Blog Finds for 20-somethings

This blog made the list of "100 Blogs That Should Be Required Reading In College" over at OnlineDegrees.net. Here are some of the other great finds on this valuable list:

• 20 Something Finance: Read this blog for posts about the worth of your degree, managing credit and debt, investment tips, and even retirement, so that you can start thinking about how you'll save after college.
• Grad Money Matters: This blog understands that you're well-educated but that you might need some extra help when it comes to PF.
• Lindsey Pollak: Lindsey Pollak is a career and workplace expert for Generation Y, and her site features videos, articles and more resources to help you establish yourself in the workforce.
• My Path: This career networking site also features a blog and videos about getting a job, retaining your edge, and more.
• On the Job: This is the blog for Anita Bruzzese's syndicated column. Recent posts include "How to Move from Temporary Work to a Full-Time Gig" and "5 Ways to Avoid Freaking Out About Networking."
• The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: If you're thinking about freelancing or managing your own creative career after college, read this blog from expert Michelle Goodman.
• Newly Corporate: Read Newly Corporate to get an idea of what your first entry-level job may be like.
• College Student Blog: This blog has information about growing careers, planning your job search, and living frugally.
• Sweet Careers: Read this blog for all kinds of tips about job search etiquette, career planning, interviewing, researching successful companies, and more.
• Career Rocketeer: Find practical and conceptual job advice on this blog.
• Entry Level Living: Learn about all kinds of entry-level work, including nonprofit jobs, entry-level jobs in New York City, and more.
• Career Rookie: Get advice for finding and landing jobs and internships here.
• College health guide: This resource on Revolution Health includes mental and sexual health tips and healthy living guides.
• Em & Lo: Sex, Love and Everything in Between: This blog for women has dating advice, sexual health news, funny stories, an advice column, and an ask the guys section.
• Life Optimizer: Find study tips, advice for staying positive and improving your focus here.
• You Already Know This Stuff: Get practical advice for finding success professionally and in your personal life.
• Imagine, Connect, Act: This is the blog for Idealist.org, the international volunteer project network.
• Hack College: Find lost Word documents, be productive during Spring Break and learn fun drinking games on this blog.
• The College Solution Blog: This blog covers a range of topics, from budgeting to college life, to doing better in class.
• My College Guide: Incoming freshmen and college students will find helpful tips for preparing for interviews, remembering your notes, dealing with stress and more.
• Say Campus Life: Recent posts here feature a guide to college majors, tips for spotting a scam school, and career tips.
• College and University Blog: Get higher education news, relationship advice, fitness tips and more.
• College Guide: Washington Monthly's blog keeps tabs on what's going on at schools around the country, and new trends in higher ed.
• Campus Grotto: Find money tips, job search information, campus trivia and more.
• ONE Campus Challenge: This blog tracks the competition between universities to see which student body "has the most effective global poverty-fighting campaign."
• College Candy: Find real-life stories, quizzes, relationship tips, money advice and more from this hilarious — and sometimes raunchy — blog.
• Life Without Pants: Learn effective, productive ways to live life according to your own rules.
• Quarterlives: Head to Quaterlives for entertainment, health, personal development and career news geared towards 20-somethings.
• Gradspot: Turn to Gradspot when you want to learn how to cook, move into a new home, write a resume or start a new workout routine.
• The Lemon Life: The Lemon Life is another post-grad website full of articles and resources about dating, working, and living on your own.
• Think Simple Now: In addition to some personal life stories, this blog has tips for reading faster, improving focus and more.
• The Happiness Project: Read this blog everyday to remind yourself of all the reasons to be calm, confident and happy.
• Graduated Learning: Life after college: Find tips on buying a house, saving money, using social media, and more.

Tips for Acing Phone Interviews

If you've been offered a phone interview, there are a whole new set of rules to prepare for the interview. Here are a few tips for recent grads to ace their phone interviews.

It still counts as an interview. A phone inty is not any less important than a regular, in-person interview, so make sure you're on the ball. The interviewer is likely very busy and is using the convenience of a phone interview to quickly screen applicants. No reason not to shine! And when they can't see you, you may have some advantages.

Keep your resume in front of you. Just as you would bring your resume to a job interview with extra copies, you should have the same resume that the interviewer has. This will help you quickly refer to important highlights and keep the conversation moving. If the prospective employer references the "third bullet down" you'll know exactly what he or she is talking about.

Use a cheat sheet. You know how you are trying to visualize the bullet points of an interview response when you're in person? Now you don't have to! Keep a sheet with basic interview questions and some key points to compile your response. I would shy away from having a paragraph written and re-reading it, but if you jot down some key points of your answer (say, three strengths) you can save time and respond with a meaningful answer.

