I bet you’re wondering why I decided to put an “Online Marketing 101” series on a career blog.

Well, I believe that moving ahead in your career goes beyond perfect resumes, landing a job and dealing with corporate politics. I also know that many of you have your own side business, a hobby you’d like to turn into a business or hope to work for yourselves someday. There’s no doubt that ambitious Gen Y’ers place a high value on entrepreneurship and “lifestyle design.”

I also decided do this series because I’m a strong believer in diversifying your career portfolio. You wouldn’t invest your retirement funds in just one type of investment, so why would you invest your career into just one income source? Diversification helps absorb losses.  If one investment vehicle fails, you have others that are performing well to even things out.

What better way to truly experience “lifestyle design” and “career diversification” than to own an internet business? You can do this while working full time, while raising your kids and/or while pursuing your hobbies.

This series is designed for beginners who may not have a business idea or blog yet. I will show you how to create your own website or blog and optimize it for search engines. We will also talk about strategy and monetizing.

Here’s a simplified road map of the Online Marketing 101 Series

• Pick a niche topic you are madly in love with

• Buy a domain name, create a Wordpress Thesis site

• Create great content

• Give away a freebie

• Build an email list

• Launch your 1st product

• Test, tweak and repeat

Why a niche?

Internet marketers live for the niche. Why? Because a niche website’s content is more searchable and more likely to attract a targeted audience. Building your site around a targeted audience means a better understanding of how to provide helpful products and services to them. People come to the internet to solve problems. How can your passions and interests help others solve their problems?

Most people dream about becoming an entrepreneur but have no idea what business to get into.  Let’s start by brainstorming your “passion project” which you can turn into a winning blog, website or business.

Leave your topic ideas (whether they are for you or for others) in the comments section.

Here are some examples of niche topics to get you started! college women’s soccer, Notre Dame grads in Chicago, best undiscovered chocolate, (your town) work at home moms, vegetarian cooking lessons for beginners.

When most people think of the job search, they think of updating their resumes, writing cover letters, preparing answers to interview questions, sending thank yous, etc. But, doing all this means you are only meeting expectations, and maybe doing just a little more than other candidates. To really set yourself apart, you gotta go above and beyond. One way to do it is to prove you are smart and engaged during the interview by researching before it and taking notes during it.

Almost always, employers will ask one of these questions: “What do you know about the company?” or “Why do you want to work here?” The worst thing to do is give a vague answer, BS it, or say “I don’t know.” You may want to work there because you heard they pay well or they have a good reputation. But anyone can tell them this. What can you do to show that you really know this company? Before the interview, Google them, go to their website, visit their Twitter page, check out their Facebook profile, and read any articles written about them. Know the name of the CEO, know when they were founded, know their “about” section by heart, know the job description by heart, etc.

How are you supposed to memorize all this? You don’t have to. In the leather portfolio or folder you bring to the interview (you better have one!), there should be a notepad built in or you should at least have a few loose-leaf papers in it. This is your cheat sheet! While researching the company in the week or so leading up to the interview, take notes in your portfolio and list some major questions that came to mind regarding the job/company. Is there anything you want answered during the interview?

Once you are in the interview, don’t forget to take more notes! This shows that you are engaged, it’ll make you look smart, and then when you get home, you’ll remember what hours the position requires, what the benefits are, what the details of the job duties are, etc.

Trust me—memorized or not—you’ll forget the details about the company and questions you have for them in the heat of the moment, especially if you are applying to dozens of jobs. Don’t get them mixed up! Know the company inside and out. Who knows, you might find out some juicy info that will make you cross the company off your list!

Sorry, Penelope.  I’m back.

My fellow career blogger friend  Nick Corcodilos pointed out a blog post written by Penelope Trunk that I couldn’t help but question and discuss here on Ms. Career Girl.  In the post, titled “Why Job Hoppers Make the Best Employees,” Penelope argues the following five points to be true:

1. Job hoppers have more intellectually rewarding careers.
2. Job hoppers have more stable careers.
3. Job hoppers are higher performers.
4. Job hoppers are more loyal.
5. Job hoppers are more emotionally mature.

Really Penelope?!  Do you REALLY believe these statements or was this another way to get more traffic back to your sites and be a career evangelist to lost recent grads?  Why should we believe you?  Or is it just easier to believe you so we don’t have to deal with difficult situations and never learn how to overcome adversity at work?

