Young & Free St. Louis

Who Needs a Job? Tell Us About Yourself!

Jenn Cloud — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:53:00 +0000

Well, today is the end of May, and in conclusion of my get a job series, I want to open up the blog to YOU!

I'm taking this cue from David Siteman-Garland's "Shameless Self-Promotion" posts on his Facebook page for his show The Rise to The Top. It's a great idea! Every so often he simply posts a status and asks any of the thousands of folks and businesses who follow him to just shamelessly self-promote themselves and talk about why they rock!

I'd like to try that, here. Who are you? What kind of job are you looking for? Why would you be the awesomest ever for said job? Share yourself, your story, your ideas, your links, whatever you think St. Louis and the world need to know that will get you hired & I'll keep working on getting lots of people to see this entry!

>> Make sure to check out the other posts in our Job Stuff category! All through May I shared real job search tips for new grads and young pros to get in the grind this summer! <<

Keep rockin'!

Jenn

Should I Use or Lock Down My Facebook Profile in My Job Search?

Jenn Cloud — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:31:22 +0000

Now more than ever employers are searching for potential new employees online to find out what kind of people they really are beyond their carefully crafted resumes. Are you aware of what people can find if they google you? (I recommend getting into the habit of googling yourself every so often just to see how you are doing!)

Facebook is a place where where our greater reputation can get tripped up. If we are used to sharing pictures of us out having fun or we have a tendency to bemoan or over-share parts of our lives that can end up reflecting negatively on us if it gets shared with the wrong people in the wrong context.

There are two ways you can deal with this:

First, as you transition from Facebook-for-fun to Facebook-for-work-and-fun you can adopt new guidelines for the kind of stuff you post. Don't just think about your grandma or ex seeing things now, think about your potential future boss trying to decide to give that sweet salary and benefits package to you or some other dude with whom you are neck-and-neck on paper...but on FACEBOOK they may have an awesomely crafted page that could have you totally whooped!
Second, you can lock down your Facebook so that only friends can see what you are sharing. Are you familiar with Facebook's privacy settings? They have a way you can sort of audit your Facebook profile and see who can see what if they are a friend, a friend of a friend, or a stranger. Just go to Account Settings > Subscribers > then click "Want to know what subscribers can see? View your public timeline." at the bottom of that list.

I really recommend doing a mash-up of these two things. Facebook can provide an awesome extra level of insight into who you really are for potential employers and that can give you an advantage. If it seems you've paid attention to how your Facebook presents and like you are a balanced enough person to have a lot of information still available to folks searching for you, that can put you above and beyond your competition.

I have just a few things reserved for friends and I have all of my tagged photos set for me to be notified to review them before they post to private. This just means that photos I have been tagged in cannot be accessed through my profile, but you can still see them if you are friends with who posted them so I still have to not be a crazy person!

St. Louis is really really connected so as you're entering the workforce it's just good to be aware of...well, how little you can be aware of when people are trying to find you online. Make sure the trail you are leaving now is a good one that is a legacy to how awesome you would be as an employee!

>> Make sure to check out the other posts in our Job Stuff category! All through May I will be sharing real job search tips for new grads and young pros to get in the grind this summer! <<

What is your personal Facebook policy like? Do you lock yours down or have it pretty open for people to be able to find you? Tell me about it in the comments!

Keep rockin'!

Jenn

Memorial Day - St. Louis, 2012

Jenn Cloud — Mon, 28 May 2012 16:35:16 +0000

Storify is such a cool site! I put together this little storyboard in honor of Memorial Day:

Have a blessed Memorial Day. I know it may not really be a "happy" holiday for many but our thoughts and prayers are all with those who are hurting. We are all grateful for all the men and women who fight and have fought for us and we remember those who gave their lives.

Be well,

Jenn

Young & Free St. Louis at Pointfest 30

Jenn Cloud — Fri, 25 May 2012 20:40:26 +0000

We had an awesome time at Pointfest this year! What had previously been 2 separate shows - one in the spring and fall - was smashed into a huge 2-day event in May this time. Check out our sweet prize wheel and the abundance of Young and Free shades and can coozies floating around Verizon Wireless Amphitheater...

