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This is a guest post from the good folks at inovahire.com, check them out here.

When job searching, it is important to be selective in where you post your resume and where you search for jobs. Currently, the level of service is broadly uneven, and providers of online recruiting services may offer many different types of functionality within their services. So, which job searching method is best for you? Why not all of them!

Job Searching Option #1: Online Classified Site

Most of these sites are free which is great news for you! With all the job searching you anticipate on doing, fees can add up! The only downfall with these sites is the lack of professionalism. Many of the sites are plain and sloppy, deterring many employers from posting their information on them. What is the point of job searching on a site that doesn’t have any jobs!

Job Searching Option #2: Job Board Sites

Job board sites are a wonderful option, mainly because that’s where the employers are! Every job is organized in a way that is easily searchable, you can apply for a job through the site, and some companies, such as InovaHire, offer a new, innovative approach to job searching, applying, and yes, even hiring!

Job Searching Option #3: Recruitment Firms

Recruitment firms, and I stress only some, are a great option. They take all of the work out of the job searching process. You submit your resume to them, have a few quick conversations as to what you want and where you want to be, then they take it from there! They find companies that seem to be a fit then line you up an interview! True recruitment firms are limited however. Most companies must be on account with the recruitment firm, so if the company of your dreams isn’t a client, you’re on your own!

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

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photo credit: LarimdaME

The wallets of all of us recent grads are constantly stretched thin. Between rent, bills, gas, food, various credit card and student loan debts – there isn’t a lot of money to spare, especially since most of us are working entry-level positions. However, despite our financial constraints we want to build up some savings as well and not live paycheck to paycheck. I found some helpful tips, courtesy of The Street, for creative ways to save and create an emergency fund for yourself that I thought I would share, along with some of my own tips.

• Shifting Your Expenses

One of the easiest ways to save is to spend less money and stash the savings. There are innumerable ways and places to do this, like at the grocery store and at the gas pump, but the article mentions some great other options. For instance, call your cable provider with a competitor’s offer and look for them to match it or better or else you’ll switch providers. The same came be done with your car or home insurance and generally speaking the provider would rather keep you as a customer at a discount then lose you to the competition.

• Sell Your Junk

We all have tons of stuff cluttering up our homes and apartments that we never, or rarely, use that someone else would love to get their hands on. Consider selling some of your extra stuff on eBay, Amazon or Craigslist or by having a simple yard sale. Use the money you’ve saved to jump start your emergency fund.

• Set Up a Separate Account

When you are starting an emergency fund, you’ll want to put it in a different account than your other money so that the two don’t get mixed together. Many banks offer bonuses and startup money for people opening new accounts, so make sure to look around for the best deal. Getting an Orange savings account with a higher annual yield is also something to consider so you can make those savings earn even more for you. It’s what I have done with my savings.

• Pay Yourself

Another thing you can do is dedicate a certain percentage of each paycheck to savings. My father always tells me to try and save 5-10% of each paycheck, and that’s a good barometer, depending on what your other expenses are. Also, whenever you have loose change in your pocket at the end of the day, put it into a jar and then deposit it into savings when it is full. I started doing this my senior year of college and racked up $85 in change over the next year!

If you have any tips or tricks for saving money, please feel free to share them in the comments section, as we would love to hear your thoughts. If you want to read the full text of The Street article, you can do so here.

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My hope had been when I launched realworldreally.com this past January to write as much about my personal journey through Life After College as I did about general news, tips & tricks to mastering the “real world”. So, with that in mind: I’m planning on writing an expose, of sorts, over the next few weeks on all facets of what it’s like to eventually leave your first job after graduation - covering everything from looking for a new job while still employed (and accepting the new job), to giving your two-week’s notice at your current job, to the highs and lows of transitioning to a new employer, job and career.

photo credit: gmaresign

On a personal note, as you probably guessed from the above paragraph, I’ve accepted a new job. I’ll be leaving my current job in advertising sales on August 7th to take a job as an Admissions Councilor for a nearby college (fitting, dontcha think?). While my job in sales was a great first job out of college and sales is a very important skill set to have in whatever industry I go into throughout life, after 13 grinding months it was simply time to move on; time to find something I could be a little more passionate about.

So there you have it. Keep your eyes peeled to Real World Really for the upcoming step-by-step guide to switching careers; wish me luck.

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As has been widely publicized as of late, the sub-prime housing crisis has had a disastrous effect on our nation’s economy. The ripple effects from the collapse of that industry have been felt far and wide, and those ripples are turning into waves in the student loan arena.

