Interview Strategies: Three Simple Steps
Many job searchers show up for an interview in a nice suit, with a copy of their resume and some research on the position in hand, but with little thought about a strategy for actually landing the position. The great thing about creating a “job search strategy” is that once you have it you can use it for every interview. The requirements for this tool are to simply follow the steps below. Take the time to think about the answers to the questions and write them down. Review you notes and practice or rehearse answering and asking questions before each interview.
OVERVIEW
When job searchers don’t get a job it is often not because they don’t have the skills, but simply because they didn’t interview as well as the person who was hired. As a job applicant your part in the hiring process is to articulate specifically why you should be hired. As they lead you through a series of questions, the company hopes to get to know you: your character, track record and reputation. This is one area where many people struggle. The following exercises will help you prepare. You will want to write out your answers so that you can review them before each interview. You may not have an opportunity to share all of the information during the interview. Your strategy is to fit it in as much as possible. This tool will help you identify the strengths the company wants and needs to know about you.
NOTES
Would you go to a staff meeting with 10 points to cover without an agenda? Most likely not! The probability of you forgetting half of what you wanted to cover would be way to high. Once you have completed the exercises below create a key point outline on a note pad and bring it with you to every interview. A casual glance at the outline you have created will help keep you on track.
Step 1
Previous job experience
All too often your thoughts about your job history aren’t all great. After all, you are leaving or you have already left. This exercise gives you a chance to pre-think the best possible aspects of your experience and allows you to keep a positive focus during the interview. Bottom line, it conveys that you are an enthusiastic person, productive employee and well respected by your employer.
Answer the following three questions for each of your past jobs.
List three things you like about your current/most recent job
List three of your best accomplishments or contributions in your current/most recent job
Quantify the impact of your accomplishments in your current/most recent job
List three things you are most known for in your current/most recent job
Step 2
What are your strengths?
Identifying strengths and sharing them is a struggle for most people. This step will help you prepare a list of your strengths. Knowing your strengths makes it easier to share them.
First choose 5 people in your life with whom you have a good relationship and ask them “What are the top 5 reasons someone should hire me?” Ask your best friend, your favorite co-worker, mentor or boss. Family members are also a good choice. Write down their feedback. You’ll draw on this information during your interview. Usually this exercise gives you a whole new view of yourself.
Next, make a list of your own perspective of your strengths.
You should now have a list of 8-10 strengths that you can share about yourself. Come up with examples to support each strength. If you cannot come up with an example, maybe it is not really a strength.
If you say, “I am a hard worker” back it up with an example that will benefit your employer.
The “I am a hard worker” statement now becomes “I am a hard worker, which means that you can count on me to always complete assigned tasks and find more productive work to do should I have time on my hands.”
Another way to back up each strength is to ask yourself why you are good in that particular area. For example, someone who is always punctual may have an extremely strong commitment to being responsible or doing what he or she says. This is a great insight that you can share to support your character strengths which are often more important that your skills. Step 3
Questions to ask during the interview
Having a set of prepared questions in more important than you might think. Often, not having questions to ask during an interview can be a deal breaker. Not having questions can convey that you are not prepared or not interested.
Below are questions that get the interviewer sharing their thoughts with you. (Note: Avoid asking questions about salary or benefits during the first interview unless the interviewer brings it up.)
About the company
Tell me how you would describe your department’s/company’s culture?
What is new and exciting in your company/group/department?
About the position
How would you describe the person that has performed the best in these positions? What about them contributed to their success in the position?
Can you tell me about any challenges or obstacles I should be aware of in this position?
About the manager
Describe your management style. What would it be like to work for you?
What are your expectations of me or of those in your department?
When you made the move to come here, what was the most compelling reason?
What is the most pressing problem or challenge to be solved in the next 60 days?
Profile your top performer for me. What does he/she do that makes him/her stand out?
What do you think of my skills and chances for this position?
The opportunity to share information about you is during the interview. If you don’t say something about yourself, the interviewer won’t know it. If you are reliable, say it, if you are punctual, say it, etc. They are hoping you are the one… as much as you are hoping you are the one.
Meet Beth Skillern: Bullivant’s Quiet Success
Glance at the top 150 Privately held Oregon Companies list and you’ll find women CEOs scarcer than hen’s teeth. Beth Skillern, a former middle school teacher who worked her way up to CEO at law firm Bullivant Houser and Bailey is one of the few.
