By, Ashley Crimaldi

As I was applying for summer internships this past spring, I had a lot of difficulty determining what to include on my resume. My first thought? Everything! But on second thought, I wondered if including everything I’m involved with might have cost me an opportunity. I call this ‘Identity Transparency’.

As a woman heavily involved in many social justice issues on my campus, advocacy, awareness raising and diversity groups, I’m pretty clearly marked, dare I say, with a ‘Feminist’, ideology. I theorized that such activities would exude a passionate drive to make the world a better place to potential employers. I’m the type of college student who cares about her community, right? Well, maybe.

After absent calls from several business and journalistic entities I’d applied to, I realized listing, ‘Feminist Student Union President’ and ‘The Vagina Monologues Performance’ on my resume may not have been such great idea. Of course, the progressive non-profit publication I work for currently saw those activities as an asset to their team, but apparently not everyone had the same reaction.

Depending on the company, it may be better to appear a bit ‘apolitical’ or ‘uninformed’ (sad right?). According to advice I’ve been given by a PR professional, only list activities and leadership positions that are directly relevant to the position in which you are applying to, and be ready to discuss how so in an interview.

I’m not suggesting that you leave your identity or political interests at the door- but do be mindful of what you are including on a resume, and how it may appear to potential employers. In the end (if you got an interview), if they like you and you’re good at your job what you do in your free time shouldn’t matter. However, in industries like journalism, it’s ideal to appear as ‘objective’ as possible. For some people hiding your identity would be merely impossible in an Internet age. Personally, my feminist identity is one that I can’t hide, and if someone doesn’t want to hire me because of that, I probably wouldn’t want to work there anyway.

What do you think of ‘identity transparency’? Have you ever experienced a similar situation? How have you handled keeping work on the side separate from your day job? Tell us what you think!

By, Michelle Pfennighaus

Imagine it. You’re watching Friends on prime time and wearing Doc Martins, Snapple iced tea in hand. In front of you is a box of fat free Snackwell’s cookies. Ah, the 90’s.It made perfect sense. We were all going to get fat unless we stopped eating foods that contained fat! Perfect logic.

The fat free craze didn’t begin in the 90’s though. For decades, scientists were warning of the dangers of fats. Saturated fat was deemed a killer, clogging the arteries and causing our pants to get tighter.

Nevermind that for thousands of years indigenous cultures ate animal fat at nearly every meal and only in recent times has obesity become a problem and heart disease become a #1 killer.

So we ate less fat. I did, anyway. Snackwell’s cookies were super, right? Eat all you want - zero fat. The food industry had a field day, manipulating processed foods until they were marketable as “Low” or “No Fat.” And we bought them at a premium! We declared with glee, “I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter!” The century ended full of hope for trim waistlines and healthy hearts.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what happened.

It didn’t work. We are fatter and sicker than ever before. Many of us, myself included, ended up with dry skin, constipation and a cold feeling in our bones. Our body’s need for fat manifested itself in magnificent cravings we satisfied at 3am with french fries and Ben & Jerry’s.

Hey Science, what gives?

Here’s what happened. We replaced fats that were maybe unhealthy with darn near fatal fats (think hydrogenated trans fat in margarine) and plenty of sugar, fillers and chemicals. What brilliant ideas will we think of next?

I’d like to stop thinking of what’s next and reflect for a moment on what has come before. For thousands of years, populations around the world have thrived on indigenous diets of all sorts. Meat-based, plant-based, or a combination of the two, they all included fat. It was not until processed food was introduced that we encountered the diseases of excess that plague us today.

I encourage my clients to eat more foods that their great grandparents would recognize and fewer foods created by modern science and advertised by big business. Some of the ways oils are processed include adding hydrogen atoms or using chemical solvents. Does that sound like food you want to put in your body?

