Fight the urge to splurge!

You've just graduated and landing a decent paying job! Congratulations! This means dinners out, happy hours with coworkers, brand spanking new apartment with upscale furniture, new car and monthly hair cuts and spa appointments right? Wrong. Especially if you have student loans. It may seem that leaving college and getting a job will mean the dough will just roll in. But in fact, your first couple years out of college may seem very familiar because they may seem a lot like the years you spent in college. Although your paycheck will be bigger, and it may seem that your immediate expenses are small, this is what makes an adult different that a teenager. Your ability to plan on expenses that are not immediate are what will determine whether you sink or swim. You will probably not be covered under your parents car and health insurance, you may have students loans or credit card debt and may want to look into starting your retirement plan. So although your new lifestyle may seem fun and luxurious, live it up and then get down to business. The expenses are just around the corner: wedding, your first mortgage, and even new babies!

Posted by Suzanne on 7/02/2009 06:56:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

Budgeting 2.0

Today’s job market has probably dealt a considerable blow to your paycheck – time to tighten up that belt. Luckily, there are thousands of well-reasoned, well-written budget guides available for free on the Internet, and just as many free software tools to help you follow the budget that suits your needs. You can even keep track of your income and expenses with applications available for whichever overpriced smartphone you may happen to own, so the $500 you spent on it might actually be recovered within a reasonable amount of time! Information technology is a wonderful thing, especially when it’s working to save you money, so fire up those search engines, iPhones, and PDA’s – you’ll have your finances in order faster than you can say “upgrade.”

Labels: budgeting, iphone, software

Posted by Brian on 6/29/2009 06:34:00 PM
| | Comments (1) | Permalink

Just because the economy is in the toilet doesn't mean that you have to be

Having recently discovered the joys of massive corporate budget cuts, I can’t agree more with what Seymour has to say. Before snubbing your nose at a job opportunity because of what you view as an inadequate paycheck, remember to consider the fact that our country’s economy is currently in the toilet – and that you don’t want to be unemployed for so long that you have to start drinking out of one. A few years ago, you could afford to be particular about dots and zeros, but as things stand, you’d be well advised to accept a smaller bottom line gracefully. When things recover, your employer will remember your willingness to take that financial hit when it comes time to consider candidates for promotion. As of this writing, I’m working for a little less – a lot of us are – but keeping that in mind helps to ease the pain. Well, that and the fact that I’ve not yet been reduced to drinking out of toilets in order to survive.

Labels: downsizing, having to drink from toilets (how to avoid), pay cuts, paycheck

Posted by Brian on 6/29/2009 01:46:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

Are You Willing To Work For Less?

Taking a cut in pay in order to remain employed may feel completely unfair, if not downright wrong. But in this nutty economy, you’d be wise to make every effort to have an income – any income. Sometimes, taking less money may be your only alternative. Think about it. Just how important is money to you at this stage in your career? Some might say money is everything. But is it really?

The critical question to ask yourself is which is more important to you right now, working or money? If you have a sure thing – a guaranteed position that is offering you less money than you were making – would you go for it?

As you’ve no doubt heard time and time again, it is easier to get a job when you have a job. If your bills are piling up and you’re beginning to avoid phone calls, you may want to think about taking a position, even if it pays less, in order to seize other job opportunities when they present themselves.

Given the number of people who are currently unemployed, you should expect to find serious competition for jobs at every level of management. As ridiculous as it sounds, even people working at drive-thrus have to worry about their jobs right now, especially if they continually offer poor service. These days, employees who are unwilling to take proper care of customers are finding themselves out of work. Why? Because in this economy, there are plenty of people who will take good care of customers AND work for less.

There’s no shame in accepting a job because you need the money. Lots of people these days are taking jobs that don’t really interest them simply because they need the income. So, if you’re in need of money, try to get a job doing something! After all, work is work. Consider your options, fill out those applications, and get to work! Good Luck!

Labels: job search, recession, salary negotiation, unemployed

Posted by Seymour Jobs on 6/29/2009 09:58:00 AM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

What Does Your Username Really Say?

There are many things in today's job market that you cannot control. You cannot predict which company will hire you. You cannot be sure which job will provide the best benefits. But the things you can control, such as the professionalism you publicly display-- those things should be identified with the utmost attention.

Labels: email addresses, professionalism

Posted by Amanda on 6/25/2009 06:01:00 PM
| | Comments (1) | Permalink

How to be outgoing with going out.

Today's job market has become very progressive and forward thinking. Fortune 500 companies are using twitter and Facebook, job seekers search for posts on Monster.com and have profiles on LinkedIn. But with all this social networking, it is easy to forget good old fashion professionalism. Although it may seem that the "old way" of faxing a cover letter and handing out business cards is as ancient as the dinosaurs, just remember that there are many qualities of that era that should never be forgotten. So while everything is getting more casual - the interview, the dress, the meetings, etc, this does not mean you can be sloppy. Being the "up tight" one may actually be a breath of fresh air because you are seeing the job as extremely important and desirable. So although you may want to come across personable and not just another boring resume, being too flashy can be a turn off. There are other ways to be casual that do not compromise your professional integrity.
Instead of inner-office jokes, send motivation quotes.
Don't abuse casual Friday by wearing flip-flops, but instead wear an unusual hair style.
Don't display pictures of yourself parting on your desk, instead show an outdoorsy or PG fun loving side of you.
And finally, instead of asking coworkers to happy hour where you with no doubt be inebriated, ask if your coworkers want to volunteer once a week.

Posted by Suzanne on 6/25/2009 03:33:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

Leaving the right message before the beep

While we're on the subject of how your choice of words affects potential employers' perception of you, we should also discuss voicemail messages. If you don't have a dedicated business line, recording a clean, clear, and concise voicemail message can save you a lot of grief. "Hi, you've reached (name) at (number). I can't come to the phone right now, so leave your name and number and I'll get back to you as soon as possible" will do the trick in most cases -- there isn't any need to get creative unless you're involved in a creative industry, and even then, care should be taken to assure that a caller knows who they've reached. I've been greeted by vague, obnoxious, incomprehensible, and non-existent voicemail messages countless times. Not only can these make it difficult for whoever is calling to get back to you, but, depending on the message's content, it may reflect poorly on you in other ways. Just keep it simple, and you'll keep everyone happy.

Labels: professional decorum, voicemail

Posted by Brian on 6/20/2009 04:58:00 AM
| | Comments (2) | Permalink