“October, 2007” Archive
Oct
8
I apologize for being under the radar over the past few days. As I mentioned in a prior post, I have decided to invest some time in my largest asset, my career. As such, I have been scouring the web gathering salary information from Payscale.com, job leads from Simply Hired (my new favorite jobsite), and doing some networking on LinkedIn (far and away the best business networking site).
In addition, I have been spending a significant amount of my free time reframing my resume. My entire career until now has been in the world of finance; ironic I know given my current situation. My current position has given me more of an opportunity to understand a specific business (one that is growing very rapidly among MANY companies) and use my analytical abilities in a somewhat different light.
I’m going after positions that are outside of the wonderful world of Finance and are more oriented towards product marketing, sales and/or business development. So, as you might imagine, putting the proper spin on my experience vis-a-vis my resume has proven to be somewhat of a challenge.
That said, I have always been quite successful in landing interviews–and getting job offers–from top notch companies, whenever I decided to make a change. So It occurred to me, that I should probably share the process I go through in order to help some of my loyal readers who might find themselves in the same position as I do; ready for a new job that pays MORE money.
As such, I will be presenting a multi-post series on ‘How to Search for a Job’. Keep in mind, the info presented here will be my opinion only and it might not fit exactly to your particular situation, That said, it has served me well in the past and I expect it will serve me just as well this time around. Stay tuned for, what I hope will be some useful information.
Oct
3
I think just about any reader of this blog will agree that having access to a credit/debit card and the associated convenience makes it much easier to spend, spend, spend, sometimes very carelessly and impulsively. I’ve also made my opinion clear that debt and weight gain/being overweight are also related and this led me to establish my other blog.
Well, a study conducted by Visa, detailed over at Bankrate.com, seems to confirm my hypothesis regarding credit cards and weight gain. As more and more fast food outlets have started accepting credit/debit cards, it appears that the fast food business is booming. McDonalds posted some amazingly strong sales month over month and year over year as seen in this press release
The study done by Visa not only confirms that people are much more likely to head to their local fast food drive-thru as they no longer have to worry about carrying cash with them. Not only are people more likely to hit the fast food outlets, but people will spend 30% more when they use credit/debit cards as opposed to a cash transaction.
As you might imagine, spending 30% more at a fast food outlet will also translate into more calories and a larger waistline. I can attest to the fact that when I used to frequent fast food outlets, I always ordered what I ‘wanted’ because I had my debit/credit card with me. I would imagine if I had only cash with me, I wouldn’t even head for the drive-thru and would likely avoid fast food altogether.
There are probably two lessons to be learned here:
- If you think you might hit a fast food outlet, use CASH only so you can limit your choices a bit
- Alternatively, avoid the fast food altogether and cook at home, presumably something healthier
Oct
2
Starting this Friday, October 5th, I will be starting the ‘One Less Car Challenge’ sponsored by the City of Seattle, whereby I will attempt to not drive my car at all for a month, with the exception of emergencies.
Although I have been carpooling and taking the bus a lot more often over the past two months since announcing I would move to a 100% car-free lifestyle next year, I have not gone a month without driving my car, so this will truly be a good challenge for me.
There are some nice rewards if I can successfully complete the challenge:
- $50 in Flexcar credit, of which I am already a member and active user
- Discounted membership to the Cascade Bicycle Club, the largest bicycle club in the nation, which also happens to be here in Seattle. I’ve yet to buy a bike, but this would be a nice benefit for sure.
Other than the obvious rewards, there are likely to be some other very tangible benefits to my body and my pocketbook:
- Taking the bus will mean more walking from point to point. This should keep me in shape or even help me get into better shape. I’ve been slacking from my diet and exercise program lately and need to get back on track. This would be a good catalyst/supplement.
- Without the availability of a car at my disposal, any impulsive or wasteful spending or temptation to spend will be eliminated. In addition, I will only buy those grocery items I need AND can carry home on the bus. This should keep me healthy and honest.