Sit in front of your computer. Let's say that the interviewer brings up something online--you'll be at the ready to check it out. I've had this happen (mostly in client meetings) when the other person wants to guide me through something or have me peek at their website. It may come in handy, so if you can have a computer ready that may be a good idea. Otherwise, be sure to jot down the URL so you can check out the site after you hang up.

Keep water close. In addition to having your resume available and some interview answers handy, it's good to keep a bottle of water close by. If your voice gets scratchy, just take a sip. I advise against a super hot beverage because you don't want to scald your tongue during an interview (imagine what that may sound like!) Also, tissues are a good thing to have handy, because if you sneeze, you can either pinch your nose to avoid it (yes, this works) or turn your head into the tissue. I also keep one or two pens handy, as well as a blank notepad so I can jot down any relevant details.

Get comfortable. Some people may still want to be dressed up so they feel more professional, but if you think you can hack the interview in jeans and sneaks, go for it. I like this option because you feel like you're getting away with something and you may be more comfortable--hence, a better interview. I always enjoy when I can be comfortable because after all of those uncomfortable interview moments, it's nice to hide behind the phone. Just make sure you sit upright and are serious about the interview. (Pink fuzz slippers or boxers are still okay though. After all, you won't get many opportunities like this!)

Don't mute. I know it's common to want to mute while the interviewer blabs on and on, but I've had this happen where I forget to un-mute the person, begin responding and then the interviewer is questioning where I've gone. Best to just listen, keep quiet and bide your time. Interviews on the phone are usually shorter than in-person interviews, anyway. The only reason to mute is to cover up a sneeze....and even if you don't cover up an ah-choo, it's good that the other person knows you're human anyway.

Eliminate distractions. You know to go into a quiet room and not to do the interview in the middle of the morning hustle at Starbucks, right? Be on a land line and shut the door to noisy kids, family members, roommates, pets, and other distractions. Turn the TV off and turn your cell phone off.

Be polite. I always like to re-iterate the interviewer's name at the end of the interview. "Thank you again, Susan, I appreciate your time." This shows that you're listening to what he or she has to say and incorporating his or her name shows you've paid attention. So when you get on the call, be sure to note the interviewer's name so you can thank him or her at the end. What about following up? Still write a note or an email to thank the interviewer yet again--and use his or her name in that communication as well.

Go Broke or Skip School?

So many recent grads struggle with the financial burden of a college degree--but does that mean that a college degree isn't worth it? This guy, James Altucher, thinks so.

Why? Because of that whole story about a student (Michelle Bisutti) that owed $500,000 in debt from schooling. Why? Deferred payments and accumulated charges associated with that (in my opinion, as a result of not understanding her loans and obligations).

Anyway, the point is that avoiding college is now being seen as an alternative. But you have to wonder if there's an alternative to that--perhaps choosing a more affordable college. Hitting up community college for a few years to take basic courses and then transferring--or *gasp* going to a state school. While there can still be burdens from less-expensive schools, it may be more practical to go to a school you can afford, just like you need to live within your means long after you get out of school. Essentially, choosing a school with a pricetag that's beyond your means can be seen as irresponsible.

James claims that students simply need to be motivated to get far in life. Network. Build connections.

Really? That's it? Maybe in some cases, but before you get your foot in the door to motivate someone to give you a job or make connections (things he suggests are all you need), most people look at resumes and want to see a degree on the bottom. Not in all cases, of course, but in most. No degree? No interview. Many more doors closing before they can open, eh? Not the position I would want to be in.

Before all the "you don't need a degree" people start raving, I'm not saying you have to have a degree. But not getting one when you want it but are afraid of debt seems self-limiting. Instead, I say choose a practical school and be responsible about your college loan payments.

So what you do you think? Is the answer to simply skip school? Or are there ways to make it less of an all-or-nothing situation?

Health Insurance for New Grads--The eBook!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard there’s a bit of a debate going on about health insurance. Should everyone be required by law to have it? Who foots the bill? And so on…

Now that you’ve graduated from college and aren’t covered under your parents’ plan, you need health insurance. Don’t think you’re invincible — because you’re not.

“But health insurance is complicated and confusing.” Yes, it is. That’s why Heather Huhman wrote Graduated, Unemployed & Un(der)insured: Why You Need to Stop What You’re Doing Right Now to Purchase Health Insurance and How to Pick the Provider & Plan Best for You.