Here are some newfangled fats to be skeptical of or downright avoid:

1. All hydrogenated oils, including margarine
2. Soy and corn oil
3. Peanut oil
4. Canola and Grapeseed oil

Instead, seek out traditional, naturally occurring fats full of nutrients the human body needs. Always favor organic!

1. Butter and Ghee
2. Coconut and sesame oils
3. Olive oil
4. Flax and Fish oil
5. Chicken, goose and duck fat
6. Beef and lamb fat

It has been an interesting shift to start eating fats again. After years of a “No Fat” mindset, it feels naughty to throw a pat of butter into my oatmeal. But good quality organic butter from grass-fed cows is exactly the kind of fat the body needs.

When I started eating more butter and taking fish oil, my skin really showed a difference. Lines in my face actually went away! Another great benefit is that I started to really enjoy my food. It’s no coincidence that fats taste good - we are programmed to enjoy them because we need them!

If you are worried about weight loss, look to the (highly refined) white flour products and (highly refined) sugar in your diet. Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions and founder of the Weston A. Price foundation, encourages us to use plenty of olive oil on our salads but skip the roll. And like my mom always says, “Everything in moderation.”

By, Dawn Yerger

It’s hard not to notice that branding has become a hot topic in today’s business world, and with good reason. Human beings tend to assess whether or not we like or dislike something within two to three seconds, which makes it a very short window of time allotted for someone or something to create a positive, emotional association within us. Not only are businesses and corporations looking for ways to create strong brands in the marketplace, but so are individuals and business professionals.

What is the definition of branding? There are quite a few of them floating around nowadays, but BNET.com gives an excellent description:

Branding: a means of distinguishing one firm’s products or services from another’s and of creating and maintaining an image that encourages confidence in the quality and performance of that firm’s products and/or services.

In the past, the concept of branding came from the branding of cattle and various farm animals. Presently, branding is about the impression that you leave on the minds of those that come in contact with you.

So, how does this tie in with you, the business professional? Whether you know it or not, as a business professional, you have a brand. In order to succeed as a professional, you must maintain an image that encourages confidence in your skills and abilities.

It is key that you know what your brand is and how you’re being perceived in the workplace. Knowing your values, strengths, and unique characteristics is the starting point. Tying all of that together with your image and presentation is what brings it home. A business professional who knows his or her unique brand and uses it to his or her advantage is often the one selected for promotions and opportunities that other employees miss out on.

So, how can you create a strong and impressive professional brand? Here are a few tips and strategies to help you stand above the crowd and position yourself as a polished professional:

Assess your personal values, strengths, and “personal trademarks”. It is always good to build upon your personal and professional strengths, as well as what makes you unique. All of these components must build upon your image of being a polished professional.

Take note of how your boss, management and your colleagues respond to you. If you notice a pattern in how others respond or interact with you, chances are it is because of some action, activity or thought pattern that you are broadcasting.

Build your “attention to detail” muscle. Many times, taking another look at an email, editing a document, or double-checking your calendar is the fine line between being perceived as someone who is on top of things and someone who is too lazy to care.

Lastly, it is of utmost importance that others associate a positive emotion or thought with your professional brand. What do you want others to think of when they think of you and your performance in the workplace? Do not leave this to chance! Be strategic and purposeful when deciding on how you want to be received in the professional world. Think of three or four keywords that describe the impression that you want to leave in the minds of those that interact with you on a professional basis. If you’re having trouble coming up with keywords, think of your personal values and what is important to you. Then, think of at least two to three things that you can implement on a daily basis that embody the keywords that you selected.

By, Roland Cailles

As a public relations person, I have the pleasure of working with some of the most talented and creative women in the professional world. My industry, known for its fast-paced lifestyle and feminine-friendly working environment, is filled with women. And yet, though women out number men at most agencies, it’s an industry still dominated by men. The old-school network, just as it is in the advertising world, still exists in PR.

Big agencies like Edelman, Golin-Harris, and Burson-Marstellar, get their names from the men that founded them. That’s why I feel so privileged to have completed my first internship at a certified women-owned agency: Carolyn Grisko & Associates. The top four ranking women at the firm- the CEO Carolyn, the COO, and two of the VP’s- are all women; a rarity in the PR world.

