Reduce Your Cell Phone Bill

Gale's Blog

Are you in a position where your cell phone contract is up, and you’re free to shop around? This is the best time to try to grab better terms for your monthly plan. Call several carriers before talking with your current provider to see what they can do for you. Do you still have months and months left of your contract? That’s okay – you still might save a few bucks on your phone bill every month, particularly if you’re paying for an unlimited call plan.

Applying with a Video Cover Letter

A traditional cover letter is a brief document you send to a prospective employer that describes your interest in and qualifications for a job you’d like. You should always opt to include a cover letter when you apply for a job, unless you’ve personally been asked to submit just a resume. But, you know this process takes a lot of time, and sometimes, it’s difficult to figure out how to write an effective cover letter for each position you’re applying for. Luckily, new innovations in recruiting may provide you with a better solution. A video cover letter!

Networking Tips for LinkedIn

Dear WCF, I work for a Fortune 500 company and joined LinkedIn about six months ago to increase my circle of industry contacts. Recently I attended a networking event and had a pleasant conversation with “Joe” who is in the same field. Joe is currently unemployed, about ten years older than I am, and looking for connections too. So when I got home I e-mailed him saying that it was nice to meet him and while I didn't have any contacts for him right now, I'd like to stay in touch via LinkedIn in case I run across any in the future. To my surprise he responded that he didn’t feel he knew me well enough to recommend me and refused my invitation. Was I out of line?

Networking Tips for the New Year

The term networking can turn some people off, let alone the act itself. Whether you’re nodding in agreement or not, at least one piece of information below will hopefully be useful to you. It might help to think of networking as meeting new (and often times interesting) people. Here are some tips to help you dust off your networking (a.k.a. people meeting) skills in 2010: networking can be learned, helps you find a mentor, requires homework, and is a two-way street.

Exit Interview Protocol

Dear WCF, I’ve just accepted a new job and gave my old company two weeks notice. They’ve scheduled an exit interview for me at the end of my second week. Although my new job is a step up from my present position, I’m leaving the company primarily because I just couldn’t stand working for my manager any longer.  I’m not the only one.  She’s disliked by just about everyone in the department.  I’ve nothing against my old company but feel they would be better off without this manager.  Should I share these feelings during the exit interview?

Make a Craigslist Job Search More Effective

Last night, I posted an ad on Craigslist to find photographers and videographers to infuse some creativity into WhatCollegeForgot.com. In just twenty-four hours, I’ve already received over fifty responses. You have a lot of competition out there if you’re searching Craigslist for job opportunities, but the good news is, there are some ways you can make your email “cover letter” stand out:  be memorable, explain why you're a good fit, use the right supporting materials, proofread what you write, and offer to follow up.

Application Advice – 4 Tips for a Job Search

Job searches can be daunting, as they tend to require a lot of time and energy. Here are four tips to help you be more efficient and effective when filling out applications during a job hunt. Research companies before you apply, learn how to utilize your network, write a strong objective statement, and stay connected even when you don't get the job.

Holiday Etiquette at the Office

Office politics and etiquette can be difficult to get used to when you first join the working world. And just when you think you’re getting the hang of it, the holiday season typically throws some more curves your way. If you wonder what proper holiday etiquette is, you’re not alone. Should you give your boss a gift? What about attend your company's holiday party? Anything else to think about?

3 Quick Ways to Improve Your Credit Score

Your credit score is a critical number – it helps lenders and creditors assess your credit worthiness and re-payment risk. Credit scores become very important when you want to buy a house, finance a car purchase, or apply for a graduate school loan. If any of these big ticket items are on your horizon within the next year, you should check out your credit health now and take steps to improve your score if necessary.

Holidays and Budgets, Hand in Hand

It’s time to start shopping for the holidays, but did you save enough money to purchase all of the gifts and goodies you’d like? It’s easy to overindulge on more than just food during the holidays, so make sure you watch what you spend! While researching information to make sure my own budget is in check, I found a really cool personal finance test provided by a news station in Pennsylvania. Reporter Janelle Stelson poses questions that test your budgeting knowledge in one section of the quiz, and there’s also a great summary of what your overall budget allocations should look like.

