Outfits: Internship Week 7-10

Hello my fashionistas on a budget! Below are most of my outfits from the past four weeks. I have lost track of the days so the pictures are not labeled as usual but who cares about the days right?! What matters are the prices so here we go!

Above: Top H&M 12.99, Brown pants and brown heels were previously featured. This top is fun to add some color to your wardrobe but as usual, I would suggest having a jacket handy. Since, as I have said before, I work in an athletics office, I am usually overdressed (on purpose-remember, dress for the job you want, not the job you have) so a jacket is not a necessity most of the time but it is good to have one with you.

Above: All of these pieces have been previously featured. I chose to pair this tight fitting pencil skirt with a looser fitting top because I do do not think it is appropriate in the work place to be showing all your goodies, you know what I mean? It is important to look professional at all times.

Above: This was a casual Friday look. Dark pants: Forever21 $7.99, Grey T-shirt: Old Navy $4.99, Blue/Grey Jacket and flats were previously featured. I also want to make a note that all my pictures are taken at the end of the day so the wrinkles are a product of my work rather than a lack of ironing :)

Above: Black Slacks and Black heels previously featured. Top: Burlington Coat Factory $12.99

Above: This dress has been previously featured. The picture makes it seem a but short but in person, the dress falls a little above the knee. Rather than wear it with my black jacket and heels as I did in the past, today I chose to tone the look down a bit by pairing the dress with nude colored flats. (Previously featured from Old Navy)

Above: Another casual Friday look. Dark denim paired with a black long tank, black linen jacket, and tiger printed flats. All of the pieces have been previously featured except for the black linen jacket which I bought at TJ Maxx for $16.99. Pairing a simple outfit with bold shoes is a great option when you want to look professional but still young and trendy.

Above: Today I has no one to take my picture so I improvised. All pieces have been previously featured. Featured- Navy pumps and navy pencil skirt with a yellow flowy top.

Above: Black slacks and black shoes previously featured. In the past year have lost some weight and have found that all my dress pants are now way too loose and I was in desperate need of a belt. Who knew that this would be so difficult to find?!? Belts for women are harder to find than belts for men and apparently very expensive but I figured that at the moment it would be cheaper to purchase a belt than the replace all of my pants. I FINALLY found this black one on sale at Target for $7.99. Top: Marshalls $12.99

Above: Top and shoes were previously featured, Black Pleated Skirt: Marshalls $14.99. A skirt like this is a great way to look professional while stepping away from the traditional pencil skirt.

Above: Again, excuse the wrinkles, these pictures are all taken at the end of my day. Every item here was previously featured (white tube top, blue/grey jacket, beige dress pants, navy pumps). It is nice to step out of the usual black, white and grey we find in the workplace and step into something lighter.

You may have noticed how 90% of the pieces above have been previously featured but none of the outfits are the same, that is the joy of mixing and matching. Mixing and matching is essential for anyone on a budget. Again, thanks for reading!! Until next time :)

Top 5 Ways to Get Noticed and Move Up in Your Entry Level Job

Hello readers!!

Today we have a very special guest feature from a long time friend of mine, Andrew Hernandez. This morning I got a text message from him letting me know that he had a great idea for my blog. Considering the fact that not only have I known him for 16 or 17 years, but also that he too is a young professional, I was all ears! 

He sent me the article below and told me to feel free to add/change  what I wanted but I thought it was great so I only added some pictures and my input on the section regarding women's clothing as I was asked to do. (My contributions will be in pink).

Top 5 ways to get noticed and move up in your entry level job:

So, you just graduated from college, and landed your first entry level job. Four years of countless hours studying, caffeine binges and late nights that resulted in waking up, literally, in between your books and Macroeconomic literature imprinted on the side of your face. You just feel you are worth more than the mind numbing tasks they have you completing at your new workplace. To add insult to injury, your debt from student loans is worth more than your salary. You’re not alone, but, the job market has become so competitive, that a Bachelor’s degree is basically just a piece of paper that will give you an opportunity to get an interview, having a degree will not automatically land you the job as it would before. As the great Bob Dylan would say, “Times, they are a-changing” 

What do you do when the job market makes the Hunger Games look like a Disney flick? You stand out. Here are five tips to help you with that:

1. First One in, Last One Out

Arrive 15-30 minutes early every day, and stay till your superior has left. This doesn't mean you’ll be working overtime and not getting paid for it, it just means you care enough about your job to take the extra initiative. With your new-found time, you can make your morning coffee (From that addiction you picked up in college) read the local or national news (preferably something that relates to your field of work) and answer those ticky tac e-mails that seem like a waste of your 10 gigabyte inbox, but merit an answer nonetheless. Just settle in, you’ll feel more relaxed, and won’t be rushing to make it “in time”. (Remember there’s a difference between “on time”, and “in time”) Find your morning routine.

2. Dress For Success

This seems fairly obvious, and probably has been reiterated to you a thousand times over your college career. Still, I cannot stress this enough.

