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Monday, February 13, 2012
For many young school-leavers, university degrees are no longer a pre-requisite to entering the job market. Not only has the recession made finding employment a huge battle for graduates, but university fees have sky rocketed; which has inevitably put many students off taking a degree.
An undergraduate degree now costs a small fortune in fees and student debt variously estimated at around GBP 40,000. Whilst some are sticking with academia as they wait for the current climate to improve, others are looking at alternatives - in particular the apprenticeship which allows those on the scheme to earn their qualification whilst working and so gain valuable vocational experience.
But what exactly are apprenticeships? Guardian Jobs understands that with a growing interest, there is also a growing confusion as to what they are and importantly, what they can do for those who signing up for them - are they a reliable route to jobs?
Having been referred to as the heart of the economy by the government, apprenticeships are certainly being pushed to the centre of the stage. They have subsequently fed GBP 1.4bn into apprenticeships. In addition, private companies offer their own exclusive paid training schemes, indicators that opportunities are arising and being fully developed.
But where does all the investment go and how do these schemes benefit the young?
To mark Apprenticeship Week (6th to 12th February 2012) Guardian Professional showed their support by providing a Live Question and Answer session with a panel of experts, on 7th February. The panel was comprised of business, education and careers experts who took live queries from prospective apprentices, trainers and guardians.
posted in: EmployerNews, News
Friday, February 10, 2012
Moving can be stressful. Job searching can be stressful. Moving and job searching at the same time? Crazy! Sometimes, relocating for a job or internship is necessary. Maybe the area you’re from has a high unemployment rate or lacks opportunities in your field; or maybe you’ve always dreamed of working in technology in San Francisco or in government in Washington, D.C.
Whatever your reason for relocating, here are some tips to job search in an unfamiliar area:
1. Check local job sites. There are often multiple job sites specific to any given city, and you can use Google to find them. A quick search of “find jobs in Chicago,” for example, brings you to JobsinChicago.com and ChicagoJobs.com, among others. Use these sites to find jobs in a specific area.
Another great local resource is the jobs section of that area’s paper—almost any city paper has this section, and most come with great job-search advice, too.
2. Network. Networking is the “holy grail” of any job search, especially one in a different city. Take advantage of any connections you have in your desired location—maybe they’re in your industry or know people in your industry who can lend a helping hand. And when the time comes, make sure to return the favor.
[See How to Approach an Informational Interview.]
3. Get informed. Informational interviews are invaluable—they give you an instant connection to someone in your desired field or at your desired company, they give you an opportunity to get important questions answered, and most importantly, they help you stand out as a potential candidate. Contact companies in your prospective new city and ask for an informational interview; if you can, make a trip to the city for the interview, or ask if you can do it over the phone or Skype. Prepare a list of questions, and make sure to thank the person for their time.
posted in: Blogging, EmployerNews, News
Friday, February 10, 2012
If you’re a Generation X-er or older, you likely use social media to cut it in the real world. You may also use social networks for personal reasons, but it’s always with the understanding that you’re a professional.
But newer generations of college graduates began their social media experience as a very personal one. And the shift to using social media for career development may seem optional. But it’s a necessary evil at the very least, and can actually be quite beneficial to your future at the very best.
Here are a few things students should consider when starting to use social media professionally.
1. It’s Not the Same
Most teens and young adults have used social media to connect directly to friends and share personal experiences casual conversations with their networks. Yet interacting on social networks with an eye toward your career is different than doing so for purely personal reasons.
Using social media for professional purposes doesn’t mean you have to give that up. In fact, oftentimes it makes a person come across as more genuine and more approachable. But refining your language, highlighting content and information that’s more career-focused, and connecting and conversing with more people outside your immediate group of friends signifies that you’re interested in more than just the personal.
2. Power in Connections
Social networks offer endless ways to connect with a wide-range of people with little effort and to organize those connections — through lists, circles or groups — so you can use them more effectively.
Build each network to create relationships that can be nurtured through interaction and conversation. By cultivating and organizing the network you create, you’ll be more effectively able to act upon professional opportunities.
3. It Can Help You Find a Job
Beyond the ability to connect and converse with people and groups from a professional standpoint, social media can actually help you find that job. Nearly every social networking site posts loads of job opportunities.
