5 important things for all grads

Recently, my sister graduated and is looking for a job.  It's been 3 months and she has yet to get an offer.  Granted, she's looking for a teachinc job at elementry schools.  So the hiring is still going in at the beginning of the school year. 

From my personal experience, there are a few things that all grads need to remember:

1) Interviews are great experiences.  It's good to get feedback from the interviewer, especially if you don't get the job.  The more interviews you go on, the more comfortable you will be speaking about yourself.

2) Keep searching.  Don't stop send out your resume if you get an interview or interviews.  Don't even stop if you get an offer.  Still keep an eye out even if you have been working.  It never hurts to know about opportunities.  Just be sure not to have your information posted as open and searchable once you start working.  Some companies don't like that. 

3) Ask questions and do research.  It always a benefit to you as the prospect to look up information about the places you want to work at. Call the human resource number on the job listing and ask as much information as they will give.  Information such as what do the qualification really mean, what extra skills would they consider.  Also, ask to speak to the department that is hiring for the posistion because HR does not always have the answers.

4) Get to Know the right poeple.  This the toughest for "shy" people.  Going events or joining groups for the profession you want to be in will get you insight and inside tips on what is going on, how things work, and connect with people.  This is a good way to getting information.

5) Any opportunity is a good opportunity.  This is a point that I many people pass up.  It doesn't matter if it's volunteer, pro bono, or short term.  Any experience in a field that you want to be in will only add to your resume and your connection.  I have seem quite a few people not be able to work in the profession of their choice because they believe that they should always be paid for it.  Companies like to see experience before they want to hire someone.  So get some experience anyway you can.

In fact, these things should be important for anyone at any stage of their career.  I know something pro bono, and volunteer work is hard if you have bills to pay, and I am not saying you have to do that, or for long term.
If you get yourself out there, you never know if that might bring the next big job.

insurance companies are the worst

Last week there as an earthquake and a hurricane in our area.  Luckily, there weren't any damage to our properties as I can see so far.  However, other people did not fair as well.  From the images of the earthquake, some homes were pretty badly damaged in the earthquake.  On top of that, the hurricane come a few days later and battered those homes even more.

Even though the earthquake as a small one, it's effect was magnified by the fact there we don't expect it on the East Coast.  Most people don't have earthquake insurance.  Why would they consider something that would maybe happen once every one hundred years?  It turns out that if there is any substantial damage, they can't claim it against their home owners policy because the didn't buy earthquake insurance. 

Same thing with the flood insurance.  Hurricane don't usually hit the Northeast with that much force.  So for most people who live above a certain flood line, they don't bother getting flood insurance.  Then once every 10 years, a hurricane comes a bit strong.

I can understand how insurance companies would not want to pay out because potential fraud, but  it seems pretty heartless when people are out of a home.  If we are all to buy those plans for the once in a 10 or 100 years occurrence, it would add to our already high expenses.  However, seem that their people who lost their homes, and insurance companies won't pay for it, what are we really to do?

Seems like only the insurance companies win,