A Time to Reflect

As I look back at the last few months as the public affairs intern for Come Recommended, I sit back in awe of how much I have been able to learn in such a short period of time. While I’ve been able to keep a keen eye on all matters pertaining to education, labor, and healthcare that have been put up for debate on Captiol Hill, I have been able to digest the tools essential to career success and job hunting.

Heather Huhman does not just provide a service with her knowledge and infinite wisdom about entry-level job seeking, but more so a gift for all those interested to be able to obtain, grasp and appreciate.

The closer I inch towards my graduation, the more I realize how tips and tricks learned through my fellow interns’ blog posts, daily tweets from Heather, and other outlets that have helped me secure my future endeavor I will be pursuing following my graduation.

The benefits of online internships have been explored on this blog, as has the importance of leadership ability as a member of a team such as one as unique as the one at Come Recommended. I’ve been blessed with a gracious opportunity to learn from each person’s strengths and find a way to advance the CR agenda.

So now as I look upon the future, I offer some words of wisdom for my fellow soon to be graduates: remember that we are who we are becomming. The choices we make and types of behavior we exhibit now, are the same in which we will likely be exhibit later in life.

Do you save any of your money now? Do you keep in touch with friends you haven’t seen in a while? Do you ever step outside your comfort zone in social situations? Well, then don’t expect to have a eiphany twenty years down the road, make the change today for tomorrow. I am thankful for the steps this internship has allowed me to take to better myself for life in the future, wherever I may end up.

Group Projects: Friend or Foe?

Love them or hate them, group projects have been a fundamental part of the better majority of students’ undergraduate careers at their respective universities. To me, I often saw them as being the bane of my existence and a necessary evil at best. However, as I close yet another giant chapter in my life with my college career winding down by being only a mere 16 days away from commencement, I am looking back with a different approach.

There are many reasons students despise group projects, including the meetings in the library where nothing gets done at first due to everyone just staring at each other like zombies, waiting for someone to come up with the spectacular idea that will carry the rest of the group. People also dislike the e-mail chains, missed phone calls, and tardiness of fellow members to meetings, all things that breed patience and often test one’s sanity from time to time.

I myself cite these reasons among many, many others as to why I have not always viewed upon group projects with the most favorable of thoughts. Yet, had it not been for some of the long and daunting hours spent with random students in which I was paired with, I would have never gained the necessary experience of working collectively with all kinds of different students. For every slacker and sub-par achieving member of my group, was an overzealous and super ambitious member there in which I was able to learn and take something from.

The importance of being able to meet deadlines, being held accountable, and contributing well-done and thorough work are all vital components of a successful group project and concepts that can be grasped along with the way if one so chooses.

Additionally, group projects between yourself and classmates provide ample preparation for the ‘real world’ in which you may be assigned to work with a coworker on an assignment. By the time you graduate, you too should have experience being able to deal with a team member with an opposing personality from yourself or someone who you simply cannot stand.

So I those who have years of group projects forecasted into their future, and those who are a few weeks away the end of their college careers to look back and evaluate your group project experiences. Were they really your foe, or simply a friend in disguise?

Matching Your Expectations, Post-Graduation

While my viewpoint may be seen as bias, as I am fortunate enough to have some post-graduation plans, I fully believe that if the financial safety net (aka your parents) is in your corner, then you should pursue something following your graduation that will truly benefit you. Let me clarify. Like my fellow colleagues finishing up the remainder of the “best four years” of their lives, I too have many friends who are actively job searching.

I understand the graduate-then-get-a-job mentality and thought process, and rightfully so. However, I do not see the point in taking a job in which you have no interest, no desire in, and is in no way connected to your field you wish to pursue. This is where the post-grad internship equation comes into play. As a graduation present, why not ask your parents to help you sublease a place in a city where you land a solid-forward-progressing summer internship? While many are not able to commit to a plan due to its financial infeasibility, the option for some is there.

If you have been pursuing a career in marketing or education or statistics for eight long semesters of late-night study sessions, and the occasional part-time internship while attempting to maintain your social sanity, why settle for accepting a position at a company in which you have little to zero interest in working for right after graduation? Our society is built upon an instant gratification belief — we expect to get things as soon as possible no matter the true cost sometimes. With this being said, some people might see a post-grad internship as a step back when in reality, if you choose the right opportunity, it could not only be a step but more so a ‘leap’ forward towards your future.

The late great runner Steve Prefontaine said it best, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” Don’t let your gift succumb to desperation rather than desire.

