Build a Good Score
Your credit score is your financial fingerprint. Pretending your credit score will take care of itself is akin to telling yourself you’re warm and dry while standing out in the pouring rain. Blast this myth into oblivion by building a strong credit score through timely bill payments, limiting your use of credit cards to responsible purchases backed by cash you already have, and by prudently managing any student loans or other debt into feasible monthly payments . Remember that good credit takes a lifetime to build and mere days destroy.
Rent an Apartment
You’re a proper adult now. It’s time to get out of dorm mode and off of the couch in your parent’s basement. As you enter the days of being a twentysomething you could start by finding a good apartment that is well within your budget and rent for a few years on your own. It’s amazing what the reality of personal responsibility and the claiming of your own space will do for your confidence and personal growth. Plus, being a good neighbor is a skill learnt through practice. Red Oak Apartments in Manchester, Milford and Derry would be a great place for you. Check out their website.
Make an Awesome Breakfast
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why not make it more interesting? Impress your friends, neighbors, and/or significant other with a simple, nutritious, and delicious omelet with all of the trimmings. Try to get your eggs from a free-range, local farm and use organic ingredients. Add some funky things to it like grilled mushrooms and, if you’re the daring type, a bit of Cajun seasoning. You will find yourself with a happy stomach and an extra spring in your step to start your day at work.
Write an Excellent Cover Letter
With so much of the recruiting for good jobs happening online, you need to distinguish yourself at first contact. Sometimes your cover letter is your only chance to make an impression. Set yourself apart from the competition by writing a concise, efficient, and engaging cover letter. Strike a balance between flaunting your accomplishments and engaging the needs of the company to which you are applying. Be creative, but don’t be longwinded or self-indulgent. Companies don’t want an arrogant kid who thinks he or she knows it all, but they do want someone comfortable in their own skin. Be yourself and put your best foot forward. Have a trusted mentor proof-read your letter.
Find a Mentor You Admire
Your twenties are a unique and special time for you. Life in your twenties sometimes feels like a TV show, with characters moving in and out at a rapid pace. You have the freedom to travel, live more impulsively, and experience a manner of existence that the passage of time slowly renders into a more routine-based lifestyle. On the road to maturity, it’s important for every twentysomething to find someone that inspires you, motivates you, and teaches you things that you simply cannot learn on your own. Find someone who has the experience and wisdom that you crave and pursue them. It could turn into one of the most fruitful and enriching experiences of your life.
Speak with Intelligence
Words are important. They give us the means to communicate effectively and the mode of defining ourselves and the world around us. Do yourself a favor and save the locker room talk and slang for rare moments of privacy with trusted friends. Speak well. Communicate with confidence and work to clean up your dictation. There are few things as welcome or impressive as a person who articulates well with clairvoyance and a healthy measure of educated distinction.
Update your Wardrobe
Guys, it’s time to retire the torn jeans and hoodie. Ladies should save their yoga pants and Ugg boots for the gym or a cold day lounging around alone in the apartment (that you have now rented). Dressing for the job you want means dressing to impress. You can relive your glory days as a student on the weekends. During weekdays, however, remember that in order to get ahead one must look the part. If you’re on a tight budget, it’s amazing what an iron, some starch, and a dry cleaning will do for a tired old dress shirt. Keep your dress clothes pressed and your black shoes shined and you’ll be just fine. Oh, and leave the shaggy hair behind as well. Chic and clean is in and surfer cuts are out like a passing wave.
Maintain your Inner Circle
Good friends are hard to come by. This is true even while in school where you are surrounded by hundreds of students that closely fit your age and interests. Post-college transitions can be difficult for any social butterfly that thrives on regular interaction with large groups of people, even in larger cities. Take intentional steps to cultivate and further the relationships you already have. Set aside time to check-in with trusted friends, especially the ones that live further away, and do your best to take the initiative to keep those friendships alive. Friendships are like garden flowers that need a little sunlight and water in order to stay alive and keep growing.
Be Careful Online
The internet isn’t just a tool anymore. It is a digital frontier that defines most correspondence, business, communication, and social interaction in the world today. It would silly for anyone to advise you to limit your online presence per-say, but remember that the internet is like a pen that writes with permanent ink. Behave on the internet in the same way you would in person. Don’t post epic rants about your social life and, while it may be humorous for a while to be the snarkiest person on the information feed, ultimately your reputation may be irreversibly damaged by the things you publish online.
Dialogue without Arguing
Debate is healthy, even necessary, when people who disagree come together in meaningful discussion. However, few points are worth making at the expense of the reasonable comfort of those around you. Active listening and respectful dialogue is the key to keeping a difference of opinion from evolving into a full-blown confrontation. If an argument seems unavoidable, usually it’s better to just be the bigger person and bite the bullet. Being “wrong” is much better than potentially compromising a friendship or your reputation with others.
Ready to get started with looking for the perfect apartment home? Red Oak Apartment Homes has a wide variety of locations, styles and price points in southern New Hampshire. We can help you find just what you need.