Graduating Seniors Portfolio

You will soon be joining a network of over 180,000 living Phi Delt alumni who understand how difficult it can be to enter into your professional career during this time.

Graduating seniors who are seeking employment can apply to be a part of this year’s portfolio. Phi Delta Theta will share this portfolio on social media platforms and with Phi Delt alumni and friends to help graduating seniors expand their network and connect them with job opportunities. To be featured in this year’s edition, please submit your information by March 20, 2023. To complete the application in its entirety, you will need a LinkedIn profile and/or résumé. Phi Delta Theta will begin publishing and sharing the first iteration of this year’s portfolio soon after the application deadline. 

Professional Greatness Badge

As part of its membership development programming, Phi Delta Theta introduced the Pursuit of Greatness badges. The Pursuit of Greatness program offers the opportunity to earn digital badges that serves as a tangible demonstration of skills they have developed through the Phi Delta Theta experience.

Phi Delts understand the value of the fraternity experience, but this isn’t always the case with employers. The badges translate chapter experiences into recognizable skills valued by employers during the hiring process.

We encourage you to earn the professional greatness badge on myPhiDelt, add it to your résumé and LinkedIn profile, and let it help you stand out amongst your peers.

Phi Delta Theta Professional Network Group on LinkedIn

More than 24,000 Phis are members of the Phi Delta Theta Professional Network on LinkedIn. We encourage you to join the group and connect with other Phis. You can also use the filters on LinkedIn to narrow the group’s members to those in your desired industry, company, or location.

Phi Delta Theta Employment Opportunities

Phi Delta Theta is hiring a chapter support coordinator for full-time employment. Chapter support coordinators assist chapters and emerging chapters with general chapter operations, finances, recruitment, chapter/member accountability, and new member education.

In addition, Phi Delta Theta is currently assisting house corporations that are actively seeking young leaders to serve as the live-in leadership adviser for chapters. This opportunity is perfect for someone attending grad school this fall or looking to stay involved with Phi Delta Theta beyond your undergraduate membership.

Phi Delta Theta is regularly looking to add new talent. Be on the lookout for upcoming employment opportunities.

Graduate Fellowships

The Phi Delta Theta Foundation has opened scholarship and graduate fellowship applications for the 2023–24 academic year. The Foundation designed fellowships to reduce financial barriers for Phi Delts attending graduate school. Members considering attending graduate school are encouraged to visit their myPhiDelt to apply. The deadline to complete most scholarship and graduate fellowship applications is May 1, 2023.

First Thursdays with the Phis

Whether you are moving to a new city or moving back home after graduation, Phi Delta Theta wants you to continue to connect with brothers after college. First Thursdays with the Phis is an alumni engagement initiative that works to gather Phis on the first Thursday evening of each month in consistent locations in an ever-growing list of cities across North America.

The post Six Opportunities Phi Delta Theta Offers to Seniors to Prepare for Life After College appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

Throughout college, I had various jobs that crafted my view on life. I worked as a student ambassador for West Liberty University and showed off the campus to prospective students. I volunteered on political campaigns and was a full-time staffer on a state senate campaign. My final job prior to graduation was a part-time role at an automobile showroom in the Ohio Valley. I started out by assisting with human resources, accounts payable/receivable, and social media strategies. After three months, I was on the sales floor. I was making great money for a young kid still in college and was on the fast track for a sales manager role if I played my cards right. Nevertheless, I declined the opportunity. The hours were long and rigid and car sales did not allow me the proper time for my studies at West Liberty. So, I fully committed to my final two semesters. Though I loved working at the dealership, if I was ever going to be able to pay back my school loans, I knew that a degree was important.

With the extra time on my hands, I dove in and committed much of my time to Phi Delta Theta. Serving as the chapter president of the West Virginia Gamma Chapter provided some of the most valuable learning experiences I had as an undergraduate. I learned how to communicate with my brothers, with my fraternity and sorority life advisor, and other faculty and staff, plus learned an awful lot about my own leadership style.

With these skills fine-tuned, our Leadership Consultant Matt Fritsch, Northwest Missouri State ’14, spoke with me about the opportunities that Phi Delta Theta held for fraternity leaders after college. I wanted nothing to do with it! I had aspirations to pursue a career in political communications after college and if that did not work out, I had left the car dealership on good terms and would go back into sales until the time was right for me to jump back in to the political arena.

Then, Colin Hueser, Iowa State ’13, who was a leadership consultant during the time that West Virginia Gamma Colony become a chapter, called me and also pitched the potential opportunity of me becoming an LC. Because this was the second time it was mentioned to me, I began to consider the possibility. He reminded me that elections are every two years and they could wait if I wanted to take a break, see some of the country, and grow my network outside of West Virginia. This caught my attention so I called my chapter advisor and he said I would be crazy to not fully consider an opportunity to work with the capable staff of Phi Delta Theta’s General Headquarters. I then spoke with my then girlfriend, now fiancée, who told me that if Chi Omega ever came knocking that she would definitely go through the interview process.

Well, you can guess the rest of the story. I interviewed at GHQ, was offered the role as an LC, accepted the job, and traveled Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and one Canadian province. My tenure with Phi Delta Theta lasted a little over a year-and-a-half, and upon completing my commitment as an LC to the Fraternity, I shipped out to Columbus where I began working with the Ohio Trucking Association (OTA).

