Why Employers Should Hire Recent Grads

Okay, I have been job hunting for a few months now and I've come to a conclusion for me and those in the same boat as me: not too many people want us.  Why?  Because of the fact that we are recent grads.  I am so sick of looking through job sites and finding a job that looks promising....only to read that they want someone who has 10+ years of experience (Seriously?  What can possibly take 10 years to learn on the job?).   Though I have, in vain, applied for jobs that "only" require 3 to 5 years experience because you never know which places count internships and work study jobs, most really do mean it when they state you need the experience. Well, I'm going to tell you why employers should to hire recent grads.

1. We will work for less


We're not idiots, we know that with less/no experience, we shouldn't expect to get paid as much as the mythical person with 10 years of experience.  In fact, we'll probably work for half the amount that the magical 10 year experienced person makes at their current job.  Especially if we want to find a job quickly to start paying the never lowering student loan amount we've accumulated.  And what company doesn't want to save money?

2. You can mold us into what YOU want


With little/no experience, we don't have a set way of doing things.  We are a clean slate, a blank piece of paper, an empty canvass...you get the picture.  Therefore, you can make us do things the way you want us to without us slipping into the "how I did this at my last job" mode.  We will become the exact employee your company wants without having to "retrain" us.

3. We are competitive


This is more age-specific but then again, most graduates are my age.  We grew up in the era of video games, stricter college acceptance rates, and when the job market took a hit.  We know how to be competitive and we will bring that to the workplace.  Just like trying to get the high score in pac man (you know you secretly played that game ALL the time for that purpose) we strive to stand out against our colleagues.

4. We need to make a name for ourselves in the field

We have more to prove than the "I have 10 years of experience" know-it-all.  We are trying to make a name for ourselves in the field as early on as possible.  Why not take advantage of that?  This one kind of goes hand in hand with the previous reason.

5. We are up-to-date in the field

Everyone can thank their professors for this one.  In school, we are taught the most up-to-date cutting edge methods in our fields.

6. Weekends are irrelevant


I find it funny when a job posting states: must be willing to work some nights and/or weekends as needed.  Not because there is the possibility of having to stay at the office late, but because they have to explicitly state that you have to be willing to do it.   People my age have come to expect to be ready to work anytime, or at least are not as bothered by it as our older counterparts.  It has become the norm for our generation.

7. We can be mobile

Many of us are not married or have families.  Therefore, we are more likely to be willing to relocate or travel as part of work.  Bonus: less personal days due to sick kids.



For more reasons recent grads should be considered check out here and tips for employers (Jump on the bandwagon! Particularly those companies in my field!).

Top Things People Ask Pharmacy Employees

The top things I hear on a daily basis at work:

1. Where's the bathroom?

2. Do you have oxycodone in stock? (by the way, that's the #1 thing that's asked on the phone)

3. ::2 seconds after handing a prescription to me:: How much will my copay be? (sheesh give me a minute to run it)

4. Is there anything over the counter for pink eye?

5. Where are the earplugs?  (that one is reasonable because our company wasn't smart enough to give that section it's own sign)

6. Can I wait for it?

7. Why can't I fill my ::insert controlled substance drug here:: now?

8. Are you the pharmacist? / Can I ask the pharmacist a question?

9. Do you have Plan B?

10. What's a prior authorization?

11. No, I didn't get your phone call.

12. Can you see if my doctor called something in for me?

13. I want to check to see if something is filled before I came in. (on the phone)

14. (on the phone...again) I want to refill something but I don't have the number.

15. (store-specific question) What time is the clinic open until?

16. What time do you close?

17. I got a phone call from you guys. I didn't listen to the message though.

Still Here!

I realized that I have not posted in over a week.  With me working on a novel and Sascode's blog, I haven't had time to do a new post.  Not to mention, today I decided to try a new soup recipe (where I make it from scratch) which was a couple hours of dicing, mixing, cooking, eating...you get the picture.

Some updates:

Loan
After my next payment in a couple days, my undergrad loan should be under $17,000 next month.  More would have been placed towards it but, if you recall from a few posts ago, my grad loan kicked into repayment so there is now an $800 mandatory payment towards that now every month.

Job
Still looking for a job.  Have a huge potential for one that I'm hoping to hear good news from this coming week (fingers crossed for me please!)

Life
Eh, there's nothing to complain about here.  I just had an inspiration for a new painting so Tuesday may turn into an all-day painting event.


I promise I will post by Tuesday the latest (with the new painting if it's not too horrible).  I also want to discuss the joys of finding health insurance on your own.

