Who is the better intern? Graduate v. Undergrad. Round 1

Mallory: I’m Mallory, I am an advertising graduate student, I just turned 27, and I don’t know how to make coffee. The only time I have ever made it was when a teacher in high school asked me to make coffee for her. “Err…OK,” I thought. I stared at her blankly until I said to myself, “I’m 18, I should know how to do this. I’ll just go figure it out.” 10 years later, that is still the only pot of coffee I have ever brewed, and I am pretty proud of that fact. That being said, I have never had one of those “coffee schlepping” internships that businesses are so quick to tell you they don’t offer.

My first internship was in 2007 when I graduated from the University of Arkansas. I interned at a local theater, the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, Ark. As a PR intern, I helped distribute promotional materials around town when I wasn’t writing articles for local magazines and newspapers. It was valuable and fun. Once, I drank a bottle of $500 wine on my 22nd birthday courtesy of the Art of Wine event. Livin’. The. Dream. I moved from there to a job in the “real world” – figuring, sadly, that I would never wear the “intern” badge again. But here I am, fresh from my first year of graduate school, with 5 years of work experience under my belt, and assuming the intern role once again. This time, at a company called Build-a-Sign. And sitting to my right, my fellow intern, a 20-year-old undergraduate – Nathan. Continue Reading

Tell us about your dream job.

I already have my dream job! I’m a pubished writer who also created the Advice Sisters and several online publications, including two web sites, a blog, and an Ezine. I help readers around the world make life easier, more successful and more fun!
– Submitted by Alison from New York, New York, United States through the CollegeRecruiter.com Career Blog Application on Facebook.com.

Workplace Gossip: Where’s The Harm?

As you begin your career working in an entry level job you are likely to encounter the workplace gossip problem. Often called office politics, this little troublemaker has been the ruination of many promising careers. To avoid having your entry level job wind up on the chopping block due to workplace gossip, it is a good idea to understand how harmful it can be and why.
Workplace gossip is relaying information, true or not, person to person about a third person or even the company itself. Usually, this information is of a negative tone such as impending layoffs or terminations in the case of corporations or snippets of an individual’s personal life and derogative commentary on their job performance. As we stated before, this information may be truthful or it could be misconstrued observations or even outright lies. In any case, relaying such derogatory information is a dangerous proposition for those employed in entry level jobs.
The danger comes from the fact that you may be spreading a story that you firmly believe to be the truth, which in actuality is not true, or even worse, was intended as a confidential communication. The company is losing production because the employees are busy spreading the word about the latest gossip while the reputation of the third party is being tarnished by the story being told. It doesn’t take a lot of thinking to understand that eventually the story is going to get back to the individual who is being gossiped about or to the management of the company. When this happens, two things can start to happen.
First, the individual will get angry. They may quit the job over the humiliation of having a private matter disclosed in such a way or they may go looking for the source of the information whether it was true or false. If the story being spread is false, there are even laws to protect the individual and the source of the information can be subject to penalty. It is not unheard of for corporations to terminate entry level employees for being involved in such cases.
Secondly, the company can take action. If the gossip being spread is about the company or its private communications is false, you can bet the management will let a few heads roll. Companies don’t like it when their happy employees become disgruntled because some wise guy decided that the memo about a possible layoff next winter needed to be spread around as a plant closing in June. The wheel of blame gets shifted easily and anyone who relayed the message can be held accountable for it.
Final thought: If you want to keep your entry level job, keep your mind on your own business. Workplace gossip is destructive and costly to companies. By steering clear of office politics, you make yourself a more productive worker.