- I will save close to $200 for the month in gas related to my commuting and errand running. This is probably the BEST benefit of all, at least in the context of debt repayment.
I am a very strong believer in the concept of car-sharing through FlexCar, so if you live in any of the following cities please contact me and I can send you a referral:
Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Gainesville, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Milwaukee or Phoenix
Wish me luck on my challenge. I am going to create a page on the blog to specifically track and detail the challenge so I don’t create too much clutter on the blog.
Oct
1
A while back, when I was contemplating my entry into the blogosphere, I remember reading a post by Free Money Finance about ensuring you invest in your career, as it represents your greatest asset in life.
Over the past few months, I have contemplated getting a second job in an effort to boost my take home pay each month and pay off my debt sooner rather than later. In so doing, I was missing the most obvious solution to my situation, that is to look for another job altogether.
I am in my early 30’s and it is now perfectly acceptable– if not expected–for people my age to jump from job to job, getting a boost in pay along the way. I have been working in the finance field my entire career and frankly I have reached a crossroads where I am seriously contemplating a change into the world of sales or marketing.
My outlook on work is likely different than that of the average person. I don’t like working, period! The politics, the ‘ass kissing’, the non-value added work and the grind of the daily commute all add up to something that simply isn’t–and is unlikely to be–enjoyable. Work is called work for a reason.
As such, I figure if I am going to do something I don’t enjoy, I might as well get paid as much as possible to do so. My life outside of work is what should give me meaning in my life rather than work.
I am currently paid pretty well at my current job and my benefits are amazing. So amazing in fact, that my company uses that as a reason to keep salaries and bonuses lower than they should be given my experience and background.
For several weeks now, I have been running the numbers, looking at salary surveys, talking to my headhunter, determining the ‘value’ of my benefits, and I have reached the conclusion that it is time to start looking around. Even with the ‘value’ of my benefits included in the calculation, I am underpaid and I am likely to be properly leveled at my current company. That coupled with the fact I am ready for a change in my overall path, means the job hunt is on.
Nothing, frankly is off the table, including a change in location. I need to follow the advice laid out by Free Money Finance and maximize my greatest asset, my career.
I’m just starting this process and the first step is crafting my resume for different types of positions: finance, marketing and sales. Luckily I have had some great work experience with good exposure to senior executives, so I should be able to craft a great resume for each of these positions.
As the process progresses, I will post the details (as much as possible) about my job search, including tips, tools and techniques that work for me.
Oct
1
One of the things that has become painfully obvious to me over the past few years is that you should always be prepared for the unexpected. Well, I had hoped to be done with one of my AMEX accounts by the end of last week, and things looked good on that front. In fact, my lawyers and I had received the offer, in writing, from the collection agency. So why the bad news you ask?
The day after we got the offer from the collection agency, I got a call from a law firm who claimed to now be handling my account on behalf of AMEX. I immediately advised them to contact my attorney and as it turns out, these folks are legit. Now it is clearly just another collection agency operating as a law firm designed to scare me and force to make ‘immediate payment arrangements’.
The friendly employee of this law firm did indeed try and get me to tell him what kind of settlement offer I was looking for, but unfortunately for him I’ve been down this road before and told him to get in touch with my attorney.
So, we are back to square one, with this law firm holding the same bogus position as the collection agency, in that they “absolutely cannot accept anything less than 60% of the balance and will only report the account as ’settled’ “. Oddly enough, the collection agency gave me the same exact line, so the negotiations are back in full swing. My guess is this will drag out for another few months.
As a ‘precaution’ I am going through the process of filling out a bankruptcy questionaire, just in case I need to file in order to protect myself legally from these clowns. I am prepared to do so if necessary and am aware of ALL the consequences of doing so. There is another development, which I will post about in a later post that may indeed make this necessary, but hopefully not. Another lesson I am learning is that there are ALWAYS options. 
Hopefully, I will have some GOOD news shortly.
