Interns Fare Better in Poor Job Market

New college graduates who had taken part in internships fared far better in the job market than their counterparts who didn’t gain that experience, according to a new report published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Overall, results of NACE’s 2009 Student Survey found that just 19.7 percent of the Class of 2009 who had applied for jobs had one by the end of April. In contrast, 23 percent of graduates with an internship under their belt had a job in hand at that time. For those who didn’t do an internship, the job market was especially unwelcoming: Just 14 percent of those who hadn’t been interns landed jobs as of April.

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Should You Accept the Job Offer?

Your dream is to work in social media. You’ve been blogging, building your brand and know your stuff. After doing all the right things you have a job offer, so now what?
As with any potential new job there are many questions & many unknowns in regard to one in social media. And to make it worse, I believe that there are many more because the space is so new.
I have been advising both employers and job seekers for quite awhile. Here’s a review of practical things to consider when you’re on that emotional high of having received a job offer:
1. Job expectations? Do you know what your role will be? Has it been defined adequately? Be wary of a job that is too open-ended. Overall, make sure that the expectations are communicated from both sides.
2. A good fit? What is the culture of the company? How open are they to change? Social media requires a culture that has open communication and a focus on the customers.
3. Salary? Only you know what you need, but don’t undersell yourself. I hear of too many companies expecting a lot of services for little or nothing. On the flip side I think that some investment at the beginning on your part can prove to be very fruitful. As with anything one must gain experience. This is an opportunity to show you skills. You can influence this by requesting that your status be reviewed in a shorter period of time than the usual year (which is really too long in the online world because things are changing so quickly).
4. How will you measure your efforts? This is imperative to plan for. You need to benchmark where the brand is at then you’ll be able to compare your efforts against that going forward. This will have a direct impact on salary. If you can prove that you’re efforts are having a measurable impact then you’ll be that much further ahead.
5. Contract or salary? This really depends on many things. Contract work allows much more flexibility. I think that a more important question is what are your job requirements based on? hours or deliverables? My recommendation is that deliverables is much more flexible and suited to the role.
6. Work remotely? More and more people are working remotely, but I don’t think that employers are trending toward this yet. I’ve worked online remotely since 2006. And before that I worked for a decade remotely because my Director was 75 miles away. I also supervised 7 library sites spanning 80 miles and it was no problem. We had phones, email, and transportation. Now I have IM, airports and my blackberry. It’s all the same and I believe that I’m more effective working from where I live.
7. Should you relocate? This is also related to salary. What is the cost of living in the new location? Can you mediate the risks involved? Many people that ask me are considering going to work for startups. I loved working with startups so don’t get me wrong, but there are some inherent risks along with the excitement.
I hope that those provide you with some questions to ponder as you seek your ideal job. What did I miss?
Article by Connie Bensen, Community Strategist, and courtesy of ConnieBensen.com

Writing a Winning Career Objective: 6 Tips to Get Started

Article courtesy of Brand-Yourself.com
You’ve written your resume, and sent it out to what seems like hundreds of companies without any success. Perhaps it’s time to look at one of the most important, and yet often neglected, parts of the resume – your career objective. If done correctly, this will show potential employers at a glance that you are serious about the job in question and know what you want to do. A poorly executed objective, however, may disqualify you from the position altogether.

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A Lighter Shade of Green

Survey: Two-Thirds of CFOs Don’t Expect to Boost Sustainability Efforts in Next
12 Months; Others See More Urgency
Despite the nation’s attention on eco-friendly programs and policies, a new survey suggests most businesses are not planning to step up their efforts in this area — at least not in the next year. When asked whether they expect their companies’ emphasis on green initiatives to increase, decrease or remain the same in the next 12 months, 68 percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said they anticipate no changes. More than a quarter (28 percent), however, said they expect an increased focus on the issue.
The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees.

