Match the interviewer

“Think what your interviewer is wearing and then do the same,” she says. “You want to look like you fit into that environment.”

For example, employees at law firms and consulting companies have a lot of interaction with clients and therefore should be as put-together as possible. Yet web engineers and graphic designers don’t necessarily have a lot of face time with people outside their companies and can get away with wearing jeans, T-shirts and sneakers.

…When that interviewer is wearing a suit

Northwestern University senior Leo Zhu landed an offer with consulting firm Oliver Wyman last year.

“The most appropriate outfits are business formal attire, so that would definitely mean wearing a suit, a tie, a crisp dress shirt and dress shoes,” he says.

While preparing for the more than 30 job interviews he has had over the past four years, he stayed away from colors that aren’t from the neutral family (black, gray, navy blue, beige and white). “There is a range of acceptable colors and attire, and pastel colors and bright colors fall out of that range,” he says.

GQ’s Style Guy Glenn O’Brien agrees but would scratch black from the list if you’re wearing a suit. Instead, he recommends gray.

“I don’t think black is a good idea, but not because it’s a power color. I think it can be a little severe. I only wear black in the daytime for mourning,” he says.

“I don’t think black is a good idea, but not because it’s a power color. I think it can be a little severe. I only wear black in the daytime for mourning,” -Glenn

Dress like yourself, but tame the hair

Burton’s biggest style rule is to feel comfortable and confident in what you’re wearing. “Don’t ever underestimate a good outfit, because it can give you confidence,” she says.

If you’re not a suit kind of guy, you can probably get away with not wearing a tie and jacket, but that’s as far as you can push it. She adds that facial hair and longer hairstyles aren’t necessarily interview no-no’s, but “there should be some effort in containing it, whether you put some gel in it or trim it.”

Accessories

“I would never carry a briefcase to an interview, because there’s no point, and it just makes you look pretentious,” he says, adding that a simple padfolio — you know, one of those faux-leather- bound notepads they sell at the student store — will do. Over-the-top items like cufflinks are also a no-go.

Networking

Burton says your safest best is wearing a nice, button-down shirt, slacks, belt and blazer “if you’re worried about being too underdressed.” Finish your look with a pair of polished loafers, whether it’s an interview or a networking opportunity, and you’re good to go.

According to a 2011 survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com, 22 percent of employers fired their workers for surfing the Web for non-work-related purposes. Seven percent of those fired were sent to the chopping block for online holiday shopping and 8 percent for sending personal e-mails, an activity 61 percent of workers surveyed admitted to doing during the workday.

In addition, 50 percent of workplaces monitor their employees’ Internet and e-mail activity, and 54 percent block access to certain websites. While you may contest that this is an invasion of privacy, Privacy Rights writes it isn’t a big ethical issue, because employers own the computer terminals and e-mail systems used in the workplace. The organization also reports that employers aren’t required to tell workers that their online activity is being monitored, but some do let their employees know in training manuals, meetings or contracts. And in case you were wondering, the information collected is usually used during performance evaluations.

In Employee Internet Abuse, Kimberly S. Young and Carl J. Case argue that employers have good reason to limit and discourage their employees’ Internet access. Each year, Internet usage in the workplace results in about a $54 billion loss in productivity. And 13 years ago, recreational Internet use was responsible for a $5.3 billion loss. This loss has spurred many companies to adopt Internet-use policies that clearly state what is and what isn’t acceptable online.

However, despite these statistics, many employees continue to go online for personal use; 65 percent to be more exact, according to Career Builder. Of that group, 22 percent said they made at least five non-work-related Internet searches a day. The survey also found that 61 percent of workers send non-work-related e-mails on a regular basis, and 19 percent of those people send more than five personal e-mails per day.

Clearly it’s not unheard of to go on the Web for personal reasons during the work day, but it’s probably a smart idea to restrict your personal Internet use as much as possible, especially if you’re new or working as an intern and trying to make a good impression. It’s also important that you review your company’s Web policy so that you have a better understand of what is and what isn’t acceptable. And use common sense. No XXX-rated sites, no “NSFW”-marked articles, and no YouTube or Facebook.

