Author: Vaishnavi Kandhadai

Vaish Kandhadai As the school year comes to an end, you are probably busy with your academics, graduating, starting internships or looking for permanent employment after graduation. Although the professional world looks like a scary place, we are here to tell you that it isn’t as bad as it looks. Once you know the industry you want to be a part of and have done your homework on the scope of your preferred occupation, you can officially prepare yourself to get hired fast! In this two-part blog post, we will talk about proven, effective ways to get your job hunting process going and get hired ASAP. To do this, we have identified five nifty tools to help you,so here are two to start with:

Network Effectively:

Talking to your parents, friends and professors about your career preference is where you must start but it is not quite enough. So leverage your social life to your advantage and network with peers and mentors. Here is how to identify a few: Try to find local mixer events and job fairs on event websites like Eventbrite. Although the probability of finding a job at a job fair is low, it gets you in touch with recruiters (and if you are very lucky, a hiring manager or two). When that happens, make sure you add them to your professional network on LinkedIn^® so that you can get in touch with them when you see a suitable opportunity at their organization in the future.

Takeaway: Finding a job through an official recruiter might be a contrived process since you will run into many helpful but also shifty recruiters. Always seek out professionals who work for the organization or a reliable HR consulting firm dealing with reputable organizations. When in doubt, use tools like GlassDoor or LinkedIn^® to find out about their authenticity.

Get People to Refer You:

Most companies rely on their employees to bring in quality resumes for positions they are hoping to fill. Why? A referral program is a cost and quality-effective way to reach out to qualified candidates. So, the more you network, the more people you will find willing to refer you for a position. Moreover, there are so many virtual communities who help you get in touch with relevant people who can help you with your pursuit. HireClub (invitation-based only) and Albert’s Job Listings and Referrals are two such Facebook communities acting as a professional support system of sorts.

Takeaway: Being more specific with your first circle of friends and family will be helpful because they can be your first point of contact to get in touch with someone relevant to your industry. Most organizations look at resumes faster if an employee refers it so remember to make the most out of it!

Not looking for full-time employment but would like to try finding a temporary vacation-time employment? This post might help you!

Vaish is the Content Manager for GiveTeens20^®® and a Content Marketing Consultant in the Bay Area. In her pass time, she likes to pretend she is reading just to get out of doing household chores!

This is the second and final part of the Academic Hacks blog series. Click here to read the first part!

Maluck Nawabi, Enya Daang, Mangesh Darke and Catherine Tran As the final flurry of university acceptance letters begin to pour in, you are probably channeling your energy into going through an intense decision-making process. There is more to dealing with college than admissions and the interns at GiveTeens20^®® (who have been there, done that and managed to stay sane!) have signed up to be your spirit guides! In this final part of the two-part blog post, they give you a few more effective suggestions (or academic hacks, as we call them) on dealing with the most important part of your life right now: preparing for college!

Community College is a Cost-Effective Option

College does not have to be expensive. Even in these sluggish economic times, financial difficulties should not prevent one from pursuing higher education, because cost-effective options such as community college are available. Attending community college is not just an affordable alternative. The non-monetary benefits of attending a junior college include being close to home and learning in smaller, flexible class sizes with accelerated and practical curriculum.

Moreover, junior colleges have a long history of catering to non-traditional students. Adults returning to school, part-time students with outside jobs and family obligations, and teenagers starting fresh from a blemished high school transcript to name a few. Not to mention, enrolling in a community college doesn’t always have to be the final destination in a student’s academic career.

Many public two-year colleges offer transfer guarantee programs that allow students to transfer credits from their junior college courses towards a Bachelor’s degree from their desired four-year university. Students who pursue this option pay a fraction of the cost for general education prerequisites that they would have likewise taken at a four-year school. Therefore, students should not be intimidated by the financial barrier that prevents them from gaining knowledge and learning practical skills.

Don’t Ignore Your Health

Getting good grades and being involved in extra-curricular are important, but so is your mental and physical health! In the long run, the assignment you’ve been skipping meals and nights of sleep for is not worth your health and well being. That brings us to the fourth and final subject of our academic hacks: do not neglect your responsibilities! As tempting as it may be, giving yourself breaks after getting the smallest of tasks done will lead to more stress as you approach the deadline with an unfinished assignment.

However, if you find yourself seriously struggling to stay awake, make sure you get a full night’s rest. Also, it is easy to put off eating and eat poorly while you are busy working, so be conscious of the time and eat foods that nourish your body! Pizza is awesome, but so is having the energy to get all that work done!

Maluck Nawabi, Enya Daang, Mangesh Darke and Catherine Tran As the final flurry of university acceptance letters begin to pour in, you are probably channeling your energy into going through an intense decision-making process. There is more to dealing with college than admissions and the interns at GiveTeens20^® (who have been there, done that and managed to stay sane!) have signed up to be your spirit guides! In this two-part blog post, they give you a few effective suggestions (or academic hacks, as we call them) on dealing with the most important part of your life right now: preparing for college!

Manage Your Time Like a Pro

The most important thing to do at college is manage your time well. When first starting to sign up for classes, you may want to take a bunch of classes that seem super interesting or fill your entire schedule with classes that pertain to your major. However, I’ve learned that this isn’t the best strategy.