Ironically, despite a keen interest in the law, graduating college with a teaching degree in the ‘60s seemed like a smart way to go for a woman back then. And Beth loved teaching. But when the time came to trundle her youngest child off to kindergarten, Beth decided if she didn’t pursue her dream then, she probably never would.
When asked why there aren’t more women in her position, Beth’s focus is on the future, noting many more women entered the profession over the past 30 years and are in good positions to successfully work their way up, too.
Perhaps that kind of quiet success is just what you’d expect from someone who for the last 24 years starts her day off with the same group of neighbor-friends, rain or shine, at 6 am to walk. Or from a CEO who insists that economic down times are not the time to jettison personnel and market development and whose open door policy is not just a figurative term, it’s a literal reality. Or from someone whose greatest on-the-job pleasure is mentoring, then seeing her mentees pass those lessons on to others, recognizing and fostering their skills and strengths.
Over the years, Beth worked hard to balance career and family demands. Unexpected family crises, and attending a soccer game took priority when it needed to, though that may have meant working long evenings after putting her daughters to bed and pulling weekends, too, especially when there was a big case coming up.
“I must have done something right,” Beth chuckles, “My family’s still speaking to me.”
Bullivant prides itself on its acceptance of diversity, family-friendly policies and even its willingness to support part-time employees. Still, Beth pragmatically advises women raising a family while wanting to follow in her footsteps, “You can have it all, just not all at the same time. There’s an ebb and a flow, and sometimes you’re just going to be tired.”
That same practicality pushes Beth to focus attorneys now more than ever to get out of their safe, cozy offices and market, seek out new opportunities and directions. When tough times hit, the focus on spending sharpened, and some positions had to be trimmed. “Personnel issues are hard,” confesses Beth, “You want everyone to succeed, and sometimes it just doesn’t happen.”
On those rough days, the kind of day tough enough to take a walk, Beth finds sitting down with a cup of coffee and a cookie, any kind of cookie (from the woman who admits “I never met a cookie I didn’t like”) is the simple guilty pleasure that gets her through it.
After hours, Beth restores her optimism with stories, typically true, of courage and success in overcoming obstacles, like the building 0f Afghan schools for women, “Three Cups of Tea”, the deliberately intertwined lives of an Arab and Israeli family in The Lemon Tree” and the delightfully told tale of German resistance, “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”.
What else would we expect from a woman whose motto is “Do your best, and anything is possible!”
Yoga Means Union… Right?
By Dana Layon
Former President of Satsang Yoga and Wellness Now
Independent Yoga Instructor
Ok – I know that yoga means union; Om is the sound of Oneness; when we practice we release judgment and expectation; and all yoga styles are born on the same principle of uniting with the Divinity within. Am I missing anything?
Why then am I seeing so much division between styles and lineages? What do I mean you ask? Why can’t Bikram Yoga and Anusara Yoga be housed under the same roof? And why can’t we do Vinyasa and Iyengar in the same facility? I would LOVE to do Bikram two days, Vinyasa two days, Iyengar one day, Kundalini another and Anusara another. WOW what a dynamic week that would be!
Am I missing something? Am I crossing an imaginary line that makes even the most heart-opened yogi cringe? Are there places in the United States that DO this? Offer various styles under one roof? PLEASE tell me where they are! Those individuals are on it!
I understand that some teachers are adamant that their style is the BEST style but why? Doesn’t that go against the creed of yoga? That we are all One? How can we, as yogis say, “Oh you have been doing that style – forget it. This is the only style you will ever need.”
I started with Iyengar; teach Vinyasa and have been practicing Anusara. I tried Kundalini… wow – what an amazing class that was!
As some of you know, I recently began taking Bikram Yoga classes, aka Hot Yoga. I love it! I love what it does for my mind, my body and my spirit. I have never felt such dedication and commitment to any practice or fitness regime in my life! But I LOVE and miss the creativity that Vinyasa brings me. Can’t I do both?
I did some research about Bikram: read one of his books and Googled him on the Internet. Interesting guy. I agree with a lot of what he says but there is also a lot I don’t agree with. Does that mean I can’t do his practice? No. Does that mean that I have to stop teaching Vinyasa or practicing Anusara with Melonie? No.
It means I have now walked the talk of yogis all across the nation. We are One.
It’s disenheartening to witness some yoga practitioners “defending” their yoga practices as if it were a religion. No wonder some people won’t try yoga, they think it goes against their religion! Yoga is NOT a religion… remember?
Religious disagreements sure create a bit of global havoc, don’t you agree? Do we really want to separate yoga styles too? I thought yoga was about peace and harmony and unity? Why should we have to pick one over the other?