Twitter 103 – Using Twitter to Promote Yourself

You know the basics of Twitter and how to build your Twitter network. This third and final post offers some questions and answers to help you use Twitter to promote yourself effectively. For example, what should you tweet about? How many followers should you have? How can you promote yourself with a Twitter bio? ...and more!

Twitter 102 – Use Twitter to Build a Network

Welcome to Twitter, Part II. Earlier this week, I wrote about the basics of Twitter and how to get started with this social media phenomenon. If you’re following along, you’ve hopefully created an account (using your real name) and attached a photo to your profile. Now, it’s time to figure out how to effectively communicate and network via Twitter. This post  helps you decide how you want to use Twitter and covers ways to build your network with Twitter's help.

Twitter 101 – How to Use Twitter

Facebook and MySpace are all about sharing and connecting with friends. LinkedIn is geared towards professional connections and networking. YouTube is the video sharing site that offers you the option to create your own “channel”. Digg and Delicious are social bookmarking sites where you can share and find content from any online source. And now there’s Twitter, the social media “microblogging” site that has taken the world by storm. But how do you use it?

Some Good Personal Finance Reads

It’s getting colder (at least it is in Chicago), and that means more time for making hot chocolate and reading books. I’ve found a list of allrecipe.com’s top 20 hot chocolate recipes just for fun, but I’m more interested in talking about books, especially those in the personal finance category. I’m a big advocate of reading any kind of “informative” book – you find answers to your questions, stumble upon new interests, and become more knowledgeable about a topic. Check out these recommended personal finance books.

How to Use Social Networking to Find a Job

Dear WCF,

I know that connecting with as many people as possible is important in my job search. I’ve joined LinkedIn to expand my contacts, but I’m still not sure how to use social networking in terms of finding a job. Any suggestions?

Thanks for your help, Job Seeker

First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit – What Do You Think?

Recent home buyers and current home hunters know all about the first-time home buyer’s credit. Individuals making less than $75,000 or married couples making less than $150,000 in adjusted gross income currently qualify for the full $8,000 tax credit with the purchase of a first home. You can claim part of the credit if your individual income is less than $90,000 or your joint income is less than $170,000. This program is set to expire on December 1, 2009 so you hunters out there are hopefully closing on a home soon.

Is Now a Good Time for Business School?

Not surprisingly, business school applications skyrocket during a recession. Layoffs and limited job opportunities create a desire to ride out the downturn in b-school. 2008 and 2009 business school application volume increased accordingly. But will this pattern continue for 2010 applications?

How to Use RSS Feeds

College forgot to teach me how to keep up with current events (aka, read a newspaper). It’s still a challenge for me to find time to visit relevant news and blog sites. However, a little invention called RSS – really simple syndication – makes this task much easier and a lot more fun. Simply put, RSS is a dynamic Web feed that’s updated when new content is posted to a site. All you have to do is sign up for an RSS reader and then subscribe to your favorite feeds. These 4 steps walk you through how to set up an RSS feed.

Reduce Your Rent

Are you about to re-sign a lease or look for a new apartment? If so, you might want to dust off your negotiating skills and ask for a reduction in the rent you’re currently paying. Reuters reports that apartment vacancy has reached a 23-year high, and it’s expected to get worse through the second quarter of 2010. Average rents have fallen each quarter this year, which is bad news for landlords and good news for you. Check out the following table for a summary of average rent payments in several major markets. These rental statistics from RentBits.com are average rental rates calculated from thousands of one, two, and three bedroom apartment listings.

How to Show Your Boss That You’re Invaluable

An article in SmartMoney caught my attention this week – Anne Kadet explores Ten Ways to Make Your Boss Love You. While I don’t agree with everything in the article, I think there are several points worth sharing. Here’s a summary of my favorite tips from Anne’s article, along with some additional insights on how to show your boss that you're invaluable.

Getting Ready for an International Trip

I depart for Italy in just under four hours, and I’m still taking care of last minute errands. While these “to do’s” are fresh on my mind, I thought I’d share them. Here’s a list of things to remember whenever you’re planning a trip abroad.

Job References

References are one of the most undervalued instruments in a job hunter’s tool box. Good job references help you land a job, but they also enhance your value in the eyes of your new employer. On the other hand, less than enthusiastic references could cost you a job offer. Get tips on how to select the right references.