Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be PhDs . . .

How would you like to start an entry level job six years later than your contemporaries, with much more debt, and have a six year probationary period at which in the end, you could be fired and become persona non grata in your chosen profession? Oh, and less than half of you who sign up for the training will actually get one of these jobs.

Sign me up, right? The joys of academe!

Thank you, Nancy, for bring to our attention this great article by Thomas H. Benton, "Graduate School in the Humanities: Just Don't Go", from today's Chronicle of Higher Education. The upshot is that going to grad school because you aren't sure what else to do, or you're hoping to ride out the recession with a fellowship, is a really bad idea. The myth of massive professorial retirements has never materialized, and if it did, colleges aren't exactly motivated to keep those tenure track lines when prospective adjuncts are chomping at the bit. Benton says that hiring by universities is down 40%.

Photo of "The Graduate" (designed by rowenta@hotmail.com) by dullhunk.

VERY fun website to give your boss feedback!

We give our students so much advice. Here's a great website, AnonymousTipGiver, from our friends at CareerBuilder where you can write a tip to your boss, choose a character and voice to deliver it, and send it either identifying yourself or, sadly, anonymously. Here's a tip I would give my store manager from 30 years ago.

10 Best and Worst Jobs for 2009

Jan. 20, 2009
A new report identifies the best and worst jobs for 2009.

The “2009 Jobs Rated Report” by CareerCast.com, a new job portal, factored the environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands, security and stress of 200 occupations. In compiling its rankings, CareerCast.com used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau among other sources

CareerCast.com found that many of the “best” jobs were “well-paying office jobs” while many that were rated the “worst” were “physically demanding, high-risk” occupations.

Here are the 10 best jobs of 2009 as rated by CareerCast.com:

1. Mathematician
2. Actuary
3. Statistician
4. Biologist
5. Software Engineer
6. Computer Systems Analyst
7. Historian
8. Sociologist
9. Industrial Designer
10. Accountant

Here are the 10 worst jobs according to the report:

1. Lumberjack
2. Dairy Farmer
3. Taxi Driver
4. Seaman
5. Emergency Medical Technician
6. Roofer
7. Garbage Collector
8. Welder
9. Roustabout
10. Ironworker

Summer Interns: Why To Get One This Year

Get the full article here.
Jan. 16, 2009
Wall Street Journal

Don’t let the subzero temps sweeping the U.S. fool you: Summer really isn’t as far away as it seems. And many small businesses have a special chance this year to snap up talented summer interns that would typically be much harder to snag — but you need to act soon.

The reason: Many large companies are scaling back their summer internship programs due to the bleak economy, so M.B.A. candidates and undergrads have fewer internship opportunities. Many students who might have sought internships with large companies will be more open to working for small and mid-sized companies, says Tom Kozicki, executive director of the MBA Career Center at the University of California in Irvine.

Local TV view of UNC Charlotte Career Center and Job Outlook - Lenore's Boss Interviewed

Thank you, Marie, for bringing this story to our attention! It's a nice piece, too, emphasizing using all resources, the hidden job market, and a positive outlook for new grads willing to earn a bit less and forgo signing bonuses.

The image is a screen shot from the video, click here.

Non-Profit Times (01/09/2009) on Job Fairs

Job Fairs – No Substitute for Face-to-Face Contact

Though job-search sites and email have given job seekers the ability to speed the process of communicating with prospective employers, nothing beats face-to-face contact for making an impression. Job fairs provide a great opportunity for job seekers to meet prospective companyies in person. These events allow you a chance to really make a lasting impression.

You will have a chance to get a better feel for the companies that you might want to work for than you might by just looking at web sites or employment ads. By meeting a few people from a company at a job fair, you can gain at least a little insight into the culture of an organization, and you can ask questions. You'll be able to investigate positions, occupations, and career paths you may not have considered before, all from a singular location.

Preparing for a job fair

To be effective at a job fair, try some of the following tips:

• Have a Plan – if you know the companies and organizations in attendance at the job fair, you can plan your time more effectively so take time to learn about those companies. If you don’t know which companies will be in attendance, make a few phone calls and ask. Most job fairs list their sponsors in their promotional material. Do a little bit of research about each company by checking out their web sites to see what positions they have available. You probably won't have time to speak with every company in attendance, so make sure that the companies that you find most interesting get your attention first. Don't bother spending time with companies that do not interest you.
• Prepare a one-minute “commercial” – This is your chance to sell yourself. You should know in advance what you're going to say as you introduce yourself to the recruiters. Make sure that your are prepared to answer common interview questions (i.e. How would you describe yourself?; what interests you about our company?; etc.)
• Bring plenty of printed copies of your resume. Always take paper resumes to a job fair, even if you've submitted your resume electronically in advance. If you're open to employment in more than one field you may want to have several different versions of your resume that are tailored to highlight specific experience as it would relate to each position. Your experience is unique and you don’t have to craft a resume for every single company, however, you don't ever want to give someone a resume that has nothing to do with the position they want to fill.
• Know the dress code. Some job fairs are business casual, while others expect applicants to be in business suits. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and dress up rather than down.
• Don't just drop your resume on the recruiter's table and walk away - person-to-person contact provides a rich opportunity to make a great impression and network, so watch your manners (stand up straight, make good eye contact, have a good handshake, don't fidget, speak clearly, etc.). Be courteous and do not monopolize a recruiter's time. Ask for business cards to follow up.