Times are changing. It’s time women lead the way in the business world the same as men do. Consider these stats from the book The Guide to American Graduate Schools, by Harold R. Doughty:

•From 1995 to 2006, the number of women graduating with either a master’s or doctorate degree has increased 150 percent.

•In 2007, the number of doctorates awarded reached an all-time high of 55,300 with women earning almost 50 percent of those conferred.

•It’s projected that by 2016 women will represent 56 percent of all doctorates awarded.

These stats should serve as an indication - women have their eyes set on the highest levels of the working world.

A Study of Gender Roles in PR

A couple months ago, I participated in a study by Victoria Geyer, an associate professor and grad student at Hofstra University. She was doing research for a paper that asked the question, “Does gender play a role in the public relations industry?”

She theorized that most women chose PR as a major early on in their academic careers. Because most men came into PR from other disciplines, they had the business classes and backgrounds to help them excel at managing their own businesses. Particularly, men came into the PR industry armed with contract negotiation skills, a trait lacking in most PR women.

Victoria believes that the key for women in PR is to cultivate their business acumen. Women in PR are renowned for their communication skills, but where they sometimes fall short is in understanding how to run a business.

The Money Question

A teacher of mine who was a former associate vice president of media at Paramount Pictures, once gave me some of the best business advice I’ve ever received.

“Always ask the money question,” she told me. Where is the money coming from? Who’s paying for it? And why? She said she loved media over other aspects of marketing because they were in charge of the budget, and therefore, yielded much power.

I have the feeling my teachers statement applies across the board. When running a business, the money question is the most important one. Have an answer to that question at all times, and you’ll be thinking like the CEO’s of the world.

We all have that one really annoying co-worker that drives us nuts. I’ve been hearing a lot of funny stories from my friends about this topic lately and wanted to share some notable grievances.

If you want to be the annoying one in the office you will probably:

1. Tell a story every time you get into the office and re-cap the details of EVERY phone call to the people sitting around you.

2. Assume that your co-workers and subordinates can read your mind. In other words, just don’t b0ther communicating at all. Just stay silent then get frustrated when your co-worker didn’t do what you wanted.

3. Talk about your husband non-stop. We do not care what your husband did at the gym, what he ate for dinner, and what he said to the cat last night. Sorry.

4. Come in late and leave early every day.

5. Take personal calls all day long and whisper.

6. Give other girls in your office “the elevator” because you are obviously being super critical about their hair, outfit and accessories. Since when are you the fashion police?

7. Don’t let your co-workers do their job. Email and call them after every single thing they do. Don’t bother just doing it yourself or anything…

8. Be the leader who doesn’t lead: don’t check in, don’t hold meetings, don’t have any interest in your subordinates’ personal or career development, and don’t provide any benchmarks for your team to follow.

9. Wear nasty perfume that is so strong that the whole floor wants to pass out or vomit.

10. Ask the same question 6 times in one day about the status of a project. Guess what? Asking the same question repeatedly doesn’t make it get done any faster.

11. Listen to loud Jamaican music at your desk in an open room.

12. Be as cold as ice: don’t make eye contact, don’t ever compliment anyone, and definitely don’t show compassion to your co-workers.

13. Pretend you are the manager when you are actually the assistant.

14. Talk really, REALLY loud all day.

15. Eat smelly food at your desk and chew loudly.

16. Tell everyone “how smashed you got last night dude!”

17. Constantly call in sick or make up dumb excuses to leave early due to your personal life.

18. Don’t tell your co-workers when they made a mistake or could’ve done something better. Save it for their review 6 months later.

19. Spy on everyone around you in silence.  Then judge them and talk about it in the break room.

20. Make people feel stupid by being passive aggressive.

21. Act like you are way better than everyone.

22. Complain constantly.