You may now be asking yourself how and why did Evan Newman end up working with the Ohio Trucking Association? Well, the answer is simple: it was a Phi Delta Theta connection. The President and CEO of the OTA, Tom Balzer, is a North Dakota Alpha Phi and saw in me the potential to give back to the OTA in the same way I was able to give back to Phi Delta Theta, West Virginia politics, the car dealership, and West Liberty. I now work as the director of membership for the Ohio Trucking Association and love it! I work on recruitment, retention, engagement, and development efforts with some of Ohio’s brightest transportation leaders. In my spare time, I am also on the steering committee for the Phi Delta Theta Central Ohio Alumni Club. Our mission is to serve Central Ohio’s Phi Delta Theta Alumni and undergraduates at Ohio Wesleyan University, Otterbein University, Ohio State University, and Dennison University.

After three meetings, I have been able to connect with four other former Phi Delta Theta GHQ staffers: Tom Balzer, North Dakota ’99, Allan Williams, Ashland ’10, Larry Carr, Bowling Green State ’73, and Dick Walters, Ashland ’72. Tom and Allan worked on the executive leadership team and Foundation respectively. Fun fact about Larry and Dick, they both worked as leadership consultants with Bob Biggs, the current executive vice president and CEO, and the man who hired me! Things came full circle for Larry and Dick as we laughed about this at the Central Ohio Alumni Club’s recent Founder’s Day Banquet.

Though it’s equally effective to become a volunteer straight out of college, like many working with the Central Ohio PDT Alumni Club, I would venture to say that having a bridge by working at Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters has had a huge impact on me and so many of us who have served as leadership consultants.

Whether it is attending an annual conference or regional workshop, or applying for an internship or job as a leadership consultant, there are many ways to enjoy the rewarding Phi Delta Theta connections throughout your lifetime. I highly recommend any and all such connections.

The post Phi Delta Theta Connections Can Change Your Life If You Allow Them To appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

“To do what ought to be done but would not have been done unless I did it, I thought to be my duty.”

-Robert Morrison

The Fork in the Road for Millennials

Today, as young millennials eagerly venturing out into the so-called “real world,” we are confronted with a two-way road where we must make a very crucial decision. In reality, not much has changed about the system that educated us in the years prior to graduation. In fact, while many new terms and studies have been adopted, the entire education system as a whole has remained consistent but yet unresponsive to what is truly happening in the outside world today.

Thus, we are entering into a world that essentially no book or institution can adequately prepare us for. The world is rapidly changing, and our preparation for it is not.

I have always believed that just because you can get really good at doing something, doesn’t necessarily mean that what you are doing is important to begin with. And while the goal of this article is not to bash the school system by any means, it is my hope to shed some light on a concept that we must always remember while we are pursuing the things that we dream of achieving with our lives.

Throughout all of my 17 years of schooling, I was constantly told to build my resume and learn how to sell myself. The more that you add to your resume, the greater your chances of success are in life, right? Back then, it seemed simple enough.

But as millennials, if we wish to be truly successful in this world, we must face that crucial decision of whether to be successful, or to be of value. It is my direct observation that the most successful people in the world did not accomplish what they did in life because they were necessarily smarter, had better resumes, or interviewed better; instead, they were simply just more valuable.

What It Means to Be Valuable

Robert Morrison tells us that he found it to be his duty to do the very things that no one else would have done. This is the very basis of what it means to be a valuable person. And in the world we live in today, it is not a perfect resume nor a great sales pitch that can guarantee you anything. It is what you do and how you do it that will guarantee you a life of true value.

All around us there are those duties to be performed, as Morrison would call them. Perhaps these duties might involve our own personal goals, responsibilities, or relationships, and in other cases, they involve other people, our communities, and the problems within our society. We are living in the day and age when there are more problems to be solved around us than there are people to create them. And if our world really is so advanced and more capable than ever before, where are all of the solutions to these problems?

If you take a close look at all of the people who have changed your life, it is obvious that we should strive to become valuable to the world, and not just successful for the sake of success. In the world we live in, there are far too many people that need our help, far too many problems to be solved, and far too many people who are not willing to do something about either.

It is our responsibility to do what ought to be done. No matter what career path you choose, no matter what your passion may be, these same principles apply and there still remain many duties to be performed.

Doing What Ought to Be Done

Is it enough to know and understand that there is a right thing to do, but not take action to actually do the right thing?

The world is full of people who are world class finger pointers. In the business world, the education world, and even the nonprofit world, everyone knows what the right thing to do is. In fact, we know exactly what the right thing to do is. We even make Powerpoint presentations about the right thing to do, we give speeches about the right thing to do, and we even go so far as to tweet and post about the right thing to do, but there is an elite population of people who actually do the right thing when it needs to be done. That’s a valuable person.

And this should come as no surprise. Doing the right thing is not always as easy as saying yes or no. Oftentimes, when trying to fulfill a universal good, we are met with resistance, hostility, and opposition, and when this happens, we usually throw in the towel.

But valuable people, the people who will never have to worry about finding an opportunity, simply because people will need them to get something done, those people do what ought to be done because no one else wants to do it.

This is our duty as young leaders and as the future of our world. We have to acknowledge the duties that exist around us and make the conscious decision to fulfill those duties. It doesn’t matter if your job title includes that duty or not, or even if you weren’t the first person to realize that duty; simply knowing and realizing is enough for us to do what ought to be done.

A person who is truly valuable always makes the conscious effort to do what ought to be done, especially if no one else wants to do it.

If you don’t do it, who will?

Solve Other People’s Problems

The biggest pitfall I have experienced in students is their sense of entitlement. It is true that we are all naturally good at certain things and naturally, we also love to flaunt the fact that we are good at those things. And when the realization sets in and we have discovered that we have an ability to outperform others, we suddenly develop an ego and feel that the world is indebted to us.

But are any of us really that good at anything?

The biggest fault of this type occurs when people refuse to offer their time and talents simply for the benefit of others and nothing more. As counter-intuitive as it may sound, many college students that I mentor have landed jobs just weeks after gradation simply because they were willing to work for free and offer their talents to solve other people’s problems.

