tehamagroup – Page 31 – Tehama Group Communications

October 15, 2014March 17, 2017

Wearable Technology: 2014’s Best Accessory

For a short period of time, wearable technology seemed like a futuristic idea. But with so many products making their way into the scene, wearable technology has become the norm in our society. From tech watches, such as the Galaxy Gear watch and the Apple Watch, to fitness and health devices like the Nike fuelband and Fitbit, these products have found a place in our everyday lives and in a fashionable manner.

Apple announced the launch of its latest technology, the Apple Watch, said to release in early 2015. This product is not the first of its kind, but it looks to have some competitive features; one in particular being its stylish design. The Apple Watch comes in array of different designs and colors to personalize it to whatever style you like. There is a sports version, a stainless steel version, and if you are going for a real classy look, there is even an 18-karat gold version. Sure the device can text, play music, track your fitness records, and a plethora of other impressive features, but is it the fashion statement that will attract most of its buyers?

Photo credit: https://www.apple.com/watch/design/

This mixture of wearable technology and fashion looks to be an ongoing trend among tech companies. Several other companies have announced collaborations with famous fashion designers as a way to give their products a fashion-forward edge. Fitbit has partnered with Tory Burch to create trendy bracelets and necklaces to turn you health-tracking device into a stylish accessory.

Google Glass is another company taking on its own spin of wearable and trend-setting technology. What first started as a bulky pair of glasses with a small computer screen bulging from the side, has now taken a more sleek approach to its product. Google Glass has partnered with fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg to create trendy glasses that look more like everyday wear while still maintaining the same technological features as the first model. The new frames and colors offered give Google Glass a slightly more wearable look, don’t you think?

Photo credit: https://www.google.com/glass/start/

That trend of fashion and technology may be just starting, but I think it is only the beginning of its success. Similar to fashion, technology has evolved into our everyday lives and has quickly become a part of us. As consumers and early adopters, we take pride in personalizing our tech devices to give them a more unique feel that fits our personality. Just as we all spend so much time shopping for that perfect outfit that must’ve been “made for us”, it doesn’t seem too far off that we will be deciding which wearable technology design best fits our personal style.

October 14, 2014March 17, 2017

Beyond Wonderful

Music has always been one of my passions. Listening to music in my room, singing along in the car and attending concerts will always be my favorites.

Attending a music festival, however, could NEVER compete with simply listening to a song on the radio.

I have attended my fair share of concerts in the past, including artists: John Mayer, OneRepublic, Coldplay, Rihanna, U2…well, you get the picture- I love music!

Last weekend I got the opportunity to attend an electric dance music festival, Beyond Wonderland, in the Bay Area. Yes, it was beyond wonderful.

For those unfamiliar with electronic music, I got to see some of the big names in the EDM world. It is a two-day event. You arrive early in the day and go from stage to stage listening to music until just a little before midnight. But this year wasn’t my first EDM- rodeo, as I also attended Beyond Wonderland 2013.

Last year I saw Avicii, Calvin Harris and David Guetta. I’m forever convinced that David Guetta pointed and winked at me during his show.

Anyway, I came up with a list of things that every person needs to do before attending an EDM festival. And if you’re a college student on a budget, have no worries because there’s something on the list for you too.

Read the rules of the venue – Prior to the event, a list will be published of items that are and aren’t allowed. Make sure you read them. Be surprised at what you’re allowed to bring!

Bring a water bottle – After reading the rules you will find out that you ARE allowed to bring your own water bottle. Bring it- you will not regret it!

Hydrate – A lot of venues that hold a two-day events will have water bottle filling stations. Fill up and drink water, lots of it!

Bring earplugs – Even though taking in the music is possibly the best thing in the world, standing close to the speakers can make your ears hurt. Earplugs are inexpensive and you’ll be happy you wore them the next day!

Bring money… but not too much – Bring enough money so you can buy a snack if you need it. But be aware that it’s easy to lose!

Get crafty – The event encourages people to dress in creative and fun ways! Go on Pinterest and invent a cute outfit. You’ll be happy you did.

Take as many pictures as possible – With an experience this cool, you will want to look back on as many pictures as you can. Take the time to ask a stranger to take a picture of you and your friends. You may even make a friend!

Be safe – Since there are so many attendees, it is important to have a meeting spot with your friends in case someone gets lost.
Plan a safe ride home– Like I said before, bringing money is important. Cabs are circling the venue ready to pick people up. They can be expensive!
Have a blast– Although experiences like these can take careful planning, enjoy every second of it. There will be few events as memorable as Beyond Wonderland!

October 7, 2014March 17, 2017

5 Reasons Employers Want Candidates Who Studied Abroad

How Studying Abroad Prepares You For Your Career

Studying abroad is one of the most exciting and challenging adventures you can experience in college. The lessons and skills you take away from and experience like this will be ones you continue to apply to your academic and career life. Employers love to see students who have studied abroad. It is great to have on your resume and sets you apart from most other applicants of the applicants. So how do the lessons you learn abroad translate to the real world?

