In one shimmery stride, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton has brought back sheer pantyhose. Well, I couldn’t feel more vindicated! Readers will know that I’ve stood by the nude stocking as a necessary wardrobe element in certain professional situations, like job interviews. Apparently, they’re royal protocol as well, which is why Kate donned them during her recent trip to Americas. You can’t deny Kate looked great in each and every one of her designer ensembles– and fashion insiders agree her nude stockings looked “elegant” not dowdy. Love it! Nude hose are now flying off the shelves in Britain. Will America be next? Just be sure to get a high-quality, lightweight sheer version, like Spanx All the Way.

Photo: Lionel Hahn – WPA Pool/Getty Images

A recent report in USA Today showed that almost a third of college grads are using Linkedin this year to find a job (up from just 5%  last year). But how can college grads make social media actually work for them in the job search? I recently spoke about the topic on CNN, and here are a few tips:

• Be bold. Grow your network before you need to use it. On Linkedin, for example, they recommend you build at least 50 contacts because that’s when you start to see 2nd and 3rd degree connections. For college students, you might start with your friends, sorority/fraternity connections, colleagues from internships, or even professors you admire. What about Facebook? Say you want to work in magazines. Well, yes, it’s okay to “friend” big name editors you admire (the same goes for execs at companies you’re really passionate about). On a daily basis I see status updates from Facebook friends announcing actual jobs with actual email addresses of the person who is hiring. This is how you can get the inside scoop on real opportunities out there– before they hit the job boards.
• Complete your profile. Linkedin is the new resume– and you wouldn’t send out a half-completed resume for a job application, right?! According to Linkedin, you’re 12 times more likely to be viewed for opportunities if you have more than one position listed in your profile– so make sure to add all those past internships and summer jobs. Also, you’re 7 times more likely to be viewed if you have a picture on your Linkedin profile. Even on the new Facebook profile, you want to make sure your relevant professional background and school shows up at the top of your page. And of course, if you’re on the job hunt you need to recheck your privacy settings and scrub your profile of anything that would turn off potential employers (including watching those tweets and status updates)!
• Start “stalking” your favorite companies: I’m kidding a little bit (!)– but one of the best ways to utilize social media is to research the companies you want to work for. Use Linkedin to look up hiring managers or executives; research relevant levels of experience for employees; or you can even follow companies to see who’s recently joined or departed the company. Check out what’s happening on their Facebook and Twitter pages and discussion groups. This gives you great insight into the hot topics and relevant industry trends that will set you apart in the interview process.
• Close the loop OFFLINE: Social media isn’t enough. Yes, it’s easier to FIND people (and for them to find you) through social media– but what then? You actually need to take the step to ask for an informational phone call, meeting, or lunch. Or, ask them if they’d take two minutes to review your resume. Or, maybe you meet a recruiter at a college job fair;  THEN follow up through interaction on Linkedin or Facebook. It’s the in-person connection and cultivating the relationship offline that really opens the doors to new opportunities.

If you want to outshine the competition in your job hunt, succeed once you land the job, or are a mid-career professional looking to switch fields, Go-Getter Girls can help! One-on-one, Career Prep coaching can give you the strategic edge (and allay your fears and concerns) as you embark on your career.

During the 90-minute consultation, you’ll learn to be confident and prepared for any job interview and networking scenario. Each Career Prep coaching session includes resume analysis, interview preparation, wardrobe and image assessment, and strategic guidance for navigating the critical first steps your career.

All Career Prep coaching sessions include a copy of The Go-Getter Girl’s Guide, and six months of email follow-up support.

Looking for more in-depth support? Debra also offers one-on-one coaching in Atlanta, or by telephone.

All packages include 6 months of email support, and sessions may be used anytime within 12 months of purchase date.

For more information on rates or to schedule a free initial consultation, please email debra@thegogettergirls.com.

Growing up around her Italian family in Michigan, Michelle Bommarito— best known as a cake design guru on Food Network Challenge— learned to love being in the kitchen. As a child, she helped out on weekends at her family’s Italian Market, Bommarito Brothers CO, and just enjoyed being around food.

“Whenever I wasn’t at my dad’s store, I would be in the kitchen with my Mom and my grandparents,” she says. But she never thought food would be her life’s calling. Instead, her dream was to one day own a bed and breakfast in Europe.  Michelle graduated with a Marketing Management major and a Psychology minor from the University of Michigan, and her first job out of college was for Marriott.

She resisted being around baking and cooking, but her heart kept being pulled in the direction of the kitchen. After working in the marketing and hotel business for years, Michelle decided to take a bread-making class, just for the fun of it.

“I didn’t think I was going to culinary school to change my career,” she says. “I thought it was to have that backbone and knowledge as a woman.”