If you have an ability that can be of benefit to others, sometimes you have to swallow your pride and let your abilities speak for themselves. A monetary price for your abilities will never tell someone how truly valuable you are, but your ability to solve problems and help others always will.

I can personally attest to teaching countless hours of private lessons for free, teaching classes for free, performing for free, writing for free, tutoring for free, advising and consulting businesses and nonprofits for free, and even solving some of the biggest problems of others, all for free. And now today, when the time comes for my startups to get off the ground, or for my own problems to be solved, there are people all around me offering to help me out. Even when the time came for me to get my first salaried position, other people whom I had helped in the past were working tirelessly to secure me a position, without me asking them to do so. This all happened because I had proved that I was valuable to them and that my abilities could produce and solve problems; all the while, other people were refusing to offer their time and help without some sort of material compensation.

We sometimes forget that in the grand scheme of things, it is our relationships with people and the things that we do for others that matter the most. Most people make the mistake of trying to win and have everything too soon, while forgetting the big picture altogether.

Be a valuable person by helping others, serving others, and offering your talents where they are needed, even if that sometimes means working for free. Once people realize that the job can’t be done without you, you don’t have to look for opportunities because people will send those opportunities to you. Add value to people’s lives, and even if it doesn’t always come back to you in the form of a paycheck, continue to add value where you can.

This is just part of doing the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing.

Become a Student of Reality

There are really only two things that are certain in life: obstacles and death. Death is inevitable, and should constantly remind us that our time here is limited. There is nothing we can do to counter death, nor is there anything that we can do to skip over it. Let death always be a reminder that life is short and delicate, and it is how we spend our time that will make life worthwhile.

Obstacles, however, belong to an entirely different world of strategy.

A huge pitfall that I have observed in my students is the inability to seek out advantages in obstacles. Most people face obstacles, get angry and upset, blame the world, shut off, and wait it out. But the top 1% of performers in the world experience obstacles and use them as raw material for growth.

As Napoleon Hill famously said, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” Except sometimes, we just aren’t digging deep enough to find that benefit.

The final, and probably the most important component of making yourself valuable is to be a perpetual student of the world. By this, I don’t mean just learning about the nuts and bolts of your career or industry, I mean learning from anyone and from every experience. In our lives, we don’t have enemies and great friends, we just have teachers. Every experience with every person is an opportunity to learn something.

While I aim to not make this concept a far too esoteric one, the biggest takeaway is that we need to always seek out the lesson in everything that we do. If you didn’t get a job offer, find out why and make improvements. If someone cheated you out in a business deal, find out where the holes in your plan were and fill them. If a relationship previously ended in your life, learn what went wrong and what you need to improve in your own self for the future.

You see, the seed of benefit is always present, we just have to dig for it. We need to learn how to condition ourselves to see the hidden benefit in every obstacle by asking ourselves what sort of virtue must be put to use at any given moment. In Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, a book I strongly recommend for any person who desires to make positive changes in their life, Marcus Aurelius says, “…always take the present moment as raw material for the exercise of rational and social virtue.” Indeed, we must look to our experiences as opportunities to practice the very virtues that we so deeply hope to exemplify.

Be a person who makes a habit of treating failures and pitfalls as opportunities and advantages. Use obstacles as opportunities to develop and call upon your virtues. Perhaps in this moment you need to be patient, perhaps you need to be more selfless, or perhaps you just need to show up and keep trying until it happens. Only then do you make yourself immune to obstacles in life, and only then do you make yourself a beacon of light and value to others.

It is our duty, as Robert Morrison would call it, to stop chasing after empty success and fame for selfish reasons. Instead, I hope that we can recognize that we are each just one person in an entire world of needs and problems. Let us use our talents and our abilities to become individuals of value to both the world and to ourselves for many generations to come.

For more of my content, visit www.thepolymathinstitute.com

The post Morrison’s Philosophy and Leading a Life of Value appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

It’s no secret that graduating college is no easy task. No matter the college or university, undergraduates across the world are completing required courses, submitting assignments, writing papers, and taking exams; all undertakings that will push them towards receiving those coveted diplomas. Acquiring a job consequently follows graduation. There are a number of questions to face throughout this process as well, one namely being “What am I going to do with the rest of my life?” Luckily, when it comes to a career, just because it’s the first job doesn’t mean it has to be the last. There is always the chance to change paths. One thing however, that cannot be changed or escaped that daunts 71% of graduating college students, is student loan debt.

Nothing screams, “welcome to the real world,” like managing the stress of starting or looking for a job, moving away from what was your “home” for the past four years, and on top of that dealing with the looming student debt that you’ve likely piled up since the first day of freshman year. According to Project on Student Debt, seven in 10 college seniors who graduated last year had student loan debt with an average of $29,400 per borrower. While paying off student loans may seem like an uphill battle now, there are three key steps that every graduate with debt should follow in order to pay it off…and quickly.

Step 1: Assess all of your debt

From futons to physics books, you’ve paid for a lot over the course of your undergraduate experience and now it’s time to evaluate all of these expenses. There are many types of student loans, and debt can take many forms. In terms of student loans, there are direct subsidized loans, direct unsubsidized loans, direct PLUS loans, direct consolidation loans, private loans, and even “parental loans.” In terms of debt aside from loans, recent graduates typically hold credit card debt. Because there are various types of debt the first essential step to tackling the problem is to list all of your student debts.

Categorize the importance of each account by assessing its interest rates. Typically student loan payment rates are around five percent to eight percent. Rates reset on July 1 of every year for new loans and loans that do not have fixed interest rates. Credit card interest is quite a bit steeper than that of student loans. With interest typically hovering at around 18 percent, credit cards make their money on the amount you spend on your credit card as well as the length of time it takes you to clear your outstanding balance.