Less obvious, but perhaps more effective, is the ability to connect directly to the brands you’d love to work for, as well as the people behind those brands. While you keep your eyes peeled for job postings, take some time to engage with these brands and people, and establish a relationship with them.
4. Learning Is Still Good for You
By interacting with professionals, industry media outlets and experts in your desired field of work, you’ll be able to deepen your own level of knowledge of that field and stay on top of trends and current issues. It’s an excellent supplement to your in-class work and good preparation for the continuing learning you’ll need to do when you graduate.
5. You Can’t Hide Behind the Curtain
The speed and virtual aspect of social networks can tempt people to act less than professional. For instance, sometimes harsher or more sarcastic interactions are acceptable on social media. And some people believe that because social media is generally a public forum, they should be able to speak freely and openly.
No matter your stance, disrespectful interactions with others (strangers or colleagues) is a huge no-no. If you wouldn’t say something to a person face-to-face, it probably means it isn’t appropriate for social media either. The same social norms apply whether online or offline, and the same level of respect and collegiality is expected on these channels.
6. It’s Not Just About You
Constant self-promotion is almost always frowned upon in social media. Keep most of your posts (I suggest at least 80%) to conversation, third-party content, general comments and questions, and keep the sales pitches at a minimum. David Armano, EVP of global innovation and integration, discusses the overuse of the #humblebrag hashtag. You get the point.
Instead, think about what types of content will give your audience the most value, especially when it also suggests you’re open to educating yourself on a wide-range of ideas.
Kate Brodock is executive director of digital and social media at Syracuse University, where she leads efforts in the space. Connect with her on Twitter at @just_kate and @othersidegroup.
posted in: Blogging, EmployerNews, News
Thursday, February 09, 2012
TROY — If you’re a graduating college student with a technology degree, your future is bright.
That’s the word from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which says the job market for graduating college seniors has nearly recovered from the recession.
The job market’s strength was on display Wednesday at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, which held its spring career fair at the former armory building on campus.
“We’re at capacity,” said Colleen O’Byrne, the acting director of the school’s Career Development Center. “We actually have a waiting list of employers” who wanted to participate.
As it was, 152 employers filled 162 tables, with students dropping off resumes at companies that caught their interest.
“A lot of majors that we have are pretty heavily recruited,” O’Byrne said, citing strong demand for computer systems, computer science and information technology majors.
posted in: EmployerNews, New York, News
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
HYDE PARK — There’s a growing demand for well-trained staff in the food industry, but culinary students still face a tight job market.
More than 800 students and alumni rubbed elbows Tuesday at the largest career fair held at the Culinary Institute of America in four years. Perusing rows of information booths set up by 275 job recruiters from around the country, students set their hopes on finding employment as restaurant managers, waiters, waitresses, bakers, pastry chefs and sous chefs. In 2009, the career fair drew only 35 recruiters, said Wendy Higgins, CIA’s director of career services.
“This would have been normal attendance before the recession,” Higgins said. “The hospitality side of the economy is looking up.”
Nineteen-year-old Kierstin Wainwright of Brick, N.J., is getting ready graduate in April with an associate degree.
“I really need to get a job,” Wainwright said. “I have student loans that I have to start paying six months after I graduate.”
While jobs still exist for graduates fresh out of culinary school, they are fewer and lower in pay, said John Griffin, president of the Mid-Hudson chapter of the American Culinary Federation.
“Before the recession, a culinary student could have gotten a job anywhere,” he said. “Nowadays, it’s much more difficult to find one and to find one that pays well.”
Griffin said a grad could expect to find a job at a restaurant that paid around $40,000 a year.
“That’s generous,” he said, adding that externships were usually available to students for low or no pay.
Employers at the fair said they were looking to hire students with basic knife skills, knowledge in culinary math and general “coachability.”
“I generally look for someone with some experience,” said Bryan Tobias, owner of Portofino Ristorante in Staatsburg.
Though he stopped hiring briefly in 2008, Tobias said, business has picked up at his restaurant every year since.
“I had my best year ever last year,” he said.
Other employers spoke of plans to hire large numbers.
posted in: EmployerNews, News
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
WASHINGTON—The number of available jobs in the United States jumped in December to near a three-year high, supporting other data that show a brighter outlook for hiring.