After the job fair is over
Don’t forget to follow up on the leads you developed at the job fair with a thank you phone call or e-mail, or both. Consider sending a second resume with a cover letter reminding the recruiter about your meeting at the job fair. You can also call to suggest scheduling a follow up conversation. Above all, don't let your new contacts go to waste! It is through networking that most people find that ideal job.

25 Web Resources To Help You Get Your LinkedIn Game On

A collection of articles on using LinkedIn most effectively from the Cincy Recruiter's World blog.

Life after a six-figure salary

With fewer jobs available, unemployed workers are taking any position they can find - even if it comes with a salary cut.

5 Must-Use Social Media Tools For HR & Recruiting Professionals In 2009...

Here's the entire article

1. Go where the peeps like you hang out on the web.

2. Learn how to use (really use) LinkedIn.

3. Read more Blogs by becoming an RSS Rockstar or Ninja.

4. It's time to try Twitter.

5. Figure out how to use Facebook for recruiting

Hiring Window Is Open at the Foreign Service

By EILENE ZIMMERMAN

Published: December 20, 2008

A RARE bright spot has appeared in a job landscape dominated by layoffs: the Foreign Service.

For the last several years, hiring in the United States Foreign Service was minimal because of a lack of Congressional funding. In addition, war has created an urgent need for diplomatic personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as officers have moved to these countries their previous jobs have remained unfilled.

So, in the last several months — with a new president on the horizon and new funding from Congress — both the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development, or Usaid, are ramping back up.

Read the article

More Companies Are Cutting Labor Costs Without Layoffs

New York Times
By MATT RICHTEL

Published: December 21, 2008

Even as layoffs are reaching historic levels, some employers have found an alternative to slashing their work force. They’re nipping and tucking it instead.

Read the article

Joy! In "Where the Hell is Matt?"

It's Time Magazine's #viral video, and when you watch it, you can't help but feel joy. Sponsored by Stride Gum, its genesis has an interesting story . . .

Matt Harding is a 32-year-old videogame designer who quit his job in 2003 to travel around Asia. Along the way, he recorded and posted a short video of himself doing an elbow-intensive jig in Hanoi. That clip got passed from one person to the next and eventually got the attention of Stride Gum, which decided to sponsor two more of his trips. In his latest video, Harding visits 42 countries over 14 months and invites the locals to join in the fun. That includes everyone from some Huli Wigmen in Papua New Guinea to a group of school kids in the Solomon Islands. The sheer silliness and joy of Harding's adventures will keep you smiling long after you've watched them — and give you a serious case of wanderlust.

It has just about as much to do with jobs and internships as "Hamster on a Piano," but sometimes, you just need to smile. Thank you, Matt. Thank you, Stride Gum.

Using MBTI to match college roommates

(Take a look at the comments section of this posting on insidehighered.com--the academic psychology community is *not* a fan of Myers-Briggs.)

If college freshmen knew more about their roommate’s personality type, would they be more likely to get along with one another? Some small liberal arts colleges think so and have invested in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) — a well-known personality assessment — to either match roommates or resolve conflicts between them.

Social Media to Replace Recruiters? Right, Just Like Robots Are Doing All the Work Today....

From the Fistful of Talent blog:
I love it when lame studies project the elimination of an entire industries. Ever see the movie 2001? Weren't we all supposed to be chilling at this point, allowing the computers and robots to do all the work, while we moved toward the plane called self-actualization?

Right.. I know... We're still doing the work. That sucks, but hey, it's job security.

Here's another bold prediction. Some experts see the downfall of recruiting agencies, which you and I know as "headhunters". It seems this set of experts sees the rise of social networks, combines it with how the younger generations like to connect, and concludes that soon we won't need headhunters. The social networks of the younger generations will do the work, and the employee referral will rise as the preferred alternative to headhunters.

SIS students step into virtual classroom

BY ADRIENNE FRANK

“Good morning,” chorused the three AU undergrads, as they settled into their chairs before the webcam in Hurst Hall’s Social Science Research Lab.

