Unlike most of the students and recent graduates who use CollegeRecruiter.com, I am old enough to remember the release of Pong and other early video games. They were amazing, at least for their time. Imagine being able to have control over what appears on your TV screen and compete against your friends or even the computer! A handful of web sites allow you to play many of those classic video games for free, so if you're feeling nostalgic or just want to understand what your parents are talking about, here are some suggestions:

• Midway offers 10 games from the 1980's, including Joust, Defender, Defender II, Satan's Hollow, Rampage, Bubbles, Robotron: 2084, Sinistar, Spy Hunter, and Root Beer Tapper.
  
• Froggyville offers Frogger.
  
• CyberiaPC has two sections of games, including Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Duck Hunt, Asteroids, and above mentioned Pong.
  
• Although CollegeRecruiter.com doesn't offer classic games, we do have a games section on our site featuring three games:
  
  
  
  • Stumbling Distance Game - Can you get the sleepy college student home before he falls over?
    
  • Puzzle Game - Flip and sort out the pieces to the photo, or upload a photo of your own and do the same!
    
  • Snowboard Game - Experience all the jumps and acrobatics you've dreamed of being able to complete, but without the frostbite!
    
  
  

A lot of people play games at work. Sometimes that's productive as they're doing it on breaks and use that time to refresh their minds. Other times it isn't terribly productive and they're sneaking in time when they should be working. Hopefully you fall into the former and not the latter category, but if you do occasionally stray into the latter category, then beware. Many employers frown on employees making personal use of company computers and some employers record each and every keystroke to help them document such abuse.

If you want to play games at work, get the permission of your supervisor or manager. Be clear that you will only do so during your breaks. While they may say no, at least you won't be disciplined or even terminated due to an entirely avoidable misunderstanding.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 28, 2006 at 12:07 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Candidates often ask whether and how they should follow-up after an interview. Overwhelmingly, employers advise candidates to follow-up quickly and courteously. The Minneapolis Star Tribune quotes Marni Hockenberg of Minneapolis-based job search firm The Hiring Experts, as stating that thank you notes set candidates "...apart from their competitors, and I am more likely to contact them regarding a future job opportunity," says Hockenberg. "It says to me this is a professional person that sets high standards for themselves, and my clients need to hire this type of a candidate."

I've heard some recruiters dismiss thank you notes as a waste of time. They indicate that they're too busy to read thank you notes so advise candidates not to write them. But they're wrong. Unless a candidate knows that a recruiter does not want to receive a thank you, the candidate should quickly write and send it. Why? Because there is unlikely to be any harm in writing a thank you note to a recruiter who is too busy to read it. The note may end up in the trash, but it won't harm the candidate's chances of being hired.

Most recruiters, however, are like Hockenberg. They understand that spending more time with fewer candidates yields better results. It isn't about receiving or reviewing the greatest number of resumes. It is about hiring the best candidates. After all, recruiters aren't employed to read resumes and interview candidates. They're employed to hire the best candidates. And if you're the recruiter who interviewed two well qualified candidates and one sent a thank you note to you within one business day of being interviewed and the other one didn't, which one would you hire? I thought so.

Mail a short, courteous thank you note to everyone with whom you interview within 24 hours. Take a stack of thank you notes and pre-stamped envelopes with you to every interview. Leave them in your car or briefcase. As soon as you leave the building, find someplace where you can write the note. Reinforce the points that you want the recruiter to remember and address those that you felt were missed but which you want them to consider. Then put the letter into the closest mailbox that you can find that still has pick-up that same day. If there aren't any, take the letter to the nearest post office and mail it there. The chances will then be excellent that your thank you note will arrive the very next day. If you were the employer, wouldn't that impress you? Again, I thought so.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 27, 2006 at 7:57 PM | Leave a Comment (1)

I've had quite the varied reaction to yesterday's blog entry about a fictitious job posting for new hockey players for the USA men's team. While several teams played below their expectations, it was Mike Modano and some of the other players on the American team that refused to admit that their failure to perform might have been primarily responsible for their failure to win more than one out of their four games.

Ever had an employee like Mr. Modano? Talented? Yes. Heart? Yes. Proves great leadership skills over a long period of time and with a wide variety of co-workers? Yes. Able to accept blame when there's failure? Not a chance.

In many ways, these types of employees are the most frustrating because they add so much value to an organization that you cannot afford to get rid of them. Yet during bad times they tend to be the worst people to have around because rather than acknowledging their shortcomings and therefore being able to at least have a chance to overcome those shortcomings, they instead point fingers at everyone other than the person in the mirror.

Did Mike Modano single handledly lose the Olympics for Team USA? Of course not. But his whiny behavior afterwards was beneath him. He is and always has been a great player. Modano is not perfect and neither are his teammates. I suspect that he would be the first to admit both statement. Modano played poorly and so did his teammates. Unfortunately, I suspect that he will only agree with the latter statement.