1. Independence

The choice to go abroad is one that you make yourself; no one can do it for you. So when you make the decision to go, you know it is an adventure you are going to tackle on your own. You don’t have your parents to help you figure out your connecting flights or the train schedule. While abroad you also have the opportunity to travel by yourself. It is a great opportunity to become more independent and self-reliant. This is a trait that employers like to see.

2. Flexibility

Anyone who has traveled knows nothing goes as planned, and the only thing you can really plan on is that something will go wrong. So while abroad you have to be flexible and have the ability to adapt to adversity. This is a great characteristic to have in the workplace as well. Because everything doesn’t go as planned all the time, the ability to be flexible is a trait that is pertinent and valued.

3. Communication

Traveling is a journey where you have the opportunity to meet all kinds of different people. You encounter such a diverse group of people that you can learn so much from. You also learn how to effectively communicate with people who speak a different language, have different values and have overall different communication norms.

4. Planning

Traveling abroad gives you the chance to be spontaneous, but it also strengthens your planning skills as well. Whether it’s a day trip or a weekend trip, a lot goes into the planning. You also become much better at tracking your expenses and budgeting for worthwhile expenses.

5. Risk taking

Life is all about taking risks, and that is hard for a lot of people. Traveling is an experience that you can really see the benefits of taking risks.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/hillarylevine/11-lessons-you-learn-studying-abroad#1rhxyiq

http://mashable.com/2013/01/16/apps-for-studying-abroad/

September 30, 2014March 17, 2017

LinkedIn Grad Guide

If you’re a recent college grad, or will be graduating in December like myself, searching for your first “real” job can be overwhelmingly terrifying.

However, LinkedIn is a powerful tool that can make the search less intimidating by allowing you to simply continue something you’re probably already doing: hanging out on social media.

The truth is students (myself included) spend a ridiculous amount of time connecting with peers on social platforms, snapping selfies and posting photos of their pets. But what students really should be doing is using this energy in a more productive way by building their professional network.

Below I’ll cover some tips on how you can use LinkedIn to help land your first job.

● Make Your Headline POP

Your headline is the first thing people will see when they visit your page. It’s essentially a 5-second elevator pitch for marketing yourself online. Be sure that your headline communicates what you want to accomplish.

Here’s my new and improved headline:

● Write a Professional Summary

The summary statement is your opportunity to introduce yourself and grab a potential employer’s attention. Focus on describing your skills and accomplishments; communicate your goals, while also highlighting your personality.

See this article for more essential tips on writing an impressive LinkedIn summary.

● Get Recommendations

Ask your professors, advisors or past employers to recommend you on LinkedIn. Recommendations show your credibility and experience; they can boost your online reputation and set you apart from other candidates.

● Use Keywords

Use keywords when you are describing your work. The more industry-related keywords you have in your profile, the higher you’ll appear on a potential employers search rankings.

● Be Active
Engagement is an important aspect of all social networks. LinkedIn provides the opportunity for you to discover and share interesting content with your connections. When reading articles posted by others, provide feedback and comment on content that interests you.

These are just a few examples of ways you can enhance your LinkedIn profile as a college grad. According to Jobvite’s 2013 Social Recruiting Survey results, 94 percent use LinkedIn to recruit for talent and 92 percent have successfully hired through LinkedIn. So make sure you are doing everything you can to get noticed!

Photo courtesy of http://makeameme.org/meme/recruiter-added-me-5bq3ld

September 23, 2014March 17, 2017

Digital Media: Breaking Through the Noise

by Ashley O'Looney — Social Media platforms

In today’s world consumers are bombarded with promotional content at every turn, click and “Like” from the second they wake up to the minute
before they fall asleep. We wake up and check our phones. We are going to bed and we are on our phone. Then add in the tablet use, computer use and even old fashioned print, and you find yourself exposed topromotional influences during nearly every minute of your waking day.

Of course there are multiple platforms to promote with, but by far the fastest growing and most popular is social media.

Some Facts:

⋅68% of people in the TIME’s Mobility Poll stated that their phone is kept
next to their bed when going to sleep at night
(http://content.time.com/time/interactive/0,31813,2122187,00.html)

⋅84% of people worldwide say they couldn’t go a single day without their
mobile devices, according to an emarketer.com survey published by the
Huffington Post.

⋅The average adult, according to the emarketer.com study, will spend over 5 hours per day online. (emarketer.com survey sited from the Huffington Post
Article)

⋅Consumer’s are exposed to almost 5,000 advertisements per day, (as explained by President of the Marking firm Yankelovih, Jay Walker-Smith, in a CBS
News article).