Understanding What Unemployment Rates Mean To Your Job Search

As you set out to find an entry level job in your chosen field, you will likely hear people mention several terms that may be unfamiliar to you. Many of these things have an effect upon the area of the job market you are seeking to enter so understanding some of the more important ones can be very helpful to your entry level job search. One of the most important phrases you are likely to hear discussed is the unemployment rate. Though you may already understand what the unemployment rate is, knowing its effect on the entry level job market can make the process of finding entry level positions much easier.
The unemployment rate is an average arrived at by figuring out how many people are unemployed as compared to the total number of people in an area. To give an example, a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics showed that the state of Michigan had the highest unemployment rate in March of 2008. The states unemployment rate at that time was 7.2% meaning that just over seven out of every one hundred people residing in the state during March of 2008 were unemployed.
Understanding what the unemployment rate means isn’t enough though. What this will do to the entry level job market is even more important. What can we deduce from unemployment rates from the perspective of an entry level job seeker? To continue with the example already cited, a 7.2% unemployment rate, would equate to stiff competition for available entry level employment opportunities. This competition would also lead to lowered salaries and less appealing incentive plans because the companies offering entry level jobs would have more applicants to choose from. To the inverse, a very low unemployment rate, such as the 2.5% rate of South Dakota in March of 2008, would indicate a growing economy with more entry level jobs than applicants. This lack of competition for jobs leads to higher wages and incentive plans designed to attract new recruits.
By understanding the principles which govern the entry level job market, you can use a knowledge of your areas economic situation to find the best opportunities for entry level jobs.

Moving On

We all worked our way through college and made the grade to find entry level jobs in our chosen fields. Our entry level jobs have been successful and we feel quite good about our success so far. However, something is missing. Either we lost interest in a field that isn’t as exciting as we dreamed it would be or the profit margin just isn’t high enough. Whatever the reason, it has become apparent that it is time to move on. Knowing when it really is time to leave and how to bow out gracefully can make future career moves easier.
Don’t burn your bridges.
This little gem is very good advice. No matter how frustrated you are with your current coworkers or employers, don’t say anything you may regret later. While your current entry level job may appear to be designed for your own personal torture, six months with no job can make it look like heaven on earth. Always leave on good terms, as you might need to come back later.
Take a vacation.
Sometimes, our frustration with our current entry level job is no more than being overextended. If you find that you are contemplating a new career after years of success, take the time to think about the last time you took some time off. If it has been awhile, consider using a few vacation days to think about it before discarding the time you have spent in your present career.
The boss can’t read your mind.
Believe it or not, your employers probably don’t want to see you leave. Unfortunately, if you don’t ask for what you want, they aren’t likely to give it to you. If you are considering a career change based on financial needs, ask for a raise or benefits and support the request with well thought out reasons as to why you need and deserve this consideration.

Improving Your Performance On The Job

One of the biggest complaints college graduates have about their first entry level job is the low rate of pay. If you are suffering from the same problem, improving your performance on the entry level job can make it much more profitable. Unfortunately, improving ones performance on the job is often easier said than done. Finding your own weaknesses can be a difficult task but for those willing to honestly critique their own performance, the benefits to their on the job performance can be astounding.
The first step to improved performance on the entry level job is being honest with yourself. Put yourself in the shoes of your employer and look for both positive and negative points in your performance. Ask yourself what is causing your problem areas and how you can change them. Look at the areas where you excel and figure out how to use success in these areas to bolster the weaker areas.
Secondly, have goals in place and a plan for reaching them. Both long term and short term goals are critical to the entry level employee seeking to improve their on the job performance. As you attain these goals, set new ones to work towards.
Finally, never stop learning. Your performance on the entry level job is greatly effected by the education you have. To illustrate, let’s pretend your job were to stack a set of blocks in alphabetical order. Stacking the blocks is simple and you can perform this function easily. There is only one hitch: You were never taught the alphabet. Without learning this information, where would you expect your performance level to be? Your skills will only take you so far if they are not backed by a solid education.

Improving Your Odds

Let’s face it. When it comes to finding success in our career, none of us are going to complain about hedging our bets. We want to succeed in every aspect of our lives but the area of our careers seems to have a special zone of attention for most of us. If you are beginning your journey down the road to success by looking for your first entry level job, how can you improve the odds?
Internships
Surprisingly, most students are not participating in this rare opportunity to gain valuable work experience. Internships off you the chance to work in a particular field and learn from hands on experience the things you can’t learn in a classroom. Employers know this and if your resume shows an internship experience related to the job you are applying for, you have just tilted the odds in your favor.
Networking
I have said it before and I will say it again: Your network is important. Take the time to join a few professional associations or interest groups and see how great of an effect it has on your job hunting opportunities.
Research
You wouldn’t go hunting a dangerous animal if you knew nothing about it. No, you would do some research and learn about your quarry and its habits. You would want to know where the animal lived, what it ate, what its tracks looked like and what you would need to capture it. Hunting for an entry level job needs just as much attention. Do your research to learn about companies you are applying to, the entry level jobs they may have to offer and their corporate values. This extra effort will pay off by putting you in a position of knowledge during your interviewing process and it will insure that the entry level job you are offered will fit your needs.