The latest setback is the failure of financing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two of the biggest loan providers in the country, who are also backing up foreign currency as well. With the Federal Government prepared to dole out billions of dollars of aid to these two financial heavyweights from the US Treasury, the ripple effect throughout the loan market is being felt everywhere, including student loans.

In an article in The Times, US Treasury secretary Henry Paulson had this to say about the bailout of Fannie and Freddie:

“[Their] continued strength is important to maintaining confidence and stability in our financial system and our financial markets. Therefore, we must take steps to address the current situation as we move to a strong regulatory structure.”

Coincidentally enough, the Boston Globe ran a story on the front page of the paper two days ago focusing on the Ferraguto family’s struggle to find a loan provider for their son’s senior year at Holy Cross and how the crumbling loan markets has left students in the lurch.

In the article, the Ferraguto’s mention that their complications started way back in April.

It was then when they received a letter from the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA), the nonprofit lender for thousands of students who attend colleges and universities in Massachusetts. The letter said the authority would no longer offer federal loans, including low-interest Stafford and parent loans. Even worse, the authority said money for private student loans was in doubt.

MEFA wasn’t the only agency that abandoned some or all of their student loan output for this coming year either. Numerous other agencies and banks eliminated federal, private or both types of student loans in an effort to cut costs and eliminate ties with the disastrous loan market.

Due to this frenzy of groups eliminating their loan offerings and the general instability of the market as it is, Colleges and Universities have been backlogged in awarding financial aid while they seek backers for the loans.

Seeking to ease the burden on students and to alleviate the problem, Holy Cross and some other schools have decided to sign on to the federal government’s direct loan program. Effectively, it makes Holy Cross a loan broker, connecting students to federal loans and reducing the need for them to apply to banks or other lenders for assistance. Holy Cross estimates the program will allow it to facilitate about $20 million worth of loans this year.

What this all should tell you is that if you will be attending College in the fall and you have yet to verify the status of your loans and if your usual lenders will be available to you – DO SO NOW! In the event that you are left scrambling like the Ferraguto family was, you still have some options. Check with your school to see if they are joining in with the direct loan program like Holy Cross did. If they haven’t, the financial aid office should have some suggestions for loan providers now that they have sorted out which companies are still offering loans to students. Act swiftly if you haven’t yet, so you aren’t left out in the cold when it comes time to pay the bills.

And for a humorous take on the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailouts, or prop-ups, and the state of the economy in general be sure to check out the following Daily Show clip available here.

For the full text of The Times article, click here.
For the full Boston Globe story, click here.

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In a recent news piece, ABC News did an investigative report that showed that many gas stations were charging more money to those customers who used a credit card to pay for the gas, as opposed to those who paid in cash. The following video clip sums up the story nicely and sheds some light as to why this practice was developed in the first place.

You can view the video interview here. Use the comment section to let us now what you think about this new policy and if you think it is justified or not. Also, make sure to sign up for the RSS feed so you don’t miss any new content here at Real World Really. 

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In my various travels around the Internet, I stumbled across a cool article giving tips on how to stay cultured even though you are on a budget. Given the continued stagnation of the economy and my ever-present desire to save a buck, I found it interesting and thought-provoking enough to share the highlights with you all.

• The BYOB Movement

Many people have been practicing this particular brand of money saving for quite some time. Bringing your own beverage is a great way not only to save some coin but also to enjoy a particularly special bottle of your own choosing. As mentioned in the article, “restaurant markups on wine can often double or triple the price. So, it’s probably even worth paying the corkage fee (the amount a restaurant charges to serve a wine you bring in yourself).”

However, not every establishment is ok with this practice, and many will have certain rules or regulations’ regarding what is acceptable to carry in with you and what isn’t. Be sure to check first with the owners before making an assumption and causing trouble.

• Choosing a Hotel

While the distances people are willing to travel these days for a summer getaway shrinking as costs rise, getting a discount on your hotel is a great way to make that summer trip a reality. Numerous hotels are offering promotions, discounts and other perks to lure in travelers this year so make sure to poke around the Internet and give hotel searching due diligence. For example:

“Chains such as Marriott, Hilton, and Starwood you can often find special codes or discounts to use when booking that will either reduce the price, or get you some extras along with the rate. For instance, Marriott has been known to offer special rates that get you free breakfast for two or tickets to local attractions, or even free parking at airport hotels while you’re on your trip.”

