My First Post

(BBA, Octagon)

Hi All! I am Michael Wieder a rising senior in the BBA Program. This summer I will be interning at Octagon, a global sports agency and marketing firm. They represent athletes such as Michael Phelps, Chris Paul, Emmitt Smith, and Lamarr Woodley (Go Blue) to name a few. I will be working in the Athlete and Property Marketing Division. I expect my projects will revolve around harnessing the marketability that Octagon's athlete clients have and find strategic ways to pair them with large corporations or events through sponsorships or endorsements. Currently I do not have many expectations for my job. I find that it is better to go in to new experiences with low expectations so anything that is good seems great and things that aren't so great do not seem so terrible. My internship is in McClean, Virginia and I will be living in Washington D.C. I am very excited about experiencing and exploring all aspects of a new city. Being from New York I understand what a big city is like, but Washington D.C. is going to a lot of fun and a great experience. I am not the type of person to be very nervous about new situations, however I guess I always a little concerned about the adjustment to a new corporate culture when starting a new job or internship. I look forward to updating everybody on my experience.