Video: How to Get a Job After College Graduation

I recently was interviewed via Skype by Jordie Kern of 1 Degree Hire, which is a resource for first-time job seekers. More specifically, 1 Degree Hire is a 21-day step-by-step program designed to make recent graduates more marketable, better understand what employers want, and give those grads an edge over others who are competing for the same jobs.

The 1 Degree Hire system includes 21 days of intense preparation through a series of eBooks and MP3 audio downloads. Members also enjoy a personal consultation, resume and portfolio critique, e-mail support, and weekly webinars. In addition, they get insider access to an extensive video library of interviews with some of the nation’s most powerful CEOs and human resource professionals, who reveal what they look for in a candidate and what key questions they typically ask in an interview.

Jordie and I talked about CollegeRecruiter.com and what recent college graduates should do in order to increase their chances of being hired. Listen in: Continue Reading

Your Talent Database: A Coal Mine or a Gold Mine?

Why are some companies missing out on the best talent available?  The following post identifies some problems concerning their recruiting process.

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Your Talent Database: A Coal Mine or a Gold Mine?

Why Hiring a Veteran is Good for Your Organization as Well as the Country

There’s been a lot of media attention recently to the hundreds of thousands of bright, energetic, decisive, and honorable veterans who are transitioning out of the military and into the civilian world.

I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to speak with a number of leaders at the Department of Veterans Affairs about their work in helping these veterans and we’re even more fortunate to be partnering with the VA to help with this most important initiative. The work the VA is doing should make us all proud. Many in the public and private sectors are doing tremendous work. The leaders in both sectors understand that hiring a veteran is good for the veteran but also makes good business sense. Continue Reading

7 Reasons Why I.T. Recruiters May Reject Your Resume

A new report from Kovasys IT Recruitment answers a question that many information technology candidates are asking: “Why are the technology recruiters ignoring my resume?” According to Alex Kovalenko, a technical recruiting manager at Kovasys Inc., “If a tech recruiter can not tell within ten seconds that you are worth a call then your resume will go straight into a recycle bin. Keep in mind that at our firm recruiters can review up to 50 resumes every day and can not spend hours reviewing resumes.”

Mr. Kovalenko says that there are seven reasons why IT recruiters could potentially reject your resume and are as follows: Continue Reading

Searching for a Permanent Job? Temp. 35% of Employers Plan To Hire Temps as Permanent Employees.

A whopping thirty-five percent of American companies are operating with smaller staffs than before the recession. To keep pace with market demand, many are turning to staffing and recruiting companies and temporary workers. Thirty-six percent of companies will hire contract or temporary workers in 2012. This is up from 34 percent for 2011, 30 percent for 2010, and 28 percent for 2009. For those looking for permanent employment, probably the most interesting statistic in this blog article is that 35 percent of the companies hiring temporary or contract workers this year have plans to hire them on a permanent basis. Continue Reading

Business, Engineering, and Computer Science 2011 Grads Most Sought After by Employers

Employers are most interested in hiring new college graduates with bachelor’s degrees in the business, engineering, and computer science fields, according to results of a new survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Nearly 62 percent of the organizations taking part in NACE’s Job Outlook 2011 survey cited plans to hire accounting graduates. Other popular degrees at the bachelor’s degree level included:

• Finance degree (57 percent of respondents);
• Electrical engineering degree (53.5 percent );
• Computer science degree (53 percent);
• Mechanical engineering degree (53 percent); and
• Business administration degree with a specialization in accounting, finance, and management (52 percent).

Continue Reading

Best Colleges for Management Information Systems Majors

When top employers are asked to rank the best colleges and universities, they invariably disagree as what is best for one employer may be awful for another. One employer, for example, may need the cream of the cream and is ready, willing, and able to do what it takes to recruit and retain that talent. But the other employer may only think that the cream of the cream is the best candidate for her organization when in fact a solid B student at a second tier school will be far more likely to accept a job offer and stay for years.

Another difference that often crops up on surveys of the top colleges is that one school may have a wonderful liberal arts program but be very average in its other areas while a second school may be solid across the board but not excel in any one program. But when asked to rank the best colleges for management information systems majors, large employers chose:

1. Purdue University
2. Pennsylvania State University
3. Georgia Institute of Technology

Source: Wall Street Journal, September 13, 2010

Best Colleges for Finance Majors

When top employers are asked to rank the best colleges and universities, they invariably disagree as what is best for one employer may be awful for another. One employer, for example, may need the cream of the cream and is ready, willing, and able to do what it takes to recruit and retain that talent. But the other employer may only think that the cream of the cream is the best candidate for her organization when in fact a solid B student at a second tier school will be far more likely to accept a job offer and stay for years.

Another difference that often crops up on surveys of the top colleges is that one school may have a wonderful liberal arts program but be very average in its other areas while a second school may be solid across the board but not excel in any one program. But when asked to rank the best colleges for finance majors, large employers chose:

1. University of Michigan
2. New York University
3. University of California at Berkeley
4. Carnegie Mellon University
5. Texas A&M University

Source: Wall Street Journal, September 13, 2010

Best Colleges for Liberal Arts Majors

When top employers are asked to rank the best colleges and universities, they invariably disagree as what is best for one employer may be awful for another. One employer, for example, may need the cream of the cream and is ready, willing, and able to do what it takes to recruit and retain that talent. But the other employer may only think that the cream of the cream is the best candidate for her organization when in fact a solid B student at a second tier school will be far more likely to accept a job offer and stay for years.

Another difference that often crops up on surveys of the top colleges is that one school may have a wonderful liberal arts program but be very average in its other areas while a second school may be solid across the board but not excel in any one program. But when asked to rank the best colleges for liberal arts majors, large employers chose:

1. Georgetown University
2. Duke University
3. New York University

Source: Wall Street Journal, September 13, 2010

Best Colleges for Computer Science / I.T. Majors

When top employers are asked to rank the best colleges and universities, they invariably disagree as what is best for one employer may be awful for another. One employer, for example, may need the cream of the cream and is ready, willing, and able to do what it takes to recruit and retain that talent. But the other employer may only think that the cream of the cream is the best candidate for her organization when in fact a solid B student at a second tier school will be far more likely to accept a job offer and stay for years.

Another difference that often crops up on surveys of the top colleges is that one school may have a wonderful liberal arts program but be very average in its other areas while a second school may be solid across the board but not excel in any one program. But when asked to rank the best colleges for computer science majors, large employers chose:

1. Carnegie Mellon University
2. University of California at Berkeley
3. University of Michigan
4. Georgia Institute of Technology
5. Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Source: Wall Street Journal, September 13, 2010