Give with a purpose

We’ve all been there (well, most of us anyway): the last-minute holiday shopping panic that causes us to blindly buy gifts. We’s overwhelmed by the crowds and the omnipresent advertising and the number of recipients for whom we need to buy. This year, take a deep breath and try a few tips for some conscientious present shopping:

Consider adopting a family for Christmas, rather than (or in addition to) exchanging gifts. You’d probably get more satisfaction from helping a family in need than receiving another fashionably-questionable sweater, anyway. The Adopt-A-Family program is sponsored by the Voluntary Action Center located here in Columbia. Beginning October 1 of each year, call 573-449-6959 to sign up.

Not sure if being responsible for someone else's entire Christmas is for you? You could also give a charity gift card (just what it sounds like), or you could buy a gift that donates a portion of the proceeds to charity–several available online at Amazon.

Lastly, should you prefer to keep your charitable efforts and your holiday giving separate, make sure that your recipient will actually enjoy their gift by picking out one tailored to their personality at Gifts.com This popular Web site allows you to view gifts by gender, personality type and occasion.

Here’s to getting your gift shopping done and to getting gifts with a purpose!

TravelZoo

Although this directly contradicts our previous post, it is sometimes nice to get out of town. Even better when you can do it cheaply. That’s where TravelZoo comes in: the company finds and evaluates the best travel deals out there–and they only publish those whose accuracy and availability they can confirm, so no shady deals here.

They even make it easy with TravelZoo’s Top 20, which aggregates the week’s best 20 deals and sends it to you in a neatly-packaged e-mail. This week’s Top 20 includes a $338 flight to London from NY or Washington D.C. with a free hotel stay, a $199 Carribean 4-night cruise from Miami and holiday airfare for about $100 roundtrip. In order to get these steals, you often have to book immediately or leave at very specific times, so these are not so much for you plan-ahead types. But for those of you still looking for an excuse to avoid the family this Thanksgiving, this might be just the ticket. No pun intended.

5 Reasons to Stay in Columbia Over Thanksgiving

While it seems unavoidable that I will have to travel over Thanksgiving, I’ve thought a great deal about how nice it would be to stay in Columbia over the Thanksgiving break. The following are my carefully crafted reasons why.

5) Airports on holidays suck. No getting around it. Unless you’re the type of masochist who enjoys long lines, intrusive pat downs and cramped seats, airports are to be avoided

4) Remember those nice international students in your department? Think about how much fun you could have showing them a proper American Thanksgiving – overeating, overdrinking, and then sleeping through a football game.

3) Cooking your own turkey could make you feel like a real grownup. You’ll probably mess it up, but that is part of being an adult. After you’ve burnt it or undercooked it or whatever, you can throw some money at the problem and get some Chinese takeout. Also like a grownup.

2) No awkward run-ins in your hometown. For me, there is always that one awkward encounter – an ex-girlfriend, guy who really likes me but I can’t remember his name.

1) It is not inconceivable that you would get some work done. It’s not likely, either, but it’s not inconceivable.

Whatever you do, have a fun and safe holiday.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Bucklava

The colors of graduation

Graduation time grows near. I've been to every Graduate School commencement for the last 5 years, so I'm pretty well schooled in the ins and outs of graduating. This article on the colors of graduation was news to me, though. Everybody has to wear a funny outfit at graduation, but this article explains why some funny outfits are one color, and others another color.

For those of you attending this year's graduate school commencement (congratulations, by the way), I'll be the one standing at the back of the room pointing which way you should walk. It's a very important job, you know. I guess your job is important as well - show up in your funny outfit and smile a lot.

Showing your professional side - online

You probably have a Facebook or MySpace page. I've got both, and I love my online network. But if I were in the market for a job, these would not be the pages I would want my prospective employers to stumble across. (Although compared to many, they are quite tame.)

Enter Yahoo Kickstart. This is a free online network similar to Facebook and MySpace, but it is a place for you to put your professional side forward. Basically, it's a free online resume. Nice.

Tell prospective employers where you've worked and where you've gone to school. Then network with people and companies, and affiliate yourself with groups. You can view other MU profiles if you choose "Colleges" from the drop-down search menu, and then enter University of Missouri-Columbia.

These days, when you apply for a job, expect to get Googled. In preparation, Google yourself and see what you come across. Adjust the privacy settings of your Facebook and MySpace pages if they have the potential to reveal embarrassing drunken photos, etc. And try to get your name out on the Web in places that highlight your achievements, rather than telling the world how much fun you had on Saturday night. (Though I'm glad you had a good time.)

Professional Web Pages to Help You in Your Job Search

In this day and age, a Web page can be a helpful tool when it comes time to look for a job. On a Web page, you can provide details, links and all kinds of other additional information that it may be tricky to get on a CV, or squeeze into a cover letter.

Because we're nice, we've put together a couple of basic Web page templates you can use to create your Web page. Mizzou IT offers free Web hosting and training. (check out their Web site for information about hosting and training). If you've had some basic HTML training, you should be able to make use of our templates.

A special tip for those with a bit more Web experience - adding Google Analytics (http://analytics.google.com )to your site can tell you where visitors to your page live, and how they got there. This can be particularly helpful during a job search - learn which universities are looking over your CV and then checking out your Web site.

Special thanks to Chad Burton for inspiring the templates.