New Grad: Why should they hire you?

Before applying for jobs, recent college graduates should know what they have to offer.  In the following post, learn how graduates can show their value to potential employers.

If you can learn how to state your value proposition to find a job, you stand a better chance of being picked as the perfect candidate. Get the No More Back to School Audio Series. Click here to download.(It’s FREE!) I worked recently with a very accomplished Division

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New Grad: Why should they hire you?

Do Americans Still Value Hard Work?

Aaron Gouveia, Salary.com contributing writer

America is a country that has long prided itself on sweat, determination and hard work. We love stories about people putting in the hours, working harder than everyone else, and pulling themselves up by their bootstraps to enjoy financial success. Historically that’s been true, but is it still the case? Continue Reading

What Degrees and Work Have in Common

Natalie Bracco

Naturally, the degree you get and the job you want to attain have a lot of common. Going to school to receive a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s degree, or a doctorate takes several special qualities that you’ll need after receiving your degree as well. If you’re working toward a degree and dreaming about the job you want after graduating, then take a look and see just what other skills you’re learning as you work so diligently. This is what degrees and work have in common. Continue Reading

More Americans Choosing to Work While on Vacation

Are you one of those people who can’t let go of work, even during your vacation?  If so, you’re not alone.

TeamViewer®, one of the world’s most popular providers of remote control and online meetings software, recently announced the findings of its survey of over 2,000 American adults aged 18 and older (of which 1,309 are employed full time, part time and/or self employed), conducted online by Harris Interactive in May.  The survey, which was aimed at determining American attitudes and behavior toward working during their summer vacations, found that more than half of employed Americans say they will work during their summer vacation this year.  This is up by 6 percentage points from a similar survey released last year by The Harris Poll/Adweek. Continue Reading

Parlez-vous Ingles?

Learning a foreign language is a must for entry level job and internship candidates who want to stay “ahead of the game.”
Many people who are native to Europe and Asia speak at least one language other than their native tongues, whereas most Americans still only speak English. That’s interesting given our ever increasing Hispanic population, not to mention the steady influx of immigrants and foreign nationals who come here looking for work or an education. It’s also interesting when one considers the number of U.S. companies that have headquarters all over the world, and the number of students and recent college graduates who desire internships and entry level jobs with some of these international companies.
Learning at least one foreign language, whether in elementary school (as in some schools in the Pittsburgh area), high school or college, is a good idea, not only because it could make a candidate more marketable, but because foreign language classes often include cultural lessons, too. Of course, it’s never too late to get started. I once met a man in his fifties who had to learn French because his company had offices in a French-speaking country and he had to be able to communicate, even if only on the most basic level. He paid $15 a week for lessons that are now offered for free on the Internet.
Besides multi-tasking social networking sites like Live Mocha, people can also learn through classes offered by MIT, Carnegi Mellon University and the BBC. Click here to view the complete list of 100 Web sites where one can go to learn French, Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese or less mainstream languages like Thai, Greek or Farsi.

How to Increase Sales During a Slow Down in Our Economy

Tough times are here, what to do now?
When the going gets tough, the tough get going! We have all heard this at one time or another and for many of us it holds very true. We have long been a country of coming together and working with one another when times get lean. Unfortunately times are indeed tough. I have had numerous conversations with clients of mine that are worried about the current state of our economy and candidates that have also decided to stay put where they are and ended their respective new job search. What are we to do?
I find during these times that I simply have to work harder, increase my volume of new connections and reach out to older clients that have not been active for a while. Even the leanest companies are hiring at some type of level. Some are trimming the fat while others that perform contract work for outsourcing may actually benefit from a slow down of the larger companies. Bottom line: increase your output and you will see success.
I also try to bring a value add when pitching a new client company and try to have some type of strategic info on their current state while initially engaging with them. You really need to know how to help your clients and what will benefit them not only in the short term but also over a long period as well. If sales are down, introduce a candidate that may bring some new business to the table or ask some probing questions as to why they feel things have slowed down. If there is a problem, do your best to help them fix it.
No matter what business you call your own, it is imperative that you stay visible and open to the changes of your client base and adjust to their needs. I am hopeful that all of us will prosper in ’09 and working together will be the key. Are you willing to work a little harder? If you do, you will absolutely benefit in the long run.
James Furness joined The SearchLogix Group in 2007 and came to us with 7 years of diverse recruitment experience from one of world’s largest recruitment firms. James attended the University of Massachusetts at Boston and has been an Atlanta native for the majority of his life. James has an excellent reputation of establishing long-term working relationships with both his clients and candidates. James’ primary areas of focus are as follows: Supply Chain/Logistics, Transportation, Manufacturing, Sales and Business Development, Distribution, Marketing, and Medical Devices. You can contact James at james.furnesspr@searchlogixgroup.com or 770-517-2660 x 15.
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Is Work Centrality As Important to Gen Y As It Is to Older Generations?

