Most Marketable Skill For Today's Grads

*I was approached by Webucator (link to their site HERE) to write a post about what I think is the most marketable skill to have for the job market. All opinions are my own, I wasn't compensated for this article, and if you have questions, please feel free to comment or email them to me. Always glad to help!


I've competed in dance company competitions that have lasted days, musical competitions for first chair status, and varsity captain cheerleading tryouts to attain the coveted top spot, but nothing has been as tough for me as the job market. Standing out in a sea of job applications is hard, especially for a beginning content writer like me. There are companies that outsource these writing jobs overseas for pennies! How can I compete with that?!

By using some key interpersonal skills.

You are probably thinking, great, that's vague as hell. Well, let me break it down for you:

Top 3 Interpersonal Skills For Job Interviews

1. Maintain eye contact. Sure, this sounds easy enough, but trust me, it's much harder to do in person. Push through, keep your eyes on the interviewer while they are talking. Obviously, don't creepily stare during the whole interview. While you talk, your eyes might wander, and that's okay. But for the most part, make eye contact to show just how interested and attentive you are. This is the best non-verbal cue of "I want this job bad" that you can give, without saying anything.

2. Ask about their day. It might seem weird, but this is often overlooked by nervous interviewees. Break the tension with a few "how is your day going", "any fun weekend plans", etc questions. Don't get too personal, and pay attention to their answer. Then, when the interview is over, follow up with a statement such as: "Have fun wine tasting this weekend" or "Hope you have a better week". Why is this important? Because it shows you listen and pay attention to detail. How many of you have those skills on your resume right now? Exactly, show them off.

3. When you get nervous, smile. Smiling is contagious, and making your interviewer crack one will help your anxiety levels. This also makes you seem friendly and approachable, and everyone wants coworkers like that. Plus, if you need a second to think of an answer to a question, smiling gives you a little bit more pause time. I know this sounds weird but it really does work. 

You know you are already qualified for the job you're interviewing for, but convincing the interviewer of this is a whole job in itself. Use your interpersonal skills to your advantage and you will rise to the top of the job market pool in no time.

Please feel free to ask me anything regarding this topic (after all, I have a degree in it!)

xoHM

My Quick Beauty Tips and Tricks // 001

I've been getting a couple questions lately about some beauty tips, so I thought I would share a few here and there whenever I have some time. I'm sure to do a follow up with more, but for now, here are five picked at random. If you want something specific covered or have a question, leave them in the comments section or email me.

Hey it's my vanity! :)

-Use a Dove bar of soap instead of shave gel. This is a tip I got from an article about a leg model (Women's Health or Women's Fitness, sorry can't remember!), so I figured if she is paid to show off her stems her methods must be working. If you're like me, and use way too much shave gel/body wash/shampoo in one sitting, then this is a great way to save you some money. I used to get the jumbo pack of shave gel at Costco, and while that's cheap, it isn't quite as cheap as a bar of soap. So I switched over to the Dove bar once my family sized shave gel supply ran out (way too fast because over user right here), and I love it. I think I love it more than shave gel, to be honest. It's easy to use, super gentle on my skin, and for only $1 per bar, you can't get much cheaper. Try it out and see if you like it too. You'll only be out a dollar if you don't. (I really want to try making my own body wash too, and I'll definitely be using this DIY HERE).

-Prevent eyeshadow creases by using a primer first. I looooovvveee eyeshadow. I'm much more likely to wear it than bold lipstick. But when I would put my makeup on in the morning (7am), by the time I go to the gym, then go home, it had all but vanished, save for a crease mark. I know what you're thinking--of course it wore off because you were at the gym (ps I work out in my makeup, which I know is a bad habit, but I have yet to break out from it, soooo...). But the reality is, it wore off probably by mid-day/lunch. So I found that a primer, such as this Urban Decay one HERE, makes my shadow last literally all day long until I wash my face at night. Yes, even at the gym through my interval workouts where I fear I'm sweating off my eyebrows, my shadow stays put. Speaking of eyebrows...

-Fill in your brows with eyeshadow instead of pencil. This might not be ideal for everyone, but it's been my experience that most makeup artists prefer to use eyeshadow to fill in brows to make sure they don't look too perfect. A pencil can still work too, but I have more luck with eyeshadow. Plus my brows are super dark, always have been, so I have a hard time finding a pencil in my shade. Currently I use this brown HERE by Smashbox, in the trio called Focal Point. It's super dark and perfect. Kind of a coffee tone. Also the gold it's paired with was my favorite, it was used up very quickly! If you are afraid of your brows falling off throughout the day, just put a clear coat of brow gel over them after you put on the shadow. It just looks like clear mascara, and your brows should last you all day long.

