It’s 2:30 in the afternoon, and with a heavy belly-full of lunch, an afternoon of work looming ahead, and your morning coffee buzz worn off hours ago, you find yourself zoning out, imagining yourself curled up on your couch watching reruns of Portlandia. You need something to get through the rest of this day!

Usually when I find myself in the thick of an afternoon slump that just won’t pass, I find myself standing in line at Starbucks thinking “Ugh, do I really want another coffee…?” And sure enough, an hour later I’m so amped up on caffeine that I can barely focus on what I’m supposed to do next. But in those situations when work needs to be done and neurons aren’t firing, what’s a girl to do? As a bit of a health nut, the idea of five-hour energy drinks scare the crap out of me. Sure, I occasionally need an afternoon boost — but do I really need a bottle of liquid crack to get it?

I was super happy when I was introduced to Elebra, a healthy alternative that contains natural caffeine (from guarana seed extract) and vitamins to help give you a little kick but with the added bonus of improved concentration. Not only does it perk you up gently, but the buzz is long, focused, and there are no coffee jitters to be found.

Whether you’re still in school and need a little help fueling an all-nighter, or are a nine-to-fiver like me, there are days when you just need some extra oomph. Instead of reaching for something synthetic or bound to make you crash, try some “Productivity in a bottle.” You’ll not only get your work done, but you’ll feel good later, too. Now, what energy drink can deliver that?

There are several things that you can do to make each interview as successful as it can possibly be. Each of these steps has an impact on helping you to get the kind of job you really want:

1. Always be punctual.

   Allow yourself enough time to get there, taking the address and the traffic into consideration. As a general rule, employers are advised never to hire a person who arrives late for a job interview.

2. Dress well for the job interview.

   Your clothes can account for 95 percent of the first impression you make on your prospective employer, because first impressions are almost always visual.

   Dress the way you would expect to dress for the job for which you are applying. Many people are hired for no other reason than that they were the best-dressed of the candidates interviewed.

   Many otherwise excellent men and women are disqualified by the employer at the first meeting because they did not dress well for the job interview.

3. Before going into the interview, take a few moments to breathe deeply and relax your shoulders.

   Breathing deeply six or seven times will actually release endorphins in your brain and give you a sense of well-being and calmness.

   Close your eyes for a few moments and visualize yourself as calm, confident, and relaxed. Create a clear mental picture of yourself as smiling, positive, and completely in control of yourself and your emotions during the interview.

4. When you meet the interviewer, smile and shake hands firmly.

   Look the person directly in the eye and say, “How do you do?” A good handshake is full and firm, where you grasp the entire hand and squeeze in a firm but non-aggressive way. Both men and women should give a full-palm handshake when they meet a person for the first time.

5. Interview the interviewer.

   Most interviewers start off with a series of questions that are aimed at drawing you out and getting a better idea of who you are. You should take control of the interview by asking questions about the company, the industry, and the kind of person that the interviewer is looking for.

   The more questions you ask and the more you help to uncover the real needs of the prospective employer, the more likely it is that the prospective employer will see you as being the kind of person who can fulfill those needs.

The above is an excerpt from the book Earn What You’re Really Worth: Maximize Your Income at Any Time in Any Market by Brian Tracy. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

Copyright © 2012 Brian Tracy, author of Earn What You’re Really Worth: Maximize Your Income at Any Time in Any Market

Author Bio
Brian Tracy, author of Earn What You’re Really Worth: Maximize Your Income at Any Time in Any Market, was born in eastern Canada in 1944 and grew up in California. After dropping out of high school, he traveled and worked his way around the world, eventually visiting 80 countries on six continents. His extensive personal studies in business, sales, management, marketing, and economics enabled him to move up to become the head of a $265 million company before he turned his attention to consulting, training, and personal development. He is the president of three companies with operations worldwide. Brian Tracy is married, has four children and lives in San Diego, California.

For more information please visit http://www.briantracy.com, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

Editor’s Note: CollegeAftermath only accepts guest articles we think are super relevant and appropriate for post-college grads. If you liked this, email us or post a comment below!

Courtesy of: Online College News

Bryan Cohen here, guest poster and author, promoting my new book The Post-College Guide to Happiness for The Happiness Blog Tour. I’m giving away free digital review copies of the book and doing a giveaway for paperback copies, audio copies and even a Kindle Fire! Read on and check out the info below the post.

“If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years.”