List your loans from highest to lowest interest rates. It will probably list credit card debt first, followed by private loans and finally federal loans. This is the order in which you should tackle your debt in order to avoid the extra weight of heavy interest costs. Although you’ll want to pay off your highest interest loans first, still continue to keep in mind the payment due dates for all of your loans.

While listing all of your loans, take note of how payments will be made to each loan servicer. In terms of making payments, each loan servicer has their own payment process, so be sure to understand how and when they expect to receive your payments. Keep a list that records the lenders website URL and contact information, account login information, and lastly the current balance and interest rate on the loan.

Step Two: Make a Payment Plan

The last thing you want to do is live paycheck to paycheck while scrambling to make old and new payments post-graduation. One large mistake frequently made by borrowers is waiting to create a plan. Most lending services provide borrowers with a number of choices for paying back loans and it’s important to explore these options. There are four most frequently used options. The first possibility is the standard repayment, which consists of monthly payments of identical amounts. Graduated repayment allows the borrower to start with small payments. The payments will then gradually increase. The third most frequented option is income-sensitive repayment, which allows borrowers to make payments based on your monthly income. Lastly, if you are eligible, you may exercise extended repayments, which allows payments to be made over 25 years.

Each loan servicer may also have some type of grace period. The Office of Federal Student Aid, for example, provides all borrowers with a six-month grace period. This grace period begins the day you stop attending school and ends on the date upon which you will make your first payment. Be sure to check with your lending service to see if your loan interest is accumulating during the grace period timeframe. Remember, do not wait for your grace period to end to make a plan so that you don’t succumb to scrambling to write the first check. Each loan servicer should provide you with a clear payment schedule for you to utilize.

If you haven’t done so already, make a budget for your current expenses. Create a spreadsheet or utilize the tools at Mint.com showing what your weekly, monthly and yearly budget looks like. Record all of the money going out (expenses) and all of the money coming in (income). Although you may not consider it as important, budgeting for anything from public transportation to holiday gift spending is essential. Work all loan and debt payments into your budget and note what your minimal payment will be for each loan each month. While factoring your payments into your budget, calculate what it would take in order to put an extra $500 to $1,000 extra each month towards paying your student loans (again, this should be on top of the minimum payments you are already making). It is always to your benefit to pay off early than save more for later (plus interest).

Staying on track with your plan will relieve stress on your repayment process and also serve you well in terms of interest costs. Some borrowers may receive benefits from making timely payments. For example, some lenders who offer Stafford loans take two percent off your interest rate if you make your payments on time for four years. Be sure to ask your lender if they have a reward plan similar to this.

You can also save on interest if you set up a direct deposit system as your payment plan. If you set up your loan account to have payments automatically withdrawn from your checking account each month some lenders will give you 0.25 percent off of your loan’s interest rate. This can be a win-win for both you and your lender, making sure you pay and they receive payments on time. Keep in mind that with this option you may be running the risk of over-drafting on your checking account in the event that you have insufficient funds. Lastly, if your starting salary isn’t impressive to good ole’ Uncle Sam, you may be eligible to get a tax break on the interest you pay on your loans. The Student Loan Interest Deduction permits you to take a deduction of up to $2,500 with no need to itemize. To learn more about this opportunity see IRS Publication 970 for more information.

Utilize College Board’s student loan calculator to help you calculate how much your monthly loan payment should be.

Step Three: It’s not about how much you WANT to pay; it’s how much you CAN pay.

No one wants to be on a tight budget, but student debt will not disappear on its own and the best way to tackle it is as quickly as possible. Don’t be nervous to address what appears to be a mountain of student debt head on, the sooner you conquer this debt, the sooner you can put your money towards where you need it most. You can begin to build credit, save for a new car or house, and most importantly, save for (hopefully) an early retirement. The worst thing you could possibly do is ignore your debt which is why there are many ways to manage your student loans as well as make enough money to sustain a comfortable lifestyle post-graduation.

Don’t forget to continue to keep up with the debt you hold on your credit card. To encourage you to have a balance on your card, banks will typically offer you a low minimum payment on each bill but it is hugely important to pay your entire balance before the end of each month. It’s frightening, but if you never used your credit card again from this day forward and made only minimum payments it would take you roughly 29 years and $13,000 to pay off a current balance of just $4,000! Spend responsibly. If you consistently cannot pay off your credit balance every month you need to start adjusting your budget and the allocation of your spending money.

Struggling?

If you are struggling to make your payments, consider your options. It is no cost to you as the borrower to switch payment plans if need be. A simple example is the difference between opting for auto-debit (automatic withdrawal from your account) versus making a manual one-time payment per month. If you are constantly experiencing overdraft, this is one simple solution that can be made. Also, consider your long-term options. Typical payment schedules (depending upon the loan amount) extend over ten years or 120 payments. If this is unmanageable for you due to unemployment or other budgetary circumstances the government has some deferral and substitute payment plan options. Private loan servicers may also have flexibility with repayment options. Be cautious while exploring these alternative payment plans, because although the loan servicer may allow you to pay less per month, keep in mind that it will be costing you more in interest over time.

Lastly, consider consolidation if applicable. Consolidating loans means you’ll be able to combine all of your student loans into one monthly payment and possibly lower your interest rate (given that the rates are lower at the time of consolidation than when you originally borrowed). You only have one shot at consolidating your loans and you cannot undo your consolidation. Make sure that if you’re considering consolidating your loans you do so at a low interest rate and you’re sure you’ll be able to pay the lump sum. Look into consolidating while you are within your grace period since in any given year, the rates on Stafford loans are lower during this time.

