2011 November | Green Panda Treehouse

You Will Get Out What You Put In

Photo by CameronParkins

Posted in Jobs and Entrepreneurship | No Comments »

From the College Classroom to Your Full Time Career

By: Kristina | Date posted: November 28, 2011 (7:30 am)

Good Morning Green Panda Friends. I hope that you all had a lovely weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving. Today is the next post in our “Me, My College Education, and My Money” series. So far we have discussed how to use your time in college wisely, how to choose which college is the best for you, as well as the importance of learning from good professors.

Today we are discussing how to get a job after college graduation. To help you out Green Panda has teamed up with Sandra, she is an experienced Human Resources Manager who specializes in Recruitment. Sandra is here to give you resume, job search and interview tips. She knows what employers are looking for and Green Panda wants to help College Grads get a job.

Resume Tips for College Grads

Your resume should be limited to one page, and it should not include photos or pictures of yourself. College Graduates should always start with a mission statement that includes what type of job they are looking for and what skills they have that will be beneficial to their potential employer.

An important resume tip for College Grads is to list your education first since this is your most notable recent achievement. Include your program details, dates, as well as any awards and special achievements; it is not necessary to include your GPA.

Your resume should include both on and off campus work experience. It is also important to include volunteer work experience and any internships or co-op work experience. Even if you worked part time at your parent’s office for the summer you should include it on your resume. Each work experience should include your job title and your specific duties.

Do not include references directly on your resume. You can call/email the employer two weeks later to check on the process of your application and provide them with your work related references.

Where College Grads can Look for a Job

Before College Grads apply for any job we should always visit the company’s website to make sure that we really want to work for that employer. There is no point in applying for a job with a local company if you are looking for international opportunities. When you are looking for a job keep in mind that College Grads usually don’t start at the top. Make sure that there is room for you to grow within the company and ultimately find your dream job.

Check with your College for Career Days when employers come onto campus to recruit recent College Graduates. Employers at these types of events usually have several job openings available, and they are usually entry level positions; but at least it gets your foot in the door with the employer.

When College Grads are looking for a job they should check the local bulletin boards at their school as well as ask professors if they know of any available positions in their field. Website searches on job posting websites such as Monster and Workopolis are also a great idea. You can even create a profile and let employers find you. If you know which company you want to work for you can create a candidate profile directly on their website.

Interview Tips for College Grads

The number one interview tip for College Grads is to be confident, but not cocky. Don’t be shy because we don’t want the employer to think that you are timid and unprepared for a real world job. Remember that you may have the education for the job, but you don’t yet have the experience. Focus on your positive qualities and let the employer know that you really want the job.

Check Out the previous posts in the “Me, My College Education and My Money” series:

The Best College Professors

Can I Travel When I’m Not Rich?

Photo by BPSUSF

What’s Cool Around The Web

By: MD | Date posted: November 25, 2011 (6:00 am)

We here at Green Panda Treehouse hope that you guys had an amazing Thanksgiving! If you want to relax for a moment we have included some links for you to check out:

1. When is it Time to Call it Quits? @ TFB.

2. Gigs for Goals – My New Favorite Mindset! @ Budgets Are Sexy.

3. How You Can Find a High Paying Part Time Gig @ Studenomics.

4. The Power Of Rate My Prof @ My University Money.

5. Interest Deficit Disorder @ Experiglot.

6. How to Raise Your Credit Score Over 110 Points in Less Than 5 Months @ Good Financial Cents.

7. How You Can Destroy Your Junk Food Addiction @ Training Shark.

8. How To Reduce Fuel Consumption By Avoiding These Bad Driving Habits @ KNS Financial.

9. How to Start Your Own Business Networking Group @ Wealth Pilgrim.

10. How to Choose a Property to Rent in Your Community @ PIN.

11. Are Live Sports Worth The Cost? @ Canadian Finance Blog.

12. Create Your Very Own Money-Making Small Business from a Hobby @ PT Money.

13. What Is Your Real Hourly Wage? @ Boomer & Eco.

14. How Being Thankful Affects Your Finances @ 20s Finances.

15. The Mall is Hazardous to Your Financial Health @ BITFS.

Posted in Blog Round Ups | 1 Comment »