Fat Cat Camp Blog

Since Sascode is overweight and getting older, I have decided to put him on a diet.  Reluctantly, he has agreed but only if I set him up with his own blog.  Since I think it would be a good thing to track his progress online, Sascode now has his own blog at http://fatcatcamp.blogspot.com/ where we will track his progress and offer others advice for their obese cats as well.  Epa will undoubtedly make a few entrances as well.

In other news, I have been job-hunting, working, and volunteering a lot this week so posting has been suffering.  I'm hoping to post a couple in the next few days.

What I Learned From Animals

"Handle every stressful situation like a dog.  If you can't eat of play with it, just pee on it and walk away"

Animals make complex things simple.  Humans make simple things complex.  After years of being around animals, I have come to the conclusion that life would be a little easier if we just take advice from animals.

1. Almost any place can be used to take a nap.

• Just look at all the random places cats and dogs end up sleeping in your house.  Guarantee more than half the spaces are NOT in their beds.

2. Cheap toys can be as entertaining as it's expensive counterpart.

• Grab a piece of paper and throw it at your cat.  Grab a stick and watch your dog as you throw it.

3. When in trouble let people know.

• Have you ever known an animal to not yell out when it's stuck?

4.  You want something?  Go for it!

• You show a dog a treat and then hide it.  Have you ever seen a dog give up?

5. If anyone ticks you off, don't be afraid to let them know.

• My two cats are never afraid to smack each other if the other one is in the way.

6. Always make time for play.

• When does a dog not want your attention....and that tennis ball in your hand?

7. Never let a disability get in your way.

• At the shelter we have multiple tripods (3 legged cats), one born without an eye, and one who's deaf.  I haven't seen any of them let that stop them from playing with the others.

8. If you want someone's attention, let them know.

• My lap is the official  I-want-to-be-pet-now spot

9. Don't be afraid to run from danger.

• Animals hear loud noises, the majority will run.

10. Don't stress about how you look.

• Have you ever heard an animal complain about their hair once?

Forbear-ness Sake

Loan companies can cause headaches: or at least for me in regards to my one loan company.  If you recall here, I had to call the loan company that owns the whale-sized grad school loan about them randomly putting me on deferment because the university decided to tell them I was full-time with zero credit hours being taken.  The loan company then had said it would take a month to take me off of it and for my repayments to start back up.

Well, turns out, they lied.  It took 3 months to take me off.  When I checked my account yesterday to cry over the accrued interest, it no longer said deferment.  It said forbearance.  Which I didn't know what that meant at the time.  I do now though because I wanted to make sure that wouldn't negatively affect me in any way (credit score anyone?).  Turns out it doesn't, at least not if I make payments.



Epilogical's definition of forbearance:  It is just like deferment, meaning you don't have to make any payments.  The only difference is with forbearance, both subsidized and unsubsidized loans accrue interest as opposed to just the one.  So in the long run, you pay more in total when all is said and done.


Now, with forbearance, the loan companies don't just hand these out like candy at a parade.  With my loan company, you have to actually apply for it.  It's usually for if you're having trouble making the minimum payments due to a major financial blow such as losing a job or not being able to find a job.  Or having large medical costs due to illness.  So apparently, I'm special because I didn't have to apply for this (though they were right in knowing making the minimum $800 monthly payments would have been a little hard the past couple of months).  So, I was getting ready to call them and ask what the heck was going on because who knows, maybe they know my main job had ended last month, when I realized something else interesting.  I made a small payment for each of the two loans (why they separated them by each year is beyond me, just group them together for crying out loud) in a vain attempt to keep the interest down back at the beginning of June.  It said the payment was pending.  Pending.... as if my money wasn't good enough for them or something.

I checked my bank records.  Yep, the payment was withdrawn from my account.  So my call was turning into a "what did you do with the $200 I paid you last month?"  Well, they were closed and I would have to wait until morning.  For the heck of it, I called the automated line to get my account information.  This is what they said in a nutshell for both loans:  "Your loan is currently in forbearance status until July 9, 2012 (as in yesterday, the same date as the phone call was occurring by the way).  Your last payment of $100 (per loan which is correct) was received on June __, 2012."

So, after putting ice on my head to numb the pain caused by smacking it against my desk, I rechecked my account online.  Sure enough, the payment did not say pending anymore.  It was applied to the interest.  Which I don't know what to make of this situation now.  Everything looks good (except for the forbearance ending, I could actually use that right now).  And all it took was a phone call to an automated system after a near panic attack and procrastination at posting the payment as occurring.

Moral of the story: when you have a loan, be it student, mortgage, auto, tattoo, whatever it may be, pay attention to what is going on with it.  Print any and all confirmation numbers and make sure payments post properly.  Also, call if something doesn't look right because chances are, it's not and it's better to get things sorted out immediately than later on.