Job Seeker with Poor Credit History? Help May Be on the Way

Oregon recently joined Washington and Hawaii as the only states that have banned the use of credit history for employment purposes. As it stands with most states, employers can choose to make their hiring decisions based upon a candidate’s credit history under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

However, in order to do so prior to running a credit check, they must notify these prospective candidates and receive their consent. Would you say “no” to a potential employer doing so? Probably not. The employer must provide information on the means in which they obtained the report if they do in fact reject an applicant based on their credit history.

Most consider this to be an unfair advantage for employers, since it can be seen as discriminatory. This is because some credit histories could have been tarnished in the past due to an unforseen circumstance, which lead to future financial shortcomings that prevent them from obtaining employment.

If the movement of passing legislation to protect job seekers continues to spread state by state, potential employees may have an easier time getting a job if their state passes a law limiting or even banning employment credit checks.

As of July 1st, 2010, according to Senate Bill1045 passed by the Oregon Legislature, it will be “unlawful for an employment practice for an employer to obtain or use for employment purposes information contained in the credit history of an applicant for employment or an employee, or to refuse to hire, discharge, demote, suspend, retaliate or otherwise discriminate against an applicant or an employee with regard to promotion, compensation or the terms, conditions or privileges of employment based on information in the credit history.”

Other states that have followed suit in submitting laws that bind this practice include California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Is your state on the list?

The Unwanted Post-College Roommate

Debt.

With the rising costs of college by way of tuitions hikes that seem to have no end in sight, the majority of students turn to loans to aid the cost of their attendance at institutions of higher learning. After college, hundreds of thousands of graduates take those loans home with them, which have now translated into debt they will be paying off for years to come.

While the original healthcare reform bill was signed last week, on Tuesday, President Barack Obama signed the reconciliation bill that, in addition to tightening some loose healthcare reform bolts, makes the government a direct lender to students seeking help in paying for college. In the reconciliation bill was the The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act.

The most sweeping redo of college assistance programs since the 60’s, this act strips the banks of their role as the proverbial middlemen in federal student loans and places them into the hands of the government.

Instead of giving a cut to the banks, the government will now be able to boost Pell grants with that recovered money and make it easier for some graduates to repay their student loans. Additionally, higher approval rates on loans and lower interest rates will now be seen by some future borrowers.

To put it in perspective, as it stands today about half of all undergraduates receive federal student aid of some sort, and an additional 8.5 million students go to college with the help of Pell Grants. These changes will not, however, go into effect until 2014, so future college students will be the true beneficiaries.

For more information on the bill and its stipulations, click here.

Healthcare History in the Making

As President Barack Obama used 20 different pens to left-hand to sign into law the most historic piece of healthcare legislation in our lifetimes yesterday, feelings of agony and ecstasy were emitted by millions of Americans across our great nation as the bill officially became law of the land.

While it still has to go through the Senate again for final considerations on the markups, and many states’ Attorney Generals have their lawsuits cocked back and ready to fire, a significant page in our history has been turned.

What does this mean for us this year? Well to start off, recent grads as well as May grads will be able to stay on their parent’s health insurance until their 27th birthdays as of September 2010.

Additionally, within the first year of its activation:

• Insurers will not be able to rescind policies to avoid paying medical bills when a person becomes ill
• Lifetime limits on benefits and restrictive annual limits will be prohibited
• A 10 percent tax will be imposed on amounts paid for indoor tanning services on or after July 1
• Insurers will be barred from imposing exclusions on children with pre-existing conditions. Pools will cover those with pre-existing health conditions until health care coverage exchanges are operational.

…and much more.

While many remain discontent and downtrodden with results of congressional action to sign the bill, how the bill will be paid for, and the increasing amount of government intrusion, the bill is here to stay for now. With that being said, we must hop on board the ship and reap the benefits.

Get Referred, Get Recommended

Everyone gets nervous asking for them, never knowing exactly who to ask, when to ask them, and patiently ancitipating that final nod of approval and gracious acceptance by the individual asked.

Getting personal recommendations can be a daunting task at first, but can be a rewarding experience in the end. The tricky part that people often find is figuring out the “right” people to ask for these letters of high praise, that essentially are words that place you on a pedestal and recommend you for acceptance into a school, program, or even a job.

Do not be afraid to ask a teacher in whose class you did not receive your highest mark. Sometimes grades do not reflect the most accurate and complete performance of your efforts in a class, and if a teacher with whom you had a good relationship knows this, then the letter they write will speak for themselves.

