As promised, here are some more holiday parties happening around the District in the next week:

Happy Hour on the Hill with YCDC and Coro
When? Thursday, December 9th: 6:00-8:00pm
Where? Hawk N Dove: 329 Pennsylvania Ave SE, 20003
What? Join YCDC's Government and Politics (GAP) Program as we welcome our friends and colleagues back from the campaign trail and prepare for the new legislative term. We're excited to co-host our Happy Hour with the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. If you're not sure about your next career move, this will be a great opportunity to network and talk with Coro representatives and alums about the Fellows Program.

National Farm Bureau’s Annual "Taste of the States”
When? Tuesday, December 14th: 4:30-7:00pm
Where? Holiday Inn Capitol Hill: 550 C St. SW, 20024
RSVP: rsvp@fb.org

iConstituent Open Bar Holiday Party hosted by Cassandra Malone
When? Thursday, December 16th: 7:00-9:00pm
Where? L2 Lounge: 3315 Cadey’s Alley NW, 20007

National Association of Broadcasters Holiday Reception
When? Thursday, December 16th: 6:00-8:00pm
Where? National Association of Broadcasters: 1771 N St. NW, 20036
RSVP: http://www.nab.org/forms/invites/nabHolidayParty.asp

Third Way Holiday Reception
When? Thursday, December 16th: 6:00-8:00pm
Where? Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar: 223 Pennsylvania Ave SE, 20003
RSVP: http://www.thirdway.org/events/33

Facebook. We all love it, or used to love it, but now more than ever is the time to realize that what you post online can come back to haunt you. First and foremost you should be aware of your privacy settings, and keep them as tight as possible. If you’re not sure how specific setttings affect how you appear in searches, ask a friend to check it out for you and then return the favor.

Every time you update your status, or post pictures, or write something on your friend’s wall, take a moment to think about how those things might be perceived by a potential employer. Just assume that anyone you network with could pontentially look you up. You should never say anything offensive, or allude to details of your personal life that you don’t want the whole world to know. And in case you haven’t already heard this a thousand times, you should not have ANY pictures involving alcohol where you appear drunk. Use your judgment. A photo of you sipping champagne at a fancy New Year’s Eve party is probably ok, but holding a solo cup while you play your fourth round of beer pong is not.

Also, make sure you have all of your bases covered when it comes to protecting your online image. You might be vigilant about keeping your Facebook profile clean, but that doesn’t mean that your friends will be equally mindful. Talk to your friends, explain that your career goals make it especially important to keep certain things off of Facebook, and ask them to respect those boundaries. It’s as simple as "please don’t tag me in the pictures from your birthday bar crawl, or post comments about what happened that night.” You’ll be amazed at how cool your friends will be about it.

Facebook can be fun and an easy networking tool, but proceed with caution. When you land your dream job, you’ll be glad you did.

It's that time of year again...when networking opportunities abound in the form of holiday parties. Sure, the weather makes you want to stay inside in your sweatpants watching TV with a cup of hot cocoa, but do yourself a favor and put in the effort to get out there! Here’s a list of events to get you through the weekend; more to come!

DASHing Through the Snow! A WGirls DC Happy Hour
When? Tuesday, November 30th: 6:00-9:00pm
Where? CoCo Sala: 929 F St. NW, 20004
Why? In Support of DASH (District Alliance for Safe Housing) to ensure access to safe refuge for victims of domestic violence.

$10 gives you access to drink specials, celebrity elves and a fabulous silent auction. All proceeds benefit DASH.

LADIES & GENTS: Don’t be a Scrooge! Please come dressed to impress (business or festive attire) and join the WGirls for a night of celebration, all in support of a wonderful cause.
Happy holidays to all, and to all a good night!
Get tickets and more info: http://wgirlsdcholiday.charityhappenings.org/

Kimpton’s Red Hot Night in the Nation’s Capital
When? Wednesday, December 1st: 6:00-8:00pm
Where? Urbana: 2121 P St. NW, 20037
Why? Urbana will host Kimpton’s Red Hot Night in the Nation’s Capital, a cocktail party benefiting the Whitman-Walker Clinic. The event will feature popular TV personality and beauty/lifestyle expert Paul Wharton as co-host and emcee, $5 "Cocktails for a Cure,” light bites of Western Mediterranean cuisine from Urbana’s kitchen, and a live/silent auction including a weekend getaway to any Kimpton hotel nationwide and two roundtrip jetBlue tickets. A $10 admission fee includes one drink ticket and all proceeds benefit Whitman-Walker Clinic. The event begins immediately following the 5:30 pm candlelight vigil in Dupont Circle.