Companies and governments posted 3.38 million jobs in December, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That’s up from the 3.12 million advertised in the previous month and nearly matches the three-year high reached in September.
Job openings in the private sector reached the highest point in almost three and a half years. Manufacturers, retailers and professional and business services all posted gains. Professional and business services include temporary jobs. But they also include high-paying positions, such as architects, engineers and accountants.
The report on job openings follows Friday’s optimistic employment figures. Those showed employers added 243,000 net jobs in January, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent.
December was also a big month for hiring, but there were still 13.1 million people unemployed that month. That means an average of 3.9 people competed for each open job in December, the first time in four years that ratio was below 4 to 1.
posted in: EmployerNews, News
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
On a loop for the past year or so—“job creator.” In Congress, this phrase has become synonymous with entrepreneur or small business owner, showing the extent to which some lawmakers are hanging their hopes for economic recovery on those individuals. But aren’t managers true job creators?
Several months ago, Esther Dyson, startup investor and chief executive officer of EDventure Holdings, a technology content firm, wrote in Slate that the United States should glorify entrepreneurs less and managers more. After all, she says, an entrepreneur’s innovative idea is “worth little if the business around it does not operate reliably—
producing the soup every day, or delivering the application without bugs and with well-timed upgrades.”
The real spur to job creation and economic growth isn’t turning hundreds of college grads into entrepreneurs, but hiring thousands and thousands of workers into growing companies that can organize and motivate them and make the best use of their talents. And that takes a cadre of talented managers.
In the private sector, the connection is clear—a well-managed company is more likely to be profitable and efficient, allowing it to grow and hire more workers. In government, managers can only hope that their own efficiency translates into larger appropriations for hiring from Congress, but in some cases the opposite is true. Greater respect for the savings and growth that good management can achieve in both the public and private sectors, however, could translate to support for these job creators.
In December 2011, the Government Accountability Office submitted a report to Congress criticizing federal management of the cybersecurity workforce, saying initiatives needed better planning and coordination. GAO pointed to inconsistencies in training, compensation, incentives and metrics as the problems; in other words, the cybersecurity workforce was not being properly managed at the senior or supervisory levels.
The watchdog’s annual high-risk list is littered with more areas that need improved management. But the standard responses to these deep-seated problems rarely involve a discussion of how managers can be empowered to tackle them.
This is why Dyson’s thinking is so important. Washington is looking to small business owners to jump-start the economy and wants to provide them with all the tools they need. Businesses are able to have discussions about what needs to be changed to see better results, without placing blame for the existing struggles. Federal managers face hurdles, just like small business owners; a goal-
oriented discussion of how these hurdles can be removed could help managers feel that their contribution is valued. Read Full Article
posted in: EmployerNews, News
Monday, February 06, 2012
Networking to build relationships with professionals is an important step in establishing a future career. Justin Davis, junior in architecture, said he has already been getting his foot in the door by using his networking techniques.
“It’s all about who you know,” Davis said.
Being an architecture student, Davis is fortunate enough to have parents in the housing industry who have helped him come in contact with people in the business.
However, since job opportunities are not plentiful for architects, Davis said he still makes an effort to go out and meet people on his own as well.
Davis said he has introduced himself to heads of architecture departments by attending trial groups for innovation projects on campus. The people Davis has met now have his information and can contact him for internships and jobs.
Davis said he believes that the best path toward successful networking is “word of mouth” and face-to-face communication. He also said he knows that the world is changing with the development of new technology.
An example of this new technology is social media sites. These sites have taken networking to a new level, and some students said they have begun to take notice.
Davis said he and some fellow design students have created Facebook and Twitter accounts to show off their work and the experience they have.
Davis mentioned that “you can follow companies on Twitter” and this can help students learn about the companies that interest them and what they are all about.
Tiffany Atilano, career counselor at the College of Design, said social media has changed the way students at Iowa State go about networking. She said more than 700 ISU alumni are currently using a website that was launched in 2003 called LinkedIn.
LinkedIn was made so that students can create accounts with information about what they are doing and what they plan to do.
Students can go online and connect with people who may offer them jobs, internships and other opportunities.
LinkedIn is the largest professional networking site online. With more than 135 million members, it gives students a wide variety of jobs and opportunities worldwide.
Atilano said a good way to begin with networking is at the College of Design’s annual Career Days on March 1 and 2.
