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Posts Tagged ‘employment’

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Smart Job Seeking Tips For Today’s Grads

May 13th, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 2 Comments | Filed in Career Planning

The percentage of college graduates leaving school with both degree and job offer in hand is low, as the job market continues to show signs of stress. In April 2010, unemployment rose to 9.9 percent even though several hundred thousand jobs were created for the month. Through the summer and possibly into early 2011, the job market will be tight for grad and veteran employees alike.

campus interviewBut as companies rebuild, they’ll be scouting for top notch talent and will include recent grads in the mix of people they’ll want to have on hand. Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com offers, “College graduates have a big advantage over other job seekers given their low starting salaries and great potential to grow with the company. It’s been several years since we’ve seen companies so interested in talking with new grads.”

To that end, Lee offers 12 tips for successful job hunting for today’s college graduates:

1. Check out your college or university Career Services office. Their advice is free and targeted to your market.

2. Join alma mater alumni groups. Networking is still the best way to find a new job.

3. Research job boards that include lots of entry-level jobs.

4. Watch what you post online. Recruiters will search social media to investigate your background.

5. Expand your search radius to include companies where you would like to live and work.

6. Boost your skill set by taking extra courses. Learning should be a life-long goal.

7. Don’t underestimate the value of a good cover letter and resume.

8. Create a ‘personal branding statement’ to stand out from other inexperienced college grads.

9. Prepare and rehearse before each interview. Don’t assume you can “wing it” just because you’re smart.

10. Dress for success. Looking good never hurts.

11. Be personable and nice to everyone you meet during your interview.

12.Follow up with thank you notes to everyone you met.

Lee warns job seeking grads to not grow discouraged, but to look at their job hunting as a job in and of itself, possibly one of the hardest jobs they’ll ever have.

Adv. — Are you considering grad school? OfftoCollege.com has the tools and resources you need to help you with your decision.


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College Jobs That Work For You

May 4th, 2010 by Sarah Harris | 1 Comment | Filed in Personal Advice, Training

By Sarah Harris

You thought you could go to college on scholarships and student loans, freeing yourself up to focus exclusively on your studies. But between the rising cost of tuition, the outrageous price of books, and all the little fees and unexpected extras, your money was spent before you even set foot on campus. In the meantime, you’re going to need to eat.

college studentsBut you balk at the thought of wasting precious study (or sleep) hours on scraping by at some minimum wage job that you wouldn’t even wish upon your bratty little brother. You need to make some money, and fast, but you’d rather die than spend the wee hours of the morning mixing non-fat, half-caff, frappe-mocha-chino lattes for a bunch of annoying, phone-toting yuppies.

Your Options

Luckily, there are other options that are infinitely more appealing than working in the food service industry. For starters, you got into college based on your academic prowess. Why not put it to work for you by offering your services as a tutor? You can either freelance by posting flyers at local schools, or try to gain employment at a service like Sylvan Learning Center or The Princeton Review. Either way, you will make a lot more money than at the Java Jungle and you can likely set your own hours (although generally, you will have to work afternoons, evenings, or weekends when kids aren’t in school).

You can also seek employment online at freelance-friendly sites like ODesk or Elance. These sites allow you to create a profile, post samples (if applicable), and apply for jobs (which are posted by companies seeking to contract specific types of work). If you are good at writing, web design, editing, or a number of other online activities, chances are you can find work on these sites.

Pay Day

Companies may pay by the hour or on a flat rate basis (ODesk has their own time-tracker software that ensures you get paid for the time you work). And the best part is, they have several payment options like PayPal or direct deposit.

So if you are looking for the type of job where you get paid what you ask and can set your own hours, these are some options that could work for you. You could be earning money, gaining experience, and creating a portfolio of your work all at the same time. At the very least, it beats wearing a hairnet and plastic gloves all day.

Guest post by Sarah Harris, of Zen College Life, the premier directory for online schools. Find out more information about criminal justice degrees.


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Monster Examines College Grad Employment

April 22nd, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 2 Comments | Filed in Career Planning

Last week we reviewed what CareerBuilder.com had to say about the job prospects for 2010 college grads. Today, we’ll take a look at what one of its main competitors, Monster.com, has reported.