Men:

-          Learn different knots on your tie.

         Here are four simple knots (image is from http://willowbrookpark.blogspot.com/2010/03/fashionable-man-and-his-dressing-room.html)

-          Own “Power Ties” for important meetings and interviews. (Vivid Reds, blues, and yellows)

-          Match your belt and shoes. The cardinal sin of fashion is wearing a brown belt and black shoes, or vice versa.

-          Have a good ratio of shirt and pants combinations.

-          Dry clean your clothes. I know this  can get expensive, but dry cleaning at least once a month will keep your clothes in good shape. A cheap alternative is self-dry cleaning products like Dryel, Which can be found at a local CVS for under $20.

-          Splurge a little at one of Jos A Bank’s sales (3 dress shirts for the price of 1? Which usually comes out to $30 for a top of the line dress shirt.  You can’t beat that)

-          Invest in 2 or 3 pairs of shoes, shine them, and keep shoe trees in them to maintain the shape.

-          Ditch “Jean Fridays” for a pair of Dockers, or Khakis and a polo.

 Women: Ladies, please don’t dress like you are going to LIV Nightclub ** trying to woo the bouncer with your short dress, and cleavage hanging out, just to gain entry to the nightclub. (Sam, feel free to add whatever else you’d like, I’m not an expert on women’s fashion)

Well, I would't say I qualify as an expert on women's fashion either but I would say that the "rules" I've mentioned before are applicable here. Yes, you want to stand out at work, but you want to stand out for the right reasons. You want your co-workers and superiors to talk about your work ethic and professionalism, not about how hard it was to talk to you without staring at your cleavage. 

As I have mentioned before, keep the pencil skirts no shorter than right above the knee. If you are going to go sleeveless, keep a jacket near (you never know who is going to walk in or what important meeting is going to pop up). As for shoes, no strappy sandals. Keep you shoes either close -toed or with a tiny peep-toe. Finally,  keep your nails clean. No nail polish is better than chipped nail polish. If you look like you don't care about yourself, your superiors aren't going to think you care about your work.

Andrew and I spoke about this and are in 100% agreement that you should ALWAYS dress for the job you want, not the job you have!

 3. Never, EVER, say “That’s not my job”

This is possibly the worst thing you can say at a workplace. Especially if you’re clawing through blood sweat and tears for a promotion. It shows a lot about your character. I understand sometimes other co-workers and colleagues might take advantage of your inexperience and rookie status, but superiors hate hearing those words. When someone asks you to do something for them, even if that person is not your supervisor, take it in stride, learn from the situation, and offer your best advice for a solution. Remember, you want to be part of the solution, not the problem. If you happen to find yourself on the other side of the situation, ask for help in the most humble way you can. Don’t EVER tell someone what to do, even if you ARE a supervisor. Explain that you feel a certain talent or knowledge that your colleague possesses might be beneficial to the project or task at hand. This way you maintain a healthy and smooth relationship with your co-workers, and/or subordinates.

4. Offer Help Whenever Possible

If you find yourself completing the mundane tasks that are beset upon you, ask your boss if there is anything else you can help with. Doing this will show your boss you care about your job, company, agency ,etc.. and as mentioned earlier, could be a learning experience, or a chance to gain insight on your boss’s job, knowledge, or expertise. (We are trying to get promoted here, and learning your boss’s job is one of the best ways to do just that) Also, offer help to your other co-workers. This will result in team work and efficiency, and your superiors will definitely notice this. (Think about that Christmas bonus too) And you just never know who will be your supervisor one day, people remember good deeds.

5. Own Up To Your Mistakes

Face it, you’re fresh out of college, and everything is new to you because of your inexperience. You’re going to make mistakes. Everyone will, it’s what makes us human. If you find yourself in a situation where you've made a mistake, you can’t change it. Nevertheless, you still have a chance to fix it, and get the desired results you wanted. Don’t make excuses for it, that will just make you look weak and selfish. Instead, own up to it, tell your colleagues you will find a solution (Even if it means staying late, See item #1) and learn from it. Nothing is worse than having two problems; The initial mistake, and a twenty-something year old punk making excuses, leading the superiors to believe they hired the wrong candidate and they need to find another twenty-something year old punk.

I hope my humble 2 cents helps any young professional out there, aspiring to achieve success in this cruel, vicious world. You will often feel undervalued with your new entry-level job, but maintain a relentless hunger for prosperity, and approach each day as an opportunity to be better than you were the day before.

Godspeed,

 Andrew T. Hernandez

                               ** LIV is North America’s most popular nightclub

I think our generation gets a bad rap. People say that we all want things to be handed to us, and we idolize reality TV stars, wishing we could get our own show so we could be showered with money and fame. Yes, there are those who expect success without hard work but I believe those people are outnumbered by those of us who understand that hard work and professionalism are necessary and definitely rewarding at the end of the day.

Thanks for reading, and thanks again to Andrew for thinking of me, my blog, and ways to help my readers! Until next time!