121R | How To Get Any Job

Brad and Jonathan talk about sleep habits, energy efficiency, and the best ways to land a job with Chris Hutchins from Grove.

Sleep Habits To Improve Your Life

In this week’s episode, Angela briefly mentioned the benefits of a full night’s sleep. Although many people struggle with sleep, it is not commonly talked about. To function at full capacity during the day, it is important to recharge with enough sleep each night.

Here are a few ways to improve your sleep hygiene for a better night of sleep.

Ensure that your phone and other electronics are not emitting any small lights.
If possible, try to wake up naturally without an alarm.
Avoid any screen time before bed.
Avoid all-nighters.
Remove TVs and computers from the bedroom.
Invest in some blackout curtains.
Create a bedtime routine that allows you to wind down before bed.
Work to actively reduce stress in your life.
Relax more often.

Try out different tactics to find what works best for you. Some good resources to learn more about better sleep habits include Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson and Arianna Huffington’s sleep resources.

Create A More Energy Efficient Home

Angela had some great tips on how to make your home more energy efficient with simple upgrades. Although her number one tip was to replace your toilets with more energy efficient models, LED light bulbs were also mentioned as a way to save on utility bills.

Listen to her full episode here.

If you are not quite sure what the difference is between an LED and traditional CFL light bulb, then you aren’t alone! CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights) have some mercury in the bulb and cost around $2 each. LEDs have no mercury, cost around $4 each, use 1/25 of the energy and can last 3x as long as a CFL.

When you look at the total cost over 20 years, the LEDs are more cost-effective. To get a closer look at the price comparison, check out this chart. The obvious drawback is the upfront cost. However, if you look at the long-term savings then the upgrade to better bulbs is worth the investment.

Within your own energy usage, you can determine whether or not you are saving money on total energy costs by comparing your monthly expenditures to a previous year.

Consider taking advantage of these long-term savings by either replacing the CFLs as they burn out or biting the bullet to replace all the light bulbs at the same time.

Women Of The FIRE Movement

Angela talked about the amazing presence of FIRE women in the community. In her post, “Meet The Women Of The Financial Independence Movement” she highlights women from around the world that are pursuing FIRE. It is the most comprehensive list of women in the FIRE movement, definitely worth checking out!

How To Get Any Job

Chris Hutchins, the founder of Grove, is back from episode 71 with advice on how to pursue your dream job. Hint! It does not start with an application on the company’s website. If your strategy during a job hunt is to simply apply for every job available, then you may experience lots of disappointment.

Chris got his first job in the tech industry after deciding that an employer could not possibly get a full picture of him in just a resume. He took the time to find a company with a mission he believed in, pitched a 20-minute presentation to the founder about why they should hire him, and it worked!

I made a short list of companies that I was like ‘These are the companies that I really want to work with’… and I just went all in on one company first… I was really excited about their mission. I was really excited about what they did. I had a lot of respect for the founders… I made a presentation that was like a 20-minute powerpoint about why I thought I would be a huge value add to the company. I found someone I knew who was one of their investors and I got them to convince the founders to let me give them a presentation. So I pitched them… on why they should hire me. And they did!

Here are his top tips for landing the job:

Decide what you care about and what you want in a job.
Find a company with a mission you are passionate about.
Think about the challenges of that company and ways to help.
Do the research about the company to find out everything you need to know.
Identify your path to the founder or hiring manager.
Follow up and show your passion to the founder or hiring manager.

Even if your path to the founder is an email address you found on the internet, take that chance! If you can’t find an email of someone, then you are doing it wrong and you likely are not going to get that job.

When you are trying to build a professional connection with someone, do not be afraid to reach out multiple times. At some point, it might be annoying to the receiver. However, but that line in the sand is likely farther away than you think. If you write with sincerity, then you will likely get a response eventually.

I can say there is probably a point at which it’s annoying if you’re not getting any feedback, you’re not changing anything, you’re not being genuine. But I think most people’s belief of where that line is… it’s further away than they think.

Of course, as you should still apply to the jobs that pop up at that company via the website. It makes it easier when you are already in their system, but by finding a way to stand out you really give yourself a leg up.

There is so much opportunity for those that are willing to stand out.

Make the effort to show a potential employer that you care. You might be surprised at the response to your effort.

Feedback From The Community

Bethany’s Frugal Win Of The Week

“The hubby bought some home improvement supplies we needed LAST week at Menards. THIS week, Menards has an 11% off everything sale (rebates, not discounts). I called and asked if they would “price match” and found out they have a “rebate adjustment” form at the customer service desk that will get us the 11% off last week’s purchase!”

Felix’s Frugal Win Of The Week

Replaced the dead battery of my 2010 Kindle 3G for $16. Hope to get another decade out of it.

Jennie Shares About Frugal Fashion

An interesting article about sustainable fashion sparked a conversation about the consumer mentality. When something is on sale for 40% off, it is really 60% on. Finding ways to be more creative about how you spend your free time can help you avoid buying something you never really needed.

Check out the conversation about this in the ChooseFI Facebook group.

Shout Out To Kelly!

Kelly was able to save $1,500 by switching all of her insurances.

Challenge To The Community

Take one achievable thing each week to focus on. As you continue to work through manageable tasks, you will make tangible progress towards optimizing your life on your journey to FI.

Related Episodes:

New to FI? Be sure to check out Episode 100: Welcome To The FI Community!