- Bertrand Russell

Misplaced Anger

Have you ever had an enemy that didn’t know the two of you were enemies? You’d silently fumed whenever you saw this person make a grand success. You glared at the back of his or her head when you saw this vile creature in the hallway. Maybe you even put a picture of this person on a dart board and threw projectiles at this enemy’s face. This center of our ire seems to always get the promotion, get the beautiful relationship partner and get everything that we want for ourselves. But did you ever stop to think that the reason you aren’t getting all those things is because of the hate you have bubbling inside of you? Perhaps, hating this person is automatically relegating you to second best.

Wanting your own happiness is a major factor of you enjoying your time here. In high school, when I was awkward and unpopular, I was mostly unhappy. I saw these homecoming court members to be getting the girls and the awards. I don’t know if I even really wanted these things, but I sure as heck didn’t want them to get it. Now in the Facebook world, we see people we barely even know, having successes and wonderful futures opening up for them. At first, this caused me the same amount of anger and hatred that I had in the high school hallways. That’s when I realized something. The hate and anger that I was brewing was completely counter productive to my own happiness.

Blaming, complaining, negativity and hateful speech, thoughts and actions don’t jibe with being a happy individual. I love Russell’s quote here, because it’s so true. Imagine if the inhabitants of one country, one state, even one town cut all the hate out and started thinking solely of how to enrich their own lives. We would be living in a much different and healthier world.

The moral of the story is that if you really want to be happy, it’s time to stop putting so much attention into wishing other people ill. If that’s hard for you, don’t think of them at all. Spend all your time thinking about the health and joy of you, your friends and your family. Maybe someday, you’ll even be able to hope for the best for these “enemies” you think you have. Now that sounds like a step in the right direction toward paradise.

–

Bryan Cohen is giving away 61 paperback and audio copies of The Post-College Guide to Happiness and a Kindle Fire between now and May 7th, 2012 on The Happiness Blog Tour. All entrants receive a free digital review copy of The Post-College Guide to Happiness. Bryan hopes to give away at least 1,000 copies during the blog tour. To enter, post a comment with your e-mail address or send an e-mail to postcollegehappiness (at) gmail.com. Bryan will draw the names at the end of the tour. Entries will be counted through Sunday, May 6th.

Bryan Cohen is a writer, actor and comedian from Dresher, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005 with degrees in English and Dramatic Art and a minor in Creative Writing. He has written nine books including 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More, 500 Writing Prompts for Kids: First Grade through Fifth Grade, Writer on the Side: How to Write Your Book Around Your 9 to 5 Job and his new book, 1,000 Character Writing Prompts: Villains, Heroes and Hams for Scripts, Stories and More. His website Build Creative Writing Ideas helps over 25,000 visitors a month to push past writer’s block and stay motivated.

Feel free to follow along with the tour at The Happiness Blog Tour Hub Page or on the book’s Facebook Page.

1. How to Maneuver the Cloud

   This may sound nuts, but all that time you wasted on Facebook to avoid that term paper and all those Tweets you sent out about your impending doom on that Calculus exam were little prep courses for the profession of the future. Social media and mobile technology are unquestionably where the future of technology is quickly headed. With personal experience maintaining social networks and handling mobile devices, recent college grads can find prosperous jobs in the new public relations. Social media and online content management positions are popping up everywhere these days. Employees are looking for young and energetic candidates that can easily handle and learn new technologies and media. So, those time-wasting practices we put to use regularly in college when we had important assignments to complete were underhandedly training us for the future.

2. The College Work Ethic and Discipline

   While television shows and movies often depict college as a constant buzz of drinking, partying, and road trips, most of us know that college isn’t really anything like this. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly college students who party all the time, but they are also keeping up their grades, leading student groups, doing community service, and many other things. The most challenging aspect of college is learning to maintain a regular schedule and manage your time on your own. You are thrown into a tempting environment with multitudes of obligations and expected to immediately float (rather than sink). It’s difficult. But, by learning to manage your time wisely, push through all the work, and put your heart and soul into your major, you train yourself in hard work and discipline.

3. How to be Productive in the Worst Conditions

   The college atmosphere is one that is very unique while at the same time being the same old stuff. You are thrust into an environment where everyone has the same ultimate goals (to graduate and succeed in life) and everyone has the same distractions (parties, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends). Interestingly (or maybe cruelly), the college atmosphere is one of the most difficult ones to maintain focus in. There is no end to the amount of distraction available when you live with thousands of students your same age and are living on your own for basically the first time. But, while playing certainly happens, you always find a way to get your work done in that environment. College helps us discover what environment and atmosphere we can be most successful in and how to create that environment ourselves. Dorm life can be difficult, but it also forces us to discover our ideal working situation. This is an important thing to know aboutyourself once you enter the professional world outside of school.

Jemima Lopez is a freelance blogger and writer who writes for Zen College Life, the directory of higher education, distance learning, and online degrees. She welcomes your comments at her email: lopezjemima562 @ gmail.com.

Editor’s Note: CollegeAftermath only accepts guest articles we think are super relevant and appropriate for post-college grads. If you liked this, email us or post a comment below!

Following are seven reasons an eReader is a must-have item for kids in college and beyond.

1. Economical
   Though they require a greater initial cash outlay, eReaders quickly “make their money back,” with inexpensive and sometimes FREE ebook downloads of great literature and discounted electronic titles of popular novels.
2. You can download books on the go
   Can’t remember that passage of the book you referenced in your term paper? Now you can download the book immediately to your eReader, then use the search function to find the exact passage.
3. Searchable text
   How many times have you marked a page, only to discover you can’t find it later? An eReader nullifies the dog-ear. Its search feature allows you to find words, phrases and characters. You can also highlight text and copy it into a “notes” file, allowing you to read an aggregation of your highlights and personal notations. It’s great for keeping track of bibliography references.
4. Some offer text to speech
   Certain brands and models allow readers – or in this case, listeners – to absorb literary information via audio on the go – en route to class, in the shower or riding the bus.
5. The walking library
   Most eReaders are “library compatible,” which means readers can “borrow” eBooks from local public libraries. Lit majors will marvel at the vast assortment of classic novels. You can also download free music, audiobooks and movies from libraries.
6. Most eReaders offer an integrated dictionary and web browser
   Unlike having to drop your book and seek out an unfamiliar word in the dictionary, eReaders come with built-in dictionaries and web browsers. Check your email, peruse the latest headlines and search for pizza joints – all in the same place.
7. Better for the environment
   Fewer printed pages result in fewer trees destroyed, leading to a net landfill decrease. Digital eBooks are a great, easy way to go Green.

eReaders cost between $50 (for the Pandigital Novel 6in Personal) to $500 (for the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101). The prices often reflect size of hard drive, dimensions of screen and color capacity.

Katie Fetting-Schlerf is a Seattle-based writer who never thought she’d give up her hoard of paperbacks for a few free eBooks. She was wrong. Now she can once again sit on her sofa.

Editor’s Note: CollegeAftermath only accepts guest articles we think are super relevant and appropriate for post-college grads. If you liked this, let us know!

Cons

1. Losing Money
   By moving out on your own after college, the cost of your living will be increased. Electricity, water, and rent will make up a majority of your bills and your take-home pay will be reduced. Additionally, renting a domicile will require that you purchase renters insurance, such as that found at RentersInsurance.com.
2. Family Issues
   Most of us go to college for the sake of getting away from constricting parents. For many, this may be one of the most burdening reasons why moving back home may not be for you. Privacy and distance is long gone but at least breakfast will be cooked by someone other than your microwave toting roommate.

Pros

1. Saving Money
   When you move back home with your parents, the ability to save money is greatly increased. The money that is saved can go towards the outright purchase of a home, which will save you cash on interest. In addition, living at home after college can allow you to set up an emergency fund before you move out on your own. This money can serve many purposes and will give you an advantage over someone who moves out on their own immediately after college.
2. Reduced Stress
   Getting situated in the real world may be a difficult transition for some. If you are not wise, moving out on your own can imply rent, bills, and insurance that would otherwise be avoided by staying at with family.
3. Extra Time
   A great benefit of moving home is the extra time that is afforded to you since finding a job right out of college may be difficult. With the current state of the economy, jobs are scarce for the inexperienced. This allows you ample time to find a job without the stress.

This article is a guest contribution. CollegeAftermath only accepts guest articles we think are super relevant and appropriate for post-college grads. If you liked this, let us know!

Thanks for sharing your story, Jenna!

——

My Financial Disaster After Graduation

I graduated college a short six months ago, and I thought I was set. I had a great GPA, graduated with distinction, and I was getting married. I thought my financial situation would be set, especially since I didn’t have to worry about paying student loans, but I didn’t take into account how much starting my life after college would cost.

After I got married, my husband and I moved to a new state, where we had trouble finding an apartment because of our lack of credit and because of the fact that I didn’t have a job yet. As much as I tried, I could not find a job in the area where my husband was employed. The job search was brutal. I sent out hundreds of resumes and only got interviews with two places in that month. I didn’t get one of those jobs and the other one was not for me because it would have required me to drive almost two hours to get to work every day.

I started to get discouraged when my husband suggested that I try Craigslist. I really thought that was a crazy idea, and I wasn’t sure if I trusted many of those postings, but I was desperate. I applied to a few jobs and finally got a response. After that interview, I knew that was the job for me, and I was really excited when they gave me the offer. I absolutely love my job, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life right now.

After I got the job, my husband and I started to pay off some of the debt we had incurred during the first few months of our marriage, and I really thought we were going to be okay. In fact, our paychecks were so much larger than our monthly expenses that we decided we would be able to afford a dog, so we went to our local animal shelter and found our new pet. That’s where everything went south.

The day after we got our puppy, we took her to the vet for a checkup because we wanted to make sure our cute little canine was in good health, but we found out she was not. She had a virus the vet called “Parvo” and they gave her a 50% chance of survival. I was absolutely devastated, but I decided then and there that I would do anything possible to save her. We ended up going $3,000 more into debt by the time they said she was in the clear. I thought it might not be too bad now that we were getting steady paychecks and we could pay off this credit card debt pretty quickly, but then she threw us another illness.

A few weeks after her battle with Parvo, she started to act lethargic again, and we had to take her back in to the vet. This time they told us that she had another virus called Distemper, which could also be fatal. We had to go through another round of vet visits, overnight emergencies, and medications, which ended up costing us about another $4,000. I was completely overwhelmed, and I was so afraid that all of this credit card debt would hurt our credit and our future. That was when I made the decision to start following a strict budget.

Everyone knows that emergencies happen, which is why so many financial advisors say that you should have at least six months of expenses saved up in an emergency fund. I wish I would have known that before I decided to get a dog. However, I know in my heart that I did the right thing by saving this puppy.

She brings me so much joy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know now that we will be fine, even with the debt that we have built up, and in time all of that debt will be paid off. I have made a plan and I intend to stick to it until I am completely debt free.

Jenna White is an author who writes guest posts on the topics of business, marketing, credit cards, and personal finance. Additionally, she works for a website that focuses on educating readers about secured credit cards.

We are looking to cast a recent college grad that has led a successful and promising academic career, but got stuck in the transition from school to work due to the shortage of jobs available. Perhaps you have student loans to pay off, or have had to move back home with your parents to cut costs. Perhaps you have found innovative ways to survive these tough times, or have shifted your career goals. If you feel that you fit this description and can help us shed light on the college grad job crisis through your story, please inquire.

Interested candidates should respond with the following information:

• Where you went to school
• When you graduated
• What you studied
• Whether or not you have substantial student loan debt
• How long you’ve been unemployed
• Info on job searches
• Where you are living now
• What you are doing to make income
• Info on your monthly budget you are willing to share
• What your plan is for the future
• A photo
• Anything else that’s interesting or you feel is unique about your story.

This is a show that provides insight into some of our nation’s most complex topics by exploring the lives of people experiencing those issues first-hand. A majority of Americans say, for the first time ever, that this generation will not be better off than its parents. It seems that this concern might very well be real.

Please send information to: cabledocumentary@gmail.com.

While taking personality tests for a new job might be tedious, tests like the Myers Briggs
Type Indicator® (MBTI®) assessment can really help a company to see if you are the
right fit. Not only do companies benefit, but these tests can also help you figure out if
your personality and natural preferences will make it easy and comfortable to flourish in
a particular work environment.

Employers will be impressed if you know and understand your personality type. Not
only for the benefit of employers, but the results of your assessment will give you
some much-needed insight on yourself. If you are made aware of your type, you can
then come to understand how you can adjust to make yourself work in any workplace
environment.

No personality type is an indicator that you won’t succeed. Rather, your personality type
is an indicator of how natural things may come to you and how much you may be within
or outside your comfort range.

There are sixteen possible Myers-Briggs® personality types which help to illuminate your
natural preferences, referred to by four abbreviated letters.

Preferences include:

• Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I)
• Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)
• Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
• Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

Recognizing how your personality reacts to the culture of a specific workplace can guide
you in the right direction — the direction where you can be the most successful and
satisfied at your job.

Have you ever taken a personality test for career development? Was it useful?

Mona Abdel-Halim is the co-founder of Resunate.com, the world’s only search engine optimizing resume builder. Resunate has recently partnered with Myers-Briggs® to give users the option to take the assessment online and feed their results into its engine, enabling Resunate to provide personal insight into how well you fit to any job. The verified Myers-Briggs® assessment will be available to Resunate users starting January 2012. You can find Mona and Resunate on Facebook and Twitter.

This article was contributed by Mona Abdel-Halim. CollegeAftermath only accepts guest articles we think are super relevant and appropriate for post-college grads. If you liked this, let us know!