⋅US adults spent an average of 12 hours and, 5 minutes on media every day, according to the emarketer survey

Why is this important?
How do you, as a promoter, reach the promotee through all the noise? There’s multiple ways. Here are the top three newest marketing styles for some of today’s leading companies:

Simple
Simplicity has become a new theme to many companies’ marketing strategies. One of the greatest examples for this tactic is Apple. Apple’s modest logo
follows with their simple and sleek white background commercials. Take a look here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZrfXDeLBTU

Unconventional
With the 2015 release of the popular football video game, Madden, Microsoft and EA Sports joined to create a video that not only captured the attention of its
main consumer market, but also broke through many of the rules commercials tend to follow. The video was not made primarily to run on television as many
traditional strategies have. Instead its choice of platform was YouTube, which has connections to all social media platforms. View their latest video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DL0W9AUCuY

Traditional
Gatorade, the leading company for sports drinks, follows traditional standards of marketing with its use of famous spokespeople to promote its product to an
admiring crowd. This tactic not only promotes the drink, but ensures that recipients of the media. View and example here:

May 11, 2014March 17, 2017

Enjoy Your Summer Break from TGC

Thank you for following our blog during the spring semester. We wish everyone a happy summer and safe travels!

Check back in August for new blog posts from our fall 2014 team members.

May 9, 2014March 17, 2017

The World Is Your Canvas

Artwork can be considered to be one of the broadest categories in human culture. Anything and everything can be considered artistic. The idea of what creativity in art could be changes with the observer.

I’d like to entertain the notion that as people interact with one another, they leave an emotional and artistic imprint on the other person’s life. This occurs in the same way that a potter leaves an imprint upon clay.

If you recognize yourself as an artist in everything you do, then you begin to see art in more things. By consciously exercising your ability to create art with any medium you want, you find yourself more ready to tackle the situations of daily life.

Even if your artwork is limited to splattering ink on canvas, splatter away.

By expressing yourself creatively, you “unlock” the right side of the brain.

Instead of thinking about the assignment that is due next week as a burden, view it as a challenge with a creative solution.

Exercising your creative side with writing, drawing, painting, singing, dancing and everything else you can think of, can be extremely relaxing and can take the edge off of something that may be irking you.

By doing these things, you are giving the part of your brain that works through logic problems a break. It allows for time where you can focus on you.

Some people don’t like to use the word meditation, possibly for lack of understanding. Meditation is merely a time of contemplation and self-reflection. It is something that the human body needs every day.

It is important to try to set aside at least an hour a day to personal reflection. I do not mean sitting in front of a television either; the human mind needs intellectual stimulation to function properly.

People sometimes look at emotions as meaningless, but they are here to guide us, and when we can express ourselves in art, then we can better express ourselves to the outside world in every other way possible.

As you progress through life, look at the world around you not as someone else’s artifact that was left for you to look at. Imagine everything you experience as your canvas and paint the world your colors. Become your own best artwork.

I know I have…

See some of my work at: http://thirdeyewisdom.deviantart.com/

And learn more about art therapy at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_therapy

May 7, 2014March 17, 2017

How Do I Survive My First Full-Time Job?

Photo credit: imagerymajestic, Creative Commons — Photo credit: imagerymajestic, FreeDitigitalPhotos.net

Now that graduation is right around the corner, reality is probably setting in that you are going to start your new full-time job or you are still in the job hunting process.

Let me tell you, having a full-time job is different than being a student. I understand that the majority of students, like myself, juggle school, part-time work and internships just to be able to obtain that full-time job. How could it be any different?

Get used to sitting in one position for eight hours

I know this might be an exaggeration, but if you are used to running to school, then driving to work for a four hour shift, then meeting with your study group and topping it off with two hours at your internship then this might be a reality.

Being in one location, in one building, when you are used to so many different locations may be a difficult transition for most.

I recommend that you stash a stress ball or some extra snacks in your desk because you will need something to occupy your extra mental space that isn’t being used.

Eat lunch with your co-workers

This might be difficult at first, but this is just like elementary school. It is easier to make friends when you take the plunge on the first day or week of work.

You don’t want to look like you are too good to hang out with your new co-workers, so lunch breaks are a great way to get to know the people that you work with without slacking on your duties on the clock.

Make sure that you don’t participate in negative gossip that could get you into trouble while you are still the newbie.

Show up on time

It is bad to be late while you are still new to a job. If there is an emergency, call and let them know ahead of time. This shows that you value the company and you appreciate communication and your job. So set your alarm louder than normal and be on time!

Set limits

We all want to impress our boss and can get a little “yes” happy when we start new jobs. If you aren’t capable of doing a task, don’t lie.

Tell them that you don’t know how to do the task but you are willing to learn or watch somebody else who knows how to do it. Also, this will help prevent burnout.