Nick Corcodilos and I have crossed paths over the last year many times.  Oddly enough, the topic of several of our conversations has been about Penelope Trunk’s odd career advice and strange personal branding strategies.  Well here we are again, looking at more bizarre career advice from the woman who founded my generations most popular career network, brazencareerist.com.  Thankfully companies, including Brazen, have teams of diverse staff- to balance out the outliers.

When reviewing the comments on Penelope’s post, I was surprised (and disappointed) to read that so many people were excited and completely on board with Penelope’s advice.  Groupthink, anyone?  Denial?

For the record, I am 25.  I am as Gen Y as it gets in many ways.  Like most people in my generation, I’m addicted to technology, I love feedback, I’m used to instant gratification.  I’m a bit impatient and I have both a day job and a “passion project.” I’m also a typical Gen Y’er in that since graduating from college four years ago, I have worked 3 different jobs: the first for 7 months, the second for almost 3 years and I started my current position (which is my favorite company thus far and my hopeful long-term landing pad!) 7 months ago.  Heck, it weirds me out but I realize that some may even consider ME a job hopper (even though I do not feel like one at all).

Do I think that having 3 jobs in 4 years is something to be proud of?  Not necesarily.  My job history is what it is, but by no means do I feel it makes me a “better, more loyal, higher performing or more emotionally mature” employee- HA!

In Nick’s recent blog post titled, Job Hopping: Career Crack for Losers, Nick offers some very different advice than Penelope does:

First, toss out your resume. Trash it yourself, before an employer trashes it for you. And I don’t mean you should get a better resume. I mean, Stop using a flyer that says KICK ME on it. Period. No resume. Search for a job strictly through personal referrals and face-to-face contacts which enable you to make your case before your butt is kicked into the can.

Second, find a place to work where you can stay put. Penelope Trunk – who tells you loyalty doesn’t matter and job hopping is good — is sticking a needle in your vein, pumping you full of happy juice, and leaving your career to die while she drives off to the bank to deposit the GoogleAds checks she collects for advertising career crack to confused GenY’s. Stay off the juice. Stay put. Establish a reputation. Then trade on it.

Thank you, Nick, for putting my thoughts into words without me having to do it first.  I really like your first point and think that is great advice for anyone, “job hopper” or not.

Of the 5 points in Penelope’s article, I see SOME truth to her first point: job hoppers have more intellectually rewarding careers.  Well, yeah, I guess, because they are constantly having to get re-trained, and re-acquainted with a company’s culture, procedures and politics.  Intellectually rewarding?  Maybe, for some.  For others?  Terrifying.

Let’s hear it people.

I don’t have to repeat the fact that Corporate America is not what it used to be.  Yes, I always say that everyone needs to create their own “career insurance policy.”  When debating with Gen X’ers and Boomers, I always remind them that Gen Y’ers have been through the crash of Enron, the wrath of September 11th,the fall of Lehman Brothers and a recession- we are scared to trust these institutions that were supposed to be the pillar of security and the foundation of “The American Dream.”

• What do you think: is job hopping career death or a career savior?
• How would you define a job hopper?
• Does Penelope really believe the stuff she “preaches” about?  Do you believe her?
• Would you switch companies every few years to get big raises if given the opportunity?
• Why should (and why do) twentysomethings listen to Penelope Trunk for career advice?

Today’s post is an interview with the one and only, Ms. Emily Bennington.  Emily and I met in person for the first time in Columbus, Ohio about 2 weeks ago.  We spent the day sharing story after story about work, life and our first few years after college.  As you can imagine, we laughed just as much as we talked!

Meeting with Emily was not only a lot of fun, but it also showed me how much I still have to learn.  Ten years her junior, I really admire women like Emily.  She knows her stuff and she does it all: she has a family, volunteers in her community, rocks at work, is a part-time college professor AND writes books.  Um, bring on the caffeine!

I’m very excited to announce and support Emily’s first published book, Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. I’ve been reading this little gem and find it fun, easy to read and extremley relevant whether you are still in college or have been working for 5 years.

