Princess Sisi Summer

If you've never been, drop everything immediately and go to Budapest, Hungary for a beautiful retreat.

Stay at the Gresham Palace Four Seasons Hotel and check out the amazing Art Nouveau architecture.  My favorite - the peacock gates and peacock feathered floral arrangements.

After you check in, stroll around the hotel and have lunch in the hotel restaurant to watch passersby.  Eat 

Then take a cab to the far end of Vaci Street and shop your way back to the hotel.  Freshen up and change for dinner - dress up and take a cab to Gundel Etterm - celebrating its 100 year anniversary - have the wine pairing menu, appreciate paprika, don't skimp on the pate, tip the violinist, and take a cab back to the hotel.

Get a bottle of champagne, two glasses and take a walk with your beloved to the Chain Bridge.  Toast!

Sleep in late the next day, then take a walk down to Gerbeaud Cukraszda for coffee and pastries.   Splurge and have the Cafe Mademoiselle (with caramel and cream!)  You get the Esterhazy cake and your partner can get the Gerbeaud cake and you can share.  Yum!

Take your pick of art museums and galleries to stroll in the afternoon - or go to the Szechenyi Baths for a decadent soak - and end up at Menza Restaurant on Andrassy.  Eat foie gras.  

Return to the hotel, soak in the tub, and enjoy one of the world's most beautiful cities!

XX

Coni

Facebookers Beware

I joined Facebook in 2007 after going to a wedding in Greece where the most camera-happy guest posted all of her photos on her page and I had to join to view and download.  Who knew it would turn out to be the cultural phenomenon it's become?

The benefits of social networking are enormous:  connectivity, access, communication.  But researchers at the University of Illinois have found that too much information isn't always a good thing.  Your Facebook profile may also be preventing you from getting a job - so, is it worth it?

A recent CareerBuilder survey shows 45% of employers research candidates on social network.  Of the hiring managers who chose to view applicants Facebook profiles, 50% were less likely to hire the obviously qualified candidate.  This "dilution effect"of having too much information is an unexpected conflict -- rather than helping make a decision, it actually distracts from the facts and leads to hiring errors.

So if you're in the job hunt, your first step is to privatize your profile.  Even if you leave it live, you should make sure to 'scrub' it to delete anything potentially embarrassing or misrepresentative, make certain no one can post to your wall without your permission, and limit your postings and photos to the bare minimum.  Use your network to find a job - not to find out what vampire they like or other time-wasters that might send the wrong signal.

Instead, put your energy into your LinkedIn profile to help you make contacts and boost your job hunt.

Best,
Coni

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