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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — An internship, whether it’s for a college student, or a mid-career person looking to make a change, can be a valuable tool, says career coach Amanda Guralski, co-founder of BizMe.biz.

“Internships give you the opportunity to get into organization, and really learn, what is their structure? What is their culture? What is their typical day like?” says Guralski, who adds it can also help you avoid a career mistake by letting you try out a work situation before you’re committed to a job.

Guralski says even though budgets can be tight, especially for college students, don’t ignore unpaid internships. She believes it might give you more leeway to observe many different departments within an organization.

“Sometimes with paid internships, departments are saying, ‘This is coming out of our department fund, and they (interns) need to stay here,’” says Guralski, who, as a college student, scored an internship that landed her a job by networking through another internship.

Once you’ve secured an internship, be sure to show initiative, and be humble, says Guralski.

“You’re the rookie,” says Guralski, “You might have the book smarts right now, but you don’t have career savvy yet.”

“You have to realize that some of the tasks that you have in front of you aren’t terribly challenging,” adds Guralski, who says stepping up and talking to your manager about projects you’re interested in can put you on a manager’s radar.

Guralski says interns also need to avoid common office pitfalls, including office gossip. “This isn’t high school anymore.”

Finally, dress professionally, and be friendly to everyone. Guralski says you never know who that person is coming down the hallway, and you never know who might be the “eyes” for someone higher up in the organization.

Guralski is the co-founder of an online magazine aimed at young professional women.

You can access it at BizMe.biz.

Amanda Guralski is a career coach, public speaker, and co-founder of bizme.biz, an online magazine for young professional women.

She says while summer can be a time to have fun with color and accessories, it’s also a time when women can run into real trouble trying to stay cool, but professional-looking in an office setting.

For one thing, summer-weight material can be far more see-through than fall and winter garments. Guralski advises women to do a quick check in the dressing room before making a purchase.

“Kind of take a step apart when you walk, so you can see if light is going through the skirt,” says Guralski, who also says you should sit down in that skirt or dress to make sure it doesn’t ride up so far as to be distracting.

She says the hemline itself can be an issue for younger women used to mid-thigh lengths for more casual wear. “Mare sure that it’s (the hemline) is an inch to an inch and a half above the knee,” advises Guralski. “Anything else, mid-thigh, unacceptable, and you need to put it back on the rack because there’s no place in the office for short skirts.”

While a more casual work environment might permit bare arms, other offices don’t. Guralski says there’s no need to be caught off guard.

“My rule of thumb is always to have something at your desk, whether it’s a jacket or a sweater or a scarf, because not everyone wants to look at bare arms,” says Guralski.

She says a jacket is handy for client meetings, and also gives you the option of removing it later if you need to be outside the office in the summer heat.

Guralski also likes separates like jackets, sweaters and more trendy accessories that can change up an outfit for the office to one appropriate for an after hours event.

Guralski says job seekers who are preparing for an interview want to make sure whatever they wear is not distracting.

LinkedIn might be one way to find employess to ask them what the office culture is like.

Still, a general rule for a job interview, and the workplace in general is, no low necklines, or otherwise revealing outfits.

Find out what the company policy is regarding bare arms, pantyhose, even shoes.

“I like to stick with the totally enclosed, possibly a peep-toe shoe,” says Guralski, who says strappy sandals aren’t appropriate for office wear.

For more information on office style for the young woman, interview tips and other job-related advise, check out Guralski’s online magazine, bizme.biz.

Fashions shows by Amanda Guralski came from White House/Black Market, Macy’s and Ann Taylor.

bizMe Summer Challenge 2010 from Amanda Guralski on Vimeo.

bizMe Summer Challenge, send your goal to amanda@bizme.biz.

Climbing the corporate ladder on a hot streak is the career buzzphrase “personal branding”—but do you truly know what represents personal branding? Generally we understand the significance of corporate branding. As an employee we follow the corporate rules to represent our company in the best light possible; but when we leave our office at 5 p.m., are we still held responsible for branding? The answer is absolutely!! Tiger lost his corporate sponsorships not because his golf game was suffering but because his personal brand did not match the image he portrays when out besting the competition for the coveted green jacket.

Let’s consider another example that hits a little closer to home. You just graduated in May and are starting your new job at an accounting firm. Friday afternoon you have a meeting with your biggest client. This is the first time you introduced yourself to him and you are a little nervous. The meeting goes well and you end your Friday on a confident high knowing you impressed him. You’re anxious to start your Friday night so you and some girlfriends decide to go out and relive those college days of drunkenness, a little stupidity without a care in the world. You’re dreading the Monday morning wake up call and when you sluggishly walk into work, you read an email from your big client you met on Friday. He saw you and your girlfriends out and was surprised at how unprofessional your behavior was. Now I know you are thinking, “am I never allowed to go out and have fun again,” and that is not what I am saying. You need to remember that your personal brand is extremely important in the business world and how you act outside of work is just as important as how you act at work.

Do’s and Don’ts of personal branding:
Do: Always look put together whether you are attending a networking event, client luncheon, shopping at the mall or grocery shopping. You never know whether your next client is standing ahead of you in line at Starbucks or grabbing a salad at Panera.

Don’t get wrapped up in office gossip. You then become a person that cannot be trusted by other employees for fear that what they tell you will become the hot gossip around the office water cooler.

Do make sure that if you have a facebook, twitter, linkedin account or a blog that no matter which one I find, they all represent you in the same way. I should never be confused about the person you are when I find you on social media tools.

