Resource Review: Todoist

We’re definitely not a tech site, but we do love to share any tips, tricks or resources that might make your life as a college student or young professional any easier. Today, we wanted to share a nifty task management website with all of you: Todoist .

What is it?

Todoist is a web-based task or project management system. It helps you stay organized, and because it’s cloud-based, you can keep on top of your tasks where ever you go.

Why we like it.

We tried out a number of different task managers, including Remember the Milk, Google Tasks, Producteev, Outlook tasks, iCloud Reminders and a few others. All of the other task managers we tried had some great features, and one of them may be exactly what you’re looking for, but Todoist gets our nod for a few key reasons, ones we think college students and young professionals will also find appealing:

  • It’s cloud-based, but it still works when you don’t have wifi. If you are using an iOS mobile device, the Todoist app has offline support. (Otherwise, you can still use Todoist offline, as long as you sync first before you go offline.) So, whether you’re in class, in your res. hall, on the bus, at work or walking around campus, you still have access to your tasks and projects.
  • There are plugins for Chrome, Firefox, and Outlook, and a handy bookmarklet that can be installed on most any browser. This makes updating and adding new tasks really easy.
  • Gmail integration. This was a major factor in our decision to use Todoist! Since so many of our tasks come in the form of emails, we love the ability to create a task from an email. Later, when we return to the task, the link opens up the original email. Google Tasks does this too, (and integrates more seamlessly), but Todoist also integrates with Outlook, if you happen to use that email client. If you’re interning, working full time, or in any situation where you are receiving a number of action items via email, this feature can be especially helpful. Of course, it assumes that you are using either Gmail or Outlook.
  • Project management. Say you’re working on a major project, like a term paper. Todoist allows you to set up projects with numerous tasks and sub-tasks under each. You’re able to set up deadlines and due dates, as well as add labels (which act like tags).

The paid version adds a bit more functionality, such as allowing notes for tasks, productivity tracking and an improved labeling system. At just $29 a year, it’s quite affordable to upgrade.

Continue reading Resource Review: Todoist »




Take Control of Your Online Identity – Go on the Offensive

In a previous article, we talked about how important it is to ensure that you’re taking control of your online identity. We looked at strategies that involved taking a defensive stance – ways of preventing your use of social media from damaging your job search. Today, we’re looking at ways to use social media to your career’s advantage.

Go on the offensive:
You may have heard the old adage, “It’s not what you know, but who you know” when it comes to finding a job. I don’t entirely agree with that statement, but I do believe “who you know gets what you know noticed“. For example, you may be the best event planner this side of the Rockies, or you might be the finest makeup artist in your state, but if no one knows about it, you won’t get a job. On the flip side, if you know a lot of people in your field, but aren’t particularly good at your profession, sooner or later, everyone in your field will figure that out. And again, you won’t get a job. You may be wondering what this has to do with managing your identity online. Social sites are a great tool for helping people in your field, and beyond, get to know you; they’re a great venue for demonstrating your knowledge, talent, and passion for your field. We know that up to 92% of recruiters say they use social media to find talent. So when an employer searches your name, don’t just hide the personal stuff from them, showcase the professional you!

  1. Join and get active on LinkedIn
    If you aren’t already a member, join LinkedIn today, then get active on the site. By active, I mean completing your profile to 100%, joining and participating in relevant groups, following professionals in your field, conducting information interviews with professionals, and asking/answering questions. Having a LinkedIn profile will help to ensure that any potential employer that Googles your name will find your LinkedIn profile. (In this case, you want your privacy settings to make you discoverable, as opposed to hiding you.)

  2. Continue reading Take Control of Your Online Identity – Go on the Offensive »




Take Control of Your Online Identity – Get Defensive

We’re seeing statistics every day showing how often employers look to social profiles of potential hires. More importantly, we’re seeing the positive – and negative – effect your social profiles can have on hiring decisions. Knowing this, do you really want to leave what employers see about you to chance? It’s time to take control of what is found about you!

Get a little defensive:
A big part of taking control of your online identity is managing what information is available for employers to see about you.

  1. Google yourself
    If you aren’t already in the habit of Googling your name, you should start now. Google your name and the different variations of it every few months. Don’t just perform a web search, do an image search, too. And while you’re at it, search blogs, news, and all the other options Google offers for performing a search. Even better, set up a Google Alert that will email you whenever instances of your name are indexed by Google.

  2. Continue reading Take Control of Your Online Identity – Get Defensive »




Infographic: Job Outlook & Starting Salaries for New Graduates

What’s the job outlook for the class of 2012? OnlineColleges.net compiled some data; here are some of the highlights:

  • Employers plan to hire 9.5% more new graduates in 2011-2012 than they hired in 2010-2011.
  • 73.4% of employers screen candidates by GPA and 65% of employers report a GPA cutoff of 3.0.
  • 46.4% of employers rate the current job market as good.


Continue reading Infographic: Job Outlook & Starting Salaries for New Graduates »

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