The reaction to the fictitious posting had parallels to Modano's behavior. Overwhelmingly positive, but a few instances that just made you shake your head. One was from a Canadian who attempted to equate the "Canadians need not apply" part of the posting initially with religious discrimination and then later discrimination based upon a person's national origin. Perhaps he didn't realize that Canadians aren't allowed to play for Team USA. Come to think of it, I'm not sure why Canadians would want their best players to play for Team USA. Didn't that upset them when Brett Hull did that?

Another headshaking comment was from a woman who was upset that the joke only applied to men. Apparently, she must have thought that it would be a good thing for the women's team to be whiners too. They weren't. They were defeated but none complained about being at a disadvantage because, uh, well, I'm still trying to figure out how the men's team was at a disadvantage when all of the players on all of the best teams traveled at the same time and had to make the same efforts to bring their families to Italy if they so chose.

But my favorite comment was from another woman. She definitely got the joke. She replied saying that she appreciated the opportunity but didn't think that her husband would appreciate her hanging out in a locker room with all those young, cute players. I didn't have the heart to remind her that the team captain was Chris Chelios (age 44) and so doesn't really qualify as being young, but if she considers him to be cute then that's just fine with me. I did reply to her, thanked her for the chuckle that she gave me, and also reminded her that the players are all pretty muscular. Not sure if that helped or hurt the chances of her telling her husband about her secret desire to hang out in the locker room with her new teammates.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 25, 2006 at 2:32 PM | Leave a Comment (2)

Do you have what it takes to be part of the next generation of hockey players for the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team? Then apply today at CollegeRecruiter.com.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 24, 2006 at 6:47 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Employers, already faced with the prospect of Boomers starting to retire in droves, are now also faced with the prospect that today's college students and recent graduates, often referred to as Gen Y, are turning away from a life in the corporate world and toward entrepreneurship. As reported by the Boston Globe, 30 to 40 percent of those who graduate from colleges such as Harvard and Carnegie Mellon are choosing to start their own businesses.

My paternal grandfather was an entrepreneur. My father is an entreprenuer. I'm an entrepreneur. And I hope that my kids are too if it will make them and their families happy. I love the feeling of creating something out of nothing and continually making decisions that haven't been made before. Yet running a small business can also be difficult as that business sometimes lacks the size or resources to be competitive against larger organizations which are in the same space. Fortunately, I was able to learn value of strategic partnerships pretty early on. Too many entrepreneurs don't. They're entrepreneurs first and foremost because they can't or won't work with others. Rather than collaborating, they internalize. Rather than looking for solutions beyond their own walls, they look for reasons why they can't help a client with a particular need. Rather than assuming success, they assure failure.

Gen Y take note: entrepreneurship is a difficult but incredibly rewarding career path for those who are well suited to it. But do not for a minute think that running your own business means that you get to work less or will make more money. Some entrepreneurs do one or other, but rarely are they successful. Those who do both almost always fail.

And employers need also take note: the desire by Gen Y to be entrepreneurs does not mean that those candidates are lost to you. To the contrary. If you understand and embrace that need, you may use that as a competitive advantage. Create intrapreneurship opportunities. That is, create opportunities within the structure of your organization that will allow those with entrepreneurial skills and aspirations to leverage those talents while also providing them with the resources and support system that so many small businesses lack. Rather than forcing employees to climb the corporate ladder, instead create project-based units. Move employees from project-to-project. These quasi start-up organizations will appeal to this generation, many of whom see themselves more as entrepreneurs than corporate cogs and most of which see themselves more as free agents than lifers for any particular organization.

If they're not always working on something new and challenging, then they won't be working for you. And with the Boomers about to retire en mass, can you afford to lose both your most experienced employees and the next generation of your leaders?

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 24, 2006 at 7:13 AM | Leave a Comment (2)

Employers, are you listening? Struggling to find a bright, entrepreneurial, financial whiz with a knack for global trade and logistics? Look no further:

This is not a joke. I repeat. This is not a joke.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 23, 2006 at 4:54 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Well, the annual beauty contest winners were just announced. Every year, Fortune magazine surveys businesspeople to find out which companies they most admire. The results read like a who's who of the Fortune 500. Gee, I wonder why. Could it be that these are the companies that are the most well known? Does it make them better than a small, local company that provides outstanding service to its clients, treats its vendors with respect, is honorable to its employees, and provides a great return on investment for its shareholders? Of course not. But if you're the type of person who takes pride in working for an organization with a well known and well respected name, then pull out your resume and mail it to:

1 General Electric
2 FedEx
3 Southwest Airlines
4 Procter & Gamble
5 Starbucks
6 Johnson & Johnson
7 Berkshire Hathaway
8 Dell
9 Toyota Motor
10 Microsoft
11 Apple Computer
12 Wal-Mart Stores
13* United Parcel Service
13* Home Depot
15* PepsiCo
15* Costco Wholesale
17 American Express
18 Goldman Sachs Group
19 Intl. Business Machines
20 3M

* Tied. Aren't ties kind of like kissing your sister? Sure, it is a kiss. But it is your sister.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 23, 2006 at 4:46 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs' (OFCCP) issued its final regulations on February 6th regarding just which candidates are to be considered an "Internet Applicant. Although the regulations are already in effect, for the first 90 days the OFCCP will exercise enforcement discretion and will not cite an organization that contracts with the federal government ("contractor") for purely technical recordkeeping violations where the contractor is taking reasonable steps to update its systems to comply with the rules and is maintaining records according to previously established procedures.