During Career Days, there will be opportunities for the students to introduce themselves to alumni and professionals. Students also will be able to learn about different design firms and companies.
“Students have been offered interviews through alumni presentations,” Atilano said.
It is important not to come to Career Days empty-handed or empty-minded, Atilano said. She recommended that students dress to impress as well as be prepared to talk about themselves and their work.
Also, before attending, research the firms that will be there and have questions in mind for them, Atilano said. She explained that when talking to companies, it is important to save their contact information because you never know when you may need it in the future.
posted in: EmployerNews, Iowa, News
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
The attendance policy at Georgia Southern University is so strict that students can’t even miss the first session of a class for their own wedding without being forced to drop the course. The only excused absences the school extends for the first day of class are for serious illness, military order, or loss of an immediate family member—and even then, students need to cough up a doctor’s note, the military summons, or copy of an obituary.
Another commitment that the school also won’t usually excuse is a job interview. As students are intensifying their hunts for jobs or internships this spring, this invites a question that is larger than just one school’s attendance policy. If one of the main reasons students attend colleges and universities is to strategically position themselves for gainful employment, does it make sense for them to forgo interviews to attend class?
Frederick Ringwald, professor of physics at California State University—Fresno, thinks forcing students to make that choice is unreasonable. The syllabus for Ringwald’s spring 2012 course, Light and Modern Physics, states that job interviews are sufficient grounds for exemptions from even the midterm exams.
“I put the provision for job interviews onto my syllabus, because one of the main benefits of taking my classes is that students can learn things that enable them to get jobs. It’s only fair not to penalize students if they have job interviews,” he says.
[Read three tips for students to ace job fairs.]
In Ringwald’s 13 years of teaching, no student has ever asked for an excused absence for a job interview. But that hasn’t been the experience of Robert Dean, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Auburn University in Alabama.
Dean states on his syllabi that job interviews can constitute excused absences and students can make up homework, exams, or quizzes from classes missed for interviews. One course that Dean has taught, Solid State Sensors, tends to be made up of seniors and graduate students, so one or two students miss each class for interviews.
Allison Hoyt, a fifth-year senior majoring in mining engineering at Virginia Tech, estimates that she has had about 40 job interviews as a student at Virginia Tech. She typically tries to schedule interviews on holiday breaks or in between classes, so only about a quarter of the phone and in-person interviews have occurred during class.
Most of Hoyt’s mining professors announced at the beginning of the semester that they wanted students to have internship experience, so they would tolerate absences for interviews. But when she traveled with some classmates to Illinois for on-site interviews, some of her peers were told by their professor—who isn’t in the mining department—that their interviews weren’t legitimate grounds for making up missed exams.
[Learn how to avoid negative thoughts when job hunting.]
Hoyt advises students to notify professors at the beginning of the semester that their job hunt may require that they miss class. “Professors appreciate knowing this, especially since some classes have students ranging from freshmen to seniors—where freshmen don’t typically interview, but seniors are looking for permanent employment,” she says.
Students should also remind the professor about their previous correspondence a few days before the interview, Hoyt advises. “E-mailing again will be a friendly reminder and inform them of an exact day you will be missing,” she says. “This way, you can be notified of what you will be missing while not in class.”
posted in: EmployerNews, Georgia, News
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Looking for a chance to be an intern can be as hard as finding a job but for one lucky lass, her stint as a research assistant taught her that landing a dream job is not impossible.
I STILL remember this time last year when I was in a frenzy e-mailing professors around Canada enquiring if any of them would be hiring in the near future because I was graduating in a few months. While it was heartening that many replied and were very encouraging of my efforts, the answers were mostly the same: “We already have a research assistant, or we don’t have enough funding, or we will contact you in the Spring when we know if we got the grants.’’
Such is the reality of academia. Spaces are sometimes non-existent, funding is limited (so be prepared for low pay), competition is high, and finding the right lab fit (e.g., research interest, skills, and personality) was an arduous task.
It did not help that the number of qualified people was increasing. My situation was further complicated by the fact that I was emailing people as an international student, and one with only an upcoming undergraduate degree. Most research positions wanted at least a masters, or more years out in the field. Priority is also always given to Canadians and landed immigrants in any case. Fair, of course, but neither worked to my advantage.
