I would never have guess that. What do you think about it all?

Taurus, lower your horns and charge, time has arrived and you need to claim this moment. After you make your charge, like Ferdinand the Bull, stop and smell the flowers. If you don’t you may run right over them and not notice it until they’ve been trampled.

How am I making way to charge and claim the moment? Well, I just got a new job with Holiday Retirement! It’s about time to change my lifestyle as I haven’t had a day off since May 11, 2009. It’s been a challenge because of this:

Here are three things I learned to NEVER forget when making an attempt to find a job in a competitive market:

                1: Build a strong portfolio showing diversity, examples of hard work, and recommendations.

                2: Remember, everything posted online (in Web sites, social networking sites, blogs, etc.) is visible to the public. The evaluation starts before the interview begins because employers will Google your name.

                3:  Start networking now. I got this new job through connections. It’s really the only way to be heard as traditional methods (Craigslist, emails, etc.) flood interviewees mailboxes and they don’t have time to read them all.  

Now, I can’t wait to figure out what the smelling the roses portion of my horoscope means.

I went to the Oregon Symphony concert last night at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall  to witness a breathtaking performance from the symphony and their guest performing artist, Joshua Bell.

The place was packed and his music was fluid and striking!

Well, tonight at 9/8c you can learn more about the woman that coined the popularity of the relationship between your man and how he likes his hotdog.

Don’t forget to watch Jillian Harris on the series premiere of the Bachelorette tonight on ABC.

Here’re my thoughts:

I can continue on this path…finish my internship and continue applying for more full-time, entry-level positions along with the hundreds of thousands of others doing the same.   

-OR- 

Continue my education and get a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) at Portland State University. Is there anyone out there with opinions on this program?

Any advice is appreciated.

Workers continue to be laid-off in droves so employers are using social networking sites as ‘alumni networks’. Ex-colleagues participate on social networks, blogs and message boards to keep ties with lost talent.

It’s an opportunity for employers to remain connected with that knowledge when the recession turns and it comes time for recruitment. Until that day, alumni networks provide that connection along with information as to what rumors and stories are told about the company.

It is a tough time for our economy, but people still want the best available product.

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta is a five-day festival that attracts over 300,000 people each year. Visitors can enjoy beautiful scenery, authentic cuisine, fine arts, music, and folklore of Mexico. It’s the largest multi-cultural festival in Oregon and one of the largest festivals for Portland. It provides entertainment and activity for people of all ages.  

The festival started this year on May 1 and the last day to enjoy the event is today, May 5, 2009. Open from 11 a.m.-11 p.m., you too can commemorate the holiday dedicated to the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces and the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Take the time to enjoy this festival on its last day.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

According to AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard, U.S. officials advised Americans against travel to Mexico on Monday as over 40 cases of swine flu in the U.S. have been reported. Only one of these cases required brief hospitalization.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines swine flu as a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza that is not normally spread to humans. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, aches, chills and fatigue. It is contagious and can spread from human to human.

As opposed to avian influenza, or bird flu, swine flu draws more fear because it can be spread more readily between humans. Bird flu remained relatively contained because the spread from person to person was difficult, but the highly infectious strain from swine causes concern.

Other historical reports of the swine flu date back to 1976 for fear of another great plague. In 1976, doctors warned that any flu able to reach more than 500 people could lead to the next worldwide plague. Turns out more people were killed from vaccinations for the disease than from the flu itself causing a medical fiasco.

Be forewarned about this swine flu and remember to thoroughly was your hands throughout the day!

According to Nielsen Media Research, a media research company that defines the global standard in online audience measurement, two-thirds of the world’s Internet population visits a social network or blogging site and the sector now accounts for almost ten percent of all Internet time. This staggering increase in the amount of time audience members spend on blogs and networking sites facilitate new ways for small businesses to connect with its audience.

Already the fourth most popular activity on the Internet and growing at over three times the rate of all Internet growth, social networking and blogging sites prove to be the avenue for small businesses to reach its audience members at the quickest rate. This growth confirms that if small businesses don’t take the time to reach this audience they will become irrelevant or extinct over time.

Implementation:

Twitter: In these tough economic times, with fewer journalists to read through a story idea, it’s important provide relevant information using the quickest method possible. Now, news stations and public relations firms can use Twitter to pitch information in 140 characters or less. Imagine cutting a two-page release down to one sentence. Digging to the core of the story gives readers the information they need. If it’s an idea they find newsworthy, they will take the time to look further.

Facebook: Facebook started as a service for college-aged students to connect with friends, post event pictures, or plan functions. Since its beginning, its popularity has grown broader and older. It’s now the tool used by advertising and media industry’s to reach a global audience and respond to their needs. If a small business does not follow this strong trend for social media’s diverse audience, it is missing out on targeting all demographic groups.

Blogs: The best feature of blogging is immediate two-way communication that allows businesses to interact personally with its audience. Linking to related sites proves credibility, responding immediately to comments shows compassion and care toward the audience, providing comments for other blogs builds awareness, and sharing top news proves a company understands what’s current. Blogging is a technique that takes only twenty minutes a day, but can reach its audience within seconds.

The realm of social networking is still in its infancy. A small business can take advantage of this tool and grow alongside this fundamental change. A company takes a risk by not following these growing news trends because its audience is finding news through quicker networking channels.