Effective immediately, "Internet Applicants" are individuals who (1) submit an "expression of interest" in employment through the Internet or "related electronic data technologies"; (2) the contractor "considers" for employment in a particular position; (3) meet the "basic qualifications" for the position; and (4) do not remove themselves from consideration prior to receiving an offer of employment. Contractors which accept both traditional and "Internet" applications for a position, which almost always is the case, must treat all applicants for that position as "Internet Applicants" for OFCCP purposes.

Contractors must retain applications and résumés of all applicants, including those retrieved from online résumés or internal résumé databases. Contractors following certain recordkeeping criteria are allowed to use some data management techniques. Contractors must maintain detailed records of the substantive search criteria used in searching internal databases and external electronic databases, such as those of CollegeRecruiter.com. Contractors must also retain records identifying all job seekers contacted regarding their interest in a particular position.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 22, 2006 at 10:06 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Great advice today by Bob Wilson of the Job Search Engine Guide for candidates. Bob recommends that candidates use what he called feeds and what many job boards call job match alerts or agents.

The terminology may differ, but they pretty much all operate the same way. Rather than the candidate having to run the same search day-after-day, they run it once, save the search, and then the job board automatically emails them whenever a new, matching opportunity is posted.

These feeds a/k/a alerts a/k/a agents are tremendous time savers and eliminate just one of the many excuses that some candidates have for not networking. While job boards are great tools for finding a new position, they're just one tool and most people find new positions through networking.

We believe so strongly that job seekers should use our Job Match Alert system that it is integrated into our search forms. When you run a search on our site, you're automatically asked if you want to save it as a Job Match Alert. Say yes. Let our automated system search our site for new, matching postings day-after-day. You've got far more important things to do.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 21, 2006 at 9:36 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The U.S. Department of Labor recently released its long-term projections for employment within different industries. It should come as no surprise to those who follow the statistics that the Department is projecting that virtually all of the new jobs to be in service industries. Indeed, during the 2004 through 2014 period, the Department is projecting that approximately 18.7 million of the 18.9 million new wage and salary jobs will be in the service industry.

Service Industries

Education and health services. This industry supersector is projected to grow faster, 30.6 percent, and add more jobs than any other industry supersector. About 3 out of every 10 new jobs created in the U.S. economy will be in either the healthcare and social assistance or private educational services sectors.

Healthcare and social assistance—including private hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and individual and family services—will grow by 30.3 percent and add 4.3 million new jobs. Employment growth will be driven by increasing demand for healthcare and social assistance because of an aging population and longer life expectancies. Also, as more women enter the labor force, demand for childcare services is expected to grow. Private educational services will grow by 32.5 percent and add 898,000 new jobs through 2014. Rising student enrollments at all levels of education will create demand for educational services.

Professional and business services. This industry supersector, which includes some of the fastest growing industries in the U.S. economy, will grow by 27.8 percent and add more than 4.5 million new jobs.

Employment in administrative and support and waste management and remediation services will grow by 31 percent and add 2.5 million new jobs to the economy by 2014. The fastest growing industry in this sector will be employment services, which will grow by 45.5 percent and will contribute almost two-thirds of all new jobs in administrative and support and waste management and remediation services. Employment services ranks among the fastest growing industries in the Nation and is expected to be among those that provide the most new jobs.

Employment in professional, scientific, and technical services will grow by 28.4 percent and add 1.9 million new jobs by 2014. Employment in computer systems design and related services will grow by 39.5 percent and add almost one-fourth of all new jobs in professional, scientific, and technical services. Employment growth will be driven by the increasing reliance of businesses on information technology and the continuing importance of maintaining system and network security. Management, scientific, and technical consulting services also will grow very rapidly, by 60.5 percent, spurred by the increased use of new technology and computer software and the growing complexity of business.

Management of companies and enterprises will grow by 10.6 percent and add 182,000 new jobs.

Information. Employment in the information supersector is expected to increase by 11.6 percent, adding 364,000 jobs by 2014. Information contains some of the fast-growing computer-related industries such as software publishers; Internet publishing and broadcasting; and Internet service providers, Web search portals, and data processing services. Employment in these industries is expected to grow by 67.6 percent, 43.5 percent, and 27.8 percent, respectively. The information supersector also includes telecommunications, broadcasting, and newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers. Increased demand for residential and business land-line and wireless services, cable service, high-speed Internet connections, and software will fuel job growth among these industries.