Check out the helpful hints below:

Not every entry-level, post-grad job has an attractive starting salary. Luckily there are some fun and easy ways to rake in the cash to help you pay off your student loans:

Pick up some Odd Jobs:

1. Babysitting – Pretty self-explanatory. Bouncing a baby on your lap for a couple of hours a week can add some serious cash to your pocket. Check out Sittercity.com or Care.com to find opportunities near you.
2. Focus groups – Organizations in many major cities are in need of individuals to talk about and rate consumer products and services. You can find research groups that pay at findfocusgroup.com.
3. Mock Jury Jobs – Lawyers need practice too! Look for “mock jury” on Craigslist or Google to get paid to participate in practice trials.
4. Pet and plant sitting – People pay big bucks to have someone check on their plants and animals while they are out of town. Jump at the opportunity to pet or plant sit for people at the office who are going out of town.
5. Airbnb – Ever thought about sharing your space? If you live in a convenient place in a big city you may consider registering your place on Airbnb. You’ll be able to earn fast cash by lending your residence to a visitor while you crash on a pals couch. Lucky for recent graduates, you’re not too far from the futon days to live out of a suitcase at friend’s place for a long weekend for a few hundred bucks!
6. Odd Jobs – Apps like Field Agent and Gigwalk are great apps to use to find temporary positions. Also check out the “Temporary Gigs” section on Craigslist.

Manage the expenses in your life:

1. Rent – Keep it low. Now is not the time for you to pay an exorbitant amount for the penthouse apartment. You won’t be in your first loft, house or apartment forever so think practically and focus on functionality and safety.
2. No Relocation Package? – If you are more than 50 miles from your former home, you are eligible for a tax break to cover expenses that your employer doesn’t pick up. This moving deduction does have guidelines however. You must be employed for 39 out of the next 52 weeks, and although you can use it to cover the cost of lodging and a moving van, Uncle Sam won’t pick up your tab at Applebees or pay for those Taco Bell stops.
3. Cable – Who uses cable anymore? Today, dealing with cable isn’t worth the hassle. You can likely find yourself a better deal on the Internet. Hello Hulu and hello Netflix!
4. Gym – Join a running or free fitness group using Meetup.com or stream free workout videos online until you can afford that pricy gym membership. Also take a peek into your city’s parks and rec opportunities. Many communities have outdoor walking, running and hiking trails and some even have community gyms with discounted prices.
5. Phone Bill – Data is likely where all of your money is going… turn off that Data Roaming and consider switching to a cheaper plan.
6. Entertainment – Find free events in your city on apps or websites like Meetup and check into Living Social and Groupon for discounts on concerts and other events near you.
7. Mystery Shopping – Getting paid to pretend to be a customer at a hotel, restaurant, entertainment venue, or shopping center doesn’t sound like a bad gig. Check out the Mystery Shopper Providers Association to find opportunities to go out, stay at a hotel, or have a meal for free in exchange for your review.
8. Travel – Go outside your comfort zone and travel the road less traveled by…It will likely be cheaper. Pick a location with a good exchange rate and while you’re there eat locally, stay in hostels (check out hostelworld.com) or use Airbnb.com, and check Trip Advisor for cheaper attraction options (like ticket pre-ordering).

You don’t need to be plagued with your student loans or credit card payments until you’ve got grandchildren. Handle these payments by taking advantage of all of your options in order to become debt free by your thirty’s. Take care of your student debt now so you can start to build your personal finances as soon as possible. Find the balance between living lavishly and living paycheck to paycheck, so you can live comfortably while making strides towards clearing your debt.

Now, embrace your debt-free mindset, Class of 2014, and good luck!

The post How To Diligently Pay Off Your Student Loans appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

During the last four years, I can’t recall the number of times I’ve heard that phrase.  For my most recent boss, the phrase is not only her personal mantra, but also a mantra for how she manages her job, her team and the department of the agency she oversees.  When adopted, it has a noticeable, direct impact on the quality of work we provide our clients.

While I thought I understood what she was talking about the first few times I heard her say it, it wasn’t until much later that I fully realized what it meant, or that my fraternal experience had laid the groundwork for ‘how you do things.’

At the heart of the statement is the idea that no matter how intelligent, smart, correct or otherwise amazing what you are doing is, if you don’t do it in a manner that solves a problem, meets a need or in a manner not consistent with your values, that idea/deed cannot reach its full potential.

Our fraternal experience provides a great foundation for developing the ‘how.’  It teaches us how to be men with a high standard of morality and how to live lives with integrity and accountability. Our fraternal experience also gives us the opportunity to get ahead of our job competition with some very concrete job skills.  From basic skills like how to run a meeting, prepare a budget, and work with a diverse team to more advanced skills like how to be a self-starter, exceeding when no one is holding you accountable and not settling for being average.

While all of these skills and opportunities can be a part of our fraternal experience, they are not given to anyone.  Just being in a fraternity doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll develop these skills.  Full, active participation in your fraternity experience puts you on the path to learning the ‘how’ and puts you at an advantage over your colleagues who didn’t have these same opportunities in college.

When correctly utilized, this experience can be a four-year head start on the competition to not only get the job you are dreaming of, but to also take that job and make it a successful and rewarding experience.

Nick Prihoda is a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity and a 1999 graduate of Wabash College.  Nick works as an Account Director on the Nintendo account for Leo Burnett USA, a worldwide advertising agency in Chicago, IL.  Prior to Leo Burnett, Nick spent six years as the Director of Expansion and Recruitment for Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity where he led the colonization of more than 15 new chapters and developed fraternity-wide programming which has led to double digital overall growth for the entire organization.