“Good evening,” responded their colleagues, situated in a similar classroom, half a world away.

Clearly, this wasn’t going to be your average student presentation.

For six weeks, student volunteers Kaia Range, Christal Louison, and Sara Passaro have worked with two students from the Modern College of Business and Science in Muscat, Oman, on a joint paper about the religious and cultural differences between the United States and the Middle Eastern nation. Once a week, with help from graduate student Katherine Davies and Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) staff, the students chatted via video conferencing about everything from clothing and food to education and entertainment.

The project is part of SIS professor Bram Groen’s cross-cultural communications class and during the Dec. 3 video conference, each group presented their findings.

“Now that technology has become so sophisticated, I want students to seize the opportunity to meet and share life experiences with people from all over the world,” said Groen.

“When they get out into the working world, the first thing they’re going to be asked to do is work on a virtual team,” he continued. “We’re preparing students for that.”

Thoughts on NASPAA Career Professionals Conference in Berkeley

Travis Sheffler and myself were fortunate to attend the NASPAA Career Professionals Workshop in Berkeley this week. This conference served as a great opportunity to not only share best practices with our colleagues, but to also learn about employment trends that will have an impact on our students.

We heard from a panel on corporate social responsibility(CSR). This is a very hot relatively new career area. Raj Sapru of Business for Social Responsibility said that although there are some expectations that some corporations may cut back in this area due to the economy, he feels that they will generally continue sustainability efforts due tho their long-term investment in it. He also sees CSR as a good opportunity for public policy students because of their expertise in regulations.

Dr. Frank Benest, the former city manager of Palo Alto, California and now with ICMA, spoke about what he deemed an "historic opportunity" for millennials to find opportunities in local government due to a large exodus of baby boomers who are now retiring. He predicted that today's economy may constrain hiring somewhat for the next two years, but that a strong hiring trend for millennials will persist.

Nick Ellis the managing partner of Bright Green Talent, a green recruiting firm said that DC is a hotbed for environmental jobs, especially with the incoming Obama Administration. He also stated that transferable skills are very important because the green industry is such a nascent one. It is also one of the few where salaries are rising.

Hearing from these practitioners provided me with a small ray of hope in such trying economic times.

Taking One (Percent) for the Team

From insidehighered.com

At Brandeis University, faculty are considering whether to voluntarily forgo 1 percent of their salaries next year to prevent possible layoffs of support staff.

“It’s not painless for us, but it’s not a huge hit to take,” said William Flesch, the Faculty Senate chair and a professor of English literature.

Lawyers are still vetting the details of the proposal but, in short, interested faculty would contribute to the cause either by forgoing 1 percent of their paychecks, or via a charitable contribution to a reserved Brandeis fund. Faculty would volunteer individually and anonymously (“only the payroll office would know,” Flesch said), without any cuts to their listed base pay. And, to avert concerns about freeloading, contributions would kick in only if there is a critical mass of willing faculty — if those who volunteer collectively earn at least 30 percent of the total faculty salary pool within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Virtual Meditation Rooms for Peaceful Sounds

Need to destress at work today? Gaiam Life has virtual meditation rooms with peaceful images and sounds that could help you on stressful days . . . or hours . . . or minutes. Try the forest room for birds softly singing or the water room for sounds of surf. There's even a link on how to meditate for beginners.

Gaiam Life was created by the eco-friendly product company, Gaiam, and describes itself as a, "first attempt at using the Internet as a gathering place to communicate our values and to provide people with a gathering place to share thoughts, ideas and feelings about the world we live in and our relationship with it. We hope that our microcosm of the world community is a nurturing, supportive, positive destination for people seeking health, wellness and sustainable living." They are based in Boulder, Colorado, and currently have one position open on their careers page for an applications specialist.

FACEBOOK: Just because you end up in the National Archives doesn’t mean that it will become public information.

So you're thinking of applying for a position with the new Obama administration. You've answered the incredibly personal questionnaire and promised that there's nothing embarrassing in your online presence, or maybe you admitted there was, but promised that you could explain it.

Um . . . where will all this end up? Afraid that your life will be an open book? Eamon Javers soothes your worries in this Politico piece about who keeps all these records from 15,000 applicants. The upshot is that while, yes, they may be in the National Archives, they probably won't be public.

Photo by Takomabibelot.

Job Search Tips from Indeed.com

Our fearless leader, Katherine Stahl, forwarded these online job search tips from powerful job search engine, Indeed.com. Friendly reminders include . . .

• cleaning up one's act - from online profile to cover letter typos
• choosing job sites carefully
• keeping it focused by NOT applying for everything
• avoiding scams

We give our students similar advice, but this is nicely updated to include the online world.