Leisure and hospitality. Overall employment will grow by 17.7 percent. Arts, entertainment, and recreation will grow by 25 percent and add 460,000 new jobs by 2014. Most of these new job openings will come from the amusement, gambling, and recreation sector. Job growth will stem from public participation in arts, entertainment, and recreation activities—reflecting increasing incomes, leisure time, and awareness of the health benefits of physical fitness.

Accommodation and food services is expected to grow by 16.5 percent and add 1.8 million new jobs through 2014. Job growth will be concentrated in food services and drinking places, reflecting increases in population, dual-income families, and dining sophistication

Trade, transportation, and utilities. Overall employment in this industry supersector will grow by 10.3 percent between 2004 and 2014. Transportation and warehousing is expected to increase by 506,000 jobs, or by 11.9 percent through 2014. Truck transportation will grow by 9.6 percent, adding 129,000 new jobs, while rail transportation is projected to decline. The warehousing and storage sector is projected to grow rapidly at 24.8 percent, adding 138,000 jobs. Demand for truck transportation and warehousing services will expand as many manufacturers concentrate on their core competencies and contract out their product transportation and storage functions.

Employment in retail trade is expected to increase by 11 percent, from 15 million to 16.7 million. Increases in population, personal income, and leisure time will contribute to employment growth in this industry, as consumers demand more goods. Wholesale trade is expected to increase by 8.4 percent, growing from 5.7 million to 6.1 million jobs.

Employment in utilities is projected to decrease by 1.3 percent through 2014. Despite increased output, employment in electric power generation, transmission, and distribution and natural gas distribution is expected to decline through 2014 due to improved technology that increases worker productivity. However, employment in water, sewage, and other systems is expected to increase 21 percent by 2014. Jobs are not easily eliminated by technological gains in this industry because water treatment and waste disposal are very labor-intensive activities.

Financial activities. Employment is projected to grow 10.5 percent over the 2004-14 period. Real estate and rental and leasing is expected to grow by 16,9 percent and add 353,000 jobs by 2014. Growth will be due, in part, to increased demand for housing as the population grows. The fastest growing industry in the financial activities supersector will be activities related to real estate, which will grow by 32.1 percent, reflecting the housing boom that persists throughout most of the Nation.

Finance and insurance is expected to increase by 496,000 jobs, or 8.3 percent, by 2014. Employment in securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investments and related activities is expected to grow 15.8 percent by 2014, reflecting the increased number of baby boomers in their peak savings years, the growth of tax-favorable retirement plans, and the globalization of the securities markets. Employment in credit intermediation and related services, including banks, will grow by 5.4 percent and add about one-third of all new jobs within finance and insurance. Insurance carriers and related activities is expected to grow by 9.5 percent and add 215,000 new jobs by 2014. The number of jobs within agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities is expected to grow about 19.4 percent, as many insurance carriers downsize their sales staffs and as agents set up their own businesses.

Government. Between 2004 and 2014, government employment, including that in public education and hospitals, is expected to increase by 10 percent, from 21.6 million to 23.8 million jobs. Growth in government employment will be fueled by growth in State and local educational services and the shift of responsibilities from the Federal Government to the State and local governments. Local government educational services is projected to increase 10 percent, adding 783,000 jobs. State government educational services is projected to grow by 19.6 percent, adding 442,000 jobs. Federal Government employment, including the Postal Service, is expected to increase by only 1.6 percent as the Federal Government continues to contract out many government jobs to private companies.

Other services (except government). Employment will grow by 14 percent. More than 1 out of every 4 new jobs in this supersector will be in religious organizations, which is expected to grow by 11.9 percent. Other automotive repair and maintenance will be the fastest growing industry at 30.7 percent. Also included among other services is personal care services, which is expected to increase by 19.5 percent.

Goods-producing Industries

Employment in the goods-producing industries has been relatively stagnant since the early 1980s. Overall, this sector is expected to decline 0.4 percent over the 2004-14 period. Although employment is expected to decline or increase more slowly than in the service-providing industries, projected growth among goods-producing industries varies considerably.

Construction. Employment in construction is expected to increase by 11.4 percent, from 7 million to 7.8 million. Demand for new housing and an increase in road, bridge, and tunnel construction will account for the bulk of job growth in this supersector.

Manufacturing. Employment change in manufacturing will vary by individual industry, but overall employment in this supersector will decline by 5.4 percent or 777,000 jobs. For example, employment in transportation equipment manufacturing is expected to grow by 95,000 jobs. Due to an aging population and increasing life expectancies, pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing is expected to grow by 26.1 percent and add 76,000 jobs through 2014. However, productivity gains, job automation, and international competition will adversely affect employment in many other manufacturing industries. Employment in textile mills and apparel manufacturing will decline by 119,000 and 170,000 jobs, respectively. Employment in computer and electronic product manufacturing also will decline by 94,000 jobs through 2014.

Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting. Overall employment in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting is expected to decrease by 5.2 percent. Employment is expected to continue to decline due to advancements in technology. The only industry within this supersector expected to grow is support activities for agriculture and forestry, which includes farm labor contractors and farm management services. This industry is expected to grow by 18.2 percent and add 19,000 new jobs.

Mining. Employment in mining is expected to decrease 8.8 percent, or by some 46,000 jobs, by 2014. Employment in coal mining and metal ore mining is expected to decline by 23.3 percent and 29.3 percent, respectively. Employment in oil and gas extraction also is projected to decline by 13.1 percent through 2014. Employment decreases in these industries are attributable mainly to technology gains that boost worker productivity, growing international competition, restricted access to Federal lands, and strict environmental regulations that require cleaning of burning fuels.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 20, 2006 at 3:59 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

So you're looking for a new job and open to relocating? Then carefully compare each area's cost of living, cost of doing business, and how highly educated their popuations are. Factors such as these should influence your decision because they will directly impact your quality of life both in the short- and long-term. Think of these each of these factors as the legs on a three legged stool. An area with a low cost of living and low cost of business but with an uneducated workforce will likely underperform over the long-term. Think third world country. An area with a highly educated workforce but with a high cost of living and a high cost of doing business with also likely underperform over the long-term as employers will prefer to hire people in areas with similar levels of education but with lower costs. Think Germany and France.

While there are many other very relevant factors, if you're just considering these three then you're going to want to look carefully at the following metro areas:

1. Boise, Idaho
   
2. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
   
3. Austin, Texas
   
4. Washington, D.C.
   
5. Albuquerque, New Mexico
   
6. Huntsville, Alabama
   
7. Fayetteville, Arkansas
   
8. Norfolk, Virginia
   
9. Atlanta, Georgia
   
10. Madison, Wisconsin
    

By the way, if you're keeping score, the most expensive state is California with 12 of the 20 costliest metro areas in the nation.

-- Source: JobCentral.com

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 18, 2006 at 9:40 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

It is official. I'll be back in New Orleans in June. I've been there a number of times on business and have loved every trip. The last time that I was close was in September when I was in Mississippi and Louisiana doing post-Katrina volunteer logistics work for Nechama: Jewish Response to Disaster. The closest that I could get was about 10 miles away as the bridges were still out and much of the city was under about six feet of water.

This trip should be more enjoyable. I'll be speaking at the Southwest Association of Colleges and Employers Conference, which runs from June 27 through 30. I'll be speaking about best practices for employment-related web sites and how they can be used to engage students and candidates.

Enthralled? I knew you would be. See the press release on our site.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 18, 2006 at 9:21 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Phew! The re-launch of CollegeRecruiter.com was a huge success.

As anyone in a technology-related occupation knows, no matter how well you prepare, no matter how confident you are, there's always some anxiety about the implementation of new software, upgrading old software, or re-launching a web site. Fortunately, and primarily due to the efforts of Rich Kersey of SlickRicky Design, the planning and re-launch of our web site went incredibly smoothly.

The new site prominently features our growing collection of podcasts (downloadable audio recordings), the staff-written CollegeRecruiter.com Blog, and the candidate-written CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Candidates Blog. Every 15 minutes our site automatically refreshes the lists of podcast recordings, blog entry excerpts, and blog comment excerpts on the right side of our home page and almost every interior page so visitors are treated to see an ever changing summary of the newest content on our site.

Watch for additional enhancements to CollegeRecruiter.com. We've been a leader since we launched in 1996, and we intend to remain that way.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 17, 2006 at 10:36 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

The countdown has begun. CollegeRecruiter.com is re-launching tomorrow. We'll have a brand new look-and-feel, including new navigation. The biggest change will be the significantly greater prominence that we'll provide to our blogs and podcasting content.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 16, 2006 at 3:56 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Students looking for any type of internship should have a careful look at how Fog Creek processes the more than 400 applications that it receives for its five summer internships. Because they receive so many highly qualified candidates, they do not advertise their internships on general job boards such as Monster.com because their perception is that they receive far more unqualified than qualified applicants.

The first step is to screen quickly the resumes and cover letters based upon objective measures that they believe are good predictors of success. Fog Creek then writes letter codes on each application to indicate which of the attributes are possessed by each applicant. For example, for a candidate that has the first three of the six attributes, their application will be marked ABC. A candidate that has the last three of the six attributes will have their application marked DEF. Candidates who are missing an attribute but who appears to be a good candidate for some other reason will get “+” signs added, so their application may be marked ABDF++. The objective screening process reduces the number of candidates from over 400 to about 60, all of which had at least five of the six attributes.

The next stages are more subjective. To reduce the number of candidates from 60 to 30, three senior developers scrutinize each cover letter and resume and assign scores of +1 (I want this person), -1 (unlikely to work out), or 0 (indifferent) to each. The three scores for each candidate are added up, so the total scores will range from -3 at the low end to 3 at the top end. Fog Creek then sorts by that number and then conducts 30 to 60 minute phone screening interviews with the candidates. They first interview candidates with the highest scores and work their way to those with the lowest scores until about 15 have passed the phone screening interview.

