Q: A bad friend is only going to be interested in talking about themselves and won't want to spend time listening to you. Pay attention to if they interrupt you often or respond by making the conversation about them and their experiences. A good friend will ask you how you are and initiate a conversation about your life. Good friendships are reciprocal, meaning that you both get to share about yourselves and get encouragement from the other person. It may be that your friend doesn't even realize they're doing this! Try gently calling them out the next time this happens. You could say something like, "I really need to vent about my week but feel like you want to talk about other things," and see how they respond. If you hesitate to share secrets with your friend because you're worried they'll gossip about you, that's a sign that they aren't trustworthy and something inside of you is telling you to be careful. Pay attention to how they act with your secretsdo they protect them or do they let things slip? A true friend will make time to hang out just because they like you. A bad friend will try to get something out of you when you spend time together. Watch out for these signs that a friend is using you: Only wanting to hang out when they need a ride somewhere Constantly asking you to loan them money when you go out but never paying you back Asking you to lie to their parents and cover for them while they do something else Spending time with you only when you're around other specific people Hanging out with you because all their other plans canceled Pressuring you to do things you're not comfortable with While a good friend is honest, they'll also support you and want to see you succeed. A bad friend will bring up past mistakes, make you doubt yourself, and be judgmental when you try to do something new or different. For example, if you tell your friend you want to try out for the basketball team and they say, "Do you really think you should? You're not in very good shape and are too short," that isn't supportive. A good friend will encourage you and may even offer to help you train to get ready for tryouts. If your friend responds by getting jealous, angry, or passive-aggressive, that means there is something in themselves that they are unhappy with. A true friend will celebrate with you and can put aside their feelings to be supportive. Good friends can still get jealousthat's a normal part of human nature! But if they can't put it aside and still be happy for you at the same time, that's a sign that your "friend" may not be the best one for you to share happy news with. Similarly, if a friend just points out the negatives in a situation when something good happens, they are trying to bring you down. It's natural to spend less time with your friend when they start dating someone, but there should still be a connection. If you find yourself getting ditched and ignored every time your friend has a new romantic interest, that means they aren't great at balancing their priorities and relationships. On the flip side, pay attention to how they act when you have a significant other. Are they jealous and needy, or do they give you some space to let your relationship flourish? Do they try to guilt you into spending more time with them? While your friends are probably in-tune with the intimate details of your life, a pushy demand to know more or be involved in every aspect of your life is unhealthy. It could be that this friend is jealous or wants to control you. If they don't respect your boundaries and decisions and get angry if you spend time away from them or have other friends, that's a warning sign. Remember that real friendships take time to develop. If a new friend is insisting they need to know everything about you right away so you can be closer, take a step back. Gifts are super nice to receive, but sometimes bad friends will use their "generosity" as a way to keep you tied to them out of a sense of obligation. If you find that you feel pressured to be friends with someone, to overlook bad behavior, or to give them things in return, that's a sign that something is off in the friendship. Especially pay attention to friends who give you big gifts after a fight or disagreement. They're trying to distract you from the real issue and win you back rather than actually addressing the problem. Do you feel drained or energized? Do you look forward to seeing them again? Do you find yourself avoiding talking to that person? How you answer these questions can tell you a lot about what you truly feel about this person. Listen to your gutit will often clue you into things your brain might not be aware of yet! Another clue you can pay attention to is how you talk about your friend to others. If you're complaining about them a lot or even just wanting to complain about them, that's a sign that something is off in the relationship.
A: See how they respond when you talk about yourself or your problems. Question whether you trust your friend to keep a secret. Be wary of friends who use you or only hang out when it's convenient. Expect encouragement from a true friend rather than judgment. Pay attention to your friend's reaction when good things happen to you. Decide if you feel like a priority even when they have a significant other. Be wary of a friend who is over-involved in your personal life. Watch out for friends who try to control you with extravagant gifts. Observe how you feel after spending time with your friend.

Q: As a celebrity assistant, you'll get to travel, rub elbows with the rich and famous, and have a fast-paced, exciting lifestyle. But remember that celebrity personal assistants put in long hours, sometimes for good pay and sometimes for a pittance. You'll be close to the celebrity lifestyle but may not experience the glitz and glamour that comes with it. Your tasks will not always be glamorous, so be prepared to do anything your celebrity boss tells you to do--in whatever small amount of time they give you to do it! Your celebrity employer will want to be your first priority. Make sure you're able sacrifice time with your family, pets or significant other before looking for a celebrity PA job. Learn how to keep your cool under pressure and time limitations, and get comfortable with solving problems at the last minute. You don't have to be a professional event planner to get practice organizing people and services. Arrange parties for your friends, social events at your job, or help plan a family reunion or wedding. You may be managing your celebrity's email account, social media, and personal calendar, so you'll need to know your way around technology. The more tech skills you can offer them, like website management or graphic design for their lifestyle blog, the better. Create a personal website or blog for yourself, or volunteer to make one for a friend. Study popular celebrity social media accounts and start using similar tricks in your own. Practice sorting your emails into folders and creating neat, organized calendars. Be able to handle anyone from the snootiest celeb to their social climber friends. Practice being patient, using good communication skills and dealing with anyone and everyone with a polite smile, whether that's at work or with a not-so-favorite family member. Work as an administrative assistant or in customer service and complete your tasks efficiently and with a positive attitude. Experience as a nanny or as a personal assistant to a non-celebrity will give you an idea of what the job requires and land you relevant references. Include all the skills and experiences that a celebrity could want for their personal assistant. Emphasize your organization skills, customer service ability, and capability under tight deadlines.
A:
Expect long hours and a hectic, sometimes stressful schedule. Get experience in event-planning. Be handy with a computer and smartphone. Brush up on your people skills. Land a relevant professional job. Brush up your resume.