In a perfect world, the decision for students to obtain an education should not have to be reduced to weighing the pros and cons of accruing thousands of dollars worth of debt. However, the financial burdens of college are not just the problems of students, but the institutions themselves as well. There are alternatives to tuition hikes that would benefit both schools and their student bodies. All colleges should seriously consider these alternatives.

Students will benefit from tuition alternatives because it relieves them of the financial pressures associated with school while they are striving to obtain a quality education. Parents and guardians of students will also benefit, as they will not have the burden of cosigning on loans to invest in their child’s education. Schools will also greatly benefit from tuition alternatives if they adopt a ‘pay later’ tuition approach. One of the ways they could benefit is through an increase in student enrollment.

Institutions experiencing gradual declines of student enrollment, like the University of California Riverside, are already feeling the pressure from students to adopt tuition alternatives. NPR interviewed a UC Riverside student who proposed that students should have the option not to pay for tuition up front. Instead, tuition could be collected from 5 percent of the post-graduates’ incomes for 20 years.

The College Board updates an annual article on What it Costs to Go to College. According to The College Board, in 2011-2012, public four-year colleges charge, on average, $8,244 in tuition and fees for in-state students. The average surcharge for full-time, out-of-state students at these institutions is $12,526. Private nonprofit four-year colleges charge, on average, $28,500 per year in tuition and fees. Instead of students paying back loans and interest, the colleges themselves can adopt the proposed UC tuition plan and increase the amount of money earned per capita.

Let’s do the math. Say a student makes the National Average Wage of $41,673.83 after college. With the proposed UC tuition plan, the college will receive $2,083.69 annually per student for 20 years, adding up to a grand total of $41,673.83. Put shortly, if all universities adopt the proposed UC tuition plan, they will receive an entire year’s salary from each of their students in a 20-year time span. The more colleges set up their students for success by training them to be competitive and valuable assets to the job market after graduation, the higher the wage of each student, resulting in more money for the higher education institution.

The Wall Street Journal has also done their homework on eight Tuition-Free Colleges in the nation. Schools like The College of the Ozarks allow their students tuition-free admission as long as they work 15 hours a week on campus. The school proves that their finance model is successful as the quality of their education. The U.S. News and World Report ranks The College of the Ozark as #10 on their Best Regional (South) Colleges List.

U.S News and Report also published a shortlist of 10 Schools With Least 2010 Graduate Debt. Princeton, and Ivy League institution, worked with its students to create lower tuition prices by replacing all loan packages with scholarships and grants. They ranked second on the shortlist with the average total indebtedness per student totaling $4,385.

For all of us students that don’t attend tuition-alternative colleges, US News and Reports also offers a great package outlining various tips on Paying for College.

“Hiring managers frequently don’t bother to let applicants know they’ve been dropped from consideration,” writes Susan Adams of Forbes.

For the interviewee, talking to a voice in a handset can prove more daunting than actually meeting someone in person. A phone call can come out of the blue, and the first few seconds can be especially awkward as both sides try to find their bearings.

The number one piece of advice offered up by both CNN Money and Forbes is to prepare as you would for an in-person interview. Paul Ballo, who runs Phone Interview Pro, an online coaching service, even suggests wearing business attire.

“Of course the interviewer can’t see you, but you won’t feel, or sound, as businesslike in your pajamas,” Bailo says.

You should do the interview from a landline, but realistically you won’t have one at your disposal. Just make sure you’re somewhere with a good connection and that your friends aren’t playing video games in the background.

One of the benefits of a phone interview is that you can have all sorts of materials in front of you. That might include a list of questions you plan on asking your interviewer as well as your resume.

A potential pitfall of not being able to meet face-to-face is that you are much more likely to over-talk or interrupt an interviewer while he or she is mid-thought. Bailo suggests silently counting off two or three seconds when the interviewer has stopped talking. The pause will make you sound intelligent and sounds a lot better than constant umming and ahhing.

Following up is key. If it’s a phone interview, that means the interviewer is probably talking to numerous applicants that day. A quick e-mail thank you can go a long way.

Finally, Bailo recommends eating a cough drop before the call.

“It’s a small but helpful thing,” he says.

For best results, make sure it’s a menthol drop.

