Job Searching in a Recession

I have recently been talking with a friend of mine who just recently graduated and mentioned how difficult it has been looking for a job in a currently tough job market. Many of my clients have told me that they are currently under a hiring freeze and the state of the economy of course does not help. Though typical job search engines like Monster and Career Builder do a decent job looking for job postings, I stumbled upon a new search engine called InDeed, www.indeed.com, which aggregates job searching data much better allowing for better matches.

If job search engines don't cut it, I would try trade associations or private organizations. Many professional societies allow students to join for free or at a very low rate and allows access to their job posting which are industry specific.

Temporary agencies are also a good way to get in the door with many major industry leaders and allows you to learn more about your job so that you can make a better decision. Temp jobs also provide alot of flexibility for those who don't necessarily want to commit to any one company and want to have some spare time to travel and relax.

Credit Cards Galore

Credit cards can be a college student's best friend or their worst enemy. On one hand credits cards, used with responsibility, provide you the opportunity to begin building your credit score up that will qualify you for simple things such as cell phone accounts under your name and access to apartment leases. Unfortunately, credit cards can also lead many students down a dark path towards debt mentioned in an earlier article. I do believe that building your credit score up early is an essential way of transitioning into the working world. Even if you use it sparingly it will get you ahead of the credit score game and get you on the right path towards different financial options.

There are so many different credits cards from different banks, credit unions, and creditors that it can be headache just finding the right one. The credit cards I would recommend to anyone and not just college students are those that have no annual fee and a rewards program such as mileage or cash back. Certain credit cards provide 2% to 5% cash back on gas and groceries or miles rewarded for every dollar you spend and can be redeemed for round trip plane tickets. Below are a list of credit cards I would recommend to anyone looking to increase their credit score:

Chase Freedom Visa Card

Rewards:

2% on Supermarkets, Gas Stations, and Fast-Food Restaurants
1% off everything else
No Annual Fee
Link

Citi Driver's Edge Platinum Select Master Card

Rewards:

6% on Supermarkets, Gas Stations, and Drugstores for the first year
3% on Supermarkets, Gas Stations, and Drugstores following the first year
No Annual Fee
Link

Capital One No Hassle Miles Rewards

Rewards:

Earn 1.25 miles for every dollar you spend
Book Travel on any airline, any time, and no blackouts or restrictions
No Annual Fee
Link

Packing For College

Another day of web browsing lead me to this site with some overlooked items that students should bring to college. The two items I wish I had brought with me to freshmen year were ear plugs and duct tape. If any of you have more ideas to add to this list feel free to leave a comment.

18 Overlooked Things Everyone Should Bring to College [College and Finance]

Living Frugally - Good Eats

Here at RedSprouts, we're all about studying hard and making ground on your future career. But while you're doing all that you got to make sure that you're eating healthy. More importantly though, you're a college student on a budget so you got get good eats on the cheap. As you might have guessed, the best way to get good eats on the cheap is cooking a meal yourself. Now this may seem like a foreign idea to many of you, but cooking at home is actually quite simple and you will save loads of money. Not enough time you say? Some meals only take 30 minutes to make and you can have enough leftovers for a couple days that you can easily heat back up in minutes.

One of my favorite dishes to make due to its ease is the Simple Pasta Dish. Boil water with some salt and throw in your preference of pasta. While that is going on slice up carrots, celery, and onions to brown in a skillet. Add browned ground beef and tomato sauce and you got yourself a great simple sauce. Put it all together and you have yourself a cheap meal and depending on your portions a day or two of leftovers. In terms of cost, your meal will only cost you 2 to 3 dollars a day compared to eating a 10 dollar pasta dish at a decent restaurant. Now I've only been cooking for a couple years and so far I've felt satisfied with what I've come up with. But if you readers have any suggestion I would love to see it in the comments.

School Started - Now What?

As students return back to the college lecture halls and freshmen begin a life long journey getting acquainted in their new dorm rooms, a common question always comes up, “Now what?” For the upper classmen, they’re halfway through their college career and the idea of getting a job is finally sinking in. For the lower classmen, they’re wondering how they get started and where college might take them. Below is a great way getting started for every level.

