Living with a roommate can be a great experience that not only saves you money but also might land you a great friend. Getting along with your roommate is essential to being happy at home. Here are a few ways to make sure you’re on the ‘right’ path.

• Sit down together over coffee and establish a short list of ground rules. Don’t get too specific – this is a give and take conversation.
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• Be respectful when having friends over on weeknights, especially if your roommate has to wake up early. Also, don’t have your boyfriend sleep over every night of the week because if that’s the case then he might as well start paying rent.
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• The golden rule – if you didn’t buy that box of mac & cheese then you better not add water and boil. Stick to your own food and make sure to wash up afterward because there’s nothing worse then coming home to a sink full of dirty dishes after a long day at work. 

If you notice a problem brewing, don’t sweep it under the rug until one of you blows up. Most problems can be worked through with reasonable discussion. And a shared bottle of chardonnay.

As social media becomes an increasingly integrative part of our personal lives, the need to align our online presence with our professional life is becoming more of a necessity than a preference. The need to be politically correct in posts could make or break a career.

When traversing this world of social media, we urge you to consider a few key rules to guide you in creating a perfectly polished social presence.

• Choose a profile picture that reflects your professional personality. Don’t be afraid to be creative as long as the image is something that you could put on your desk in your office.

• Shy away from political posts. While you certainly have a right to voice your political views, you never want to offend anyone. You could turn away a potential client or career opportunity simply based on a poorly worded statement.

• Don’t over post. Limit your updates to no more than once or twice a day. You should appear to be busy with your career, not social media.

• Keep it light. Only post casual or informative material. Never post about relationships (business or personal).

Use this short guide to help you evaluate the strength of your professional social media presence. Remember that nothing is really private so tread light and always be conscious of who might read your posts! 

You have probably heard the age-old adage warning, “first impressions are everything.” While we would like to relieve some of your anxiety, we must note that in some circumstances, a first impression is essentially what matters most. This ideology is particularly salient when navigating the career interviewing process.

If you’ve ever wondered exactly how to present yourself, or perhaps what not to do, take a look at our suggestions as you prepare for your big interview. 

• Some colors are simply more “serious” than others and if you need to convey a strong, confident image, then you may want to select a color that falls into the classic neutral palette. This would include: navy, black, and khaki. If the job is more creative or trend based, you instead may want to go bolder with color and pattern.

• Enter reception promptly (you should be between 10-15 minutes early) and stick around to assure that the secretary or receptionist calls up promptly. The last thing you want to do is blame the secretary for your tardiness.

• Interviewers will often go back and ask their secretary what they thought of you. You should treat them just as if they were the interviewer themselves.

• If your interviewer walks out to meet you you should always immediately stand, smile (but don’t overdo it), issue a proper greeting and prepare to shake hands. 

You made it! Now that you’ve made a poised, polished first impression, the “real” interview process can begin. Good luck and remember to always put your best foot forward, as long as its dressed in a nice high-heel! 

Starting a new job can be overwhelming and generally you just want to fit in. First impressions are everything and if you want to be accepted, don’t skimp on politeness. Here are a few ways to score points with your office mates:

• Don’t join in the heavy jokes or bad word usage. Until you really get a feel for the atmosphere in the office, stick to what your parents taught you about meeting new people.

• Get to know your co-workers and their interests. This will catapult you into becoming friendly, rather than landing you in the category of an office gossip. If you love to run or play arcade games, try to plan an after work outing.

• When a new position opens up and more than one person has there eyes on it, claws can come out. Make sure you mind your manners. Respect your co-workers, have a positive attitude, avoid inappropriate conversations and be proactive. You don't need office enemies.  

Award season is among us once again. Besides getting a chance to see our favorite actors and music artists dressed up to the 9's and winning for works we have praised all year, we also get to see them in not such flattering (real life?) situations. Every award show has their "Oh my god did he/ she really just do that" moment. These moments can involve acts of outright drunkenness, wardrobe malfunction, tiffs with fellow celebs, the list go's on. We can't help but to wonder if these "moments" are our stars really letting go and being themselves, or if these are simply publicity moments acted upon. Lets get real, if you happen to have your dress bust open on the red carpet or while presenting an award, you will be the topic of every gossip and news blog the next morning, and until someone else does something to top your blunder. Is this just how the business goes or is the need for attention and publicity too much?