Podcast: Career Tips from the Wall Street Vet

BNET Useful Commute podcasts are short interviews, usually less than 8 minutes, about business topics. Many of the interviewees are business writers--promo for their books, obviously--and this interview is no different.

This interview, Career Tips from a Wall Street Vet, has to do with self-evaluation and reflection on performance, making yourself better at work--a good idea if this is your first placement, or if your job is temporary or a contract and you want to seem career minded.

[Update] I also have to add this one from the FTPress, Three Tips for Surviving the Recession, because of No. 1: Stay focused on facts. This is the hardest to do if you spend any time watching the news. It is really easy to get a severe case of CNN poisoning.

Both podcasts will take about ten minutes from your day.

Why Your Credit Score Matters

Here is the first chapter, courtesy of FT Press, for the book, Your Credit Score: Your Money and What's at Stake. I'm sure if you have or are working at a reference desk, you have gotten questions about credit scores: what they are and how to get them, and this sample chapter gives you a brief history and explains how to get your score.

You might also want to get your own credit score, since it can affect so many aspects of your life, such as buying a car, a house and even renting an apartment, since some (many?) apartment managers check credit scores before accepting a rental application. Apparently, there are some employers that check credit history before making a job offer, but I am not sure how many libraries do it (though, as the article explains, it may be a matter of course for a government job offer, or if you need security clearance).

• In the US, Fair Isaac has the website, MyFico.
• In Canada, CBC's Marketplace has done a special called Card Tricks, about credit cards, and getting your credit score is on page 11, which also explains the factors that affect your credit history.

You should actually check for errors on your credit reports. The reports from the two agencies can be different, as I discovered when I applied for a mortgage. If you have had more than one credit card, or changed your address recently, I really recommend checking it.

WRK4US discussions: Technical Writer

WRK4US has just kicked off a new discussion, one for careers in technical writing. If you are interested in that career path, you may want to subscribe to the list so you can follow the discussion.

If you don't know about WRK4US, it is a listserv that discusses careers outside of academia for graduate students (and the current academic workforce) about careers outside of academia. Discussions in the past have included careers in publishing, librarianship, and freelance writing, just to name a few. It is worthwhile to sign up if you are a graduate student in the humanities, if only to find out about new discussions. Traffic is light on the list, nowhere near YALSA-bk, but very worthwhile.