The Best Excuses to Start Traveling Now

By: MD | Date posted: November 24, 2011 (6:00 am)

Excuses to Start Traveling

We always have excuses for why we can’t do something. Today I’m going to make excuses for why you can do something. There are many excuses for why we can’t go traveling. On the other hand, there are even more excuses for going travelling right now.

What are the best excuses to start traveling right now?

Attend a unique sporting event.

This is going to sound ridiculous for anyone that doesn’t follow sports, but a sporting event can be the BEST excuse to travel. How many times can you see a NASCAR race? How many times can you attend a WrestleMania? How much times in your life can you see the World Cup? Saving money is important, but certain moments are priceless. I attended a UFC show and let me tell you that it was the most amazing experience. It’s just one of those things that you’ll never forget. I plan on attending the Euro Cup when it comes to Poland next year because I have family there.

Is there a unique sporting event that you really want to catch? Start saving and planning right now.

Visit family.

We all have family in different parts of the world. I used my recent Euro-trip as an excuse to visit my grandparents in Poland. It was great to see everyone because it’s unfortunate how rarely we get to see family in life. If you have any family in a different part of this planet, why don’t you go and visit them?

Live in a different country.

When you live in the same place for your whole life you never challenge yourself. Hanging out with the same people and following the same routine won’t get you anywhere and you won’t grow. The greatest growing experience is to live in another place for an extended time. This when you really see what you’re made of.

Meet new people.

Are you tired of hanging out with the same people? When you travel you’re frequently meeting new people and running into new situations. You never know when a complete stranger at the hostel can become your new best friend. What are you afraid of?

Learn a new language.

Have you been keen on the idea of finally learning another language? There’s no better way to learn a language than to actually live in that country. When you live in the country you’re forced to speak the language on a daily basis and you’re going to learn quick. There’s only so much you can learn from listening to language podcasts online.

Make money.

Traveling isn’t all about spending money. You can work abroad as a teacher or any other gig. This will give you a chance to make some money while you get away from home. A win-win if you ask me.

It’s cheaper to live in another country.

If you can’t keep up with your bills, maybe it’s because you’re living in the wrong place. It is significantly cheaper to live in many places abroad, compared to North America. When you travel you’ll see just how cheap it is to get by in another country.

Do you have enough excuses to start traveling right now? What are you waiting for? Pay down your credit card debt and live life on your own terms.

Check out the other articles from the Travel Like a Rockstar Series:

4 Little Known Ways of Saving Money While Traveling.

3 Things You Must Know About Traveling.

What You Need to Do Before You Start Traveling.

Lifestyle Changes at Home That Can Help You Travel More.

Is It Worth Staying in Hostels When You Travel?

How to Find Work Abroad.

(photo credit: francis.j.gonzalez)

_{»crosslinked«}

Posted in Life and Travel | No Comments »

Barriers That Prevent us From Saving Money

By: Green Panda | Date posted: November 23, 2011 (5:00 am)

Saving Money Today: Just a Dream?

How many times have you and your friends mentioned that some day in the near future you’ll get your finances in order, you just need to get a better job? We all have some hang ups with money. Some worse than others. However do you ever wonder why so many people to reach their dreams? Many times it has to do with barriers.

What if I showed you how to overcome the most common barriers when it comes to finances? Do you think you’ll be able to achieve your financial goals?

“I’ll Lose Money”

Most people have loss aversion, meaning that people would rather avoid losses than risk a chance to make gains, even big ones. I know people who don’t invest in the market because they’re afraid of picking the wrong stocks and losing all their money.

Solution: Start conservative and build from there.