Freshmen

In retrospect, freshmen year is really the time for student to explore their options and have some fun. Now just don’t let it get out of hand or you’ll end up where I was trying to play catch up for the rest of the year. Transitioning from high school to college can be quite difficult since for many of you it’s your first time on your own and like I had mentioned in a previous article, high school study skills are sub-par. This is also the time to back track and make sure the major you have chosen is the right one for you. Take classes in other fields that interest you as a way to explore other majors. If you want to switch majors this is the best time to do it as you haven’t taken many classes and transitioning from one to another will be quite simple. The most important thing that a freshman can accomplish is to establish steady study skills and get your GPA up. If you’re really ambitious, go visit a career fair and just orient yourself with companies that show up. There’s no pressure to talk to recruiters and it’s a great way to get some free stationary items.

Sophomore

Now that you’re back from your first year of college and finally ready to take the world on, you’re wondering what to do next. My suggestion? Start networking! Join a professional club related to your field on campus and start socializing with other students. It never hurts to get started and you can even get a leg up on the competition. Another great way to begin networking is meeting recruiters. Now many companies don’t tend to hire interns who have only completed their sophomore year, but sometimes they’ll find the need for someone to complete less glamorous jobs. But hey, job experience is job experience and any recruiter can see the effort you’re putting into your own career. Even if you can’t find an internship with a particular company it never hurts to ask more about their company and what kind of steps you should take between now and when you’re looking for an internship to better secure one.

Junior

To me junior year is where your career really begins to take off. Now that you’re going to complete some upper division course work, you’ve finally qualified to play in the big game of internship hunting. This is the year to get serious about your resume and hitting the career fairs hard. As the job market gets flooded with more and more graduating students, the harder the competition for securing a full time job. Job experience is a big indicator of your skill set and your potential, so obtaining one is very important. Just as important as internships are research positions as many companies see research as the future and if a candidate shows interest, it’s a very big positive. Networking opportunities from this point on will become very important so attending more professional events is a must.

Senior

It’s the last year of a long and wonderful journey and regardless if a full time job or a slot in graduate school is at the end, you should all congratulate yourself for getting this far. Hopefully you have some job experience tucked away and you’re ready to take on the world. Access your network that you’ve built up for opportunities you’re interested in and try to have some fun your last year. If you’ve been successful thus far, you’ll know exactly who to ask and where to look for any opportunity. Most importantly though, go on vacation! You’ve earned it and it’ll be a great way to unwind before moving on to the next part of you life.

Resources - Online Tools

I ran into a great post that had a number of online tools I would recommend to any college student to use as a resource. Some of the tools such as MynoteIT and Tadalist are a great way to keep track of your everyday tasks and keep your college life organized. Google docs and spreadsheets are a wonderful tool to use, especially when doing group work. When it comes to saving a bit of money, Book Finder helps by comparing book prices from different websites and stores. Lastly Meebo.com is a great way to connect online without having to install AIM or Yahoo Messenger on any computers on campus.

Top Web Tools For College Students [Next Path]

Finance 101 - Saving Some Extra Dough

College students always have a need for extra money. Its not easy to save money when your friends call you up Thursday night for a party or invite you to a birthday bash. Food, alcohol, gas, cover fees, etc. – they all add up in cost. Nevertheless there’s always a way to get the best bang for your buck. While you might not think about it, little things can add up quite quickly to huge savings.

Getting a good rewards credit card can help you out. Most credit card rewards programs don’t charge a dime to join like Chase Freedom, it offers 1% cash back on all purchases and 3% on gasoline, groceries, and fast foods. While 1% might not seem like a lot, big ticket items and cumulative purchases can bring in a nifty chunk of change. If you travel considerably, you might consider a rewards card for frequent flier miles, since flying with a certain airline can add up to free tickets or cash back. If you are having trouble looking for a good type of rewards card, checkout the forums on Fatwallet.com for in-depth deal discussions.

Another way to save some extra cash is to setup a savings or checking account online. While most local banks offer a few percent yearly interest on your money, online banking such as with Charles Schwab, HSBC, and INGDIRECT can offer higher rates of interest since they don’t have all the capital fees that a walk-in bank might have. At HSBCdirect.com you can have a savings account for 5% yearly interest (one of the highest around) just by having your money sit in the account. Other banks might require you to put your money into a CD account to get that kind of interest, but with HSBC you can have your money liquid and available at the nearest ATM without any penalties that a CD account might entail. Also, online checking with CharlesSchwab.com or FirstRepublic.com can offer no surcharge withdrawls from any ATM around the world. Particularly in tourist destinations like Las Vegas, ATM fees can head up to $5 or $6 just to use their machine. With those accounts, you can use any ATM in sight for free.

