Excel Tip of the Day: Sum Function

Here is day two of the daily Excel tip of the day. As stated yesterday I will start easy and work into more complex functions as time goes on.

Two Great Books on Etiquette

We could all use a little more Etiquette. Here are two great books to get college grads where they need to be in social situations.

Finding Employment after College

The refined college graduate knows the steps it takes to find employment after college. Here are a few tips for landing a sweet job after the nonstop parties stop.

• Start early! The refined graduate knows that the hiring process at most companies is slow. Starting the job search in the fall of senior year is the best bet. Below is a list to get the soon to be grad started right.
• Make a Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Office 2011) list. Include: company, POC, date last contacted, phone, email, location and job title applied for. 
• Spend an hour a day applying, following up with potential employers and researching. This will keep you in a good grove.
• USE FAMILY NETWORKS! Not enough college grads use their family's to help them find jobs.  This can be a great way to get into a great position.
• Use the internet and social media the right way. 
• the refined grad has a linkedin account. This is a must. Linkedin 
• Take down all the party posts, pictures and tweets (the grads that still have those up are either dumb or have low self esteem). 
• The refined grad has a signature for email. 
• Be Flexible and open. Many college grads think that their first job will be their last and hold out for that "perfect offer". The refined college grad knows that a job is what you make of it. The refined college graduate is also not afraid to look for jobs outside their major. 
• Have a great looking resume and kill the interview. Let's face it most college grads really have little to no work experience. Employers know this. The refined college grad knows what they lack in experience they can make up for in style and intelligence.
• Have a great looking resume. The college graduate has about 30 seconds at most to grab the recruiters attention. 
• The refined college grad has their name front and center with the biggest accomplishments near the top. 
• There is clear formatting and organization. 
• A resume template with more details will be provided in a later post. 
• Kill the interview.
• For Men :Have a tailored black, navy or grey suit with a pressed white shirt and a sensible tie ready to go (think Mad Men just without all the sex, booze and smoking).
• For Women: Have a business suit or formal business wear with simple jewelry. DO NOT WEAR anything revealing or short (this isn't a frat party).  
• Bring copies of your resume (printed on nice paper). 
• Bring a pen, a professional binder and gum. 
• Make sure to leave the phone in the car. 
• Visit the business the day before to see how long it takes to get there. 
• Plan to Arrive 30 min early (it is okay to sit in the car for a few). 
• Practice interviewing with friends and family. 
• There will be a post later with more tips and tricks. 
• Okay most college graduates wait until after they have graduated to start job hunting. There just is not time to look for employment when there are only a few college keg parties left. 
• DO NOT PANIC! Way too many grads get into a panic mode and then get depressed and frustrated when they don't find a job right away. 
• Make sure you have an up-to-date Linkedin and resume. 
• Apply to a local Job Agency. Here is a quick yellow pages search in the D.C. area. 
• They will take a hefty cut of pay but it is great experience and they find the job for the grad. 
• If all else fails try starting a business. There is no better time than when you are young and energetic. 
• More posts to follow on entrepreneurship.

This has been a quick overview for grads or soon to be grads on how to start the job search. There will be more posts after this. 

 

New Lens!

New Lens! Everything goes to charity!

New Digg!

Personal Finance Tips

Every refined college grad needs to have at least a basic understanding of personal finance. Here are some basics for grads fresh out of college.

1. Have a budget! Many college grads do not track their spending at all. There are a few simple tools all refined college graduates should use. The first is mint.com. This is a great tool that not only lets the refined college graduate to set up a budget but also allows the graduate to track spending. For longer term bigger picture budgets try using a Microsoft office template. These templates are good for setting long term saving and wealth creation goals.

2. Contribute to your employers 401k plan. Many college graduates take months to set up  and enroll in their companies 401k plan. The refined college graduate knows that this is to be done in the first week of work. All refined college graduates know to contribute at least to the employers match. For example if the employer matches up to 6% then the grad should contribute 6% of their gross salary (if the grad gives 6% and the employer matches 6% that is 12% of the grads annual income) . There are very few investments that yield a 100% return immediately this is one of them.

3. Pay off credit and private student loans as quickly as possible. The refined college graduate pays off the entire balance of all their credit cards (at most two) every month. Credit card debt can ruin the financial future of the college graduate. The refined college graduate also pays down private student loans as quickly as possible because they typically hold a higher interest rate than federal loans.

4. Open a roth IRA! The refined college graduate understands the time value of money and knows that a 401k is only the first step in retirement planning. A roth IRA allows the graduate to grow wealth tax free after money is put into the account. The refined graduate understands that taxes and costs can devastate long term wealth creation. That is why the college graduate invests with brokerages that have low management fees and low expense ratios such as Vanguard . A roth IRA can also be set up on an online trading platform such as TD Ameritrade. There are other great brokerages but Vanguard is who we like. A roth IRA can be a key component of wealth creation and unlike an employer 401k plan the refined college graduate has unlimited choice in what they invest in.

5. Have a taxable investment account. 401k plans and roth IRAs are great for retirement planning but the refined college graduate knows that at some point (in the far off future) they will want to buy a house, get married maybe even have a kid. The refined college graduate knows at least the approximate costs of all of these big life expenses.

•   Buying a house. Recommended 20% down is about $45,000 for the median American home and about $55,000 for the average American home, according to U.S. Census data. This is not inclusive of fees and other expanses (man cave decor and toys) associated with buying a home or the house warming party expanses (at least two kegs needed). 
• Weddings cost a ton of money (especially with that open bar). The average American wedding cost is  over $27,000. The refined college graduate knows to not go into large amounts of debt with a wedding. 
• Having a kid is not only a life changing decision but also is expensive. The refined college graduate wants to make sure that their kid has the best life possible. That means providing them with everything they need from birth through college and beyond. The refined college graduate begins planning for a child even before there is an inkling thought of having a child. A 529 plan is started right after college graduation. This allows the power of compound interest to start without the expense of taxes. The refined college graduate knows that once a child is born the cost varies across the U.S. and can be anywhere between $10,000-$17,000 per year. A good starting point is babycenter.com. 

The refined college graduate knows that a taxable investment portfolio is far better than simply dumping money into a savings of checking account for these goals. Most online trading platforms offer commission free trading of Exchange traded Funds (ETFs) that provide great diversification and low expenses. The benefits of investing in a well planned portfolio far outweigh the potential risks. 

All of these topics will be explored further in future posts. This is merely a starting point. For quick tips follow @refinedgrad on twitter. 

Email: therefinedcollegegrad@gmail.com

Facebook: The Refined College Graduate