For the five summer internships, Fog Creek then flies to New York City the 15 finalists. Fog Creek pays all of their expenses, including their stay in a luxury hotel. The 15 become the five based upon their in-person interviews.

What the Fog Creek process demonstrates is how just how objective many and probably most employers are when screening cover letters and resumes. Candidates who lack the appropriate credentials just don’t make it to the subjective stage where a hiring manager may be inclined to take a chance by giving them an opportunity to prove themselves. And who can blame an employer who receives more than 400 qualified applications for five positions? They’re not in the business of employing people. They are in the business of developing the best software they can as profitably as they can for their clients. Candidates who aren’t qualified for positions shouldn’t expend their energy applying for them. Instead, they should expend that energy improving their qualifications by taking the right classes, improving their grades, successfully completing unpaid internships, and volunteering for non-profits so that they can prove to employers like Fog Creek that they possess the required and even preferred work experience.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 14, 2006 at 8:03 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The February 20, 2006 issue of Business Week indicates that some MBA students will earn $15,000 this summer working for Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch. I was quoted as saying, "It's absurd, but it works." And boy does it ever.

So you're the candidate and are the cream of the cream. You have multiple offers in your pocket from the cream of the cream firms. And you're looking for a job in finance on Wall Street. Pretty likely that you're primarily motivated by money and that the people who want to hire you are similarly motivated. Is it any wonder that far more attention is paid to who gets the biggest paycheck than which firm provides the best work-life balance?

I wish that these candidates and firms placed more value on doing good for their family and society, and I don't mean bringing home the biggest paycheck so that you can live in the swankiest apartment in New York. But I'm a realist too. These candidates want the hardest work and the biggest checks and they're prepared to sacrifice their personal lives to achieve those goals. So the firms recruiting them should actually be commended for understanding the true motivations of their candidates.

Unfortunately these headline grabbing internships spoil the expections for many other internships as candidates in other sectors and at other levels then expect huge pay. The reality is that if they get any pay they should be happy, for an internship isn't about getting rich today. It is about getting a great job tomorrow.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 13, 2006 at 8:13 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Louise Fletcher at Blue Sky Resumes recently wrote about the value of blogging to executives. According to Louise, blogging provides candidates with an excellent way to demonstrate their expertise and build their brand online. Louise is absolutely right.

At CollegeRecruiter.com, we've been providing dozens of students and recent graduates with the opportunity to build their personal brand by writing for the CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Candidates Blog. Some of the posts are funny and some are hilarious. Some are frustrating to read because you can see that the candidate just isn't willing or able to take the proper steps to find the opportunity of their dreams. And some are sad, such as when the writers lose their jobs. But they're all insightful as they provide those of us who are more than a few years removed from our college days with a window into the world in which these bright, capable people live.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 12, 2006 at 4:56 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Apparently Apple isn't content with virtually every student on every campus walking around listing to music and podcasts through their iPods. Now, according to a recent Associated Press article, Apple wants to get into the education game too.

In partnership with Stanford University, the University of Missouri, and four other schools, Apple will make college lectures and related content available via its new iTunes U product. Apple is creating customized versions of its iTunes software so schools willl be able to post podcasts, audio books, videos, and other content to their web sites. Students will be able to download the material to their PC or Mac computers and then rip it to their iPods or other such portable audio players.

Unlike material posted to the regular iTunes site, this material need not be made available to the general public. The schools will be able to decide what material is made available which groups or even to the general public. Stanford, for example, has chosen to give the public free access to some lectures and also audio broadcasts of its sporting events.

According to Chris Bell, Apple's director of product marketing for iTunes, iTunes U allows Apple to leverage “the ubiquity that we've established on campuses with iPods and iTunes.” For those of us who weren't English majors, that basically translates into Apple plans to extend its near monopoly in music being played on portable devices to the educational materials being played on portable devices.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 10, 2006 at 11:22 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The HRO (Human Resource Outsourcing) World West Conference wraps up today. The conference has always been held in New York, but due to the huge growth in the field the organizers wisely decided to add a conference in Los Angeles. Several hundred attendees were fortunate enough to attend and there were dozens of exhibitors and providers ranging from payroll processing organizations to headhunters to consultants to organizations which source candidates using labor in India and other offshore locations.

Three major themes were apparent:

1. There are 1,250 providers in 15 categories. It is a very competitive and innovative field. The successful providers are and will be those that do the best job of listening to the needs and wants of their clients and then delivering appropriately.

2. There is momentum in the mid-market sector. About 60 percent of the attendees were from organizations with fewer than 2,000 employees. As recently as a year ago, the overwhelming majority were from organizations that were far larger. This is no longer an option reserved only for the largest organizations.