Men can easily donate their sperm, a little too often sometimes, but at $35-50 a pop, you can at least keep up with the electric bill. Women can also lend a hand by donating their eggs, but it’s a much more invasive process. While the guidelines on the price of eggs aren’t concrete, you can make anywhere from $5,000-$10,000 per donation, helping you make rent for a few months.

Morals aside, how has society come to this? Young adults have to sell their potential offspring just so they can afford the education they have been told they need in order to be successful. Let’s get more creative instead:

• Sell some of your more valuable stuff on either Ebay or Etsy. Amazon will take your old books and video games, and Gazelle will buy your electronics.
• Sell some of your clothes at consignment or vintage stores like Crossroads Trading Co. or Plato’s Closet.
• Offer to walk your neighbor’s yippy dogs, babysit your sister’s baby, or simply take on more hours at work. Other sites like Task Rabbit have popped up if you want to go pro.

There you go: proof that there are other options besides the local sperm bank.

Total student debt hits $867 billion

Bloomberg reports student debt reached $867 billion this month, up from $865 billion three months ago. That’s from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, although other sources report different numbers. USA Today reported last year that student debt had already crossed the $1 trillion mark.

Even Fed boss Bernanke feels college debt heat

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is just a “regular guy” with regular debt, The Wall Street Journal says. Bernanke’s son will rack up $400,000 in medical school debt, the head banker told Congress last week. The WSJ also notes that Bernanke buys his own groceries and has a $672,000 mortgage on his home, which he has refinanced twice.

Could student loans cause the next debt crisis?

That’s the question posed by a U.S. News & World Report article published last month. As student loan debt eats up a family’s ability to spend money on consumer goods, the article asks, could we see another economic downturn?

Buying a home after college? Not with all that debt

Bloomberg Businessweek reports a smaller percentage of 29- to 34-year-olds got a first-time mortgage than did ten years ago. Based at least in part on the same sources as U.S. News‘ story, Businessweek‘s piece says that the average student debt load of $25,000 could prevent some college grads from qualifying for a mortgage.

Santorum: Obama a ‘snob’ for promoting education after high school

Rising GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum has come down hard on higher education lately, calling President Barack Obama a “snob” for saying that young people should pursue higher education. On Glenn Beck’s radio show, Santorum said universities had become “indoctrination mills” for liberalism. Obama fired back last month, saying he supported all forms of post-secondary ed, from four-year degrees to career programs for manufacturing workers, according to the NYT.

According to a recent New York Times article, “One is the Quirkiest Number,” today 1 in 4 U.S. households are occupied by someone living on their own. The article, written by Steve Kurutz, lays out some of the pros and cons of living alone.

Pros: peace and quiet, not worrying about someone else’s schedule, no requirement to wear pants. Cons: it makes you really weird. Seriously. Kurutz documents quirks from using your dryer as a dresser, to wearing pantaloons, to eating peanut butter straight from the jar, naked, at 2 a.m. as developing from a solitary lifestyle.

And there are other downsides to living alone. Your rent is higher, you and only you are responsible for paying your utilities, and if you fall and can’t get up, there’s no one around to hear your cries for help. The biggest benefit to living with roommates though is economic. This helpful post points out that living with just one person can help you save 30 percent on housing costs.

And if you’re spending more than the generally-recommended 30 percent of your salary on rent, then it might be time to look into sharing your space. Just don’t go into it blindly.

If you’re trying to decide whether you want roommates or not, make a pro/con list – or check this one out. And remember, living alone does have benefits, not least of which is that it finally makes you feel like a real person. (Plus it allows you to indulge the side of you that wants to drink champagne in the shower at 8 a.m.) And who can put a price on that?

A former intern for fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar is suing the Hearst Corporation for violating federal and state wage and hour laws. Hearst does not pay its interns, and Xuedan Wang has said that she worked as many as 55 hours a week. Anyone who has worked at a fashion magazine can tell you that the work often entails physically strenuous tasks such as coordinating pick-ups and deliveries of fashion samples. The hours are long, and the work is not easy.