Additionally, getting a letter from a close family friend may be your best bet for someone who is the most qualified to evaluate your character and personality outside of an academic setting and provide a recommendation for a fellowship. Yes, their words will be biased, but you can reduce this by giving them the right instructions.

Finally, getting a letter from an employer at the end of an internship will provide you with the most compelling statement for a future employer of a job that might separate you from the pack, pending you perform to the best of your abilities during the internship period.

Letters of reccomendation can be considered extensions of the references that you are often required to list for jobs when applying. Try your best to form tangible relationships with your professors, academic counselors, or even advisors of extracurricular activities you are involved in during the course of your undergraduate career.

Healthcare or Health Crisis?

Quick, name the country that spends the most money on healthcare yet is ranked 50th in terms of their average life expectancy. Give up? It’s the U-S of A, and while we often boast of being the best at nearly everything from sports to our armed services, we drop the ball at the goal line in the healthcare game and have continued to do so for longer than most care to admit.

Universal healthcare may in fact not be the answer to the crisis, but with more than 40 million people uninsured and rising by the year, a solution needs to be obtained in the very near future.

The price of doing nothing and letting the prices of our premiums and continued domination of insurance agency over their consumers is simply too much to bear as a soon-to-be recent graduate and eventual provider for a family. While those of us who sit comfortably on our parents’ payrolls flip through the channels ignoring the latest on Capitol Hill and failed execution of tireless pieces of legislation get stalled on the floor due to egos and stubbornness, millions and millions continue to suffer the consequences.

There is simply no reason why we should be spending 1/6 of our economy on healthcare and spending more to stay alive then provide for ourselves. S,o as President Obama called out the insurance agencies in a spirited and invigorating address on Monday (Clip of Obama Health Care Address in Glenside, PA), so too will I call out Congress.

This is a call to Congress: Just because you can put a suit and tie on everyday does not  mean you can always effectively determine what the nation “wants.” Sometimes, it takes the whispers of many to make a giant yell by a selected few. Please, be the change that we as citizens of this great nation so desperately deserve.

While the majority of us are sailing the waters of unemployment leading up to post-graduation, obtaining affordable healthcare is just another unfortunate tidal wave that stands in our way of starting the rest of our lives.

If you want to learn more about the health insurance process, and how you as a soon-to-be graduate can benefit from knowledge provided by others, than I urge you to purchase a copy of Heather’s e-book.

Spend Your Summer Campaigning

Still without a summer internship or career opportunity? Consider joining a statewide Congressional or Senate campaign, where a world of opportunities can open to you.

Working on a political campaign can be everything from exhilarating to exhausting to frustrating to thrilling — and everything in between. Looking for a crash course in politics? No better place than to start with a campaign. Even if you do not find yourself among the politically persuaded, working on a campaign is a tremendous line on any resume and provides a fantastic opportunity to gain experience in any field or to hone one’s skills.

Young students and recent graduates can turn their experiences/volunteer work into a paid position upon learning basic office skills, public relations skills, and negotiation tactics, among a myriad of other things.

Every two years in between Presidential election years are what are known as “midterm” elections, where essentially every House Representative office is up for grabs, and some Senate seats. 2010 is considered by many to be one of the most pivotal mid elections in recent memory because of the political turmoil, disgust, and attention that has arisen out of Washington, D.C. since President Obama’s election. Additionally, state governor’s races are always worth looking into.

Be aggressive, do your job well, and continue to expand your network with whomever you come in contact with and reap the benefits no matter how successful (or not) the candidate you find yourself working for ends up being. Win or lose, the knowledge, skills, and abilities you walk out the door with will be what last with you the longest.

Hot List of 2010 Campaigns:

Check here for a full list of the most up-to-date polls of the hottest races for primary seats and November elections.

Spread Your Wings of Involvement

Too many times this semester, I have spoken to friends who are now applying for entry into the real world in the form of a job who’ve said, “Man, I wish I had been more involved during my time at college.” Let this be a lesson to those still enjoying the first few years of their collegiate experience: get involved now.

The difference between an applicant for a graduate school, law school, medical school, or job can be measured by leaps and bounds depending on what’s listed under their “extracurricular/leadership experience” on their resumes coming out of college. The most successful people are those who have dipped into a pool of a wealth of experiences, extending past the typical academic responsibilities.

Like engaging in sports during one’s youth, on-campus involvement in organizations, intramural sports, or even volunteer work can work wonders on one’s character, development of self-esteem, and help you reach out and connect to people you never would have otherwise.

What activities are you (or have you been) involved in? Do you feel they’ve helped you land interviews, internships or entry-level jobs?