Celebrating So-Called Dirty Jobs

Mike Rowe, the host of “Dirty Jobs,” tells some compelling (and horrifying) real-life job stories. Read the transcript or watch the video of his presentation in January 2010 for his insights and observations about the nature of hard work, and how it’s been unjustifiably degraded in society today.

The “Dirty Jobs” crew and I were called to a little town in Colorado, called Craig. It’s only a couple dozen square miles. It’s in the Rockies. And the job in question was sheep rancher.

My role on the show, for those of you who haven’t seen it — it’s pretty simple. I’m an apprentice, and I work with the people who actually do the jobs in question. And my responsibilities are to simply try and keep up and give an honest account of what it’s like to be these people, for one day in their life. The job in question: herding sheep. Great.

We go to Craig and we check in to a hotel and I realize the next day that castration is going to be an absolute part of this work. So, normally, I never do any research at all. But, this is a touchy subject, and I work for the Discovery Channel, and we want to portray accurately whatever it is we do, and we certainly want to do it with a lot of respect for the animals. So I called the Humane Society and I say, “Look, I’m going to be castrating some lambs, Can you tell me the deal?” Continue Reading

Private Colleges with Best Bragging Rights

Did your college make Kiplinger.com’s list of the 10 hardest schools to get into, based on admissions rate and yield?  If so, then you have bragging rights.  Why?  These schools have a low admission rate, which indicates that the school is highly competitive, and a high yield means that most admitted students find the school desirable enough to attend.

In addition, students who attend these schools are not only among other outstanding students but are also likely to be viewed favorably by prospective employers, potentially delivering a return on your investment for years. So what top value private colleges made the list for best bragging rights? Continue Reading

Survey Finds Large Majorities Concerned about Student Debt, Opposed to Cutting Pell Grants and Loan Subsidies

While they believe that higher education is more important today than it was for their parents’ generation, most U.S. adults age 18 to 34 also view college as harder to afford than just five years ago. They feel that people are leaving school with too much debt, and they oppose proposals to cut federal student aid, according to a survey released by three national policy organizations.  Lake Research Partners and Bellwether Research and Consulting conducted the bi-partisan national survey, which was commissioned by The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), Demos, and Young Invincibles. Among the survey’s key findings and themes:

Higher Education: More Important, Less Affordable, Too Much Debt
More than three in four (76%) young adults say that college has become harder to afford in the past five years, and nearly as many (73%) say that graduates have more student debt than they can manage.  When asked about the importance of college and other education and training after high school, about eight in 10 say it is more important than a generation ago. Whether or not they have a college degree or student debt, most young people share these views and concerns. Continue Reading

Resume Advice: Both Soft And Hard Skills Are Important In IT Resumes

As an information technology (IT) professional, you are probably accustomed to speaking, thinking, and breathing technology.  So now that it’s time for you to apply for new positions, you are likely ready to utilize all of those great technical terms that make your industry flow so smoothly.

But as a candidate writing resumes for individuals who may not exactly be entrenched in your world, you may have to make a few tweaks to have your resume read and understood by others.  Additionally, it’s important to soften your resume a bit to show employers you come equipped with both hard and soft skills and are well rounded. Continue Reading

Is Your Job Search Organized?

If the answer to this question is no, then you are probably not maximizing your job search. What a shame it would be to miss the time frame to apply for jobs, or lose contact information because you’re unorganized.  By organizing your job search, you will reduce stress and be more focused on getting a job.  Consider the following ways to organize your job search: Continue Reading

Job Search Advice: How Twitter Hashtags Can Help You Find a Position

Everyone probably remembers the first time they heard about Twitter and about how young people were throwing around their one-liners about sitting on the porch, walking to the mailbox, walking back to the porch, sitting down …well, you get the picture.  But since that time, Twitter has evolved into an amazing resource for companies seeking customers—and even job seekers looking for work.

One reason that seekers have had success landing jobs through Twitter is because of the use of hashtags, which function as mini search tools.  They help others find you and your comments based on your use of the number sign (#) followed by specific words (e.g., #lookingforwork).  Let’s take a closer look at how they could help you find a position. Continue Reading

Want to Be a CEO? Act Like One.

Did you know that chief executive officers and other company leaders are more likely to part their hair to the right, bring their lunch from home, drive a SUV, wear navy blue and are right-handed? A new survey on “Emulating the Big Cheese” provides fun insights about the habits and characteristics of those who work in the corner office. The study was conducted from August 16, 2011 to September 8, 2011 and included more than 550 hiring managers in senior leadership positions (CEO, chief financial officer, chief operating officer, senior vice president, etc).

Typical office attire

A majority of those in senior management said they wear business casual attire to the office, and some even noted jeans or shorts as typical workplace wear. Business suit was the least popular choice. Continue Reading

Ability to Work in Team #1 Soft Skill Desired By Employers

What do employers look for in a resume? Beyond the candidate’s ability to meet standard criteria—the “right” major or work experience—employers are most likely to look for evidence that the candidate is able to work in a team, according to a new survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Nearly 80 percent of employers taking part in NACE’s Job Outlook 2012 survey said they search for evidence that the potential employee can work in a team, and more than three-quarters indicated they want the resume to show the candidate has leadership abilities and written communication skills. Evidence of problem-solving skills and a strong work ethic round out the top five “soft skills” employers seek on resumes. Continue Reading

Most Job Seekers Want Mobile Yet Few Employers Seem to Care

I’ve advocated for years that employers need to re-think how they’re communicating on-line with candidates because more and more of those candidates are using their cell phones as their primary connection device and not land lines, desktop computers, or even laptop computers.

It never ceases to amaze me how high a percentage of hiring managers, recruiters, and other human resource professionals have NEVER visited their own web sites using an iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, or other smartphone and how few of those who have visited their sites have never attempted to actually apply to a job using their mobile phone. Those who have realize almost without exception very, very quickly that they can’t. And when they see that typically 10 to 15 percent of their career site visitors are using mobile devices, you can see in their faces that they know they have a big problem that is getting bigger very quickly. Continue Reading

Citigroup Announces 3,000 Layoffs – About 1% of Its Workforce

Citigroup announced a round of job cuts today that will impact about one percent of its global workforce. That amounts to roughly 3,000 workers, mostly from its securities and banking unit. Continue Reading