Finally, shopping at warehouses selling items at bulk prices such as Costco can add up to some significant savings. Places like Costco may require membership to purchase, but if your parents or friends have cards, you can easily tag along as long as one person has a card. Ground beef, frozen foods, snacks, and party supplies can easily be purchased in bulk – particularly if you’re looking to split between roommates. Savings can range from 10%– 30% off local supermarket prices, so shopping in bulk can add up quickly. Additionally, party supplies such as plastic cups, disposable plates and utensils, beer, wine, and hard alcohol can be purchased for a discount.

Living Frugally – Your Home Away from Home

Though some students are lucky enough to stay in their dorm during their entire stay in college, some of them, including me, must venture out and go and find a new dwelling off campus. Living off campus can get quite expensive, but with some money saving tips it can be manageable.

Apartment searching itself can be a major task and incorporates a number of different variables such as distance from campus, local neighborhood, and the age of the apartment. Once you figure out your budget you can go and find the right apartment for you. One way to keep your costs down is sharing an apartment with a number of roommates. The more roommates you have may lower the price you pay per month, but it increases the likelihood of creating an unstable living situation as people feel the need to have more space.

Now that you found the perfect apartment it’s time to fill it up with furniture. Many stores such as Target and Walmart come out with back to school ads with the perfectly furnished room. I personally have never seen any college apartment room look the way they do in catalogs and unless you are independently wealthy, it’s not worth it to spend that much money on your room. One good cost saving way to furnish your apartment is just taking hand me downs from family and friends. What can be better than free furniture! While we’re still on the topic of free furniture, one of the best ways to add to your apartment is staking out the dumpster areas around the summer time. Many students who move out and don’t want to take furniture with them will leave them out at the dumpsters and are basically up for grabs. Not all of the furniture is old and dingy and you can sometimes score some pretty nice furniture at no cost to you.

Depending on your distance from school, biking or walking to school is the most economical form of transportation. Though I did live within biking distance of campus I chose to drive instead, which added to my costs and didn’t provide me a good form of exercise. If biking isn’t your cup of tea, public transportation might just be the key. Many universities provide “free” public buses to and from campus. I say “free” since the costs of maintaining a bus fleet and paying drivers is incorporated in the cost of your tuition. Don’t let your tuition money go to waste and help reduce your carbon footprint.

Another great way to save money is controlling the way you use your utilities in your apartment. My college was located in an area that is similar to many parts of the US; hot summers and cold winters. By restricting the amount of heat or A/C you use during different seasons will greatly lower your bills at the end of the month. I personally can not stand the summer heat, especially when I’m trying to sleep, so I always need to use the A/C during the summer. In order to offset the cost, I decided not to use the heater at all during the winter months. Though it never got cold enough to snow, it was still cold enough to require extra layers, but it did the trick. If you’re the opposite from me and can handle the heat then flip my strategy and you’ll be saving money too.

Career - Avoid Simple Mistakes

I have had the opportunity of helping my company recruit for entry level and internship positions at different colleges. Several months ago, I was invited to attend a career fair and talked to many interested undergraduates. Upon returning to the office and looking through my emails, I came upon one that made me understand why recruiters don’t always respond back. This prospective student had emailed me about his interest in getting an internship with my company, but had gotten the company totally wrong. Even more frustrating was that I had remembered giving my business card to this student and it is quite obvious from my email address that I did not work for the company that was mistaken for. Additionally, the student had made the worst mistake by misspelling the word "resume" on their file attachment.

Now I may seem harsh to this particular student, but in an ever increasingly competitive world, simple mistakes like that can end your dreams short. Always spell check your resume, cover letter, and email message before sending it out to a recruiter. It only takes a couple of minutes to do and can save you from ending up in the "do not hire" list.

The source of this student’s mistake was using a template email. Template emails are by far, the worse way to contact a recruiter about your interest and can easily be identified. Instead, write separate emails designed around the needs of the positions you are interested- it'll add a personal touch.

By avoiding simple mistakes, this prospective student would have had their resume forwarded to human resources and most likely would have gotten an interview slot. Let this be a lesson towards taking a small amount of time to avoid a long term problem.

Career - Job Searching Resources

A day of web browsing lead me to a nifty social networking site that has compiled a list of online job searching and career development sites. If you are currently looking for a job or are anticipating doing so I would suggest having a look. It has all the traditional site such as careerbuilder and monster but it also has job search engines that are specific to certain industries and regions such as technical jobs in Europe.

70+ Tools For Job Hunting 2.0 [Mashable]