From what I am learning, all yoga styles have the same underlying principle… to create Oneness with the Divinity within – they each just have various ways of getting there. What is wrong with that?
So for you yogis out there, please enlighten me on this subject. I truly would like to know if I am the only one out there missing some important message in the art and science of yoga.
And for all you people out there who have not practiced yoga yet… It’s NOT a religion! If you have tried it and didn’t like the style you tried, try a different one! You will LOVE yoga… It is seriously the BEST thing for the body, mind and spirit!
Namaste,
Om shanti, shanti, shanti
Zen Flow Yoga with Dana Layon offers yoga classes for beginners, intermediate practitioners and a multitude of “special interest clients”. Please visit www.zenflowyoga.com or call Dana Layon at (360) 909-1768 for more information about a class that will suit your needs.
The Spirit of Yoga
By Dana Layon
Former President of Satsang Yoga and Wellness Now
Independent Yoga Instructor
Spirituality can be defined as a sense of connection to something greater than oneself, which includes an emotional experience of religious awe and reverence. Equally important, spirituality influences physical and psychological health.
Cultural historian and yogi, William Irwin Thompson once said, “Religion is not identical with spirituality; rather religion is the form spirituality takes in civilization”.
Yoga is not a religion but it can be the most powerful spiritual journey you may ever take in your life. It is a personal practice which brings us closer to our spirit, our inner guide, our intuition, our emotional and spiritual self. By quieting the mind, we hear the most.
In its simplest form yoga means union: to unite – bringing mind, body and spirit together. To be present in every moment – whatever it is we are doing: walking our dog, or playing with our kids. Each of us arrives with different intentions: peace, empowerment, strength, guidance or just a great stretch. We come to class, free of distraction and honor our personal intentions for one hour, ultimately connecting with our spirit.
Most often, we are too busy to unlock the potential of our mind and spirit. How do we feel? What are we thinking? What is important to us? These thoughts can become overwhelming without deeper examination. We come to yoga to slow down – to breathe deep and focus inward to evaluate.
Yoga can bring us closer to our religion through spiritual contemplation if that is our intention. However, yoga can also create openness in our hamstrings that we have never felt before. Yoga can introduce us to the people in our community – creating new relationships. It can make us physically stronger through sun salutations, warrior poses, plank and downward facing dog. Yoga can help reduce our stress and increase our immunity. Yoga can help relieve all over body pain resulting from chronic illness such as arthritis, insomnia and fibormyalgia. It can also help people going through cancer treatments, recovering from a stroke or dealing with cardio vascular issues.
In our Western World, we tend to dismiss these healing modalities that have been around for thousands of years. Yoga, massage, acupuncture, reiki, reflexology, meditation: they all have merit in healing. They have helped to heal the sick and comfort those with terminal illness. They have helped people become stronger physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
Come to yoga with your own personal intention. Erase the misconception that is a religion. Accept that it can elevate your sense self through spiritual meditation.
View massage and acupuncture as a healing modality and not a luxury. For those of you who already do this – hoorah for you! You have found a key to spiritual and emotional health.
Zen Flow Yoga with Dana Layon offers yoga classes for beginners, intermediate practitioners and a multitude of “special interest clients”. Please visit www.danalayon.com, www.zenflowyoga.com or call Dana Layon at (360) 909-1768 for more information about a class that will suit your needs.
Chewaucan River, South East Oregon
Are you looking to travel off the beaten path? Do you like camping, fishing, hiking and riding dirt bikes and quads? The Chewaucan River offers an aesthetically pleasing experience.
You can choose to find a rustic secluded area to camp at or a well developed campsite. Marsters Spring Campground sits right on the river, 8 miles west of Paisley, Oregon; it offers 11 campsites (rock fire rings, pit toilets, hand pumped drinking water and a few picnic tables). There are pleasant undeveloped sites along the river amidst the ponderosas, pines and junipers both down and up stream from Marsters. Camping in the area around the Chewaucan River is free.
The Chewaucan River is known to be one of the best trout streams in South East Oregon. It is home to the wild redband rainbow and brook trout. Angler fishing is quite popular, with the river hosting regular hatches of caddisflies and stoneflies from late spring through early autumn. Many fishermen choose to fish between June and September.