Article Disclaimer

womanNo one asked us to publish either of the reports nor are we being compensated for doing the same. Rather, we thought it important to pass along what the experts have uncovered in hopes that grads and their families have a clear picture of what to expect in the coming months.

Some of what was summarized in the “MonsterCollege’s Annual Entry Level Job Outlook Survey” falls under the “I already know this” heading. Job seekers know that the market is tough and understand that the road to employment won’t be an easy one.

What the Monster survey revealed was that recent and soon to graduate seniors are relying on friends and family members to help them find jobs, with 78 percent of those surveyed reporting that they’ve used these connections. 65 percent use the online job boards while social media continues to play an increasingly important role with 38 percent saying that they found such sites to be useful in their job search.

Student Debt

Monster’s survey also revealed that two-thirds of college workers are completing school saddled with student loan debt with one-third of respondents reporting that they have credit card debt. Monster did not reveal how many grads are leaving college with both student loans and credit card debt on their shoulders, however. That information would have been useful, underscoring the difficulty some students have faced over the past your or so in funding their education.

Recent grads are also returning home to live with their parents including those who have a full-time job. 52 percent of those employed are living with their parents with 27 percent expecting to stay for longer than seven months. That may have something to do with student loans coming due six months after graduation, a financial hit grads may find difficult absorbing along with paying rent for an apartment.

Positive Trend

The Monster survey isn’t reporting all gloom and doom, however. One important and positive trend noted is that 49 percent of students say they would settle for jobs outside of their fields compared with 58 percent last year. That trend seems to indicate that grads are showing confidence that they’ll eventually work in their trained fields or are willing to hold out a bit longer in order to get the job that they want.

Monster’s survey was conducted between February 25 and March 15 with 1250 respondents weighing in. The survey included college grads, college seniors and other students expecting to graduate college within the next few years. Separately, Monster interviewed 222 companies through an online survey to gauge their perspectives on hiring trends.

Adv. — Please visit SayLearning.com for distance learning information.


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Job Outlook Offers Mixed Bag For New Grads

April 15th, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 1 Comment | Filed in Career Planning

Students who are finishing up their college studies this month or next are finding that their job prospects are rather limited. However, for those who are able to find employment they’re seeing some improvement in pay, according to the most recent annual forecast conducted by CareerBuilder.

business manThe CareerBuilder Annual Job Forecast survey is one of several released about this time of year, giving new grads an idea of what they can expect when seeking employment. Working with Harris Interactive, 2778 hiring managers and Human Resources professionals were contacted from February 10 to March 2 in order to gauge their thoughts.

The survey revealed that the number of employers planning to hire college grads is at 44 percent which is basically unchanged from the 43 percent in 2009 and sharply below the 79 percent expected in 2007. However, for those who are planning to hire college grads, 21 percent said that they plan on hiring more of them this year than last.

“Even though companies are gradually starting to hire again, the job market will still be challenging for college graduates this year,” said Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America. “To take advantage of the opportunities that exist, it’s important for recent graduates to start their search early, remain positive and keep an open mind. In addition, networking and showing relevant work experience – whether it is internships, class work or volunteering – can help make your application stand out.”

The CareerBuilder survey also revealed that 30 percent of grads can expect to land a job paying between $30-40 thousand with 19 percent earning between $40-50 thousand. Another 19 percent can expect to make at least $50,000 right away while 33 percent will earn below $30,000.

Students who haven’t held a “real job” yet should take heart: HR pros reveal that internships, part-time work in another area or field and volunteer work are of more value than class work, involvement in school organizations, frat or sorority involvement and even sports. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed considered internships to be of top importance.

Beyond experience, HR pros are also looking at certain attributes in prospective employees: good fit for the company culture; someone who comes in with good ideas and questions; educational background; level of enthusiasm and someone who has done their homework about the company.

Finally, leveraging social media, relevant experience and flexibility are important keys for job hunters to keep in mind as they search for work, attributes important at any time, but more so in today’s tough economy.

Adv. — Check out our free career planning info at SayMyCareer.com!


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