The Monocle’s 50^th Anniversary Party

When? Wednesday, December 1^st: 5:30-7:30pm

Where? 107 D St. NE, 20002

RSVP: sdicks@uschs.org

Phillips After 5
When? Thursday, December 2nd: 5:00-8:30pm
Where? The Phillips Collection: 1600 21st Street NW, 20009
What? Phillips After 5 combines a lively mix of people, jazz, gallery talks, superb modern art, and a cash bar for a memorable evening. Admission is $12; free for members. Cash bar.

Note: Due to the popularity of Phillips After 5 (the last 2 sold out prior to the date of the event), advance reservations are encouraged to insure admission. Reserve online until 12 hours before the event: http://www.phillipscollection.org/programs/after5/index.aspx

Young Consultants of DC Annual Holiday Party!
When? Friday, December 3rd: 7:00-10:00pm
Where? Midtown: 1219 Connecticut Ave. NW, 20036
What? The Young Consultants of DC invite you and your guest(s) to join them for their annual Holiday Party at Midtown Lounge. Come enjoy this extremely popular venue, meet up with friends, or work on your networking skills and make some new ones!

Drink specials include $3 beer, $5 wines and rail drinks, and specialty holiday cocktails.
This event benefits One Warm Coat, DC Village Shelter and Facilitating Leadership in Youth (FLY). RSVP here.

All Access: A Night at the Newseum
When? Friday, December 3rd: 8:00-11:00pm
Where? The Newseum: 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 20001
What? Newseum and BrightestYoungThings.com bring you NEWSEUM: ALL ACCESS, the holiday party to start all 2010 holiday parties!
This is the Newseum's first ever official after-hours party…don’t miss it!
Tickets: $15 in advance and $20 at the door will include:

• Exclusive after-hours access to the Newseum--a dazzling, high-tech roller-coaster ride through 500 years of headline history including Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalism, the Berlin Wall and exciting galleries, theaters and interactives
• Autorock DJ.
• a separate silent disco room.
• Cash bar with specialty cocktails and holiday treats available for purchase— all provided by Wolfgang Puck Catering, featuring Smirnoff cocktails & hydration by vitaminwater.
• An unveiling of a very special photo installation featuring some of our favorite D.C. faces and characters of 2010.
• Exciting films, merriment, mistletoe and more!
• And most importantly, FULL ACCESS TO THE FOLLOWING NEWSEUM EXHIBITS:
• Berlin Wall Gallery
• Athlete: The Sports Illustrated Photography of Walter Iooss
• G-Men & Journalists: Top News Stories of the FBI’s First Century
• Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery
• Interactive Newsroom and Ethics Center

The Capital Club’s 19th Annual Santa Soiree
When? Saturday, December 4th: 9:00pm-2:00am
Where? City Tavern Club: 3206 M Street NW, 20007
What? Live Performance by Atlanta's Premier Funk Band: The Answer.
Attire: Holiday Black Tie.
Tickets (Limit 350): Ladies- $80; Gents- $120.

Rather than telling the story of what you were doing up until recently (and hating that you have to tell people over and over), focus on what it is you’re looking to do in the immediate future. If you know exactly what you want to do next, talk about it. If you’re not quite sure, talk about the kinds of people you’d like to meet who can help steer you in a new direction.

Whatever the case, if you use specifics, the people you meet and network with over the holidays will be more likely to have a lightbulb go off in their head, despite being stuffed and sleepy. They may know someone in the particular field you’re looking to enter, or have a great contact who is a wealth of information that would help you settle the swirl of "maybe this” and "maybe thats” in your head.

The holidays are all about being proactive; get out there, make friends, mix & mingle with as many people as you can, and follow up with them for help.

Remember when your mother always told you to say please and thank you? Well that was good practice for searching for a job. One of the most important things to do is always say thank you... in as many was as possible. After that informational interview or that actual interview be sure to send an email thank you AND a handwritten thank you to pop into the snail mailbox.

Sending a thank you note ensures that some piece of paper with your name and business card will a) remind them you exist a few days later b) make them feel happy and more likely to help you and c) possibly sit on their desk for a few weeks for them to constantly be reminded of your job search. The best $0.44 cents you’ve ever spent!