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10 Promising Jobs for 2010

Robert Half 2010 Salary Guides Reveal Compensation Not Likely to Increase For Most Positions, But Some Areas Offer Encouragement
Starting salaries in the accounting and finance, information technology (IT), and administrative fields are expected to remain relatively flat or see modest declines next year, but some positions will buck this trend, according to the 2010 Salary Guides from Robert Half International. Research for the guides provides insight into compensation and hiring trends within each field, and identifies 10 positions where national average salaries are holding strong or seeing slight gains.
“A focus on cost control will continue to shape the hiring landscape next year, and starting salaries clearly are being influenced by that trend,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. “At the same time, companies recognize the need to invest in staff members with specific expertise who can help them capitalize on emerging opportunities.”
Added Messmer, “In the current environment, some firms are taking advantage of the large pool of top talent now available by selectively adding full-time staff in key areas.”

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The Twice-Over

Survey: Executives Spend an Average of Six Minutes Reading Each Resume
It’s usually flattering when someone hangs on your every word. For job seekers, this kind of scrutiny takes on a whole new meaning. According to a new survey by OfficeTeam, executives spend more than six minutes, on average, screening each resume received. Considering these documents are usually only one or two pages in length, this suggests many are being examined with a fine-toothed comb.
The survey was developed by OfficeTeam and conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 150 senior executives at the nation’s 1,000 largest companies.
Executives were asked, “Approximately how much time, in minutes, do you spend screening each resume when reviewing job applicants for an advertised position?”
The average response was 6.4 minutes.

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Better Job Descriptions Attract Better Candidates

Candidates are expected to write comprehensive, compelling resumes and cover letters to gain the attention of top employers and land the best entry level jobs. So, it stands to reason that employers would be expected to write equally comprehensive, compelling job descriptions to attract the best candidates.
Scot Herrick has advice that will help employers write better job descriptions in his article, 4 Job Description Ingredients Candidates Would Love. He first warns employers not to use template-based job descriptions but to tailor their job descriptions to attract the kind of candidates they want to hire.

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What it is like to attend Colorado State University – Pueblo

Less than two hours south of Denver, located in the northeast of Pueblo, is Colorado State University – Pueblo. The campus sits on 275 acres, on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Students will find opportunities for biking, skiing, and snowboarding, and experience many days of sunshine during the year. CSU Pueblo enrolls nearly 5,000 students and is one of the most diverse universities in Colorado, with students representing all continents except Antarctica and Australia.

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5 of the Most In-Demand Jobs for 2009-2010

Make Your Next Job the Right Job!
In the terrible economy that’s among us, almost everyone is affected in some shape or form! Financial problems plague many people’s lives and has caused so many drastic changes in their lives. The bad economy has resulted in many companies closing down, laying off, and even moving over seas in order to hire cheaper labor. This caused thousands of Americans’ homes to be foreclosed, cars to be repossessed, and what were once “career” jobs, are now just a memory (without a 401k). The unemployment rate is higher now than ever before and it just doesn’t seem like anyone is ever hiring anymore! Well, here are 5 of the most in-demand career jobs for 2009-2010…
1.) Technology. With many aspects of life being “improved” into easier, more technical forms, it would be a good idea to be a part of it! Technology will always continue to improve, so this provides job seekers with an opportunity that will allow them to become more advanced and excel in their particular field. Some of the best technical careers to look into are: data communications, software engineering, software designing, network and system administrators, graphic designing, and more. Continue reading …
Article by, Jim Walker and courtesy of Associated Content, Inc.

Do More Than Read Job Titles! Look for Clues …

I was having a conversation recently with a job seeker who had concluded that there were just no jobs out there for her. It was a little surprising since she is actually in a field that has quite a few job opportunities, even in the bad economy.
After a few minutes, I realized that she was so fixated on the last job title she held, she really wasn’t looking for broader possibilities and reading job descriptions carefully enough. In fact, she was actually discarding possible job opportunities because the job title in the job description was not familiar to her.
I think that many job seekers might actually be in the same boat as my friend.
Many people get attached to their job titles and their current job descriptions, they may actually be overlooking the actual day-to-day assignments involved in a particular job – especially if the job description has evolved over time.
Online job boards today, do a pretty incredible job of making it easy for people to find job opportunities just by using keywords. Employers used to be able to search for resumes using keywords and now every job board gives similar capabilities to job seekers. Continue reading …
Article by, Bullseye Resumes and courtesy of Associated Content, Inc.