After a nudge from a coworker to pursue cooking school, she attended The Institute of Culinary Education in New York. Then, she moved back to Michigan, and opened her own wedding and pastry business called Michelle Bommarito LLC.

It was a slow start; her first year she had just 17 wedding cakes.  “But then, it grew to 35 and then to 55 a year. It just kept building,” she says. “Whatever you want to do, go out there and do it! Volunteer, do charity work; I can’t tell you how much charity work I did to get my name out there. I was doing what I loved even though I wasn’t getting paid.”

After running the business for 10 years, Michelle got the itch for something new. “I always loved what I did for a living,” Michelle says. “But then I started feeling that figurative tap on your shoulder, you know, that feeling that says ‘Hey, you are not doing exactly what you should be doing, ‘ I knew it was time for that transition, to take a risk.”

In 2009 she closed up shop and decided to try her hand as a traveling chef, teaching her vast knowledge of cake design, and also conducting “Eating Well” Speaking Engagements and Super Power Food Culinary Demonstrations.  Years earlier (before she even opened her cake company), Michelle had found herself bed-ridden from working too much. “After about a couple months of putting up with it, my cousin took me under her wing and said, ‘Michelle, you’re going to my Holistic doctor,’” she says.

The doctor put her on an extreme diet that consisted of grains, lean cuts of meat, nuts, flaxseed oil and vegetables.  After two weeks on the regimen, Michelle was filled with bouncing energy– and she’s kept up the healthy lifestyle for fifteen years. (Yes that’s right: the cake designer doesn’t eat cake–except of course to test each batch of her creations for quality, and the occasional “just a bite” at a party to celebrate!)

Making wellness her primary career focus was a natural progression. Says Michelle, “I just decided one day, I really think I’m supposed to follow in the wellness direction. I lived it for so long and I believed in it. It’s good for my body and it made me be who I am as far as my high energy.”

As for what’s next in Michelle’s life, only time can tell.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do next,” she said. “It happens to be every 10 to 12 years is when I evolve; ironically it’s what happens.”

Inspirational, that doesn’t even begin to describe this risk taker, but ambitious and courageous . . . that’s a start.

Needs some inspiration for taking the plunge in your career?

Check out The 9 steps of getting started the Bommarito style:

1.     Find your strength and your passion.

2.     Invest in your knowledge and skills.

3.     Create your own style and niche.

4.     Develop (figure out what is good for you to make you a success).

5.     Impress quality in every aspect of your job, career or passion.

6.     Not all business is good business, check who you will do business with.

7.     Know your competition.

8.     Price yourself correctly (competitively and accordingly to what’s right in the market).

9.     Put yourself out there and market yourself.

–Erin Lucido

Dear GGG, Help! I’m a communications student trying to land a summer internship, and so far I’m having no luck. I’ve applied to dozens of posted positions on literally every job board I can think of—and nothing.  I’m even willing to work unpaid! What am I doing wrong? – Madison, age 23, Washington, D.C.

Hi Madison!

Well, it sounds like your major mistake is relying on job boards! Don’t get me wrong; job boards have a place in the hiring eco-system. It’s just usually not the best way to apply to and land open positions, especially in glamour-type professions such as publicity. Why not? First, if it’s a big job board (e.g., Monster), or the website of a large company, your resume is a needle in a haystack of literally tens of thousands of resumes gathered for the position. Even if it’s a smaller board, you’re leaving too much to chance that a “key word” search of the database will pull up your application, or that a recruiter’s quick glance of your resume will sufficiently grab his or her attention.

Second, most good jobs are either 1) already filled –or ‘slated’ with internal candidates– by the time they’re posted or 2) not ever listed on a job board. This is particularly true for highly-competitive industries in which the supply of candidates far exceeds the demand.  Before even looking through a stack of new resumes, managers usually have a handful of folks on their radar—such as people who have informational interviewed with them before, former employees, or other professional acquaintances—that they can pick up the phone and call about the opportunity.  Which is why you’re kind of wasting your time mindlessly dropping your resume into a job board black hole.

You’d be much better off spending zero (you read that right: zero!) time on job boards. Starting today, research a dozen medium-sized companies/firms that really inspire you.  Do some investigation on Google, Linked In and even Facebook and figure out how to get in touch with the company’s executives. Send ‘em a letter or email passionately expressing your interest in the company and any opportunities there. Include your resume. Ask for an informational call or meeting. No, you’re not being “too aggressive.” Think about it: What do you think you’ll be doing if you actually get hired to be a publicist? You’ll be cold calling people, trying to sell yourself and your client! The skills needed to be good at the job—e.g., confidence, fearlessness, resourcefulness—are exactly the skills you need to get the job.

Now, get after it!