The U.S. Labor Department mandates that unpaid internships are legal in the context of an educational training program, as long as interns do not displace regular employees and the employer can derive no “immediate” benefit from their work. This definition in itself is highly problematic. While interns are certainly receiving educational training, many publications are suffering financially and will hire a group of unpaid interns in place of a paid employee. But as New York Magazine points out, internships are mutually beneficial arrangements.

In a 2010 story for The New York Times, Steven Greenhouse said that internship complaints are a rarity. In an iffy economy, internships lead to job prospects, and students don’t want to jeopardize their careers. That’s partly why Wang’s case is so important. Wang has made a bold move in suing Hearst, and it is unlikely that she will work in magazine publishing again.

Although Wang’s frustrations are valid, it’s important to keep in mind that internships are not binding. Wang could have walked away at any moment. While employers certainly do need be aware of how they treat their interns, they do not hold all of the responsibility. Interns may not have the legal protection of employment discrimination laws, but they do have the agency to walk away if they are being treated poorly. This certainly isn’t the answer to discrimination, but internships are not contractual, salaried jobs. Internships are intended to be short-term, transitory and experimental.

Stay posted to see if this turns into a class action suit.

Health and wellness

This goes beyond providing health care benefits: Some companies offer discounted gym memberships, in-house work-out facilities, or yoga during the day. Others like White Wave Foods will provide you with free marathon training and pay your registration fee. Dig in and find out if they have a flexible spending account for medical expenses, which can help you lower your taxable income. Does the company seem concerned with your longevity as a human? If not, you may not be working there for long, for more reasons than one.

Work-kid balance

Yes—that’s right. Someday you might have kids, and your company’s policy on parenthood should matter. Are they a family-friendly employer? Do they want you to spend 75 hours a week at the office instead of with your kids? Google offers $500 in “Bonding Bucks” to help ease the transition to parenthood. Companies like ENLASO let you take the entire summer off to spend time with your kids, and there’s no stigma attached or upward mobility lost. ENLASO also mandates that its employees work from home at least one day a week, which can be helpful if you’ve got a sick kid home from school. While the mommy-daddy stuff might seem far off, it’s never too early to get a feel for your new company’s true values.

Burritos

SendGrid, a Boulder, Colo., start up, sits on the second floor of its building. The first floor is occupied by Chipotle, which means the company has an unlimited burrito account for all employees. Other companies have “Bring Your Dog to Work Day” every day of the year, while others have subsidized company cafeterias, beer fridges or weekly barbecues. These benefits don’t add cash to your wallet, but they’re likely to improve your mood and boost your relationships with your co-workers.

So make sure you read beyond the bottom line. Find out what your company’s internal value system looks like. If you want to work somewhere that supports saving the earth or keeping families together, make sure you ask before you accept the position. Plus, if you’re still in the interviewing phase, knowing the company’s core values and relating them to yourself can push your resume to the top.

And if you’re the oldest, you may end up making more money. A study by Careerbuilder.com showed first-born children are the most likely to earn six-figure salaries and hold top managerial positions. An article from Business Insider suggests this may be because many first-borns tend to be very responsible, especially if they had to make sure no one picked on their kid brother or sister.

According to the study, for men, the first-born earned 1.2 percent more per year than the second-born and 2.8 percent more than the third. For women, the oldest earned 4.2 percent more annually than the second and 6.6 percent more than the third-born.

But that’s not all bad news for youngest and middle siblings. Frank Sulloway, who teaches in the psychology department at the University of California, Berkeley, told Yahoo! Finance that younger siblings are more likely to branch out into emerging fields and creative fields than their elder brothers or sisters. Younger siblings are more likely to work in fields like writing, art, architecture and design, while the oldest tend to move toward the hard sciences, engineering and information technologies.

So your older brother or sister may work in a more lucrative industry, but younger siblings may work in a field where their passion lies. As long as you love what you do, the money doesn’t matter, right? Right. The data might say one thing, but many different factors affect how much you will earn — like work ethic and skill level just to name a couple.

Just because you’re the baby of the family doesn’t mean you can’t lead the pack in terms of your salary. For the record, Bill Gates is a middle child. So am I, and I don’t plan on competing with my sisters over who earns the most. Then again, I’m a journalism major, so I’ve probably made things easier for them if they want to compete.