1. IIDA CAREER BOOTCAMP ™ ADVICE FROM OUR PANEL OF EMERGING PROFESSIONALS

2. IIDA EMERGING PROFESSIONALS 2011 PANELISTS STEPHANIE BRYANT Assoc. IIDA TRINA ALSIP Assoc. IIDA LYNETTE KLEIN Assoc. IIDA MAGDELINE OLDMIXON Assoc. IIDA MICHELLE KRAKER , MODERATOR

4. BE CONFIDENT & ENTHUSIASTIC… THE JOB MARKET MAY BE BLEAK, BUT DON’T BRING THAT ATTITUDE INTO YOUR INTERVIEW. AVOID NEGATIVITY.

5. MENTORS MAKE A DIFFERENCE… AND ARE SURPRISINGLY EASY TO FIND, YOU JUST HAVE TO ASK. YOU WILL END UP HAVING MANY DIFFERENT MENTORS FOR EACH STAGE IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE .

6. “ NOTHING GREAT WAS EVER ACHIEVED WITHOUT ENTHUSIASM.” EMERSON

7. REHEARSE PRESENTING YOUR PORTFOLIO… EMPLOYERS WILL WANT TO HEAR YOU SPEAK ABOUT YOUR DESIGN DECISIONS. SO SPEAK PROFESSIONALLY AND REHEARSE BEFOREHAND.

8. INTERIORS PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE IS KEY… MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME BETWEEN JOB SEARCHES BY RESEARCHING AND STAYING CURRENT WITH THE LATEST AND GREATEST PRODUCTS. MAKE IT A POINT TO UTILIZE YOUR LOCAL DESIGN RESOURCES AND INTERACT WITH THE LOCAL DESIGN COMMUNITY.

9. “ SUCCESS IS THE SUM OF SMALL EFFORTS REPEATED DAY IN AND DAY OUT.” R. COLLIER

10. HARNESS SOCIAL MEDIA… SOCIAL MEDIA CAN EITHER HELP OR HURT YOUR CHANCES. LEARN TO USE TWITTER TO INTERACT WITH COMPANIES. BECOME SOCIAL MEDIA SAVVY AND USE IT TO FIND YOUR NEXT JOB. EDIT YOUR CURRENT PAGES FOR APPROPRIATE CONTENT.

11. START A WEBSITE… SHOWCASE YOUR PORTFOLIO, BLOG ABOUT YOUR INTERESTS, BE TRANSPARENT, SHOW PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE UNIQUE & INTERESTING. BECAUSE YOU ARE MORE THAN JUST A RESUME. TRY BLOGGER.COM, WORDPRESS.COM, WIX.COM OR FLAVORS.ME

12. “ WE ARE WHAT WE REPEATEDLY DO. EXCELLENCE IS NOT AN ACT, BUT A HABIT.” ARISTOTLE

13. START WITH A GREAT COVER LETTER… BECAUSE THEY WILL NEVER SEE YOUR RESUME IF THEY DON’T LIKE YOUR COVER LETTER. IF YOU ARE BLINDLY APPLYING FOR JOBS, YOUR COVER LETTER IS THE ONLY CHANCE YOU HAVE TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD.

14. UNPAID INTERNSHIPS PAY OFF… PAID OR UNPAID, EXPERIENCE IS KEY. YOU GAIN CONTACTS, MAKE FRIENDS & INCREASE CHANCES OF GETTING HIRED LATER. DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT. COLD CALL, REQUEST APPOINTMENTS AND PARTICIPATE IN IIDA EVENTS SUCH AS STUDENT MENTORING WEEK!

15. “ THE GREATEST RESULTS IN LIFE ARE ATTAINED BY COMMON SENSE AND PERSEVERANCE.” O.FELTHAM

16. JOIN AN ASSOCIATION… MAKE THE INDUSTRY FEEL SMALLER, STRETCH YOUR NETWORK AND GET INVITED TO INDUSTRY EVENTS. JOIN IIDA AND GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR LOCAL CHAPTER. LEARN MORE AT WWW.IIDA.ORG