3. HRO buyers are finding their voices. They're no longer shy and are now expressing their needs and wants to their providers and, just as critically, they're holding those providers accountable to delivering the desired results. A year ago, anti-globalization demonstrators crashed and disrupted HRO World in New York. This year, no demonstrators and organizations in general seem much more willing to talk about their successes and failures in outsourcing some or even all of their human resource functions.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 9, 2006 at 4:23 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The Minneapolis / Saint Paul International Airport is one of the nicer airports in the country. Still an airport, but one of the nicer ones. I was there yesterday evening waiting to board a plane Los Angeles for HRO World where I'll participate as one of the bachelors in their version of the dating game. Don't worry, my wife knows and she's cool with me trying to convince Red Lobster's Tanya Tateyama that we deserve their business. Shhh. Don't tell anyone. They're already a client. But I digress.

As I'm waiting for my plane, a well dressed passenger walks up to gate agent's desk and a little too loudly asks if there are any seats available in first class because she's continuing on to Australia and doesn't want to have to sit in coach. While I sure didn't blame her for wanting to sit in a seat where you didn't have to remove your legs and weigh as much as my six year old in order to be comfortable, her brashness was very un-Minnesotan. As Garrison Keillor says, we're all so nice and above average. Yup. You betcha.

The gate agent checked and announced that there was indeed a seat available. The agent then offered a free upgrade. The woman declined and said that she wanted to pay. Now here's where it gets interesting. At least I hope, for the sake of my readers. The agent said, in an even louder voice, "Why on earth would you want to pay for a first class upgrade to Australia. You're Platinum. You can upgrade for free!" The customer, apparently happy that she caught the attention of everyone within 50 yards, announced that she "needs to fly Platinum every year," because she "just can't stand to be back in coach." Apparently, by paying for the upgrade, she'll get more miles added to her account and that will ensure that she stays in the Platinum frequent flyer program for another year. At that point, the agent took the woman's credit card and processed a transaction that probably caused the airline's stock to increase slightly when the markets opened today.

I had to hand it to the agent, sort of. Well, not really. It was great that she made sure that her customer was making an informed decision to buy the upgrade when she could have had it for free. Not enough businesses do that. They're so focused on making this month's and this quarter's earnings that they're willing to overcharge their clients today and risk sacrificing their business tomorrow. On the other hand, I'm still unclear as to why the above average agent (remember, we're all above average in Minnesota) felt that it was important to broadcast the discussion to everyone. Perhaps she was trying to give the woman a taste of her own medicine, but that would be, well, so confrontational. And that would be so un-Minnesotan. Perhaps she was trying to shame the woman into hanging onto her hard earned money. Perhaps she was seeking revenge against her employer.

Regardless of the reason, I was treated to another great example of a great customer service opportunity gone awry. Rather than cordially making sure that the customer was making an informed decision and therefore creating or maintaining a great relationship with that customer, the agent chose to be confrontational and to broadcast her actions to dozens of other customers. So kudos to the agent for making sure that the customer's decision was an informed one, but when the woman declined the agent's advise, the agent should have backed off and cordially completed the transaction rather than arguing with her customer. Sometimes the customer is not right. But in times like this example, they are and should be treated as such.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 8, 2006 at 8:37 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Two of the biggest frustrations that I hear on an almost daily basis are from employers and graduates. Employers complain about the lack of experience possessed by many graduates. The graduates complain that they can't get hired because they lack experience. Are employers being fair to graduates, or are graduates looking for experience in the wrong places?

James Richards, in his Work-related Blogs and News, seems to side with the graduates. He feels that "employers are expecting far too much and giving little themselves."

I agree that is the case with some employers, but I believe that it is also true that many graduates tend to be a little too black-and-white. For example, I hear from some graduates that no one will hire them. When I scratch the surface a bit and ask if they've asked why, they tend to tell me that they lack any experience. I'll ask them what they've done to correct the situation. They'll often look back with a kind of deer-caught-in-headlights expression. Although they're being told that they lack experience, some are unwilling to do anything about it and instead keep applying for jobs which require experience.

So what's the solution? If no employer will hire you, then how do you get the experience? Easy. Don't get the experience from an employer. Instead, get it by volunteering. If you're an accounting major or recent graduate, volunteer your services to prepare the tax returns of some underprivileged people or do the books for a non-profit. If you're a marketing major or recent graduate, speak with the manager or owner of a small business that you patronize and offer to prepare a marketing plan for them at no cost. Explain to them that you won't charge them and they don't have to use your work but you feel that they'll benefit seeing your analysis and recommendations and that you'll benefit from the experience.