I skyped with my parents almost every week with the same worry: What if I don’t get a job upon graduation? They listened to me every single week and my mother’s advice was always the same.
She always said “just work hard and everything will happen in due cause.” Dad would agree, and add that “it’s still early, so it’s okay, don’t worry”, his way of calming me.
As the date of the last day of classes approached, my concerns increased. I had two interviews lined up, but neither were in a research field I was actually really passionate about. My supervisor-mentor snorted into her coffee and assured me “you’ll get a job, trust me”.
My cousin was more realistic. She reasoned with me that since I was being a “snob” (I wanted a research-related position and wasn’t willing to settle for anything else because I wanted a job that would further prepare me for graduate school), I had to be patient.
The economy was not the best and unemployment rates were higher than usual. She cautioned me that I should give myself a year. I raised my eyebrows but knew she was right: Most of my seniors who did not apply to graduate school took about that time to find a job, many longer.
Frustration
I spent hours every day after graduation combing university, hospital, and research websites looking up possible openings. It came to a point where I spent about as long as a work day doing that. And almost gave up in frustration.
But you know what? Mum was right. Things did happen in due cause. I had sent an e-mail to a professor (let’s call her A) asking about joining her lab. I received an email two seconds later informing me she was out of the office. I was very intrigued with A’s work and made a note in my calendar to follow-up with her upon her return. Two weeks after her return, I still heard nothing from her, so I sent her a polite reminder about my e-mail.
And was pleasantly surprised to receive an encouraging reply within a few hours. She apologised for not getting back to me sooner for she had been down with pneumonia and offered me an interview the very next day because she had an opening.
The problem was, she was in Vancouver, which was five hours away by flight from Toronto. But so excited I was, I almost jumped on the next plane out!
A had clearly overlooked the fact that I was so far away. She then offered me the next best thing: Get three reference letters and send them to me and we can decide if we should meet.
Some intense e-mail exchanges and one-and-a-half months later, I found myself looking at an e-mail from the same professor inviting me for an interview and to meet at her lab. The best part? She was paying for most of my expenses.
My friend asked if I was going. Are you kidding? Of course I was! Even if I wasn’t offered the job, I was at least getting to see Vancouver.
I prepared for that interview like I never prepared before. So I had mailed the reference letters (oh, thank you, professors!), and the ball was now entirely in my court. I e-mailed A and offered to give her lab a presentation of my work. I figured that would give me bigger control over the interview; this way, they hear what I want them to hear instead of relying on them asking me the right questions.
I spent over a week crafting a presentation that would give them a well-rounded introduction to my work in 20 minutes; research shows that’s how long you have to keep people’s attention.
As the lab was a very holistic lab with the members excelling in both academics and extracurricular activities, I factored that it would be important for them to see what I could bring to them besides academics.
Being prepared
My former professor (not the one who snorted into her coffee) from university vetted my slides over coffee and dessert.
You know what they say about how unexpected things will still catch you by surprise no matter how well you prepare? “They” were right.
Despite my preparation, I did not ask the all-important question of how long the interview was going to be. I figured one hour was probably standard, so it shocked me when I ended up being in there for four hours.
Thank God the professor fed me! She took me for lunch where we chatted some more, and that’s when we had a debate about Eastern versus Western philosophies in education. Not the most relaxed lunch, I can assure you.
I was offered the position two days later, and we agreed on a start date slightly a month later. The Human Resources department sent me an email a week later saying that due to policy, they were posting my position.
Thankfully, they later assured me that it was just a formality to inform the public of the vacancy and they would close the position in a week and formally offer me a letter following that.
It’s been slightly more than three months since I started working with A. Sometimes I am buried in so much work, I don’t even have time to file my notes or write in my log for weeks on end.
I also have sticky-notes with A’s tasks and instructions all over the edge of my computer screen and there are reminders all over my whiteboard; I have even recently put in a request for a second monitor to help me read and compare documents (yes, she said okay).
Work is gruelling, and tempers (hers) often run short, but all in all, I’m enjoying my work and my work place. The university is gorgeous and the workplace benefits are awesome. I can actually get a massage almost every other week! All I need is a doctor’s note saying I need one, and with an injured back, that’s not hard at all.
posted in: Blogging, EmployerNews, News, Personal
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