Throughout the pages of this e-book, you’ll learn your health insurance rights, what COBRA is, why you might want to consider graduate school, different plans offered by employers, short- and long-term insurance options, how to shop around for a policy and the potential impact of healthcare reform. It’s all here.

The regular cost is $19.99. However, between now and 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, February 20, 2010, it will cost you only $9.99 if you use the coupon code ‘HALFOFF‘ during checkout. (If you don’t see the Add to Cart button below, click on the cover image to the left.)

To view the table of contents and introduction for free, click here.

In addition to a $5 off coupon for the next e-book she writes (a new one will be produced approximately every six weeks), purchasing this e-book today will guarantee you a copy of any future revisions. So, if a month from now there’s new information, you’ll receive an e-mail with the updated copy–for free!

From After-College to Quarterlife Crisis?

FYI, I did an interview this summer for the Road Map to the Real World blog, and I'm not sure if you know about it.

Download or stream the podcast here.

Enjoy!

Making an Entry-Level Salary Work for You

Grace Kendall posted a great blog post on the Come Recommended blog, The Classroom to Cubicle Project. She talks about how tough it is to live on an entry-level salary.

And she's darn right. It is hard to live on. She makes $25,000 a year and that may even sound low to some of you--but some people have survived on even less. Myself included, and it wasn't that long ago.

So how do you make it work?

I talk about this a lot in the book. The key, I think, is practicality. I stress having a roommate to save on rent costs, or co-habitating with your rents for a short period of time. Additionally, have a budget to stay on track of everything. These are small things that most new grads do to make it through entry-level pay.

And if all else fails, remember that everyone started somewhere and they made it through. Soon enough, you'll progress into your career and have enough money to live more comfortably. The beginning is tough...but it's temporary, too.

Getting a Clue When it Comes to Networking

The term "networking" gets a lot of slack. Most new grads are eager to start networking but aren't sure how. And if you've been in the professional world for a few years, you probably don't keep up with networking unless you have been recently unemployed.

Regardless, I enjoyed this article, "Thirteen Networking Mistakes." In it, the author discusses being "clueless" about networking.

I didn't smarten up about the goal of networking--or the importance of selecting the right network--until I dove in. I attended a meeting of a local media/PR group a few years back. After shelling out about $25 for the lunch, I went into the room and tried to spark up as many conversations as possible. ($25 isn't cheap, especially for a lunch with strangers, so I wanted to get the most out of it.)

Anyway, I managed to overcome my shy side and made a few new pals. Great! The problem? They were all in the same boat as me, looking for work. There were writers looking for designers to buddy up to, hoping the designers needed to liven up their visuals with exciting content. The designers were hoping the writers could bring them new clients. Neither side really had the clients that the other wanted. We were all "starving artists" for the most part.

Point is, if I was there to forge connections, I agree it was beneficial. But it would have taken more than one lunch to do that and I had such a bad experience that I never went back. To me, I'm in networking to make money and get leads. This was more for other creatives that wanted to commiserate or talk about computer programs. The other writers I met could hardly keep themselves afloat, so I knew I wasn't going to get work out of it. Same with the designers and "agencies"--most were one-man shops that did copywriting "in-house" to save money. (This explains why there are many sucktastic websites out there!)

Needless to say, nothing good came out of this, which is why when I network now, I ask myself two questions:

• 1. What do I want to get out of this?
• 2. What types of people do I want to meet?

See, for me, I don't have much of a desire to meet other copywriters--I'd rather get new jobs. So when I network, I go to broad business functions where I may be able to find a graphic designer that needs a copywriter to add content to his designs, but I can also find a hospital that needs an article for its newsletter or perhaps an insurance company that wants a new website. Copywriting reaches all industries, so I have to target all industries. I want to meet people in these industries, who can pass my name on to other business owners they know. By just meeting writers, I was closing doors because they were too reluctant to sub out work. (I don't blame them, so am I!)

New grads can expect to find plenty of networking, but in a similar respect I have mentioned, ask yourself what you want to get out of it. Are you looking for a mentor? Maybe you have a job and part of that is to get new leads? There are a variety of objectives so be sure to see what you can get out of it. If you're just in the market for some new friends, it's great for that too.

Another thing is to be aware that it can cost money. I'm not one to eat meals with strangers, so I am more drawn to cocktail mixers or events at libraries or other public places. Ask about memberships, too--some groups won't let you come unless you purchase a costly membership. On the other hand, your employer may pay for your membership if you're representing the company.

Think about what you want out of networking and do what's beneficial to you. With so many options out there, you've got to be selective--and you've got to get a clue!!