Emily had a rough start to corporate life.  Her stories are pretty funny and all true.  Emily co-wrote Effective Immediately with her first post-college mentor, Skip Lineberg, who was there to witness and guide her through many “rookie” moments.

There’s also a second reason I want to introduce you to Emily Bennington.  You’ll be seeing a lot more of Emily here on Ms. Career Girl.  Why?

Welllll,  Emily and I are currently working on a proposal for an absolutely AWESOME book for young women in corporate environments.  I’ve done lots of research (and let’s be honest, I’ve probably read 35 of our new book’s “competitors”)  and there is NO book out there like the one we are working on.  Get excited ambitious ladies!

On to the interview, please meet Emily Bennington!

Tell us about your most embarrassing entry-level career moment.

I was working PR on a grassroots advocacy campaign for a regional airport project and I sent out a press release stating that Senator Rockefeller endorsed our position. Problem was, I failed to run the release by the senator’s staff. As it turned out, he didn’t endorse it at all and so my mistake became the story. I knew I was in trouble when the reporter called me for a quote and, sure enough, the next day I was greeted with a front page, above-the-fold article quoting the President of our County Commission saying, “I don’t know who sent that release, but whoever it was should be fired.” I seriously thought I was going to lose my job. Fortunately, my boss understood it was a rookie mistake and let me slide with a warning, but my dad calls me “Miss Information” to this day.

A lot of recent grads have trouble transitioning their wardrobe from “class to classy”.  What was your concept of “business casual” back in the day?

Haha. I know this is a loaded question because you already know the answer! When I entered the workforce, I obviously made a physical transition, but it took me a while to make the mental one.  In many ways, I still saw myself as living the college life (going out dancing on a work night for example) and my wardrobe was a reflection of that. I wore things I thought would easily go from day-to-night, but were really just inappropriate for the office. One time I was changing in the office kitchen and my boss’ husband walked in on me! The first question is, of course, why was I changing in the kitchen? (The answer is: I have no idea.) However, I look back on that and see someone who was still more concerned with having fun than being taken seriously as a professional. I’ve learned a ton since then about the importance of being in control of the image you project, and it definitely starts with how you dress.

You’ve told me a bit about your co-author, Skip Lineberg, who was also your first post-college mentor.  What role did Skip play in your early career and life?

Skip was the first person to take a proactive interest in my success and professional development. At the beginning of my career, Skip really spent a lot of time coaching and challenging me to be better. One example I’ll never forget was when I had my first performance review and asked for a raise, Skip made me “demonstrate I was worth it” by successfully completing a series of projects ranging from writing a review of How to Win Friends and Influence People to finding a logistical “problem” in the office and solving it using TQM processes. At the time, a lot of my friends and family were puzzled by this, wondering why he didn’t just give me the raise I’d already earned, but I knew better. I saw Skip’s challenge as an opportunity to prove to him that I was not only worth more money, but more responsibility as well. Since then, our relationship has evolved into more of a partnership than a mentor / student connection, but I’m so blessed that we’re still able to work together after all these years.

How important do you think mentors are for ambitious young professionals?

Mentors are incredibly important but they are also an endangered species. Businesses are just so lean these days and everyone is busy enough doing their own jobs, so they don’t have much time to coach someone else along. I was talking about this today with a group of friends at lunch. All of us are in different fields, all successful in our own right, yet NONE of us had been trained in the jobs we hold currently. I think this “sink or swim” mentality is an epidemic in the workforce and really reinforces the need for employers to devote more resources to training and staff development. However, young professionals need to know that, sadly, the odds of having a great mentor aren’t good and they should be prepared to invest in their own success as well.

For young women who are looking to become working career Moms in the future, how do you think we can best set ourselves up for this path from the start?

This is a tricky question because the answer is different for everyone. Personally, I was 29 when I had my first child and I can say with complete certainty that – yes – waiting a little longer allowed me to become more established in my career. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times I wish I would havehad them earlier, but the flip side is that kids are expensive and it’s nice to be able to afford the two I have. I don’t harbor any regrets about being a working mom and I definitely don’t allow anyone to make me feel guilty about it either. So the best advice I can giveto career moms is to be 100% present where you are. In other words, if you’re at work, give100% to your job. If you’re at home, give 100% to your family. I promise you it won’t be a perfect 50/50 split all the time, but your work will make you appreciate your children more… and vice versa.