The song is the background is called The Dangers of Being Stoked & is used with permission from Tear out the Heart! (And I LOVED not having to use stock music, this may be something I have to continue...any other bands out there want to give me permission to use their music in my videos?? :) Check them out on Facebook: facebook.com/tearouttheheart

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Keep rockin',

Jenn

4 Ways to Not Lie on Your Resume

Jenn Cloud — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:04:51 +0000

PRO TIP: Don't lie on your resume!! This may seem pretty obvious but I have seen this happen. I knew of someone who got really good feedback after their interview for a cool job and they got hired...

...but after starting they quickly showed they actually had no idea what they were doing and little of the experience they'd talked about on their resume. It really put their team in a bad spot because they were counting on this role for a lot of help and everyone became stressed to the MAX because the learning curve was too huge.

Once you get into a situation on a lie, it's really hard to stop lying after that for fear of making yourself too obvious...but the sweat pouring down your red face and your hyperventilation from panic already give you away, anyway so you're pretty much just stuck. It's a vicious circle that's almost impossible to break once you're caught up in it so here are some tips on how to just NOT lie on your resume!

If you've never done something, don't put it on your resume. Plain and simple. If it's something you need to know how to do, go learn it! Find a way to get certified or pick up an internship that will not only teach you about it but give you validation for future employers.
Check your wording. I deal with this a lot myself because I've worked with all kinds of stuff--but I'm not necessarily a pro at all of it. I use words like "has experience with" or "basic knowledge of" to be able to talk about software and tools I understand and have used but not present myself like some Jedi Ninja Master Guru of it all.
Use your cover letter to explain. This is where a cover letter can be really useful in helping you explain or expound on a certain part of your experience, particularly like if you have a ton in one field but are trying to make a shift into another. Make sure to still keep it concise and honest but you can get more expressive this way!
Review, review, then let someone else review! Make sure to look your resume over for errors and improvements and have someone else check it as well. If something doesn't make sense or may read as too much of a stretch from reality, change it up or pull it out!

So there you have it, some ways to not lie on your resume. Does anyone else have any stories about resume honesty or honesty gone wrong? Tell me in the comments!

>> Make sure to check out the other posts in our Job Stuff category! All through May I will be sharing real job search tips for new grads and young pros to get in the grind this summer! <<

Keep rockin'!

Jenn

3 Ways to Make Groceries Last Longer

Jenn Cloud — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:17:26 +0000

Okay, so you know that you spend too much money eating out and you really want to reign it in by eating cheaper AND healthier at home. Cool, good for you!

I don't know how many of you have paved the road to rotten food with good intentions, but my husband and I have definitely been working on making this shift and...

Well, you don't save much money when you end up throwing out like half of the healthy stuff you buy! I needed some serious help getting my act together so here are a few things I've learned along the way that can make my groceries last longer:

Buy produce as-needed, and avoid the conveniently cut & bagged stuff. The cut & bagged stuff goes bad faster and if you find that you have a problem with getting to produce in a timely manner, only get produce when you have a specific plan to do something with it right away.
Freeze your food. Raw and even cooked food and meals can keep a LOT longer in the freezer than in your refrigerator or on your counter so if you score a bunch on sale or something, don't let it go bad, freeze it. Here's a really cool guide called Freezer Meals Tips for Dummies!
Store leftovers conveniently so it's easy for you to finish them up! Once cooked, leftovers can generally keep for another day or two so if you have a hectick week and it's easier to just make one huge batch of spaghetti one night, that's fine. Just store the sauce and noodles in separate little reusable containers to make it SO easy to get at the next day!

What are some of your secrets to making the most of your groceries each week?

Keep rockin'!

Jenn

I'm a College Grad - Should I Get a Freelance, Part-Time or Internship Job?

Jenn Cloud — Wed, 23 May 2012 01:07:31 +0000

A lot of us expect to get that "big kid" job like, RIGHT after walking across that stage to collect our piece of paper in that nice leather folder. It is seeming more likely for that to happen now than the last few years BUT that still may not be the case for everyone and...

That's okay!

Any job, even flipping burgers or folding t-shirts, is better than no job and it's easier to find the right kind of employment for you when you're employed at all, true story. Just find something and it doesn't have to be the END of the story for you!

BUT I will also say to keep too much time from sneaking past you while you are flipping said burgers or folding said t-shirts and looking for Ye Ole Perfect Job, ALSO finding something ELSE that is part time, an internship, an isolated project/freelance or even something you do for free is still valuable for making sure you don't slip out of touch with your field.