Peace and serenity… enjoy wild flowers, butterflies and bird watching, wildlife viewing and hiking on the Fremont National Recreation Trail. Chewaucan River surrounded by gorgeous scenery… lush marshes, pastures, mountains and the forest. For a little more action… cruise around on quads or dirt bikes, there are many off road trails (dirt roads). In the summer months be ready for the dirt, you will be covered with dust. Enjoy South East Oregon!
INTERVIEW: with an artist Katie m. Berggren
I absolutely love Katie’s art… so inspirational and loving… you can see emotion in the curves and the colors are warm and nurturing.
Shiela: Where is home for you? Short description of where you grew up. Have you traveled anywhere?
Katie: “Kalama, Washington was the place where my serious inspiration for painting found its wings. It is the place where my children were born, where I painted at the kitchen table before I set up my small studio space. I worked in Kalama for 5 years before our very recent move to East Vancouver. I now have a larger studio where I feel my work can really grow – the new studio is indeed a place where magic will happen.
I grew up with my brothers and sister in Yacolt, Washington where we drew and wrote stories in our free time – we all four grew to be creative individuals in one way or another.
In 2007 I traveled to Sweden to be with my brother as he got married, and experienced incredible creative and peaceful influences there – and filled many pages of my sketchbook with compositions that later became paintings.”
Shiela: What brought you to art? Do you have any formal training?
Katie: “I always (always) knew that I would be an artist; drawing and writing from the time I was very young. In High School, I studied Architecture as a way to use creativity towards a “career”. After completing the available drafting classes I moved onto Graphic Design – being told that I should come up with some employable way to be creative since I may not be able to make a living as a fine artist. Graphic Design and illustration took me to Clark College, then on to Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. Graphic Design later made room for illustration and illustration eventually gave way to fine art, painting.”
Shiela: What are the tools you make use of? What medium do you paint with?
Katie: “I adore Golden acrylic paint on canvas. With brushes!”
Shiela: How do you arrive at your subject matter? How do you decide on the names of your pieces?
Katie: “Frequently, I stand before a blank canvas; closing my eyes and opening my heart to music, thoughts and memories. The forms and images come quickly. I also often draw my inspirations for my paintings from sketches placed into my sketchbook.
The names of the paintings nearly always come first – as I’m regularly coming up with arrangements of words (or single words) that I think would make a great title. Adding them to my list, I then scan the list and see if any images emerge. Or, once a piece is in process, I look through my lists of words and phrases to see if anything jumps out.”
Shiela: From where do you draw your inspiration?
Katie: “I find inspiration around every corner, on a good day. The way light bounces through a window – the curve and springiness of my sons’ bodies – a mother with her child in a public place – an image in a book – a lyric from a song…
Most often, I intend to soak in the time I spend with my sons; their faces and voices, and draw from those emotions later when they are asleep and I’m alone in my studio, with my music.
Because I am a graphic designer at heart, I am also inspired by logos and design. While designing, I was drawn mostly to logos and brands – the simplicity and power of a single mark or graphic and how it could provoke emotion. I look at each of my paintings as a type of logo and treat them as such as I create them without color – focusing on the composition and balance first and foremost.”
Shiela: Does your art have a deeper meaning?
Katie: “I’d like to think that my art does and will help women to realize the value they are providing as mothers; the value in spending time; in doing less and being more. A very early piece for me was titled “Life, Then Work” and I feel that way still. My work definitely has a deeper meaning for myself as each piece strives to remind me that I need to enjoy each moment instead of focusing on what I “need” to do next.”
Shiela: Is there any specific message you wish to convey with your artwork?
Katie: “For me, my work is meant to provoke, to stir feelings, to move memories. To open eyes. I say this because this is what the process does for me – and the experience of creating something based on passion, gut feeling, naked and raw emotion makes me feel like I am doing something important.
Near daily I hear from someone who has taken out of my paintings what I have carefully put into them – in regard to emotion – and that is the most rewarding element – that I can possibly help another mother to take notice of how her life and the lives of her children, throughout their busy day together, affect each other.”
Shiela: What has been the best advice given to you by another artist?
Katie: “I paraphrase some advice given to me by Quentin Robbins: If color makes you unsure when beginning a painting, then do not use color! Do the whole painting in brown and white and then add the color as you choose.
I took his advice to heart, instantly, and have been working with this technique for several years. I begin each painting in umber and zinc white – finessing form, value and figures. I then add color as it suits me.”
Shiela: What advice would you share with an artist starting out?
Katie: “Enjoy those who enjoy your work – get to know them and find out how your work can affect them on a positive level. Keep in touch with those who find value in what you do, collect their positive feedback and appreciate them whenever you can for supporting you.
