5 Myths Uncovered About College

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Courtney@StudyPods

You hear about college in movies, TV, rumors in the cafeteria, older friends, but you never really know what it’s like to be a student until you’re there. Here are a few truths I uncovered when I got to college:

You can survive on caffeine and ramen.

While it’s true that caffeine provides (sometimes necessary) energy and ramen is a quick meal, you can’t survive on them. You need to make sure you’re getting everything you need nutritionally. If you’re only eating ramen, you need to take a multivitamin. The milk in your latte is not enough calcium.

Graduating early is no problem.

Graduating early is a legendary task that few people are able to achieve. It’s not just your major. Depending on your college and degree, there are about 60 hours of core, your minor, and outside-major requirements. If you want to shoot for this, you should probably have taken dual credit, be in summer classes most summers, and stay in constant contact with your academic adviser.

Everyone is partying/studying all the time.

If you look at a student’s social media feed, it will probably mostly be posts about studying or partying, but let’s be honest, you’re not going to spend all your time studying. And if you don’t have a job, you’re not going to spend a lot of time partying because alcohol is expensive.

You can skip class all the time/You have to go to every class.

Attending class is a balance. If you want to skip sometimes, it’s probably not going to be the end of the world. That being said, if you skip all the time, you probably won’t do well. Every student is different. Every class is different.

The freshman 15 is a rumor.

This will be most people’s first experience away from their parents. There’s no one to tell you not to eat those Chili Cheese Fritos at 3 a.m. No one to say drink plenty of water. And no high school state mandated exercise. The freshman 15 is real.

StudyPods allows you to create a Pod to connect with your classmates and other students worldwide, form study groups, upload and share files, complete assignments and help each other get better grades. Check them out at www.Studypods.com

How To Navigate A Networking Event

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Melissa

Nothing thrills me more than an excellent networking event. I had the pleasure of attending an event hosted by Creative interns and WeWork Labs. Feels like yesterday I was graduating college looking for a job.

Remember your first networking event? Lets get nostalgic here, think back! Remember the suit you wore to your first professional event? You were probably super excited to pick it out. Recalling the business cards you had to make? Probably by Moo or Vista Print. My first networking event well…was interesting. I had just graduated college a month earlier and ended finding a professional networking event in my neighborhood. Not gonna lie, the event…it wasn’t very “professional”. It was more like a big pick up scene at some local bar. That is why you have to pick and choose your events carefully.

I was very excited to be invited to WeWork labs and Creative interns event. WeWork labs, for those who don’t know, is the place for start-up to grow. Also, we had the pleasure of working with Creative interns (Click here to read Marc Scoleri’s Recent Blog Post).Creative interns is the place for those looking for great tools for those in the creative industry.

So this networking format was different from what I am used too. It was a handful of great of employers and prospective students mixing and mingling. The employers had to give 30 second pitches about their company and then students could pick and choose who they wanted to talk to. Cozier setting than most career fairs or networking events isn’t it?!
Got to talk to some fantastic students and many opportunities. It got me thinking about the art of networking. Equals6 offer great opportunities online and resources for mastering the skill. Attending at least one networking event monthly is a good practice for building your contacts list. Makes your life and your job search a whole lot easier when you know a whole lot of people.

Best,

Melissa

More About the Money

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Michael@Equals6

Over the last few weeks our blogs have been focused on money. We have covered cheap and free things for students and identified ways for you to grow your rainy day fund. While learning to be frugal and save money is an essential skill, the next step is figuring out what to do with all of that money you have saved. Should you keep it all rolled up in a tiny wad in your sock drawer, let it sit in a bank account, invest in assets such as a new car or take it all and put it into stock market? The opportunities to manage your money are endless. Here are some things that you should think about.

What is Your Goal?

Do not save money just for the sake of saving. If you identify short and long term savings goals you are much more likely to take financial action Part of setting those goals is writing them down!! Make a list of what you would like… a new car, a house, money for a trip. Once you have them written down start figuring out how you are going to get there!!

Savings Account (not just a clever name)

Instead of keeping all of your money in one account, open a second savings account. A savings account is a great tool to help track your short term savings goals!! Let’s say you want to take a trip for March break next year and figure out that it will cost you $2500. You simply start putting money into your savings account, trying to reach that goal. When you get to a milestone (enough money for the flight for example) you take the money out and use it immediately. Not only will having a savings account help you reach your goals, by pre-planning the trip you avoid putting it on credit.

Future Retirement

Nobody likes to think about retirement when they are 21. That is however the best times to start thinking about it. Understanding compound interest will help you understand why. This might be a good point to take a deep breath, especially if math is not your thing.