If you’re too worried about jumping into the market now, then start with a target fund based on your estimated retirement date. Don’t put a lot of money in. Check to see if your company offers a 401(k) match. Put enough to get the match; you’ll be getting free money from the company. Use that money to experiment with while you put your money into the target fund. As you get more comfortable look at other investing options.

“I Have to Have Perfect System”

A big fear for many is not having the winning formula right away. I completely understand that. Fear of failure can be huge. I will tell you right now that no one has the perfect system. Things change and so we all have to adjust our plans from time to time.

Solution: Start with one thing.

Instead of trying to pay down debt, get an emergency fund up, and invest in your 401(k), pick one goal to hone in on. If you have several credit cards that have debt, choose one to start off. Once you have success in one ares, then move on to another goal.

“I Don’t Have Any Money Left to Save”

I’ll admit that I had this hang up a few years ago when I was in debt. After paying my bills I always found little or no money left in my bank accounts.

Solution: Deduct savings first. Fight lifestyle inflation.

This seems a bit irresponsible considering necessary bills are vital. Hear me out though. If you can even deduct a small amount (a mere 5% for example) from your take home pay before the bills are done, not only will you be saving money, but you’d likely still have enough money to pay your bills.

Another culprit is lifestyle inflation. In fact I bet that many readers have this problem than the others.

What is Lifestyle Inflation?

Lifestyle inflation can happen as your expenses increase along with your income. Maybe as a college student you were extremely frugal and only went to the movie theater during matinee hours. Now with a better job, you and your friends head out every time there’s an interesting movie released. You’re not living large, but here and there, your regular expenses have gone up.

Lifestyle inflation can become a problem when it hinders you. If your income decreased, could you weather the recurring monthly expenses? Have you been able to save money for emergencies, vacations, or a down payment on a car? Why not? How can you adjust your monthly spending plan?

Being Smart About Lifestyle inflation

I’m not saying you shouldn’t enjoy some of your hard earned money now. I think it’s unrealistic to just tell people to spend less. I want to share some tips on how you can go ahead and get your spending under control. You can take what you need from the list and use it for your own circumstances.

Define your priorities. What bills have to get paid (rent, food, transportation)?
Adjust expenses by a little bit. What bills can be adjusted (downgrade the cable bill a notch)?
Find at least one big win. Could you dramatically save a big chunk of money by shopping around (like car insurance)? Can you get rebates on purchases you made recently, like a new cell phone?

Do you think you could decrease your spending if you were in a tough spot? What do you recommend people do first?

Psychology of Money

Looking at passive and active barriers and how to tackle them can help you increase your net worth. Curious to see what affects your money making (or losing) decisions? Check other posts in the Money & Psychology series:

What have been some hurdles for you when it comes to saving money? What helped you to succeed where you had failed before? How long did it take for you to reach your savings goal?

Photo Credit: jollyUK

Posted in Banking | 1 Comment »

You Will Get Out Of Your College Education What You Put Into It!

By: Kristina | Date posted: November 22, 2011 (7:33 am)

Good Morning Everyone. It’s Tuesday and it’s time for another post in our “Me, My College Education, and My Money” series. So far we have talked about how to chose the best college for us, how important it is to chose the right program of study, how to use our time wisely while in College, as well as how to graduate from College (nearly) debt free.

Today we are discussing how we can succeed in college. Today Green Panda is going to provide you with a base plan and the necessary tools to help you get the most out of your time in college and how to succeed while in college as well as after graduation.

Stay Focused in College

Our primary focus in college is of course getting a great education. But the truth is that there are so many other important aspects that we have to learn about in college. As a college graduate trust me when I say that if you only keep your nose in the books for four years and you don’t make any friends or experience the college social life then you will be very sorry after graduation.

I know that we will get out of our college education what we put into our time in college, and I am thankful that I have a great job to show for my hard work during my college years. However, I spent so much time working and studying in college that I really didn’t get to have a real college experience. I wish that I could have made more great friends and that I could have more free time and time to socialize. I wish that I wasn’t always running from class to work then back to class during my four years of college, but I know that working during college is a reality for a lot of college students.