I took an unpaid social media internship with a great company after college when my full time job had to cut back my hours one slow summer. It made a huge difference in what I had to offer businesses going forward! At that time, few businesses were getting on that bandwagon yet and I was at the cutting edge of understanding how it worked professionally and what needed to be done. It was a crucial part of me being uniquely qualified for all of my jobs that followed!

Keep an ear to the ground in your field and if at all possible to pick up something small to gain experience, do it! You can still gain skills and certainly some great contacts while doing so that can be crucial in getting you to the right job.

Has anyone else freelanced or interned in their field while working another job? What were the results for you? Tell me in the comments!

>> Make sure to check out the other posts in our Job Stuff category! All through May I will be sharing real job search tips for new grads and young pros to get in the grind this summer! <<

Keep rockin'!

Jenn

Living Young & Free Show Episode 061: Side Business, Impulse Saving and Lessons Learned

Y&F St. Louis Team — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:00:12 +0000

Matt from Indiana talks about running a side business, Michelle in New Mexico looks at impulse savings, and Janelle from Michigan shares her lessons learned as a spokester.

You can also download all of the episodes as a podcast from iTunes and you can watch all previous shows!

The Y&F St. Louis Team

Salvation Army of St. Louis' #TweetTheMostGood Event

Jenn Cloud — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:16:34 +0000

Here is a recap of #TweetTheMostGood on Tuesday!

Salvation Army of St. Louis, Social Media Club of St. Louis and Vantage Credit Union all converged upon the GORGEOUS rooftop bar at the Moonrise Hotel in U-City for a great event. We heard Simone Bernstein of VolunTEENnation present on her work making it easier for teens across America get involved and enjoyed a beautiful evening of drinks, appetizers, giveaways and fun!

FOLLOW:
http://twitter.com/SalArmySTL
http://twitter.com/STLVolunTEEN
http://twitter.com/VolunTEENnation
http://twitter.com/MoonriseHotel
http://twitter.com/EclipseSTL
http://twitter.com/SMCSTL

Wish you coulda been there? Make sure you keep up with the blog for updates on our events like...oh, hey! We're going to be at Pointfest the next two days handing out awesome stuff and educating the masses about the superiorty of credit unions! Come say hello!!

Keep rockin'!

Jenn

In Between Jobs? Info about Unemployment Benefits

Jenn Cloud — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:31:11 +0000

If you are looking for a job right now, it may be because you were laid off from your last one. A lot of companies have had to cut staff to make ends meet since hard times hit in 2008 and some of that is still continuing, now.

Someone close to me recently came up against the need to consider unemployment benefits. They were laid off from their job but given a little severance that would carry through 2 months so collecting unemployment didn't seem to be an object...until over a month had passed and no solid job prospects had surfaced.

Unemployment benefits can really make the difference when trying to bridge the gap in your bills when you are out of work. My husband has been through the system a couple of times as an IT contractor and it has kept us afloat in between gigs. It's an incredibly helpful benefit that is a huge blessing if you have access to it.

Here are some of the basics about unemployment:

The funds for UE come from premiums that employers in each state pay into.
You qualify for UE if you were laid off for no fault of your own or quit for a very good cause such as a hostile work environment or something similar. You can present your case to the state and they will decide.
How much you get on UE is based on a calculator you can find here:
- MO: http://labor.mo.gov/DES/Claims/eligibility_web.asp
- IL: http://www.ides.illinois.gov/page.aspx?item=33
You must be ready and available to work each week you are on UE and if you get an offer to work, you could be denied further benefits if you refuse.
You have to file each week to keep your UE benefits coming.
You must also check in about every 4 weeks at your nearest UE office to share documentation that shows you are actively looking for work. Find your nearest one, here:
- MO: http://labor.mo.gov/DES/careerCenters.asp
- IL: http://www.ides.illinois.gov/page.aspx?module=13&item=31

Here are some other great resources for learning more about qualifying for and obtaining UE:

Missouri Department of Labor

Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES)

Qualifying for Unemployment Benefits on Bargaineering.com

Unemployment Benefits on US Government Info at About.com

Have you or has someone you know every been on UE? Do you have any other information that you can share with us?

>> Make sure to check out the other posts in our Job Stuff category! All through May I will be sharing real job search tips for new grads and young pros to get in the grind this summer! <<

Keep rockin'!

Jenn