Imagine if you invested 2,000 a year every year and your rate of return was 10% compunded annually.

In year one you would put in $2000. At the end of the year you would earn $200 in interest ($2000 x 10%) leaving you with $2200.
In year two you put in another $2000, bringing your total to $4,200. At the end of the year you would earn $420 in interest. ($4000 x 10%)

What is important to see is that in year 2, $20 in interest is earned off of the interest you earned the year before. ($200 x 10%)

This is the concept of compund interest. Essentially you earn interest on interest.

So why does this concept show how important it is to invest at an early age? See the table below outling two different saving scenarios. Continue to assume $2000 per year at 10% rate of return.

	Age (Start Investing)	Age (Finish Investing)	Total Years Investing	Total Personal Investment	Final Value of Investments at Age 65
Scenario 1	21	27	7	$14,000	$664,000
Scenario 2	28	65	37	$74,000	$660,000

In Scenario 1, you start investing at age 21 and stop completely at age 27. Although you have only put in $14,000, by the time you retire compound interest will have grown your investment to $664,000.
In Scenario 2, you wait until you are 28 to start investing and you invest every year until you retire at 65. In this scenario you will have contributed $74,000 and when you retire you will have only grown your investment to $660,000

This shows how important it is for students to start investing in their future today. By starting at 21 years old you can save less but earn more!!

Practical Resume Tips: Don’t Lose Your First Dream Job

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Courtney@StudyPods

Preparing a resume and cover letter during your last semester can be an incredibly tense and stressful time. Everything is on the line. You’ve spent the last four years (at least) getting an education, and now you have to prove it.

We’ve compiled some tips to make sure your transition into the working world is smooth:

One Page Only

If your resume looks great but it reads like one of your college philosophy books, there is no way an employer is going to take time to decode your hidden messages. Be direct and concise. They don’t want to read your life story.

Also, if you’re just finishing college, they assume you don’t have much experience, and they do not want to read three detailed pages about your high school awards. Chances are if you’re being considered for an entry-level position, your potential employer knows exactly what they’re looking for. Don’t complicate it for them.

Format Consistency & Alignment

This seemingly insignificant portion of your resume is your future employer’s first look at how organized and systematic you are. If your alignment varies from section to section or if you tabbed over an area where you shouldn’t, employers will notice. Attention to detail can be the difference between a new job with a great salary and ramen-ridden unemployment.

Punctuation & spelling

You should always spellcheck. There is a wonderful invention standard on most document editing software that helps prevent misspellings. There is no excuse. Your potential employers will agree. It also helps to read a hard copy. You will catch things in print you didn’t catch digitally.

Sporadic punctuation may help you gain attention on your resume, but trust me. It is not the kind of attention you want. If you end one sentence in a list with a period, end all lines with a period. If you are not constructing full sentences, but put a period in any way… throw your resume away and start over. Commas are important, so use them correctly. Semi-colons usually aren’t necessary; use them sparingly.

Tense Consistency

Make sure if you “Have experience in” one thing, you continue to use the active present tense throughout your document (don’t revert back to “experienced in”). This small change in verbiage (And trust me. It is small.) could land you the job or leave you out in the unemployed pool of hopefuls.

Relevant Experience

If you’re the typical college student, you have probably jumped from job to job gathering as many hours as you can to pay bills. PLEASE NOTE: Not all of your work experience is important. No one cares that you folded shirts at Gap. If you play your cards right, you can create a resume that makes you seem perfect for one job and another resume that makes you seem perfect for a completely different job.

Your relevant experience is gold! Highlight skills each position requests, using the same wording when you can (without appearing to have copied it from their website). It’s all about versatility. Spend time phrasing your experience to demonstrate high problem solving skills instead of good decision-making.

Education

If you don’t have a 3.8 or higher, don’t put your GPA on your resume. We all know you may be proud of the 93 in Organic Chemistry, but it is better to leave out anything that may classify you as less than the best.

Including your education on your resume is debated among many professionals, so it is up to you if you want to include it or not, but we recommend you feature your strengths. If your education isn’t something you’re extremely proud of, don’t feature it. Brag on something you feel makes you more suited for the position.