How Much Education Do You Need?

Pink Floyd chanted the anthem for at least two generations of teens when he sang the lyrics, “We don’t need no education…” Little did his listeners realize that the seeming freedom from tyrannical instructors and educational systems that they were chanting about wasn’t really the nirvana that they were imagining. Luckily, most of these youth weren’t quite as revolutionary as they imagined themselves to be and went on attending class and even college. Had they truly turned their backs on their education, they might have found a world far more frightening than Pink Floyd’s depiction of the Machine or learned just what it was like to be a brick in the wall.
The reasoning behind this statement are sound. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics has released a report that details the projection of availability for entry level jobs through the year 2014 and the educational requirements that will be required to obtain entry level jobs within these industries. Known as the Occupational projections and Training Data, or Bulletin 2602, this compilation of research was released in February of 2006. Dividing jobs into categories based on the level of education required, the projections indicate that the majority of available entry level jobs through the year 2014 will require at least some college education and those possessing degrees will have even greater chances of successfully finding entry level employment in their desired field of work.
What does this mean to the college student today? Basically, don’t lose hope. Even though attending classes and balancing the student lifestyle and budget can be difficult, the entry level employment opportunities of the future will require you to demonstrate the skills you are learning today.

Following Up On Prospective Job Offers Via Telephone

Telephones have become a part of our daily lives. Many of us carry one on our belt or in a pocket. Nearly everyone has one or more phones in their home. Yet, even with their widespread usage, the telephone is often overlooked for some of its more valuable uses like following up interests when applying for entry level jobs.
Because our past experiences may have taught us that a plethora of phone messages can be a bit irritating, we try to make a good impression with employers offering entry level jobs by not calling to follow up on any interests they might have in our application. Unfortunately, not calling at all can be worse than calling too much. When you take the time to call, you are showing a self motivated attitude and an interest in the entry level job they have to offer. If you are polite and let the secretary know that you will call back again, the prospective employer won’t be irritated by a list of phone messages but will see just how much you want the entry level position you applied for.
Before you call, know what you want to say. Take the time to consider the phone call carefully and even rehearse the call before you call the prospective employer. This serves two purposes; you will be more relaxed and conversational on the live call and you can effectively reply to anything that you might be asked on the call.
As a final point, breathe once in a while. If you have ever attempted to hold a conversation with a teen-aged girl, you know just how annoying nonstop babble can be when there is no room for you to join in the conversation. It is just as annoying in the real world. By taking the time to pause and catch your breath, you open the door for the other half of the conversation to speak. You never know what valuable information you may learn by this method.
In conclusion, following up on entry level job prospects via telephone can be a very good way to insure your chances for employment in entry level job positions.

Do You Need A Second Job?

Many people with large amounts of debt to pay have resorted to working a second job, sometimes called moonlighting, but before you decide to live the lifestyle of the night owl, there are a few options and facts that you may want to consider.
In the year 1995, it was estimated that 6.3% of all employed individuals held more than one job. The most common reason for taking on a secondary entry level job was the need to earn more money than the primary occupation was providing. Other reasons included special benefit packages or non financial motivations.
The dangers of working second jobs include decreased job performance and increases in on the job injuries as people are not getting the rest needed to adequately and safely perform their job functions but the lure of saving for the future or paying off a specific debt can often prove motivation enough to overlook these problems.
While it is plain that finding a secondary entry level job can mean more money coming into a household, it is a good idea to weigh this against the negative effects that you may foresee and the other options for increasing your current earning potential. One of these options to a secondary job is that of overtime on the primary position. Due to national labor laws, overtime pay is significantly higher than base pay so that, if your present entry level job offers the opportunity for the extra hours, the pay received will be much higher than that earned on a secondary entry level job. Additional earning can also be generated on a primary job by continuing your education. In fields where education equals pay, a weekend workshop that supplies you with the proper credentials can equate to a much larger profit over time. A third option for those needing the extra money or benefit packages of a secondary entry level job is asking your primary employer for them. Many employers would much rather create a benefit package or pay increase than have their employees loyalty going to a different company or experiencing the decrease in efficiency that often accompanies moonlighting.
Taking these options and your reasons for needing a secondary job into consideration allows you to make an informed decision about whether you really need a secondary entry level job.