To start, there is nothing wrong with taking some classes for fun and learning something new; that is one of the reasons to go to college in the first place. Actually, I encourage you to take classes that interest you, even if they do not relate to your major. Personally, I took philosophy classes even though I am majoring in Computer Science. However, it is imperative to remember that you are paying nearly $500 per unit at a 4-year school. That is a lot of money when considering how many classes you will have to take.

There is no correct way to balance your time. The key is making sure to not overwhelm oneself. The first thing you should do when you start planning for classes is to thoroughly understand the effort and time the class requires. Usually, you can determine this by how many units the class is. If the class is high in units, then that means that you are expected to put in a lot of effort. Additionally, reading the course catalog gives you a good idea of what to expect in the course. As long as you plan accordingly and balance your time, college classes won’t be a problem.

Summer Classes are a Good Option. But…

Taking classes in the summer is ideal if you want to complete more units. However, you must take into consideration the fact that summer classes are four days a week for six weeks and they tend to be more time consuming. Therefore, you must carefully decide which classes to take. At first you will want to take upwards of three classes, but it is best to just take one class. Personally speaking last summer I wanted to take English, Biology, and Microeconomics. However, if I did take all those classes I would not be able to function like a sane person.

Schedule a meeting with your counselor to see which summer courses will count for two areas of general education requirements. For instance, sometimes an English class at a community college will count for both an English requirement and a critical thinking requirement. Thus, allowing you to save time and money. Once you enroll in classes at a local community college include that college in your FAFSA so that you can get the BOG Fee Waiver. With this Waiver your classes will be covered under financial aid.

Watch out for the second part of the Academic Hacks series that will be up on the blog next week. For more insightful suggestions on conquering college, read this post

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By Maeloni Edmondson Whether you’re in middle school or high school, we can all agree that studying for our final exams can be tiring and stressful. “Where to start?” and “how will I ever get through this?” we say as we struggle to keep from drooling all over our work. Although I usually find myself in these same situations, over the years, I have gathered strategies to make these dreaded moments pay off. And so, here are my five tips to help you ace those final exams!

Get a good night’s rest. It’s crucial to have your full 8 hours of sleep before anything. There is no point to study when you’re tired, as you will be distraught and will not retain the information the next day. Getting good rest ensures that you will stay alert for your study sessions, and will overall put you in a better mood.

Work smarter, not harder. Instead of memorizing the whole textbook, try to figure out your strengths and weaknesses. Watch summaries and educational online videos; create mnemonic devices and acronyms by associating previously learned knowledge with the book’s information. Use study guides, handouts, and flashcards. If you feel confident with your knowledge of the material, try teaching it to a friend or family member.

Create a study group. Who says you have to suffer alone? Surround yourself with peers who you know want to actually study. Share tips and quiz each other! If you can’t meet up one day, try video chatting. Technology is your friend on the path to productivity

Keep your study sessions brief and scattered. We’ve all experienced late night cramming. Although it is sometimes impossible to avoid, it is detrimental to our minds and our spirits. Make sure to start studying ahead of time: have a half to one hour sessions thrice a week instead of forcing yourself to memorize information the night before. Review what you previously studied at the beginning of each session, and make a summary of what you covered at the end.

Be kind to yourself.  Take breaks throughout sessions. Give yourself an easy goal, and reward yourself with a treat after completing it. Drink lots of water and do activities that make you happy. Even if you don’t receive the score you hoped for, know that no letter or number will ever undermine your accomplishments, intelligence, and happiness.

Maeloni Edmondson is a junior at high school and an aspiring Communications/PR professional. She sings, performs, loves to cook and experiment with makeup!

Read more useful tips and stories on acing academics, career and life from GT20 interns and contributors here!

By Mangesh Darke Being a leader is something anyone can achieve; however, there are a few secrets to being an effective person-in-command that not many are aware of. When most people think of leaders, they see people who are confident and convincing. However, one of the most important characteristics an effective leader should possess is approachability.  Unless a person is easy to talk to, he/she would be unable to lead effectively which is why this is one of the most important qualities of an effective leader.

I am the Chairman of the Student Advisory Council at GiveTeens20^® and I strive to be very personable and approachable. The reason this is so important is because people are more likely to listen when they do not think they are bossed around. If your leader was a smart, yet nice person, you would be more inclined to follow him as opposed to a smart, yet rude person-in-command. People want to see leaders that can be role models. This is one of the reasons why I try to lead the SAC in a way in which everyone feels respected.

Lead in a way in which no one feels as if they are being bossed around; the leader should make everyone feel like the group is working toward a common goal. Another characteristic of a great leader is being a great listener. Leaders must be good at listening to the opinions and warnings of those he / she is leading. In my case, I always try to understand the opinions of SAC members so that I could make the best decision for the team. Overall, an effective leader is someone who is capable of taking charge and making the best decisions for the team while being someone who acknowledges and respects the opinions of the team.

Mangesh Darke is the Chairman of the Student Advisory Council at GT20. Although he is currently a freshman at college, his heart really belongs to exploring, learning and discovering what life has to offer!