You may have noticed that I have something exciting cooking.

I’m writing a pretty cool job search guide for college seniors and recent graduates. 

It all started because of your emails and tweets.

• Many of you share the same fears. 
• Many of you make the same mistakes when it comes to executing your job search.  These mistakes are driven by your fears. 
• I’ve also identified the #1 problem among entry-level job seekers and will show you how to overcome it.

No need to shoot yourself in the foot any longer.

You’ve spent way too much money and time on your degree to waste it sitting on the couch.  The economy is not friendly to mediocre candidates, mediocre resumes, or mediocre personal brands.  Therefore, you need to rise above the rest.  Your archaic career services office probably isn’t going to help you do that.

I’m providing a lot of info that has never been seen here on the blog.   You’ll see real strategies that work. You’ll get real templates.  I’m even including real emails that you guys have sent me.  Not all of my feedback is positive. 

Most importantly, I promise not to waste your time with a bunch of fluffy bullshit. 

You’ll also get to learn a little bit more about my story- stuff I wouldn’t share here on the blog.

here’s how you can be part of the movement:

• If you think your resume is at rock star status, email it to me. 
• If you think your resume sucks, email it to me. 
• Be prepared for me to rip it apart in the name of serious improvement.
• If you have questions you want answered in this guide, email them to me.
• If you have a job search story to tell, tell it.
• I’ll be handpicking only the BEST examples to be part of the book- real name optional.
• Hopefully you know my email address by now: nicole@mscareergirl.com

Job Search Boot Camp will be out in April.  Until then, stay tuned for lots of previews, a few giveaways and some great case studies!

I happened to catch a news segment about how Starbucks is being affected by the recession and it got me thinking. First, I love Starbucks and if I could have a dream office, I’d place a desk in the middle of my Starbucks and work happily. Second, I admire their business model and branding (my favorite book about this is The Starbucks Experience). Therefore, I found it surprising that even Starbucks’ sales were down.

Ever since we got a Starbucks next door to my office, I’ve gone through periods of going way too often. As someone who is conscious of making smart financial decisions, my Starbucks addiction doesn’t really match up. We’ve all heard Oprah, Jean Chatzky and Suze Orman tell us how much we could save if we cut lattes out of our daily routine. Apparently people are starting to listen.

Since I like numbers and facts, I wanted to do some math to find out how much Starbucks can really hit your wallet. Here is what I discovered:

· There is an 11.5% tax on food and beverages in Chicago…um, where have I been? I had never looked at my Starbucks receipt before today (oops). Why the need for an 11.5% tax, Chicago? Have we been financing Blagojevich’s corrupt schemes, or maybe paying for his newest wig (sorry, had to say it).

· If you buy a grande latte every work day, you will spend $74.80 per month. ($3.74 * 20 business days per month)

· You could do the following with $75: pay your monthly car insurance bill, buy new shoes, go out to dinner and drinks with your girlfriends twice, or save for a rainy day.

· Your daily “addiction” will cost you $897.60 over the course of 1 year.

Now what if you decided to give up your daily Starbucks visits and direct deposit that $75/month into a retirement account?

Despite the current economic condition, the average expected return for retirement accounts is still 10%. If you put that $75/month into your 401(k) plan, your contribution will grow to $5,931.18 after 5 years.

I assume you are not retiring in your thirties. Therefore, check out how much your $75 monthly contribution can grow over the years:

· After 10 years the value of your investment will be $15,566.40

· 20 years, $57,502.27

· 30 years, $171,024.40

· 40 years, $478,333.52

Wow, now I’m impressed. Who knew that your cup of joe was so expensive in the long run! I hope this inspires you to take a look at your 401(k) contributions today and make sure you are putting at least this much away for your future. For other scenarios, check out this easy to use calculator.

Even if you think that you can’t possibly afford to save right now, try to cut something small out of your day and remember that it will lead you to big things in the future. And in the meantime, you’ll be acting as a smart, savvy and sexy woman!