Don’t be afraid to ask: for advice, for mentorship, for feedback. Don’t ever feel as though you are less valuable than any other human – get out there and show people what you do – no one is going to come looking for you (or your work).”
Shiela: What are your future plans?
Katie: “I plan to meet more mothers and fathers – those who feel what I intend to portray. I intend to build more relationships, to learn from as many people as I can, and I look forward to building networks that can help connect others and help ease my work and my message out into the world.
I plan to continue growing as an artist, investing time in a variety of classes and educational materials over the years. The work will grow as my children grow, I know, and I look forward to seeing where it will take me. I know that I love painting emotion and relationships between individuals – in particular the mother/child relationship.”
“I paint because I must, and it is my desire that another may connect with the images as well.”
– Katie m. Berggren
My current work stylizes intimate daily moments of life – grabs hold of the tactile and visible affection between mother and child. The new paintings evoke light and texture – playing with how two or more confident figures can fold, bond and tuck together within a whimsical atmosphere of energy and sparkle. Please visit www.kmberggren.com, where you may learn more about the work and browse the online store. Katie@kmberggren.com
Mint Tea
Mint Tea
2014 Main Street, Vancouver, WA
www.MintTeaImports.com • (360) 699-4991
Mint Tea is located in a beautiful old craftsman home. It has a wonderful wrap-around covered patio with seating, over looking their organic garden and main street. They filled their two beds last year from community donations and they look forward to a second year of using fresh herbs in their bistro straight from the garden. If you have herb or tomato starts you would like to donate, they will gladly plant them.
From the moment you open the unique handled front door you enter a mystical sojourn, with sounds of Middle Eastern music, scents and vibrant color. Moroccan and Mediterranean decor and whimsical pieces are throughout this quaint bistro.
As you pass through the bistro and head to the counter to order from their flavorful menu or purchase items, you pass by colorful table clothed tables decorated with Capiz Shell Tea Light candle holders and cushions for seating. An array of imported incense, soaps, tapestries and baskets, decorative art, drums and instruments, Henna body art kits, glass art jewelry and candles and reusable shopping bags will catch your eye.
Now that you have made it to the counter you can order from the ever changing menu. Most of the food is Moroccan and French vegetarian and/or vegan cuisine, but there are meat dishes on the menu each day as well. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and on Sunday’s a brunch from 10am- 3pm. On the menu you will find baked goods, warm cereal, Noah’s bagel, Nancy’s honey yogurt with organic granola and fresh fruit, mint tea plate, baked egg dish, soup, salad, pasta daily specials and a couple items for the kids (pb&j and grilled cheese). Choose from organic teas, french press and drip coffee, healthy bottled beverages, micro-brew beer and local wine. They are committed to using local, sustainable, organic ingredients and that commitment rewards you with decedent tastes.
I was in for lunch with a friend and ordered their Mint Tea Plate ($6.50) – Hummas (which was a nicely spiced garbanzo-based dip), rustic feta, olives, zaatar (a mixture of herbs and spices), pita quarters and the whim of the day was a light potato salad. I was pleasantly surprised at all the flavor… delish! And I have to tell you I ordered their mint hot tea and it was the best I had… a strong mint with a hint of sweetness. My friend had the pleasure of ordering one of their sandwiches with a side salad ($6.50), it looked pretty tasty. She companied her lunch with a bottled pear juice.
The owners, Abdul and Jenna were very nice and great to talk with. My visit was very refreshing and I actually plan to return with my daughter and friends shortly. If you’re in the neighborhood or want a change in atmosphere and flavor you’ll be delighted to try Mint Tea.
Business Hours:
Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Love Your Body!
By Dana Layon
Former President of Satsang Yoga and Wellness Now
Independent Yoga Instructor
Too many times we look in the mirror and are discouraged by what we see. Our hair should be longer, our teeth whiter, our legs smaller our breasts bigger. And that’s just what I see when I look in the mirror! The point is: we all do it, even yoga instructors.
In our society, the media drives what we are supposed to look like. Thin bodies, flawless skin, shiny hair but they don’t ask us how we feel on the inside. Do any of us know? When was the last time you looked in the mirror and looked past your face – inside your eyes?
The majority of people who come to Zen Flow Yoga don’t have perfect bodies – there is a whole range of people – big and small, young and old, fit and not so fit. They come to class with different body types and different intentions. In one class, we had a lady 30 weeks pregnant and another gal who is training for a triathlon – that’s how diverse a class can be.
