Yesterday I spoke with cbsatlanta.com about tips for standing out in the job hunt. We covered how you can use social media to find contacts at your dream company, and the all important use of “key words” to save your resume from the so-called black hole. Check out the video above!

I believe in having a plan A, B, and C. You can’t say I’m going to “follow my passion” unless you can also make sure the rent gets paid. I learned this because my mom and aunt were single moms who worked more than one job to make rent.

I try to work out six days a week. It really helped me manage the hormone swings after pregnancy. I do a combination of yoga, dance, and classes at the Tracy Anderson studio.

I recently switched to an iPhone. But I miss my Blackberry keyboard! Now it takes me an hour to send one message.

I’ve been a vegetarian since I was little, to the horror of my family, and try to follow a vegan diet. When I’m traveling [to far-off places], I eat a lot of protein bars, especially Think Thin ones. Afghan food is great. Airplane food is not.

I live by the words of strong women in my family. My mother used to say, “On a scale of major world tragedies, yours isn’t even a three.” Meaning, keep it all in perspective. My aunt would say, “After the dance [i.e., once you make your dream happen], they can’t take it away from you.” And my grandma always encouraged me to take big leaps and not dwell on the downside. She reminded me, “McDonald’s is always hiring.”

To learn more about Gayle, visit her website. And, check out her fantastic TEDx speech here.

In the presentation she talks about her work women interviewing women entrepreneurs all over the world, and urges women to think beyond “micro-hopes” and “micro-ambitions.” Just watch it. You’ll be inspired.

The highlight for me was keynote speaker Donna Brazile, who is not only beyond inspiring, but also hilariously funny off-the-cuff (who knew?!). During her address, she spoke about her experiences in politics and media; what it takes to be a leader; and how to nurture your ambition. “Everything you need to succeed is already packaged within you,” Donna said. She shared that what has sustained her through the ups and downs of her career is her core belief that she is doing good, meaningful work. “It’s always been my dream to make a difference– to make the world a better place,” she said. Donna, who hails from New Orleans, also spoke about her passion for cooking. She advised that at all times, all women need these three ingredients in their freezer: onions, garlic, and peppers. She called this the “holy trinity” that will enable you to cook anything. Well, looking at my freezer now, I of course have none of these ingredients

Spending an hour in the salon a few times a week is actually both time and opportunity cost efficient: Unless you’ve got major skills, all the right products and tools (and a healthy dose of patience), chances are a professional blow dry will look way better than you can do yourself. Plus, you’ll have more time to focus on more important things, like what outfit you’re going to wear, what you’re actually going to say during that big presentation.

1. People not taking ownership of their actions
2. Constant complainers
3. Dirty common areas
4. Starting meetings late or going long
5. People who don’t respond to emails

LinkedIn’s survey also found interesting correlations related to gender. For example, 62 percent of U.S. women were bothered by “clothing that’s too revealing for the workplace,” while only 29 percent of U.S. men surveyed said that was a problem (Is this really surprising?!).

There are also many cross-cultural differences. Americans are particularly bothered by people stealing food from the communal fridge. Swedes are less bothered by revealing clothing in the workplace. Germans are most annoyed by dirty common areas.

Job seekers should also take note: hiring managers were more peeved than others by people who were late.

To see the full press release, visit LinkedIn’s site.

So, what are your top office pet peeves?

• She routinely works 18-hour days writing for the show, starting at 10 a.m. and leaving after 7 p.m. On days when she acts in the show, too, she starts at 6 a.m. for hair & makeup, then jets back and forth all day between the writer’s room and set. She never volunteers to leave early.
• Her big break came just one year after college, when a goofy short play she wrote about Ben Affleck and Matt Damon became a surprise hit at a New York festival. The producer of The Office hired her as a writer two months later.

I think there’s a great lesson in this latter story: start doing your own thing (just do it!), and it could be the unexpected audition for your dream job.

Mindy has a memoir coming out in November called Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and Other Concerns). It will definitely be on my reading list!

Photo: Justin Stephens for The New York Times

Warning: the production values ain’t no Today Show!

Act Like You Own the Room

To this day, I still use an acting tip I learned from Suzanne Batson [acting coach to the likes of Nicole Kidman]. You know how a room has four corners? When you walk into the room, visualize that you are stretching and shooting your energy out to each one of those four corners. I literally look in each direction—as if I’m shooting a web of energy like Spiderman. Then, I’m bigger than the room. If you walk in feeling you’re bigger than the room, you have more confidence and command your audience.

Follow through—and check your pride at the door.

Here’s how I got my first job as a production assistant on Martin: I’d call up the production coordinator to beg for a meeting, and she’d shoo me away and say call her back. So, I’d set my alarm to call her back when she told me to. 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes later, the next month. I always called her back. I never thought “Who does she think she is?” or that she was blowing me off. Eventually she invited me in for a meeting, where I talked non-stop about how much I wanted to work on the show. I got the job, and they later told me it was because they were amazed by my energy and just wanted to be around me!

Make Friends on the Way Up

When I started doing fundraisers for politicians like Hilary Clinton, people were shocked by how many celebrities I could draw to events. But these were people I knew from my days coming up. I can call actors like Taraji P. Henson and Martin Lawrence and say, “Hey, do you want to do this for me, please?” and they say yes because we’re friends, and they remember how we all were broke together. They remember when we went to Boston market and had to split a chicken dinner! It’s the truth. You might not know right now why you need a certain relationship. But know that as you get older, as long as don’t burn those bridges, those relationships will be the key to your career.