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Many young professionals find themselves struggling to balance new demands amidst pressure to excel quickly in a fresh career.  Responsibility to pay student loans.  Desire to make the most of a social life suddenly buoyed by the presence of disposable income.  Finding new personal and professional networks in an unfamiliar city or industry.

How can a young professional, just out of school and wet behind the ears, deal with this?  Many ways, of course.  One effective strategy is to get involved in the local community.  In college, this meant participating in Make a Difference Day or volunteering at the community center.  In professional life, this can and should mean serving on an organization’s Board of Directors – a great benefit to you and your community.

Whether you believe it or not, you learned valuable skills in college that set you apart from your peers and can serve as a springboard for meaningful participation in your new community.  If you are entering a new career directly from undergraduate studies, you are part of only one-third of the United States with a bachelor’s degree.  If you completed graduate studies, you are among less than eight percent of the population.  If you have a doctoral degree, you are part of an exclusive club measuring less than three percent of the over-25 population (according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2011).

You can leverage these special skills to benefit you and your locale.  You may be thinking, “Why would an organization want me?”  The answer is “Why wouldn’t they?”  According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are nearly 1 million registered nonprofit organizations in the United States, all of which are legally required to maintain a Board of Directors, many of which choose to frequently rotate or turnover board positions to attract new and fresh ideas – like those you can bring to the table.  In Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania, for example, there are more than 4,000 registered nonprofit organizations.  In Butler County (Oxford), Ohio, there are more than 1,700.  Even in Loving County, Texas – the least populated county in America – there is a registered nonprofit organization.  Every one of them faces an uphill battle for new donors, greater impact, and greater relevance – all challenges which you, as a young professional, are equipped to help address.

Additionally, doing so will enable you to (1) grow your personal and professional networks with people who share the same passion for a particular organization or issue, (2) hone your financial literacy skills as you provide fiduciary oversight of an organization’s budget, (3) refine your supervisory skills as you work with an agency’s senior staff to fulfill a nonprofit mission, (4) develop your meeting facilitation skills while you attend, participate in, and potentially preside over board and committee meetings, (5) showcase your particular life experience and expertise as you work on important organizational issues, (6) demonstrate commitment and follow-through to others, (7) learn how to motivate others toward a mission without compensation, and so much more.

Here are a few tips to get started:

1. Double check with your employer to see if any company policy prohibits participation on nonprofit boards of directors.  This is not common, but it can happen.
2. Develop a monthly schedule to understand the time you have available for board service.  Be mindful that many boards meet in evenings or on weekends at least once per quarter.
3. Read up on general nonprofit fiduciary responsibility and organization management principles, rules, and regulations.  Your state’s association of nonprofit organizations is a good place to start.  Many online resources such as BoardSource, GuideStar, and others can provide great information for a budding civic leader.
4. Investigate your local nonprofit community using online resources like GuideStar or the National Center for Charitable Statistics.
5. Create a list of issues, ideas, or organizations for which you have passion, and match those to organizations in your region by using nonprofit NTEE codes (classification codes for nonprofit organizations by focus area such as arts and culture, environment, animals, and many more.
6. Visit websites, review publicly-available tax filings, and do other homework on local organizations that match your interest, and create a short-list of those that you like best.
7. Reach out to the Executive Director or a board member at each organization to learn more about the process of board recruitment and selection.  Have a resume ready, and be prepared to discuss how your skills can help them achieve their mission.
8. Recognize that many boards only recruit and select new members once per year.  You may have to wait.

Increasing your civic leadership and community engagement while you are struggling to balance new demands associated with post-college life might seem counterintuitive, but it can be an effective strategy for personal and professional growth.  You have fresh ideas, up-to-date academic knowledge, and a young person’s drive and ambition to offer.  In return, you get a sense of accomplishment from active participation in improving your community while building a strong base of friends and colleagues in an environment that offers learning and development that can’t be matched in an entry-level occupation.  In short, you get personal and professional advancement by doing good in your community.

Jordan Pallitto, a consultant with The Hill Group, specializes in strategic planning and organizational capacity assessment.  He is a Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) Standards for Excellence Trained and Approved Consultant. Prior to joining The Hill Group, Jordan worked extensively with Pittsburgh Public Schools to help develop a comprehensive plan for the new Pittsburgh 6-12 Science and Technology Academy.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County (now part of the Pittsburgh Foundation), as Vice President of the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project, and is an active volunteer with the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.  He is a graduate of Leadership Development Initiative XV, a program of Leadership Pittsburgh, Inc.  Jordan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Allegheny College and a Master of Science degree from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University.

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My years in college were some of the most enjoyable of my life.  It was where I gained my independence by living on my own, developed lifelong bonds of friendship and brotherhood through the Fraternity, developed leadership skills through intercollegiate athletics and involvement in campus life, and gained a love and appreciation for learning.  In college, I laid the foundation for my career by working my tail off, but also by playing just as hard.

A healthy balance of hard work and play was important to my success.  Those years of extraordinary personal growth and development of my mind, soul, and friendships prepared me for the next phase of my life.  Phi Delta Theta’s values of friendship, sound learning, and rectitude were the building blocks to my success.

Friendship
You need others to develop and grow your career.  You can’t pull this off alone.  The ability to develop and grow your network of friends will provide you with multitudes of people who might help or add value to your career development.  The mastery of the Fraternity’s value of friendship has the ability to make you wildly successful in the development and growth of your career.

There is one thing that successful people have more than the average—they have greater networks.  The secret to success in any contact-dependent profession (i.e., any career where you have to deal with people – almost every career) is the ability to initiate contacts with prospective buyers on a consistent basis.  This simply means that if you are developing your career, looking for a job, applying to graduate programs, the more contacts that you initiate with prospective buyers of your talents (employers), the more opportunities that you will have before you.  This also applies to making contacts or making yourself visible to others who have networks of friends who could help you.  For example, let your chapter brothers know that you are looking for a job or an opportunity.  You never know, one of them may have a father, mother, aunt, uncle, or a family friend who might be looking for your talents or willing to help you grow your career.