-The only way you will get good at doing a cat eye, is by doing one every day. If you aren't that great at applying liquid eyeliner, try practicing applying it every single day. You will eventually get so good at it that it will go on quickly and look amazing, trust me. Don't use a stencil, that's not teaching you how to do one, it's just a useless "training wheel" concept. Also know that you can never make both eyes identical, just accept that fact. Start applying it before your eyeshadow, in case you mess up and have to remove it. If you mess up part of it, take a damp Q-tip and swipe off the liner little by little, being gentle obviously. Then after you've got your liner on, do your eyeshadow, and then retrace your liner to make it look like it was applied over your shadow the whole time. My favorite liquid liners are drugstore brands like Loreal and Maybelline. Seriously, the expensive ones always peel or rub off for some reason.

-Dark under eyes? Drink more water. This might be obvious to some people, but I never thought this would help my blue under eye circles so much. A couple of months ago my doctor told me to start taking vitamins. So I started taking a multi vitamin and you know how they turn your pee neon-highlighter yellow? I wanted to be so hydrated every day that I would get rid of that effect. Personal challenges are my number one motivator apparently, because I started drinking a ton of water, and my skin started to change. It no longer was dull and dry, so I didn't have to moisturize as much. Plus, my very dark under eye circles that I thought I was just stuck with have really lightened up! It's been about 2-2.5 months now, and I would highly recommend trying this. You can't go wrong keeping yourself hydrated, and the benefits can make your beauty routing easier, you feeling better, having more energy, and all around being a better (hydrated) version of you!

That's it for now! Have a great weekend! I'm planning on working out and sipping wine, as usual. Also, I'm downsizing my wardrobe, and I'm going to start planning my capsule wardrobe for fall. I've always wanted to do this and since it seems to be gaining some popularity recently, I figure I might as well hop on board. Now or never, right? Something like that anyway. I'll keep you updated on it, and I'll try to post outfits as I go. (Check out what a capsule wardrobe is from the pro HERE. I'm following all her tips on how to do this).  

xo HM

Colorboards and Wedding Linens

Today at work we were knee-deep in colorboard making, and it made me think of my almost-fiasco while planning my wedding table linen color combos. 

I was really close to being done, about a few weeks until showtime, and I was talking to the linen company about a color scheme. At this point, I was very worn out. I had a full time job, then had wedding planning all to myself after work. It was fun, but not something I'd suggest to someone if you can help it. 

My colors were easy: purple and green, with some ivory as a neutral. So naturally I told the linen ladies my colors and said, "do what you do best". They were very nice, but insisted that I come in to see the final set up, just to be absolutely sure that this is what I wanted. I hung up the phone with a huff and took my lunch hour to drive over to their warehouse and look at fabric that I was sure would look great. I may have been a little annoyed, but hey, I was a bride-to-be, I was allowed to have a little attitude!

I was walked into their store, saw my table set up, and FROZE. Can you think why? Why would purple and green be a bad decision? Here's a hint: 

Yeah, that's why. 

I had accidentally picked colors that matched Barney exactly. I said to the linen ladies: "This is Barney...holy cow, I themed my entire wedding colors after a children's TV character!! (then, turning to the linen ladies) Thank you SO much for making me come down here!!"

They hadn't noticed the resemblance either until I mentioned it, and then we all laughed for a good five minutes. It was a definite lesson for the both of us: they were reassured about their policy of a physical viewing with every client, and I was taught to not cut corners and double check my choices before giving the "okay". 

I can't believe I had almost picked those colors, how embarrassing would that have been? Haha! It would have been pretty funny though...maybe after a few months!

Here's how my tables looked after I changed my color combo a bit: 

I made those wine bottle table numbers, which were pretty easy. Just some address number templates from Home Depot and spray paint! (Oh and drinking 12 bottles of wine with purple labels).

both on my Pinny

Much better, right? Phew!! 

So, hopefully this will help you out with any styling job you have coming up. Always match things together in person, and take an extra few seconds now to be sure. Trust me, it's worth it!!