Jim Harris Blog

Money Monday Webinar Schedule for June: Job Search 101

jimharrisblog — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:33 +0000

We hope you can join us for one of our free Money Monday sessions for student borrowers. They occur on Mondays at 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. (ET). Just click on a link below and register; we will take it from there! The topic for the month of June is Job Search 101: Leveraging internships to get your first job—plus LinkedIn profiles and interview basics.

It takes a savvy candidate to succeed in today’s job market. Learn how to navigate the internship experience—what to focus on and what to avoid. Discover what hiring managers and recruiters most want to see on a new grad’s resume and why having a summer job improves success in a job search.

Social media is an increasingly significant tool when looking for employment, with a LinkedIn profile a must for all. Understand how it differs from a resume and why. Also, winning the interview is not the end of the road, it’s the beginning. Be aware of the do’s and don’ts of interviewing, along with top questions and how to prepare for them.

Click on one of the links below to register:

Date: Monday, June 10, 2013
Time: 2:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time
Session Number: 807 599 333

Date: Monday, June 10, 2013
Time: 4:30 pm, Eastern Daylight Time
Session Number: 807 394 605

Date: Monday, June 24, 2013
Time: 2:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time
Session Number: 803 442 508

Date: Monday, June 24, 2013
Time: 4:30 pm, Eastern Daylight Time
Session Number: 803 643 340

About Our Speaker:

Darlene Zambruski, Managing Editor, ResumeEdge.com

Darlene Zambruski | ResumeEdge Managing Editor, Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)
Darlene has served as ResumeEdge’s Managing Editor since 2001. She recruits, hires, and manages our resume writers, provides training and ongoing support, and maintains the quality of the resumes we produce through a strenuous QA process. She also writes blog articles, serves as a subject matter expert on hiring and recruiting practices, resolves customer complaints, and develops resume templates and style guides for ResumeEdge. She’s authored more than 10,000 resumes, worked as a child model, and flown a single-engine plane.

Filed under: Financial Literacy

Apps for Life: My Disney Experience

jimharrisblog — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:14:38 +0000

Normally for spring break, we take the kids on a low-key beach vacation. But this year, my husband decided to add in a little excursion to Disney World in the middle of our quiet, relaxing, beach vacation. I think it all started when my five-year-old daughter said during a Disney commercial (with a twinkle in her eye), “I wish I could be there again with all that MAGIC!”

It’s not that I’m not a Disney fan…it just seems you get very little accomplished in a 24-hour day.

Could this time be different? Our plan was to make the most of our two full days visiting four parks in the middle of spring break season. Yes, it was a challenge…and one for us to conquer. We had to have a good plan of attack.

On the first day, as I was standing in line (75 minutes, no shade) with my daughter waiting to have Merida from “Brave” sign her princess autograph book, I struck up a conversation with a crazed Disney fan. Aside from her telling me how many times she’s been to Disney and how she was going to spend her 30^th birthday at Disney again three weeks later, she raved about the My Disney Experience app. So, I downloaded it.

I must say this app is something every family needs to take full advantage of what Disney offers. It is interactive and FULL of useful information. These are the best features as I see them:

View wait times on rides at all the parks
View FASTPASS return times
Know when and where attractions are happening/show times for fireworks and parades
Find character greeting times and locations
Park hours / “Magic Hours”
Make dining reservations, review menus
Create your daily plan and share your schedule with others
View maps of all the parks (GPS enabled map)

So, for those of you making the BIG plan for a Disney vacation this summer, download this app now. Get familiar with it, and have a MAGICAL DAY!

Raina Chezem, Midwest Regional Director, Nelnet Partner Solutions

Filed under: Apps for Life, Fun Stuff

FAQ: Nsight Plus

jimharrisblog — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:00:31 +0000

Nsight Plus is a tool that gives schools the ability to access any and all borrower accounts serviced by Nelnet. For federally owned loans as well as commercial loans, Nsight Plus provides real-time data on any borrower account that reflects that institution’s Department of Education school ID/branch code combination. Whether the goal is to proactively work a default prevention program or simply better support borrowers at your institution who have received aid, Nsight Plus is an excellent resource that no school should be without.

Below are common questions that we receive from our school partners:

Q: What is the best way to use Nsight Plus for student counseling purposes?

A: The Borrower Search function in Nsight Plus is great for individual student counseling. As a financial aid professional, you’ll be able to see the same view as a student accessing our website, along with some extra information specifically geared toward the financial aid community.

Q: How often do I need to log-in to Nsight to prevent my access from expiring?

A: An Nsight account is disabled after 30 days of inactivity. In order to keep an Nsight account active, a user must log in at least once every 30 days. Otherwise, you will need to contact Nelnet’s School Service Center to have your account re-activated.

Q: How often is it necessary to reset my Nsight password?

A: Nsight passwords expire every 90 days. Upon the first log-in attempt after 90 days since a user’s last password reset, the system will prompt the user to reset their password.

Visit our Nsight page on NelnetLoanServicing.com to learn more about Nsight Plus or sign-up for access!

We encourage you to contact your designated Regional Director with any questions about Nsight Plus or thoughts on additional functionality that may better support your needs!

Alan Ishida – Regional Director, Nelnet Partner Solutions

Filed under: FAQs, Nsight

Intern Insights: Give Memes a Try!

jimharrisblog — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:07:49 +0000

There is a general consensus among social media professionals that posts including pictures and videos are more attractive and receive more views than text-only posts. By mixing images into your social media scheme, students will be more likely to pay attention to informative posts as well. We know that financial aid is not a very visual topic, so we’ve come up with memes you can use on your school’s social media sites.