You need to find the line between excelling and improving yourself and the point where you are mentally spent and cannot function. Finding that line will help you stay happy at your job without feeling the need to move to another job.

To survive my work day, I read a book and/or take a walk on my lunch break to help compensate for the lack of moving I do being behind my desk writing all day.

The trick is to find out what will work for you early on in your position. These tips are going to be how you survive the transition from being a full-time student to a full-time employee at your new job.

Welcome to the real world.

Here are some other tips that can help you

http://voices.yahoo.com/tips-transitioning-college-full-time-work-265184.html

http://www.letstalkaboutwork.tv/6-tips-for-surviving-your-first-job-after-college/

May 5, 2014March 17, 2017

Email Etiquette: 5 Rules to Follow

If you do it right, email can be your new best friend and make your life SO much easier. Experts say that your email behavior has the potential to sabotage your reputation both personally and professionally.

I came up with a list of a few mistakes that people tend to make regarding emails, it’s important to be aware of these mistakes and do everything you can to use email to your advantage — and not let it get you into trouble.

1. Summarize it – Being clear and concise in an email is key. Make your most important point first, then provide more details if necessary. If you send a long rambling email, it is much less likely that the respondent will act on what you have sent or even respond.

2. Create a signature – Set up a signature that contains all your contact information. This helps the recipient obtain your contact information easily.

3. Be mindful of your tone – It’s not what you say, but how you say it that really matters. Your tone (whether its urgency, irritation or sarcasm) can be easily misunderstood via email. Keep this in mind and be sure your emails are professional, friendly and clear.

4. Understand the difference between “To” and “CC.” – The people you include in the “To” field should be the people you expect to read and respond to the message. Those included in the“CC” field are the ones who need to know about the email, but don’t necessary need to respond. People you include in the “BCC” field will not be visible to others.

5. Spelling, grammar and punctuation – Email comes with spell-check for a reason, so use it. If you misspell words, use bad grammar or punctuation, it reflects poorly on you and/or your company. It’s also a good idea to re-read your messages before you send them to be sure you are communicating clearly.

Lastly, email is great tool but it doesn’t necessarily work for every situation. There are many things that are appropriate to send via email, but there are also some things that should be discussed in person. If a conflict or difficult situation should arise, it’s always better to talk it out.

If you would like to learn some more tips and tricks on email etiquette, check out this article from INC.com.

May 2, 2014March 17, 2017

Suiting Up for Summer

June 21, 2014 marks the first official day of summer. However, with temperatures already hitting highs ranging from the mid-80s to low 90s, Bikini Season seems to have already begun in Chico.

And while many welcome the early opportunity to float the Sacramento River in summer’s hottest swimwear fashions, there are those of us who can’t stand the thought of donning a bikini in public.

I’m one of the latter. I start spring the same way every year. I have well-intentioned plans for working out and tanning my stark-white body into something like a Greek goddess. However, as summer nears, I realize that all I’ve managed to accomplish is overeating at Easter, leaving me looking closer to a centaur than a goddess.

So, if you’re like me and you find yourself needing that swimsuit-ready body, I’ve compiled five quick tips to get you in tip-top shape, ASAP.

1. Watch what you eat.

It sounds simple enough, but for many of us maintaining a healthy diet on a student’s schedule it can be tough.

I find counting my calories and keeping a food journal keep me cognizant of what I’m putting into my body. After counting calories for a few days, I naturally shy away from carbohydrate-heavy meals and opt for foods lower in calories that I can eat in high volumes. Meals combining lean proteins like egg whites, chicken and turkey are great choices when combined with fruits and vegetables as these meals tend to be much lower in calories than high carbohydrate meals.

2. Start interval training.

Research shows that interval training, which switches between bouts of very high intensity workouts like sprinting and very low intensity workouts like walking, burn more calories in a shorter amount of time than sustained high intensity workouts.

3. Fake it, don’t bake it.

Suntanning can cause skin cancer. Be kind to your skin this summer and opt for a sunless tanner like Jergen’s Natural Glow. It tans and evens your skin tone while hiding imperfections without all the harmful rays!

4. Find a suit that suits you!

Not all swimsuit styles are flattering on all body types. What may be flattering on someone else may not be flattering on you. Accentuate your body type by choosing a suit that is right for you and ignore the trendy swim styles that do nothing for your figure. Not sure which suit style best suits your frame? Check out Glamour magazine’s swimsuit guide!

5. Love the skin you’re in!

So what if you don’t look like a Victoria’s Secret model? Even Victoria’s Secret models don’t look like Victoria’s Secret models in real life. Don’t believe me? Google “celebrity photo retouching” and see what you find.

The point is, no one is perfect, and everyone has imperfections. So celebrate your figure. Whether you’ve got lots of curves, no curves or you’re somewhere in the middle, we’re all beautiful. Celebrate your womanhood!