Make The Most out of Your College Years

We have to make the most out of our short four years in college, this includes getting a great education but it also includes making great professional and personal connections. We all go to college to get a good job. But nowadays being a college graduate is not enough to guarantee that we will automatically get a job right after graduation. Employers are looking for intelligence, relevant work experience, as well as someone with a great personality. In my experience our resume with our education, work experience, personal skills, and volunteer activities can only get us an interview. Our personality and our ability to communicate with others are the qualities that will get us the job.

In order to get a great job we have to make the right connections in college; in order to do this we have to make the most out of our college years by meeting people. The best way to meet people in college is to join student associations. We can also join a mentoring program in our program of study which will allow us to meet and get guidance from older students who have lived through our experiences.

One of the most valuable assets in college is our relationship with our professors. Although I already had a job in my field while studying in college, I still benefited greatly from the relationships that I formed with a few of my college professors. As I performed well in their classes they asked me to assist them with various administrative tasks in my final years of college, this allowed me to gain work experience as well as spend time in my professor’s office to build a relationship with them and their colleagues. I definitely built up a nice network of contacts from the relationships with my college professors.

Check Out the previous posts in the “Me, My College Education and My Money” series:

The Best College Professors

Photo by BeneathB1ue

Posted in College Life and Education | No Comments »

In College We Should Learn From the Best!

By: Kristina | Date posted: November 21, 2011 (7:30 am)

Good Morning Green Panda Friends. I hope that you all had a nice weekend. Today we are continuing on with the next post in our “Me, My College Education, and My Money” series. Today we are discussing what you are really paying for in college; we are discussing the valuable information that we learn during our four years at college, and we are discussing the people who provide us with our higher education. Today we are discussing everything about our College Professors from their great teaching tactics and their passion to help students to their boring lectures and lack of interest in student’s lives.

Throughout my four years at college I had a few really great Professors, but I also had a lot of really bad Professors. I also had some average Professors who were not great and not bad but I don’t really remember any of them. During our four years in College we want to get a great education from experienced Professors who work or who have worked in our field of study. What good are book smarts if we don’t have any real life experience? My favourite College Professors taught real life case studies and shared their real life work experiences with their students.

My Favourite College Professors

My all time favourite College Professor was Mr. Sook, he was a tall dark and handsome man who only taught part time at my University because he also had a 9 to 5 full time career. Teaching at the University was Mr. Sook’s part time job; he worked full time as a Business Development Consultant for a major Financial Institution. This is actually a funny story because after graduation I ended up working in the Investment Division of that same Financial Institution.

At the University Mr. Sook taught a class on the economic effects of Urban Sprawl and the choice of married couples not to have children. During his 9-5 career Mr. Sook advised the Financial Institution where to place ATMs to maximize their profitability and visibility.

I loved my semester with Mr. Sook because he brought his everyday career experience into the classroom. It is important for Professors to be educated, but it is also important for them to be personable so they can relate their career knowledge to students in the classroom.

Dr. Singh was my second favourite professor during my four years of College. He spoke to students as if they were actual people and not as specimens below him, which I greatly appreciated. He also offered extended office hours for students to come and talk with him about our course load, our internships, as well as our career paths. Dr. Singh has a PhD but he is one of the most down to earth people I have ever met. Even though I graduated in 2005 I still say hello to him every single time that I see him on the street.

The Worst College Professor

The Professor that I avoided all throughout College was a very young “know-it-all” man who had a very high IQ but no real work experience. He gave lectures without emotion and he spoke like a robot. Due to his lack of social interaction he was unable to relate to students because he always put himself on a pedestal. It is very hard to learn from someone who cannot communicate and who puts himself at an intelligence and social level above all others.

Check Out the previous posts in the “Me, My College Education and My Money” series: