Career
Ask an Expert: Etiquette with Helen Hawk
Have a question for our experts? This line is open until Friday, May 20th. Our expert will then answer the top questions and we’ll post their answers right here and on our Facebook page.
ETIQUETTE: TOP TEN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: How can I remember names more easily?
A: Repeat their name immediately when you meet them. E.g.: “Jane, it is a pleasure to meet you”. Then, use the person’s name at least two more times during your conversation. E.g.: “Jane, are you a native Nashvillian?” and at the end of your [...] Read More
Resume Preparation: Work It
NAME: Lily
Topic: Resumes and interviews
Status: Perusing food photos
Glee: Pictures don’t have calories
Peeve: You can’t eat pictures
Lately I’ve had The Band Perry’s song “If I Die Young” running through my brain. Of course, the sharp knife of a short life is nothing compared to the dull blade of an empty resume. That seems to be my major hurdle to gainful employment these days.
With so many people in the market for a job, how can my paltry two years of post-college experience ever measure up?
I decided I should do a little research on the topic, but all that did was depress [...] Read More
Ask an Expert: Resume Preparation and Job Hunting with Catherine Hardin
Have a question for our experts? This line is open until Friday, May 6th. Our expert will then answer the top questions and we’ll post their answers right here and on our Facebook page.
Q: What’s the most important thing to know or do while job hunting?
A: It is very important to have a realistic understanding of the job search process. I tell our residents that “looking for a job is a full-time job!” It is important to contact and connect with as many employers as possible daily. It also may take several weeks for an [...] Read More
Ask an Expert: Lisa Barber on Credit Score and Taxes
Have a question for our experts? This line is open until Friday, January 21st. Lisa will then answer the top questions and we’ll post the answers right here.
Q: What is a credit report?
A: A credit report is an accumulation of information about how you pay your bills and repay loans, how much credit you have available, what your monthly debts are, and other types of information that can help a potential lender decide whether you are a good credit risk or a bad credit risk. This information is compiled by 3 nationwide consumer credit reporting companies: [...] Read More
Cash for Clutter
NAME: Z
STATUS: Feeling cluttered.
GOAL: Some open space.
PEEVE: People who have no piles of paper in their homes.
GLEE: A clean dresser top.
I simply cannot watch that show “Hoarders.” It is nasty. It also gives me that sick feeling in my stomach, which I could use to suppress my appetite and drop a few pounds, but the psychological pain just isn’t worth it.
I am not a hoarder but I am a collector. Our attic is crammed with stuff that I haven’t looked at in years, and I am ready to say goodbye to some of it. My collecting crazes changed over time, [...] Read More
Ask an Expert: Cash for Clutter with Debbie Gordon
Have a question for our experts? This line is open until Friday, November 5th. Debbie will then answer a few questions and we’ll post her answers right here and on the forums.
Q: How do I know how much to charge for new handmade or used items?
A: This is a process of trial and error. First, you have to see what people are willing to pay for your items. Just because you want to sell something for a certain amount, doesn’t mean that people will pay that much. Choose a price that you [...] Read More
Get a Job:Unemployment
NAME: Lily
STATUS: Working hard, for somebody with no job
GOAL: A full-time J-O-B
PEEVE: Skeevy interviewers
GLEE: Justified shopping
I woke up in a cold sweat yesterday morning after dreaming that I worked for a monster – an actual Tokyo-stomping, sharp-fanged monster. It took a minute for me to realize that A, I wasn’t working for anyone, having been laid off for some time now and B, the cold sweat was probably in anticipation of that day’s job interview.
On the surface I had such high hopes – I had hooked up with a friend of my sister’s on LinkedIn, and she knew a [...] Read More
Budgeting
NAME: Lily
STATUS: Irritated.
GOAL: Wealth.
PEEVE: Sucking at math.
GLEE: Payday is this week.
No matter how I envision it, the conversation just doesn’t go well:
Me: “Mom, I really need $200 for a new phone so I can post videos of Otto on YouTube.”
Mom: “Two hundred dollars?!? Your phone works perfectly fine – and you never should have gotten that stupid cat, either – you need to get a full-time job.”
Me: “If I had a full-time job do you really think I’d be calling you and begging for money?”
OR –
Me: “Mom, do you think I could borrow $200? I really feel like [...] Read More