Educational Skydive: Top 5 Ways Jump Right Into Any Project

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Melissa

I started telling people late last year I wanted to do something crazy, stupid, and adventurous. I guess skydiving was the answer to my “problems”. Why do it? If you can find the courage to jump from 3000 ft, you can bet everything else will seem much easier. A few weeks before my grand skydive, I had to do a task that was pretty scary for me: A quick speech. Isn’t public speaking the worst? By nature I’m not a shy person but, like the rest of the world, speaking about a certain topic for more than 30 seconds in front of big crowds…ain’t my thing. Approaching my destination for the sky dive got me thinking about conquering fears. Fear is a natural part of life and an essential emotion. Nobody on this earth is fearless. From a potentially bad and daunting experience like jumping out of a plane I was able to learn some things that not only made it a wondrous experience, but could be applied to any fears we face.

Skydive, fear, heights

//Planning Ahead//

I had to travel a little out of my way in order to get to this skydive center. I’m one who doesn’t leave the house without a google maps print out and I am always prepared with alternative directions. When you have an important project or presentation, it is great to plan ahead: Practice your speech, go over your presentation, and edit your documents. Do you home work before hand. Continue reading →

Free and Cheap Things for Broke College Students

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Sheena@StudyPods

We know you are broke. You are a full-time college student. By definition you have no money.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have a life.

Here is a list of free and cheap things to do for you broke college students.

Continue reading →

It’s All About the Money, Money, Money

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Michael@Equals6

I know all too well the struggles students face with money management. I remember once I had decided to go out with classmates knowing that I was not going to get paid from my part time job for another week. What happened? I ended up spending all of my money and had to go a week with nothing. Luckily I was able to scrounge up enough change to buy 12 buns and a pack of hotdogs to last me the week. Needless to say, that week was not a highlight of my university experience. Eating hotdogs for breakfast was a sobering reminder of how important it is to manage your finances.

For most students one of the biggest obstacles you will face is money, in that you will never have enough. Whether it is for going downtown with your friends or buying groceries, most students feel like they are on the wrong side of the poverty line. So what do you do? The first thing to remember is that we are often the instruments of our own demise. We often spend money without thinking, hoping that we will have more when we need it. Here are some simple steps to help you make sure you always have a rainy day fund when needed.

These are some easy tips to get you started on your money management path. Watch for our blog next week as we continue our discussion.

6 TIPS TO FINDING INTERNSHIPS THAT WORK FOR YOU

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Courtney@StudyPods

As college students, we hear about all of the benefits of internship experience and all of the horror stories. But are internships are really worth our time?

The truth of the matter is internships can be super useful, if you get the right one, but, how are you supposed to find the “right one?” Will there be some flashing neon sign? Maybe a small voice saying “pick this one?” Well, chances are neither of these things will happen, but here are some tools to help you choose the right internship for you.

1. DECIDE IF YOU CAN TAKE AN UNPAID POSITION

If you can, your options will open up dramatically. A lot of positions are unpaid mostly because they are paying you in experience. However, experience won’t pay your phone bill this month, so make sure you can afford it before you accept.

2. BE SURE YOU CHOOSE A POSITION THAT IS IN YOUR FIELD OF STUDY

People graduate all the time and end up accepting positions that aren’t in their desired field or exactly what they wish they were doing. An internship is not the time for that. Internships are meant to prepare you for your long-term career, so set your sights high and don’t settle. (This will help you with the whole “not getting paid” thing.)

3. FIND A BOSS WHO IS INVESTED IN YOU

If you can, find an employer who is genuinely invested in your growth. Look for places will full internship programs for your first internship. These programs are designed with you in mind, and will often offer training and education beyond your specific position. After your first internship, you can spread out to something with a little less supervision, but it’s always a good idea to play it safe until you know you can get the job done and get it done right.

4. TAKE THE GOOD WITH THE BAD

Sometimes you may have to run out and get everyone lunch or grab your boss’ coffee. This is part of being an intern. But if your position also offers you real-life experience that your friends would kill for, like contributing to a huge company project that offers travel benefits, then suck it up buttercup because it could be a whole lot worse. However, if you find the extent of your job responsibilities are saying saying “grande latte and a tall capuccino,” you should consider finding another internship.

5. GET COURSE CREDIT

Especially if you’re not getting paid, you should try to receive at least some kind of credit for your hard work. Talk with your academic adviser and see if you can work something out. Independent study works great for these types of situations.

6. MAKE THE MOST OUT OF IT

If you don’t like your projects, that’s OK. Unfortunately, you still need to get them done. If you can take it on, ask for more responsibility possibly in an area you are interested in. Take this opportunity to talk with people from various departments, form networks, and have fun. Treat every situation like a learning opportunity and don’t be discouraged when you mess everything up. You’re an intern, you’re supposed to mess up so you can get better.

Sometimes you’ll probably want to quit. This internship experience may even make you reconsider your major or influence you to add an additional minor, but that’s the purpose. If you’re frustrated that’s OK. If you’re ALWAYS confused that’s also OK. Ask for help and just keep your head up. You will get through this, just keep going.