Being a member of a fraternity, especially Phi Delta Theta, provides an incredible advantage.  Building friendships, both in quantity and quality, will expand your networks and opportunities as you develop and grow your career.  Whether you are cultivating friendships within the chapter or learning how to recruit prospective members, you are initiating contacts with others and building your personal network.  While the Fraternity provides a strong foundation for your professional network, it is very important to expand your contacts beyond Phi Delta Theta.  This not only helps your chapter in recruitment and enhancing the chapter’s visibility on campus, but it expands your friendship base and personal network to realms that may become valuable to you in the future as you grow and develop your career.

Many of the best employment opportunities are identified and pursued through relationships.  The more people you know, the more opportunities tend to come your way.  Relationships are at the core of business in any sector (for profit, nonprofit, or government).  People hire or do business with people.  Your first step in any job hunt is to make contact with prospective employers.  Your network can help open those doors.

Sound Learning
Learning is the primary reason that you and your family are investing time, money, and resources into four or more years of higher education.  As you transition into a career in a global marketplace, the competition is fierce.  If you aren’t technically prepared with a good foundation of knowledge in your discipline, you are already at a disadvantage.  You certainly don’t have to be a 4.00 student to be a successful in your transition to a career, but you do have to be competent.

Employers and better graduate school programs look for candidates who are technically competent; however, there is a differentiator that will significantly enhance your chances of landing that pivotal first job or getting into a top graduate school.  That differentiator is the ability to communicate, in writing and verbally, and the ability to convey a sincere love of learning.

Poor writing skills are the easiest way to eliminate a candidate in a competitive marketplace.  Most employers will assess writing skills in your resume or through writing samples.  One of the most important courses that you can take as you prepare for your career is a technical writing course.  The ability to write in a cogent, concise manner will serve you well to not only land a good job, but to propel you through a successful career.

Employers invest in people in order to develop their talent and to hopefully yield a return on investment.  This means that employers, as well as graduate and professional schools, look for candidates who have a love of learning and who will be self-motivated to continually improve and reinvent themselves.  My business is very different today than it was five, fifteen, and twenty years ago.  My employees and I have had to learn new techniques, technologies, and processes to remain relevant in the market.  As an employer, I love to invest in people who have the ability and desire to learn and grow because their innovation “innovates” our business, allowing our firm to succeed and thrive in a competitive market.  The easiest way to develop this desire and love of learning is to find a career path or profession that you love.  If you become passionate about something, you will love to learn about it.

Rectitude
Once you have made contact with prospective employers or individuals who can help progress your career, you must have something of value to offer.  Sound learning should take care of this requirement.  However, one more critical element will make or break your career growth and development – that is your integrity.  People hire and invest in individuals that they like and trust.  Simply put: you are only as valuable as your reputation.

Your judgment and actions shape your character and reputation.  Decisions that you make now will stick with you for some time.  The Internet and social media often memorialize and make very public both good and bad decisions.  Make good decisions; do the right thing; always treat everyone with respect; and guard your reputation.  Unimpeachable rectitude will make you an attractive candidate for future employers or business associates.

Chris W. Brussalis is Member-at-Large of the General Council.  Chris is President & CEO of The Hill Group, Inc., a national management consulting firm and Adjunct Professor of Management and Policy at the Heinz College of Carnegie Mellon University.

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“If I knew then what I knew now…”

Particularly at major milestones in our lives, this phrase rings all too well. As a college senior, you probably learned a thing or two (or fifty) since your first day on campus as a freshman. The same will be true as you become acclimated in your career. Just like college, your career will be a continuous learning experience.

In my opinion, making the transition from college to the working world is the single biggest transition that you will ever make…in your life! It is bigger than going from high school to college, it is bigger than getting married, and it is about the same as having children. The fact is that in many ways, the way you act, thrive, and survive in college is completely opposite from how you succeed in the workplace. But don’t freak out. I have ten workplace tips to help you make a smooth and successful transition.

1. Embrace the unknown as a challenge. 95% of your job will be on the job learning. See your new projects and responsibilities as learning opportunities. Don’t be afraid to figure it out. With topics and duties that are new to you, research, explore, and have fun with it.

2. Always have an opinion. Have an answer to “What do you think?” This will make you part of the conversation, and it will help you hone your decision-making skills.

3. Failing is learning. You won’t always have the “right” answer; see it as a learning opportunity. Never turn down a new project because you are intimidated or afraid to fail. Think outside the box and try new things.

4. Under promise, over deliver. It is always better to exceed expectations than not to be able to meet them. Be who you say you are, and do what you say you will do – and then some.

5. Focus on quality versus quantity. More is not necessarily better. Flawless execution is imperative to instill trust in your company and brand. Attention to detail is everything, so triple check all of your work. Treat every assignment as though the CEO will be evaluating it.

6. Have solutions for problems. Always brainstorm answers and solutions for problems. Ask for guidance or input, not the answer.

7. Own your position and duties. See your duties through, from start to finish. Don’t be afraid to take complete ownership in all that you do. Consider yourself CEO of your position.

8. Join a professional organization. Obviously you are right on track having joined Phi Delta Theta and surely you’ve seen the benefits of membership. Stay involved in an organization after college. You know by now that organizations like Phi Delta Theta allow you to gain new skills and meet new people.

9. Find life balance. Your career schedule will be very different than your college schedule. As you become acclimated to your new hours and environment, make sure you do something for you every day. Whether it is reading your favorite newspaper, getting a good workout, or catching up with a friend – do something you love to do every day.