Don’t use facebook as a way to let the world know that you can still party like you are 19. We all like to go out and have a good time however pictures of you dancing on a bar should be left up to the imagination. Facebook is a powerful tool that can get you in a lot of trouble. Be sure you are checking your profile for pictures and comments that could damage the way people think about you.

Do your homework before meeting with a client, a connection you met at a networking event or an interview. I always remember the people that have taken the time to look at my magazine. It shows that you value my time and my expertise.

Don’t be a Tiger Woods with skeletons hiding in your closet. One way or another, secrets get out.

Do follow up. Your follow-up becomes a lasting impression so follow up on business cards, meetings and connections. You always want to be top of mind, the one that’s remembered because you extended the effort to show interest in the product, the business, or the person.

Don’t bring your personal drama to work. No one likes listening to a really put-together employee talk about his/her dysfunctional dating patterns.

Do and I mean remember this, always treat people like you want to be treated. Even if you are having a bad day, you lost a huge client, your boyfriend and you just broke up, or you are irritated because the line at Starbucks is extremely long, put a smile on your face and take a deep breath. You just never know whom the barista knows, who the person behind you is, or the person just walking in the door. You always want to be thought of as a person with a positive and genuine attitude. That’s the brand you want to project and protect—it’s fun to be known as a spitfire as long as it’s an acronym for sincere, professional, intelligent, trustworthy, faithful, in-style, reliable and empathetic!

So the next time you are battling the devil or the little angel sitting on your shoulder, remember these simple tips and your personal branding will be off and running.

Published recently in Workchic.

A: The easy part is over. You have already dazzled upper management with your work ethic and professionalism to be rewarded with a manger/vp/executive title. Now how do you get the rest of the office to respect you as an authority even though you are one of the youngest in the office?

Confidence has a big role in a situation like this. You must reflect a confident aura. Co-workers can sense intimidation and a lack of confidence and they will eat you alive. Upper management believes you are the best for the job; otherwise they would not have promoted you. Show the rest of the office that same certainty that yes I can do this job and do it well.

There really is no secret to being a good manager and having the respect of your co-workers. Co-workers respect a manager who is loyal, trustworthy, easy-to-talk-to, confident and one that manages by allowing coworkers to do their job without micromanaging. Most importantly you can guarantee your own success when you take the time to learn their jobs and to understand the frustrations and challenges that your workers face on a daily basis, on certain projects, with management policies or working alongside difficult peers. Co-workers want the security of knowing that their manager is on their team and will go to bat for them in a time of need. This is how you gain the trust and loyalty of your co-workers. If you can achieve this reputation, they won’t look at you as someone who is young and naïve but as a great manager who wants the people around her to succeed!

This question was part of a panel discussion on Workchic.com. To view entire article and the other responses please visit Workchic.

A: There is no escaping social media for the simple reason that we’re addicted to the reality of sharing our daily adventures whether we’re twittering our thoughts or catching glimpses of our friends’ weekend through facebook photo albums. Before you upload another photo or write a little something on a wall, remember that social media is personal branding at its finest. That’s you in the picture, that’s your grammar and communication skills in that tweet or poke. If your facebook page represents the ambitious, passionate and professional person you are at work, then there is no reason why you cannot be-friend your boss. If your facebook page shows you and your friends drinking, dancing on the bars, making out with people and wearing “clubbing” clothes, I highly suggest you clean that up. Not only because your boss or co-workers might see that but also what if your clients have access to facebook. My rule of thumb with facebook and other social media outlets is if I meet you in person and then find you on the Internet, you need to reflect the same person. Conversely, if I find you on the Internet first and then meet you in person, your onscreen image should be the same reflection as when we meet in person—in sync!

This question was part of a panel discussion on Workchic.com. To view entire article and the other responses please visit Workchic.

A: With our current global economy, the face of competition has certainly changed. The playing field isn’t quite as level—you are no longer competing with people your own age; now you battle professionals with years of experience and advanced degrees. So how do you really differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack in terms of your resume? First step: I highly suggest narrowing your focus. Focus on three to five companies that you really want to work for rather than a mass mailing. Secondly, put in the time to get to know the people that have the decision-making power for your top five selections. The best way to do this is by connecting with the HR people on Linkedin. It is a great tool to use to become directly linked with the hiring manager. Thirdly, work on developing a relationship and show them how badly you want to work there and what an asset you will be. Now you have a name associated with those companies—a direct connection to send your resume. Remember, you’ve built an online reputation and the HR Rep is already intrigued because he or she is familiar with your initiative and communication skills.

I see a lot of resumes and the one thing I cannot stress enough is to read the job description and application requirements thoroughly. If samples, cover letter and resume is asked for, please make sure that you send everything that has been requested. Often times applicants will send links to check out their writing samples or links to a website—sometimes those links don’t work and quite honestly, I don’t have the time to search out work on websites for over 300 applicants. What really grabs my attention is whether you have done your homework. If you mention my online magazine in your cover letter and let me know that you have looked through the site and the qualities that you bring to the table that will help to grow my business then your application will be more thoroughly looked at. That initiative may pay big dividends in the job search arena—it demonstrates that you truly want to be a part of our team.

The job search is never easy but if you keep at it, the position you want is only one click away!! Happy job searching.

This question was part of a panel discussion on Workchic.com. To view entire article and the other responses please visit Workchic.