In a recent white paper, ”How Central Is Work to Young Adults?” written by Phil Gardner of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute (CERI) at Michigan State University and Georgia Chao of the Eli Broad College of Business also at Michigan State University, research was cited in support of the theory that today’s young adults don’t view their jobs as the primary focus of their lives, the way earlier generations did. Although work is important to them, they also care about having time to spend with family and friends, and doing things they enjoy like hobbies and/or volunteering.
Ten thousand young adults between the ages of 18 and 28 were surveyed. The results of the survey – done in 2005 – were compared to one done in 1982, offering these three statements:

• Life is worth living only when people get absorbed in work.
• Work should be considered central to life.
• The most important things that happen in live involve work.

Young adults in 2005 were more likely to disagree – either moderately or strongly – with these opinions than were their counterparts in 1982. The survey went on to break the results down into differences between genders and found that women were more likely to disagree with the above statements than were men – probably, they surmised, because women usually have other concerns like children and taking care of their homes.
In addition, the survey results showed that young adult workers with high or medium work centrality were less concerned with having entry level jobs with “low stress characteristics” like regular hours (no nights/weekends), and annual vacations of a week or more than they were with having jobs that were secure, provided interesting work for them to do, or had “success factors” like high income and opportunities for promotion.
Conversely, young adults with low work centrality were as concerned with having jobs with low stress characteristics as they were with secruity, interesting work, and success factors.
“Organizations that hire these young adults may benefit from a better understanding of this new generation of workers,” they concluded. Jus as employers are looking for entry level employees who are good fits, so are young job seekers looking for companies that are good fits for them, in terms of how what they want – but can’t articulate – compares to what employers provide.
Finally, Gardner and Chao say it’s necessary to do further research in order to fully understand the new generation of workers and effectively integrate them into the workforce.

Continuing Education Requirements: Plan Ahead to Avoid the Last Minute Rush!

Have you completed your continuing education requirements yet this year? If you have, congratulations on planning ahead! If not, now is the time to start looking for classes so that you don’t find yourself scrambling for hours at the last minute. Waiting until the last minute to take care of mandatory CE can be very stressful and counterproductive.
If you work in a field that requires continuing education credits in order to maintain licensure, you know how important it is to complete mandatory training in a timely manner. When you find yourself having to complete most, or even all, of your continuing education hours in a short period of time, you often end up having to sign up for expensive classes that cover subjects that don’t interest you at all. This defeats the purpose of continuing education, and causes you to spend valuable time taking classes that aren’t likely to benefit you.

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What you eat and how you treat your body affects how you feel at work.

How do you feel at work? Are you tired throughout the day?
Being tired and having low energy is common in the workplace. But, wouldn’t it be great if you could take a pill and feel better magically?
There is no mystery to feeling better at work. You take care of yourself first and then you can take care of the demands that have been placed on you. If you want it, you can start to feel better at work during the holiday season by doing the following:
1. Make Better Food Choices
When you are hungry, what do you reach for? Something quick? The problem is “quick” doesn’t always equal “nutritious.” Cookies, donuts, candy, and other tasty treats might feel good in the moment, (especially when they are all around you), but you will end up feeling worse later in the day. Make better food choices, one meal at a time. Small changes can have a big impact on how you feel.
2. Get Active
Do you move your body? Do you feel stiff sitting at your desk all day? Getting active doesn’t always mean having to go to the gym. You can take a walk at lunch. You can take the stairs instead of the elevator. You can stretch at your desk. You can hand deliver your inter office mail. As long as you are moving, you will feel better. Your body will thank you.
3. Relieve Your Stress Level
Stress is a killer of energy. When you are wound up, your body feels tighter. Your shoulders are up. Your body is stiff. Ten minutes is all you need to make a difference. Get up from your desk and walk around. Visit a co-worker. Take a break for lunch. Go outside and get some sun. Stress is a normal part of your workday, but it doesn’t have to get the best of you.
Article by Deborah Brown-Volkman, a top professional Certified Coach (PCC), sought-out career coach & expert, best-selling author, and the President of , Surpass Your Dreams, a successful career coaching, life coaching, and mentor coaching company that has been delivering a message of motivation, success, and personal fulfillment since 1998.

Career Advice: Can You Work at Home Successfully?

The idea of working from home, empowered by telecommuting technology, is
enticing. But can you achieve your career goals in this mode?
No doubt about it, on this career path there are no hard and fast hours, no
bosses looking over your shoulders, no time wasted or cost incurred
commuting. You can enjoy the comfort of working in a wam-up suit and running
shoes instead of a tie or high heels. Snacks are ready in the frig. You can
take an after-lunch nap.
And it’s environmentally responsible. It’s been estimated that if only five
percent of workers in the Los Angeles area worked at home, some 200 million
miles of driving would be eliminated each year, saving about 10 million
gallons of fuel and reducing the amount of pollutants dumped in the air by
50,000 tons.
Employers can expand geographically, even into foreign countries, without
taking on the added overhead of expanding facilities in new locations.
It’s no surprise that with advances in high tech tools such as
tele-conferencing and networking, more employers and employees are adopting
the practice.

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