Check out Emily’s blog professionalstudio365.com, follow Effective Immediately on Facebook and buy her book on Amazon.com!

“Make your life one giant networking event.” ~Dan Schawbel

I graduated college in May 2009 and it wasn’t until I let go of the idea that I needed to spend all day every day looking for work and well, start working, that I began getting job leads. It’s the NUMBER ONE rule of the job hunt – make looking for a job your permanent job. 9 to 5, seven days a week.

Except is that really the best way to find work? Is the best way to network and find job leads to shout from the rooftops that you’re for hire? What if you were passive? What if you spent half that time actively job searching and the other half actually working? Working how, you ask? Temping and freelancing my friends, temping and freelancing.

We all know that the best way to get a job is through contacts. The way to make contacts is through networking. The best way to network is not to hand out your business cards with wild abandon at miscellaneous events serving punch or cold call every person you’ve never met; the best way is to actually show people what you’re made of.

Without a full time permanent job, finding temporary and freelance work are the best ways to show your worth. They put you in touch with people in your industry, build your portfolio and make it possible to can eat on a regular basis. What’s not to love?

For those of you not looking for a permanent job, this article is still for you. All of us could use extra cash to pay off debts, open up a savings account and/or start something entrepreneurial. Personally, I like shoes.

So let’s take a little look-see at how to go about this:

Freelancing

Many people don’t see freelancing as an option because there’s this mentality that you’re either a freelancer or you’re not. But you can take a project here and there for the reasons I mention above. Getting freelance work through friends, using Craigslist and contacting your dream company directly puts great companies (who may not be hiring full time but do need a relevant project taken care of) on your resume, generates contacts and builds up an impressive portfolio.

My favorite ways to find freelance work:

• Craigslist – While it may be the ultimate site of all things spammy, Craigslist actually has some great freelance resources. Use the search function for keywords on jobs you might like to do.

• LinkedIn – This site is one of my favorites because it’s a super fast way to connect with everyone you’ve ever met and take them straight to your resume. Also, the LinkedIn Answers section is the best way to highlight your expertise on any given subject. I can’t tell you how many projects I’ve landed because I rock out solving other people’s problems. Try and answer 1 to 2 questions every day in your field and watch your contacts grow…

• Word of mouth – I know, a little 18th century, but it’s still the best way to advertise. Enlist family and friends to spread the word. However, it does help if you have friends.

• Offer free work – THIS DOES NOT MEAN INTERN. Don’t start doing a 9 to 5 copying job masking as a “learning experience.” No, offer to write an article/guest post, consult on a project or give a free seminar. People love free, but it doesn’t mean you need to lower your standards.

• Check out Freelance Switch – One of the best websites out there for freelancers, helping you stay organize, land more work and provides even more excellent resources.

And at the end of the day, you might find you like freelancing best and decide not to take a permanent position at all!

Temping

Temporary jobs are great. They keep you busy when you’re ready to tear your hair out, add to your resume to give you experience, gives you a chance to prove yourself, can possibly turn into a permanent position and allows you the chance to network and gain referrals. And according to the American Staffing Association (ASA), around 18% of temp jobs a year turn into permanent positions.

To avoid wasting your time, try and hone in on the industry you’d eventually like to be in full time. Because you’d otherwise be spending all your time looking for work anyway, hold out for a cool project you’d really like to work on. Aim to work with temp agencies that cater to your industry.

Here’s a really fabulous post on how to get and keep a temp job.

A Note!!!

I want to reiterate that freelance and temp work are not synonymous with internship. I’m in no way suggesting you should take an internship while you “wait” for the perfect job to waltz on by. I have a pretty public hatred of internships as they’re are really just glorified assistants jobs, so you might as well get paid for the work you’d be doing anyway. Many temp agencies can set you up with part-time gigs in the field of your choice and being a paid employee of a company is always more impressive than being an intern. This also gets around not having the “mandatory” internship on your resume.

Instead, become an expert: Read the top publications in your field, get books, watch webinars, make friends with bloggers – not only does this create contacts and integrates you into the professional community, but slowly establishes you as an expert (basically, all the things you can get from an internship).

Hopefully by now you all realize people hire people, and best way to meet those people is through helping them out.