10. Keep a great attitude. For a manager, there is nothing worse than an employee with a bad attitude. A positive attitude is contagious and will make people want to work with you. Avoid negativity and find the positive in every situation. Attitude is everything!

At JB Training Solutions/JobBound, we recognize that this is a difficult transition, and we want to help. To this aim, we’ve launched “Millennials Mean Business.” (If you are currently in college, you are a millennial.) Through this initiative, we are offering amazing career and workplace advice all geared toward your generation about how to thrive at work.

You can follow us on Twitter @JBTSMillennials and check out our site.

Best of luck!

Brad Karsh is President of JB Training Solutions and JobBound, companies dedicated to helping individuals succeed in the workplace. An industry expert in his field and an accomplished public speaker and author, Brad Karsh has been featured on CNN, CNBC, and Dr. Phil, and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, and many others. Brad is author of Confessions of a Recruiting Director (Prentice Hall Press, 2006).

Prior to starting JB Training Solutions, Brad spent 15 years at advertising giant Leo Burnett in Chicago. He began his career in Account Management, working on clients including McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, and Pillsbury. He then moved into HR where he was responsible for hiring and training hundreds of employees.

Brad has conducted training programs all across the country for companies including ConocoPhillips, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Abbott Laboratories, Discover, The Chicago Blackhawks, Quaker, and dozens of others. Brad regularly delivers keynotes and workshops at Fraternity and Sorority conventions and conferences.

Follow Brad on Twitter @BradKarsh and follow “Millennials Mean Business” on Twitter @JBTSMillennials.

The post Everything I Wish I Knew Before I Started Working appeared first on Phi Delta Theta.

During your college career, your number one focus should be on growing your mind in many exciting, new ways and most academic curricula are designed to do just that. But, let’s face it. You need to get a job afterwards and, unfortunately, if you go through your academic years haphazardly, you could end up with great academic credentials but a dearth of the tangible job skills that hiring firms are looking for. Don’t despair. And don’t compromise your academic pursuits “just to get a job”.  Here is a list of some of the important skills that I look for from young, new hires and ways that you can gain them while staying true to your academic experience:

1. Practical problem solving skills – Generally, college is designed to teach theory and critical reasoning, but the business world is not theoretical. What I am looking for on your resume is evidence that you can use these skills to solve real-world problems. Lab work, special projects, and independent research are ways that your academic experience may expose you to problems faced in the non-academic world. The important ingredient here is working with real world data. Create opportunities to analyze real world problems and articulate logical solutions.
2. Team work – Much of college performance is a zero-sum game – you get an “A”; I get a “B”, but much of business work, especially for younger hires, is collaborative. Seek out classes that have group projects or get involved in a club or venture that requires a multi-discipline team.  Try out different roles on a team. Gain experience both as a leader and follower.
3. Writing skills – The ability to articulate your message in a well structured and concise manner is very important in most corporate settings. Don’t think that you can be a math and science geek or sales guy and not have to express yourself on paper. Not true. Whether you are good at writing or not, you need to force yourself to include in your college portfolio a few English, History, Literature or other classes that emphasize writing papers over taking tests.
4. Well-roundedness – I like hiring well-rounded people. They are able to adapt to the changing landscape that often accompanies a fast-paced business environment. A strong GPA and nothing else usually doesn’t do much for me. Don’t be afraid to take some risks during your college career and take some stretch classes and explore some non-academic interests (clubs, music, community service). I would hire an intellectually curious, multi-tasker over a one-dimensional, 4.0’er almost every time.
5. Computer skills – Nearly everyone in the business world uses Word, Excel and Powerpoint. If you don’t know them, you need to learn them. I would also recommend going further and learning a database language like SQL and a programming language like Visual Basic, JAVA or C++. Mastering the logical design of computer programming will make you a much more effective worker. If you have a free elective, why not try sampling from the CompSci  department?

Industry specific interest

The crux of the problem is this: hiring newly minted college grads is risky because they usually do not have a track record of experiences that portend future success in the business environment. How can you use your academic experience to lessen this risk? Easy,

1. Target some of your electives and research projects in such a way that they allow you to investigate different industries that may interest you. For example, if you are interested in the healthcare industry and in one of your history classes you have to write a paper on “a famous historical figure,” chose a medical researcher such as Salk or Pasteur.
2. Find a professor who is doing research in a targeted area and ask if you could help out. Many times the offer of free labor can open up doors.  Independent research, in your area of interest, is even better because you will go through the whole process, from formulating an idea to creating a practical solution. Most colleges offer credit for independent research too!
3. Join or start a club that deals with this particular industry and get some practical exposure. Show your commitment and initiative through a leadership position in the club

I cannot emphasize this enough… experience that is directly related to the industry in which you are interested will set your resume apart from others.  It says, “Hey, look at me! I’m not just applying for this job on a whim. I’m really interested in making it my career.” During an interview, it also creates a tangible metric which I can use to evaluate your likely success working on my team. I like that.

Happy job hunting!

R. Scott Morris is President of Morris Consulting, LLC where he advises financial markets trading firms on a number of different quantitative modeling and trading issues. He is also the author of Polished – Adding Shine to your Resume, Cover Letter, and Interviewing Skills and has a blog and facebook group which answer questions for college students about the job search process. See his web-site: www.PolishedU.com for details.

Prior to starting his own consulting business, Scott was CEO of the Boston Options Exchange Group, LLC (BOX), managing director of the automated execution and high frequency trading businesses in the equity division of Goldman Sachs, and partner in charge of the financial engineering group at Hull Trading Company, a stock and options market making firm.

Scott has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, and MBA in finance and statistics, both from the University of Chicago. He is a member of the Illinois Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta.

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