According to OxfordDictionaries.com, a meme is “a humorous image, video, piece of text, etc. that is copied (often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by Internet users.” In pop culture today, however, the term is applied specifically to a certain type of image with text. Users are familiar with the standard set of images, each having its own connotation for the purpose of making related jokes. For instance, this dinosaur image, called Philosoraptor, is used to pose humorous philosophical questions.

To the untrained, memes can be difficult to understand, but as their peers, we can assure you that your students have probably spent some time looking at memes instead of studying. Students get memes. Students love memes. The memes we have created relate to financial aid and college life. Here’s an example:

You can find this meme and others in the Financial Aid Memes album on our Facebook page. Feel free to share them on your own Facebook page, tweet them, or use them on other social media. Add some spice to your social media pages and make financial aid fun!

Kristin Tobias, Communications & Social Media Intern, Nelnet

Matt Heng, Communications & Social Media Intern, Nelnet

Filed under: Fun Stuff, Nelnet PI: Project Intern

You Spoke, We Listened: Nelnet’s Industry-Standard Loan Portfolio Report

jimharrisblog — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:35:52 +0000

We heard that you needed more data fields. We heard that other areas within a school could benefit from an enhanced portfolio report. So, over the last several months, Nelnet worked in partnership with others in the industry to create a new industry-standard report which will be added to our Nsight Plus report tool. Our new report, called the Nelnet Serviced Student Loan Portfolio Detail Report, will be implemented in the third quarter of 2013.

Our new Nelnet Serviced Student Loan Portfolio Detail Report will make it very easy for you to access the information you need – from your FA Office to enrollment. There will be many more data elements that can help you better examine your borrower portfolio serviced by Nelnet.

You will be able to access the information you need on Nsight Plus—even schedule the report to be sent to your e-mail inbox in your preferred frequency. You can even have it automatically e-mailed to others at your school!

We are excited to offer this new, enhanced report. You’ll be hearing more from us in the coming months. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact your Regional Director.

Dawn Knight, National Manager, Nelnet Partner Solutions

Filed under: Nsight, You Spoke, We Listened

Straight Talk With Glenna: Trouble Making Payments?

jimharrisblog — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:07:54 +0000

Here at Nelnet, we understand that student loan repayment can be difficult. Many of us have student loans ourselves! One of our associates, Glenna, shared her story in order to help borrowers see how easy it is to utilize options that make payments more manageable.

Feel free to share this video with students and borrowers. It can be found permanently on our default prevention page. We hope borrowers relate to Glenna’s message and know that Nelnet is always here to lend a helping and understanding hand.

Filed under: Borrower Experience, Default Management

Nelnet Town Hall: Join the Discussion on May 29

jimharrisblog — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:06:09 +0000

Nelnet looks forward to hosting our second Interactive Town Hall! We were able to answer a lot of your questions and received great feedback during our first meeting. Subject matter experts from all areas of Nelnet Loan Servicing will be on the call, from school services to borrower communications. This is your opportunity to tell us what’s on your mind and ask questions, so join the discussion on May 29 at 11:00 a.m. or 4:00 p.m. (Eastern).

Your questions are needed to drive the discussion. You have two ways to ask questions. Submit them in advance by emailing them to Ideas@nelnet.net, or you may ask them directly on the call. We look forward to having an interactive and open dialogue with you.

Please click on one of the links below to register.

Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Time: 11:00 am, Eastern
Click here to register.

Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Time: 4:00 pm, Eastern
Click here to register.

Filed under: General Loan Servicing Info, Training

Money Mondays Reminder: Student Loan Repayment Tips (May 20)

jimharrisblog — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:03:16 +0000

This session will give you information you can use to be better prepared to manage your student loan payments. You’ll learn how to develop a plan for financial survival, know what you borrowed, who you borrowed from, and who services your loans. You’ll also get information on the best repayment plan for your circumstances and how to avoid delinquency and default.

Click on one of the links below to register:

Date: Monday, May 20, 2013
Time: 2:00pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
Session Number: 808 646 425

Date: Monday, May 20, 2013
Time: 4:30 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
Session Number: 800 886 261

Filed under: Financial Literacy, Training

Webinar Wednesdays Reminder: Counseling Students Using Social Media (May 15)

jimharrisblog — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:58:47 +0000

This session takes a look at the communication preferences of today’s college student. It covers how schools use social media and the steps needed to create a successful social media program on your campus. We will take a closer look at Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, with an eye toward how aid offices can use these forums to connect with and counsel students. Additionally, guidelines are provided for creating campus social media plans.

Click on one of the links below to register:

Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Time: 11:00 am, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
Session Number: 805 738 001

Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Time: 2:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
Session Number: 803 774 763

Filed under: Training

News You Can Use: Student Loan Debt Collection Assistant

jimharrisblog — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:00:51 +0000

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) provides the Student Loan Debt Collection Assistant on their site under the Paying For College section. The interactive tool is designed to help borrowers who may have fallen behind on their federal or private student loan payments.

For borrowers who have missed payments but are not yet in default, this tool can help them avoid thousands of dollars in penalties and fees by helping them understand alternative payment plans.
For borrowers already in default on their federal student loans, this tool offers clear information on how to access the full range of special repayment options available to federal student loan borrowers.
The intuitive tool also provides tips to borrowers with private student loans on how to negotiate with debt collectors.
They also provide guidance on choosing a bank account and selecting a loan that best suits their needs.

For more information on the CFPB, visit them at www.consumerfinance.gov.

Pam King, Midwest Regional Director, Nelnet Partner Solutions

Filed under: News You Can Use