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again even though it fails to produce the desired results. Are graduates who keep applying to jobs for which they're unqualified insane? No, but they also need to take more responsibility for their lack of experience and correct the situation. Employers are not social welfare agencies. It is not their responsibility to provide graduates with a chance or with experience. Every student should have attained practical work experience in their career field prior to graduation. For those who didn't, they have only themselves to blame. So while I agree with James that some employers may be too demanding of graduates, I also believe that many graduates need to be more demanding of themselves.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 7, 2006 at 11:33 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Scott Bennett, author of "The Elements of Resume Style" advises candidates to be very careful about including in their resumes these nice sounding but often empty words:

• Aggressive
  
• Ambitious
  
• Competent
  
• Creative
  
• Detail-oriented
  
• Determined
  
• Efficient
  
• Experienced
  
• Flexible
  
• Goal-oriented
  
• Hard-working
  
• Independent
  
• Innovative
  
• Knowledgeable
  
• Logical
  
• Motivated
  
• Meticulous
  
• People person
  
• Professional
  
• Reliable
  
• Resourceful
  
• Self-motivated
  
• Successful
  
• Team player
  
• Well-organized
  

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 6, 2006 at 4:30 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

When I travel around the country and people ask where I'm from, I take great pride in telling them that I live in Minneapolis. If I'm in Chicago, chances are the person asking has been to Minneapolis and therefore has first hand knowledge of who we are and what makes this city so great. But when I'm a little further afield, most of the people asking the question have never been here and likely never will. But almost everyone knows Minneapolis. We're the home of Mary Tyler Moore, Jesse Ventura, the Vikings (although the "Love Boat" scandal took place in the suburb of Minnetonka), and the Geek Squad. The What Squad?

Before I go further, let me state that the Geek Squad is not a client of CollegeRecruiter.com. So the praise that you're about to read is from the heart, not the wallet. While there is nothing wrong with writing blog entries about clients, most readers understand that such entries are intended both to inform the reader and to flatter the client. With some blogs, the latter sometimes is more important than the former and that's unfortunate.

So what is the Geek Squad? Quite simply, it is a Minneapolis-based division of Best Buy Corporation. The Geek Squad's "mission is to alleviate the world's computer problems, educate people to fearlessly embrace technology and practice the art of human interaction." They take pride in being geeks. They wear white shirts, black belts, black slacks or skirts, black shoes, and, of course, the famous clip-on black ties. Quite simply, the culture of the organization is that they're geeks, they know they're geeks, they're proud to be geeks, and they make being a geek cool. And their customer service and flat rate pricing model is unparalleled.

If you're in need of assistance, you can take your computer into a Best Buy store or they'll come to your home or office. Emergency service is available, but my experience has been that they can usually come within one business day of the call, they fix the problem within an hour or two, you pay, they leave, you're again productive. And they look really sharp in those ties. Did I mention they clip-on?

Successful organizations like the Geek Squad understand that they have an identity and culture. They can attempt to pretend that they're something that they're not like a lot of organizations do, or they can embrace and even leverage that culture to help them land new business, recruit new employees, and retain their best employees. The Geek Squad employees are part of a team, a club, a group. That sense of belonging and shared identity makes them far less likely to leave to work for a competitor which is offering a bit more money.

Does your organization understand its culture? Embrace its culture? Leverage its culture? If not, perhaps you need to find some computers that need servicing so that you can call in the Geek Squad. While they're fixing your computers, pay attention to their brand and how they embrace and leverage their culture. Maybe, just maybe, you'll end up with computers that work better along with a better understanding of the importance of culture to all organizations.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 6, 2006 at 11:48 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Looking for a new job or being in between jobs can leave you without health insurance. Being uninsured can put you at risk of being financially hurt for years to come. But without a job it’s difficult to afford traditional health insurance plans. That’s why the best place for most people to start is with short-term medical plans.

Many users of CollegeRecruiter.com are between jobs and we've been hearing their frustration and, in some cases, fear at being uninsured. We're happy to announce that we now offer access to a health insurance product that costs as little as $50 per month, has no networks to follow, and has very limited underwriting. You only have to answer a few questions and you know on the spot if you are covered...no medical exams! You can purchase it for as little at 30 days or up to 12 months at a time.

More information is available at http://jobs.CollegeRecruiter.com/JS/life/healthInsurance/.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 3, 2006 at 5:05 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

I recently received a resume from a student who was applying to our unpaid writing internship. He had virtually no experience listed in his resume, but his academic credentials looked good so I offered the position to him. He thanked me but asked why should he intern for no pay. I told him that he will need experience to land a great job that also offers great pay and that internships, paid or unpaid, will provide him with that experience.

He seemed convinced, yet I haven't heard back from him. Is his apparent lack of interest due to the lack of pay for the internship? Or is he a horse that can be led to water but can't be forced to drink?

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 2, 2006 at 9:46 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The accounting industry is dominated by a group of firms called the Big Four: Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG and Deloitte & Touche. But which accounting firm is the biggest in the world? Sorry. Trick question. The answer is none of them. The answer is...

the Internal Revenue Service. Surprised? So was I when I first heard but if you're looking for an accounting position, then you owe it to yourself to talk with the folks at the IRS.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 1, 2006 at 4:43 PM | Leave a Comment (0)