• Enjoying the Arts

Everyone loves a good trip to a museum or top-flight art gallery, but there is no need to travel far and wide to view, and perhaps purchase, quality art. Many cities and towns have sidewalk art exhibits and local galleries with no entrance fee where you can view local artist’s work. This is a great cheap, local alternative to still get some artistic culture in and as mentioned in the article, “if you attend receptions, you might even get some free food or drinks out of it,” which is always nice!

“[Additionally], a lot of exhibitions show art that’s on sale at reasonable prices, so if you do decide to buy something, you can decorate your house or give a gift while supporting a struggling artist.”

photo credit: ClintJCL

•   Exploring your Community

Every community has hidden gems that many people never bother to discover. By keeping your eyes and ears open and doing a little wandering around town you could find tons of great low or no cost activities for you and your family this summer. Some examples include:

“Cities and parks often have free activities you can watch for, from movies to Shakespeare plays in the park. Religious and cultural groups have similar things as well, so keep an eye out. Parades, street fairs or events at malls could be fun, if that’s where your interest lies. Churches regularly have musical performances, as well.”

Your local library is also a great place to go for both free events and resources, like movie rentals and presentations. My mother being a librarian exposed me to lots of these events and it really is a great way to connect with and explore your local community on the cheap.

To read about several more options for keeping cultured on a budget, read the full Street article here. If you have any ideas or suggestions that aren’t covered please feel free to share those with everyone in the comments section.

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photo credit: Richard Messenger

Good news for those of us looking for, or currently working at some blue-collar jobs; despite economic downturns as of late, those people willing to get their hands dirty are still making good money. Additionally, they stand to see growth in their industries as well – something by far from guaranteed in many industries today.

According to recent statistics collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) a list of the top paying blue-collar jobs was compiled, called the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES). Here are some of the top paying blue-collar jobs, according to those stats:

“elevator installers and repairers are the highest-paid blue-collar workers in the country. They earn a median hourly wage of $32.69, or about $68,000 annually. The job involves commercial and private projects varying in scale. The work could call for a dumbwaiter installation or passenger elevator and escalator fix.”

While in comparison to some higher-profile, white-collar jobs $68,000 annually may not sound like much, it is certainly a strong wage, even in today’s shrinking economy. Coming in at second and third, respectively, on this list are the following two occupations according to the BLS data:

“electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation and relay workers, who earn a median $28.35 an hour, or $58,970 a year. There are 23,320 of these electricians included in the BLS survey and the top-paying state is Vermont.
Locomotive engineers are third, earning a median hourly wage of $27.65, or $57,520 a year. There are 41,760 of these workers included in the BLS data, and the top-paying state is Nevada.”

The jobs defined as “blue-collar” are typically those that are paid hourly and require a significant amount of manual labor. The depressed housing market has had a significant impact on a once booming job market, in the blue-collar arena especially, but these jobs are expected to see growth in the coming years. This will be especially prevalent in the still developing Southwest and the Southeast. The data here should bring hope to those employed in these, and similar labor intensive professions, as should the following remarks from the BLS: “The big picture is promising for America’s blue-collar workers, with the BLS projecting an employment increase for all of the highest-paying jobs on this list by 2016.”

Those of you searching for a career path, choosing a major, or looking to make a career switch may want to heed this report and take that into consideration when looking at your next career move. To read the full article, which includes some of the highest-paying locations for these listed professions, click here.

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For years an afterthought to many workers, saving for retirement – including direct contribution plans like 401(k)’s – has become a bigger priority for many people. Now that many companies offer automatic enrollment in these programs for their employees, the direct contribution market is expected to double to nearly $8 billion in assets nationwide by 2015. That’s all well and good, but why should this matter to YOU?

While many of us are just getting our feet wet in the working world and retirement couldn’t be further from the front of our minds, there are numerous reasons to be invested in your retirement options early. For one, Social Security isn’t on the most stable ground and for the early 20’s crowd like us, counting on that to be around and substantial enough to fuel our retirement seems like a risky gamble at this point.

photo credit: pfala

Secondly, you can actually borrow against and take money from retirement plans early to help pay off other debts. While this isn’t always the most advisable strategy, and something you would always want to consult a financial advisor on, it can be a useful source of cash to eliminate pesky other debts (like student loans) and then begin rebuilding the losses in your 401(k) afterward.