I happened to catch a news segment about how Starbucks is being affected by the recession and it got me thinking. First, I love Starbucks and if I could have a dream office, I’d place a desk in the middle of my Starbucks and work happily. Second, I admire their business model and branding (my favorite book about this is The Starbucks Experience). Therefore, I found it surprising that even Starbucks’ sales were down.

Ever since we got a Starbucks next door to my office, I’ve gone through periods of going way too often. As someone who is conscious of making smart financial decisions, my Starbucks addiction doesn’t really match up. We’ve all heard Oprah, Jean Chatzky and Suze Orman tell us how much we could save if we cut lattes out of our daily routine. Apparently people are starting to listen.

Since I like numbers and facts, I wanted to do some math to find out how much Starbucks can really hit your wallet. Here is what I discovered:

· There is an 11.5% tax on food and beverages in Chicago…um, where have I been? I had never looked at my Starbucks receipt before today (oops). Why the need for an 11.5% tax, Chicago? Have we been financing Blagojevich’s corrupt schemes, or maybe paying for his newest wig (sorry, had to say it).

· If you buy a grande latte every work day, you will spend $74.80 per month. ($3.74 * 20 business days per month)

· You could do the following with $75: pay your monthly car insurance bill, buy new shoes, go out to dinner and drinks with your girlfriends twice, or save for a rainy day.

· Your daily “addiction” will cost you $897.60 over the course of 1 year.

Now what if you decided to give up your daily Starbucks visits and direct deposit that $75/month into a retirement account?

Despite the current economic condition, the average expected return for retirement accounts is still 10%. If you put that $75/month into your 401(k) plan, your contribution will grow to $5,931.18 after 5 years.

I assume you are not retiring in your thirties. Therefore, check out how much your $75 monthly contribution can grow over the years:

· After 10 years the value of your investment will be $15,566.40

· 20 years, $57,502.27

· 30 years, $171,024.40

· 40 years, $478,333.52

Wow, now I’m impressed. Who knew that your cup of joe was so expensive in the long run! I hope this inspires you to take a look at your 401(k) contributions today and make sure you are putting at least this much away for your future. For other scenarios, check out this easy to use calculator.

Even if you think that you can’t possibly afford to save right now, try to cut something small out of your day and remember that it will lead you to big things in the future. And in the meantime, you’ll be acting as a smart, savvy and sexy woman!

I’ve noticed that a lot of my female co-workers and friends avoid taking advantage of their employer’s benefits simply because they are overwhelmed or don’t understand them.  As I was gathering up several receipts to submit for my $200 Flex Spending Account reimbursement (yay!) the other day, a female co-worker commented that she doesn’t “get involved in those types of things, they are just too hard to understand!”  

Don’t miss out on potentially hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars in perks and tax breaks just because you don’t understand a benefit. 

Since this is a topic that I think is very important, yet potentially boring for some, I will periodically blog about one benefit at a time.  Don’t fall asleep on me here!

Flex Spending Accounts

FSA’s allow employees to set aside money from their paychecks on a pre-tax basis to pay for eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses.  In most programs co-pays for doctor’s visits, prescriptions, over the counter medicines, deductible expenses and contact supplies are eligible to be reimbursed by your FSA account. 

If you spend a lot of money at Walgreens, go to the doctor, or have a few prescriptions you take regularly, I highly recommend this account. You must determine how much you spend each year on these types of expenses in order to know how much to contribute.  Some people may choose to contribute the amount of their insurance deductible in order to have money set aside in case a large medical expense comes up that year.  Be careful though:  FSA’s are only good for that calendar year and do not carry over (i.e. use it or lose it).  

The amount you choose will be pro-rated.  For example, if you contribute $500 per year and get paid 26 times per year, 500/26=$19.23 will be deducted from each paycheck and set aside for you.  The funds are usually accessed by a FSA debit card linked to the account, or you submit receipts and get a reimbursement check in the mail!  (Very helpful for some of us!)

Why is it a tax benefit?  Well, if you are currently in the 25% tax bracket and contribute $1,000 to your FSA account, you just saved yourself $250 in taxes!

Rememer to keep your receipts! 

The open enrollment period (when you can sign up for this benefit) is around the corner for many companies this time of year.  Make sure you consider participating in this great benefit!