By the way, the total interest accrued for those who are curious was: $1011.16, making me very close to a total of $70,000 for the 2 years of my life in school full-time.



On a completely different note, I had another centipede visit from the Bug of the Month Club late last night.  Unlike the one in the popular 5 Second Girl Dance post, this one started running along the wall when I went to grab a tissue.  I found it, knocked it down, and it ran under my couch before I could catch it.  I think it's still under there because I said screw it and went back to bed when I didn't see it underneath.

Traveling With Cats

People are usually in awe at the fact that I opt to drive, instead of fly, the 950 miles from here to my hometown.  They are more surprised by the fact that the two cats accompany me (and my mother, who flies down to drive up with me) on the road trip.  Here are some tips I've learned from doing this on multiple occasions: (note that a lot of these also apply to other types of pets as well)



1. Make them as comfortable as possible


I'm lucky enough that my cats don't freak out in the car.  The only time one of them yowls is when she is confined in her cage.  My cats are more comfortable being able to move around during the 16 hour drive (yes, they are confined to the car for a full 16 hours and we all survive).  However, this does not mean everyone should do this as cats are notorious for being bad travel buddies.  What I had originally done the first time I attempted this (and when I only had the one cat) was to have his carrier and a little pop-up pet tent facing each other so that his carrier contained a bowl of water and food, and the tent had the litter box.  He only meowed a few times throughout the trip to "remind" us he was there.  This seems to work for a few other people making similar trips for cat that may be stressed.  After that trip, I started using a baby gate to separate the back seat from the front and let the cat (and eventually cats) roam free in the back.  Now, I don't even use that and they know if they want to come up front, they have to sit with the passenger, not the driver. 

2.  Remember on trips: if you have to stop to eat and pee, they will need to too.

I always make a litter box, food, and water available for the cats.  Though mine hardly ever use these things (except when we stop and the car if off), it's there if they want it.  Also, I ensure that when we reach our destination, that they have all three available immediately once inside the house.

3.  Keep the environment calm

Do not blare your music, it will make your cat miserable.  Also, I've learned that at least one of mine does not like an open window, probably due to the noise when we're on the interstate.  The trip will stress your cat enough, do not add to their misery.  

4. Acknowledge them

They will feel lonely if they're tucked away in the back.  Say their name occasionally or, if possible, pet them.  Let them know they are not alone or being ignored.

5. Don't drug them

I have seen some people have their vets prescribe anxiety meds for their pets during travel.  I have also read a number of reasons not to do this.  It may calm the cat for the trip but once they wake up: they are groggy, have NO idea what happened throughout the day, and are now in a new place while dealing with the after effects of their meds.  Important note: NEVER give your cat any human medication without discussion with their vet first.

6.  An emergency occurs

If something happens to one of your cats while driving, DO NOT take your eyes off the road until you have safely pulled over.  Remain calm: if you are stressed, your cat will be.  

7. Careful when opening doors

When you make a stop, make sure you know where your cat is when you open the door.  You don't want a lost pet in the middle of no where.  For cats, they sell harnesses and leashes for walking your cat so if your cat is one to bolt out the door when you come home every day, I strongly suggest a harness in case you need to grab them quickly and easily.

8. Make sure they are identifiable

In the chance that they do get loose either while driving, at the airport, or at your travel destination, it is important that if found, your information is easily obtainable.  Both my cats have collars on 24/7 with tags that list their name and my phone number.  They are also both microchipped as the shelter they were adopted at does that for all cats they receive.  Even if they don't travel with you and stay indoors all the time, I strongly urge them to have a breakaway collar (in case they get caught in something, the collar easily comes off when they pull to prevent injury) and microchipped because you never know what could happen.

9. Plan ahead for hotels

I usually do all my trips in one shot and don't stay overnight anywhere, however, if you know you will be stopping overnight somewhere, call ahead to make sure the place allows cats.

10. Cat carrier

Make sure you can easily get the cat in their carrier.  This does not include finding your cat first but once you have picked up the cat and are trying to place it in their carrier.  It also provides them a safe place while in the car so make sure they have plenty of room.  If you are just going to leave the cat in the carrier, period during the trip, they probably would appreciate a larger carrier than normal to have during long trips, such as a large dog carrier.

There are plenty of sites out there that list other tips for travelling with cats.  This site talks about what to do for different types of travel with your pet (car, plane, before leaving).  This site also includes some quick tips on when accidents happen.  Another one is this site which provides some general tips as well.

Have you found some things that have helped with travel?  Or have tips for other types of pets?  Feel free to share in the comments.