OOTD No. 3 - Fall Dress

Pick up the Love at First Sight Dress at Sundance for the holidays - perfect Thanksgiving dinner dress!   Brown suede boots  -  Nine West p.s. (past season).  Sweater - Hollister p.s.

Wednesday Wisdom - How To Find A Job!

Note:  I will publish an e-book shortly about how to find a job.  I find that many individuals are very bright and successful; however, lack a fundamental understanding of how to find a job.  Look for more excerpts to be published on Wednesday Wisdom posts!  

Introduction

       I recently received a call from an intern that worked in our office.  She was about to graduate from college and embark on a job search.  I wanted to help her and when she called, I could not help but remember a few of the college graduates who I had encountered in the last few years.  I have been struck lately by the comments I hear from moms of these college gradates – that it is a tough job market and their college graduates are not able to find jobs.  These comments emanate from mothers living in one of the most populated, business oriented locations in the country if not the world, the northeast region of the United States. 

       Contrast these comments with interactions I have had with recent college graduates and to be honest, my impression is that if you live in an area that is densely populated where many national businesses are headquartered, no matter what your age, and you cannot find a job, you simply aren’t trying hard enough.

              Thoughts came to mind of one young lady I know who was offered an internship at my husband’s employer.  Surprisingly, she never quite followed up as required.  Quite frankly, I was aghast at her lack of follow up.  Her explanation was that she didn’t want to work over break.  Oh, OK.  So she gave up an internship opportunity with a nationally recognized company to stay home and do what?  That was a mistake because she turned down the opportunity to add another line to her sparse resume referring to the name of a nationally reknowned business.  And from what I understand, this girl turned down the job 15 minutes from her house to occasionally babysit. 

                  I also recall informing the daughter of an acquaintance of a summer internship at the company I worked for.  It was an excellent opportunity and one that I likely would have coveted after my graduation from college.  I asked the young lady (in front of her mother) to send me her resume and again, surprisingly, she simply never followed up.  Instead, she shampooed hair that summer.  These are just some of the choices I have witnessed recently and needless to say, I surprised at the lack of enthusiasm or seriousness that these young women showed.[1]

           When the intern I worked with called, I decided that she would be the sounding board for all of my frustrations with the young adults I have encountered in recent months who were supposedly having difficulty obtaining employment.  In the end, I basically lectured her about how to find a job based on my experiences in Human Resources and other employment-related roles.  I told her that it can be difficult to find a job but if you persevere and take advantage of opportunities presented to you, you will eventually land a wonderful job – you may not land your dream job initially, but life presents many opportunities that although not planned, with hard work and determination, may bring you to your dream job or even better, to places you never imagined.  At the end of the conversation, the intern thanked me profusely and said that she had taken many notes.  And so, here, I duplicate for you the substance of that conversation or shall I say (unashamedly) the substance of that lecture as well as other tips and advice that have worked successfully over the years!  (Note:  The summer intern who I guided was offered a job at a well regarded company in Washington D.C. as a result of her job search!)

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[1] P.S.  I recently toured a well regarded Hudson Valley college campus and spoke with the head of the Art department who when questioned about her students’ success in finding jobs after graduation stated that the more internships one had, the more likely those students were to obtain jobs.  

Money Monday No. 2 - How to Increase Your Savings.

Accumulate Savings

Never, ever pay for purchases with exact change.  Deposit your change into a pretty box at the end of the day. When the box is full, take it to your local bank where you have an account and drop the coins into a coin machine which will count the coins.  Then deposit that sum into your savings account.  You will be surprised at how quickly you will save thousands and thousands of dollars!  Some have purchased cars with the savings and I once read of a man who paid off his mortgage using this tip.  Coins add up quickly - don't give them away!

Summer Business Dress - OOTD No. 1

I have enjoyed wearing this perfect A-line sheath from Ann Taylor for summer business dress.  The sand pumps with delicate ankle straps and narrow oak heels are from Ellen Tracy.  And ... my favorite drop pearl necklace (I've received SO many compliments - seriously, this is a must have!) from The Limited here.

Money Monday No. 1 - How to Retire Early!

This maxim changes everything:

If you save 25 times the income you require to live annually, there is a strong possibility that you may retire no matter what your age.  

The interest on your savings will generally and in most instances (to confirm, consult a financial planning professional), provide you with what you need.  The challenge is to save as much as possible and limit your living expenses to drive down the income you will need to retire but it has been done and at suprisingly young ages (some have even accomplished this in their 30s by mega saving when young).  Well, hop to it - strive towards freedom!

To illustrate, if you require $50,000 annually to live and save $1.25 million dollars ($1,250,000), there is a significant possibility that you will be able to retire and live off the interest from the savings (to be sure based on your circumstances, consult with your financial professional).

Tips regarding how to increase savings will follow!

Summer Casual OOTD No. 1

This perfect summer dress from Bloomingdales by French Connection (available here) and these inspired sandals by Banana Republic have traveled this summer to Georgetown for three days of wedding festivities, Hoboken for a stroll, hunt country in New Jersey, and Long Beach Island for a beach vacation.  They served me well.

Summer

"I am mad about water.  I think water is God's tranquilizer - to be in it, to drink it, to look at, to be a surfer."  Diana Vreeland, from the documentary entitled Diana Vreeland, The Eye Has To Travel.