Turns Out…It is Who you Know!!

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Michael@Equals6

When given the opportunity, someone is going to hire someone they know over someone they don’t. It may feel crappy when it happens to you, but if you think about it objectively….of course they hired the person they knew. Let’s be honest, most of us got our first job not through our skill but because the person who hired us knew (or were) our parents.

Hiring people is no fun at the best of times. You have to post your job, get resumes, screen candidates, interview, select and then start all over again if the person does not work out. There are so many unknowns…Will the person fit in? Are they truly a hard worker? Have they been completely honest? Facing a decision between someone that seems amazing that you do not know at all and someone you know is good… is no decision at all….you go with the person you know.

So as a student what can you do to even the playing field?

Do all of this and you will become the person that was hired because of who you knew. It is is more fun defending why you were hired than complaining about why you were not!!

5 Rookie Mistakes to Avoid as an Intern or Entry-Level Talent

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Marc@CreativeInterns

Are you getting ready to embark on your first internship or job right out of college? If so, you should be careful to avoid certain rookie mistakes in order to give yourself the best possible opportunity to succeed in your new role. As a previous Director of Career Services and Recruiter, I’ve seen numerous employee mistakes that could have been avoided if the talent was made aware of what not do before they started their position.

Here’s some of my favorite to avoid:

1) Showing up late and not calling ahead of time.

This is a sure way to make a poor first day impression and annoy any boss or internship manager. It is not ok to wait until you are already 20 minutes late to call and say that you are running late. By that point it is already too late! This is a rookie mistake that happens all to often and should be avoided at all costs. If you think you are not going to make it to the office at the required start time then you should call at least 10 minutes before your are late to notify your manager. This shows that you value other peoples’ time and gives the manager a chance to adjust their schedule.

2) Neglecting to thank those that help you.
As you start out in your career there are many people that will help you along the way. Whether it is training you to use the company intranet or offering you guidance on how to submit a request to helpdesk, you will have to ask for help at some point of your employment. Don’t forget to thank those who help you to get acclimated to your new environment. Showing appreciation for your peers in the workplace can go a long way when starting a new job and not doing so can be viewed as being ungrateful or obtuse.

3) Not owning up to your mistakes
Honesty really is the best policy when it comes to the workplace. If you make a mistake on a project or forget to do something that was asked of you, own up to your error immediately. This could actually build trust among your peers and boss. Everyone will know you are human and make mistakes but even more importantly, they will see that you have the willingness to admit your mistake for the betterment of the team. Not doing so will come back to bite you in the rear! Often times, it is important to admit when an error was made because it can have a chain effect on other peoples’ duties and projects. If you are working as part of a team, it is extremely important for everyone to be on the same page. Not owning up to a mistake right away could cause larger problems down the road.

4) Being too casual.
As a newbie it is often advised to do a lot of listening for at least the first 30 days. Keep your personal opinions to yourself or you might end up sticking your foot in your mouth by offending people you do not really know or understand. Take some time to learn about the culture of the company before you start calling your boss, “Dude!” Asking questions is fine but talking to others as if you are at a college dorm party is not appropriate. Hold back from over-sharing too much personal information and try to keep things focused on business. After you are settled in the role for a couple months you will have a better understanding of what is appropriate within the culture of the organization.

5) Saying, “That’s not my job!”
This is a sure fire way to not look like a “team player.” Maybe you said it because you feel overloaded already and are a bit overwhelmed. Yes, everyone has a job description but a job description can never illustrate what will be required of you as an employee over the term of your employment. New projects come up and responsibilities change depending on needs and available resources. Look at these times as opportunities to stretch your skills and duties. So if your boss or someone else asks you to help with something that seems unfamiliar to you then be honest about your abilities and availability and if you can do it then try saying something like: I’ve never done that before in my current role but I am open to trying something new.” This type of response will enable you more opportunities in the future and others will recognize you as someone they can depend on and possibly promote in the future.

About the Contributor
Marc Scoleri, CEO Creative Village, LLC and Co-Founder of www.creativeinterns.com has over 15 years of experience in creative recruiting, career development and talent management. Numerous companies including Apple, Marvel Entertainment, CNBC, McGraw-Hill, and HBO have worked with Marc to recruit student interns; many of them have been recruited as entry-level employees. These companies benefit by having a steady pipeline of creative interns before they hire talent full-time thus saving them thousands of dollars on recruiting costs and lowering their risk of poor hires. In addition, a quality internship program can identify talent that fits a company’s culture.