According to a recent study conducted:

“The changing and expanding market should be good news for beleaguered consumers, forced to increasingly fund their own retirements in an era of vanishing pensions and shrinking Social Security funds. [The study] says the increased options bring not only a wider range of choices but more opportunities to obtain investment-related advice and invest in lower-fee funds.”

Congress has also played a role in increasing the effectiveness of 401(k) type plans by passing legislation in 2006 to eliminate barriers to enrollment.

“Congress helped spur defined-contribution plans’ growth in 2006 with the Pension Protection Act. The act removed barriers that prevented companies from automatically enrolling their employees and also increased employees’ access to professional advice about investing for retirement.”

As you can see, the growth of 401(k) plans and other direct contribution retirement options is encouraging for the current workforce and provides some hope for a comfortable retirement. You should look into the different 401(k) options that exist, and talk with your financial advisor sooner rather than later to set up the best configuration of your retirement options for you. I know I am soon!

If you want to read the rest of the article talking about the growth of 401(k)’s you can do so here. Also, feel free to check the archives here at Real World Really to get even more great information and advice regarding your personal finances and remember to Stumble any posts you find particularly helpful.

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With the dog days of summer upon us and the price of gas continuing to rise, many people (myself included) are trying to cut back on the use of their air conditioning to save fuel. An article I read over at Slate Magazine talks about this very issue and what the best method of keeping cool is during the hot summer months; rolling down the windows or turning on the A/C?

photo credit: Cycrolu

I think it is common knowledge that using your car’s air conditioning decreases your fuel economy. According to the article:

“Depending on your vehicle’s design, an active AC can cut fuel economy by anywhere from 3 percent to 10 percent in standard summertime temperatures. During a brutal heat wave, though, the power drain can be near 20 percent—the hotter it is outside, the harder the AC needs to work at maintaining your cabin climate.”

Obviously this is not welcome news to those of us trying to save on fuel and not pass out while driving either. However, the drag on your vehicle posed by open windows gets progressively worse as you increase in speed. Eventually, the strain on the engine to continue propelling the car forward with the increased drag outweighs the fuel savings from not running the A/C.

Researchers from The Society of Automotive Engineers studied this issue back in 2004, using both a wind tunnel and test track in Mesa, Ariz. They looked at two different vehicles, an SUV and a full-size sedan, both of which featured powerful eight-cylinder engines. Their findings were as follows:

“The engineers found that rolling down the windows on the SUV had only a small negative effect, in part because the vehicle’s big, boxy shape was already creating a lot of drag. So, from a fuel-economy standpoint, a driver of an SUV will always do better to shut off the air-conditioner. The sedan, on the other hand, has a sleeker shape and a lower drag coefficient. As a result, its fuel economy was noticeably affected when the windows were rolled down at highway speeds; at around 68 miles per hour (the test’s maximum), there was barely any difference between air conditioning and nature’s cooling. If you were driving the sedan any faster than that, the increased drag would presumably make AC the more efficient option.”

The consensus then is that a good rule of thumb is to drive with the windows rolled down in the city and as you hit highway speeds it’s probably more efficient to use the A/C (not to mention a quieter ride). To read the rest of the article in it’s entirety you can do so here.

As always if you enjoyed this post feel free to Stumble It! or share it with your friends however you choose to do so. Remember to also subscribe to the RSS Feed to stay current with all the news around here as well.

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While the title may make it sound like the Government is diverting money from deserving Americans to pay for it’s own personal debts, that isn’t the case here. The money being diverted is being diverted from people who have outstanding debts to be paid, such as child support, student loans and unpaid taxes.

What this means for you is very little, unless you are one of the people who has unsettled debts with the state or federal government and your rebate check hasn’t come in the mail yet. At this point, it could very well have been diverted to repay your outstanding debts, perhaps on those student loans you aren’t current with.  If this is the case, the IRS will send you a notice indicating why you received less of a rebate then you were expecting, including a complete forfeiture.

According to the USA Today article, the Federal Government developed a sophisticated new database in 2001 that gets updated weekly with the names of delinquent Americans with various outstanding debts. Before mailing various rebates, such as economic stimulus checks, the names of the recipients are cross-referenced against the database. If your name comes up then your money is diverted directly to the party you owe. The main beneficiaries of this system are families waiting on unpaid child support, which is comforting to know.

Those of you still waiting for your rebate check or battling growing student loan (or other) debts should take heed and look out for notice from the IRS politely explaining why you aren’t getting any money from them at this time.

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