When I started yoga, I couldn’t touch my toes, I couldn’t find my breath, and I definitely couldn’t do any of the poses I do now. From all the cardio and weight training I had done over the years, my muscles were strong but tight and it was difficult to take long, deep breaths. Savasana (Final Relaxation) was the most difficult pose – five minutes seemed to go on forever!
After I had my babies, I found myself starting from the beginning. My center was hard to find, my physical body had completely changed and my personal hurdle in each class was self-acceptance. I had to accept that my body wasn’t as thin or as strong as it was before. My yoga class took work – it didn’t come easily. This time, Savasana was my favorite pose because I could sit in complete silence – treasuring each last minute.
We grow into our yoga practice. Coming to class each time can bring us something different – we name our intention at the beginning of class and honor that intention throughout our practice. We eliminate judging ourselves as each day is different. We release any thought of competition or expectation of the class so we can be fully present and accepting of where we are in each pose.
When we quiet or mind during our deep breaths, we allow ourselves to look inside. Yoga teaches us to look at ourselves from the inside out. What inspires us; what makes us happy; what humbles us. It also teaches us self-acceptance.
Yoga is not a destination to the perfect body it’s a journey of self-awareness and acceptance – being content with where we are right now in our bodies and in our life.
Zen Flow Yoga with Dana Layon offers yoga classes for beginners, intermediate practitioners and a multitude of “special interest clients”. Please visit www.danalayon.com, www.zenflowyoga.com or call Dana Layon at (360) 909-1768 for more information about a class that will suit your needs.
Six summer wardrobe essentials… Every Woman Needs
Are the warm rays of the sun inspiring your inner fashionista? Summer is the perfect season to jazz up your wardrobe with fun and fashionable items that make you look great. But how do you know where to start in a fashion world that offers endless possibilities?
When it comes down to it, there are some things that every woman should have in her wardrobe. Here are the top six items that will make you look like you stepped out of a fashion magazine this summer…
1 SUNGLASSES
A good set of shades is an essential that is fashionable and functional. Helping protect your eyes from the sun’s harsh rays, sunglasses can also provide a fun summer look. What types never go out of style? Some options with fashion-longevity include aviator glasses (also known as pilot shades) that have metal frames and reflective lenses, as well as over-sized options often seen on celebrities.
2 SHAWL
Having a fun colored wrap or shawl can serve multiple purposes throughout the summer. Can be used as a shoulder wrap at a wedding or tied around the waist as an impromptu cover-up at the beach. Are you chilled? It can add a bit of warmth. Is it too sunny? It provides protection from sunburn. Really, it provides style and function for just about any situation summer can throw at you, plus it’s small enough to be stashed away in a bag if not needed.
3 PEARL NECKLACE
Pearls are the quintessential summer accessory for many reasons. They remind us of the water and are produced by nature, plus, they are the traditional birth stone for June. The best part of having pearls in your wardrobe is their versatility – they add style to your ribbed tank and jean outfit or jazz up your black dress for a night on the town. Want to truly add some summer pizzazz? PearlParadise.com notes that pearls in fun colors like pink, gold, blue and lavender are popular during the summer season, as well as unique shapes like baroque, drop and keshi Tahitian pearls.
4 STRAPPY SANDALS
Whether heeled or flat, show off those toes with a great pair of strappy sandals. Open shoes look great and help keep your body temperature down during hot summer days. Colored leather straps are popular and stylish during the summer season, but you can also find options in natural woven materials. Having a couple pair isn’t a bad idea – maybe one flat and one high-heel, or one casual and one dressier. Whatever route you go, you’ll be sure to get use out of these the entire season.
5 EARRINGS
Earrings bring focus to the face and enhance a person’s eyes. That’s why so many people feel “naked” if they don’t have earrings on. For summer, opt for pearl or stone earrings – or better yet, a combo of both. According to Pearl-Guide.com, Akoya Pearls are very popular for use in jewelry because of their consistently round shape. Studs, drop-downs and drop-downs with diamond accents are all great summertime options. When the sun hits them, your face will sparkle with true style.
6 WIDE-BRIM HAT
A good hat can be a great addition to your favorite summer dress and also be your best friend on a sunny day at the beach. Wide-brimmed hats are popular during the summer time because of their style and how they protect the face from wrinkle-inducing rays. A straight, stiff brim often made from natural fibers like raffia or straw provides a more formal, tailored look. Flexible, shapeable brims often made of cotton or linen have a more casual feel. Courtesy of ARAcontent
