News | Career-related articles

News | commentary related to the job market, careers, & college students

• 6 tough-love tips for getting hired after college
  Chicago Tribune
  5.10.2012
  From "don't wait until graduation to start your job search" to "be a realistic dreamer," direct, practical advice from an English major who did finally land a good job after months of persistence.
  
• Requiring Logins/Passwords Violates NACE Principles
  National Association for Colleges & Employers. 4.11.2012.
  NACE's position: the practice by employers of asking job candidates to provide social media password/login information as a condition of employment or candidacy is a violation of ethical standards.
• 6 tips for success all college students and new grads should know.
  CareerRookie. 2.28.2012
  Honesty and integrity and emotional intelligence are among these.
  
• Pursing purpose or passion?
  Harvard Business Review. 1.13.2012
  For happiness [and career success] focus on finding problems that need solutions. Instead of focusing on the self, know the world. We don't find happiness by looking within. Happiness comes from the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, and what the world needs... put more thought into the world's needs.
• Helicoptor parents hover in the workplace
  NPR.org All Things Considered. 2.6.2012
  No! No!
  Listen [4m27s]
• Majors of the top 1% earners
  Economix | New York Times. 1.18.2012
  According to the Census Bureau's 2010 American Community Survey.
  Bet you won't guess....
  [Of course undergraduate major alone is hardly the sole factor influencing your future, but we've always known that life is more complicated than that, right?]
• 10 Buzzwords to take off your LinkedIn profile now
  Time.com 12.13.2011
  Are you "creative," "organizational," and "effective?" If so your resume might be in need of a makeover...
  LinkedIn has released its list of the 2011 year's most overused professional buzzwords.... In addition to above three: extensive experience, track record, motivated, innovative, problem solving, communication skills, dynamic.
• Final Cut: Words to strike from your resume
  Forbes. 11.4.2011
  Excellent editing and wording advice.
  Example: Objective..."To obtain a position that leverages my skills and experience as well as provides a challenging environment that promotes growth." Yawn. This is not only boring, it's ineffective (and sounds a little juvenile...). More no-nonsense advice in this article.
• Honesty as the best policy: The Key to getting hired
  Youtern.com > The savvy intern. 11.1.2011
  The best job hunting advice anyone can give you is "always be honest."
• I have a degree. Why don't I have a job?
  Minnesota Public Radio 10.12.2011
  Host and panel discuss this topic. Very pertinent and practical advice for college students and grads.
  
• The 10 worst mistakes of first-time job hunters
  Fins.com 10.11.2011
  Regrets of grads: I would have.... started looking for jobs earlier... gotten more experience... figure out my career goals... actually networked....
  These are many of the same regrets that Virginia Tech grads told us they had.
  [Post-Graduation Report, Virginia Tech.]
  
• Unpaid interns file lawsuit against film productions company
  NACE [National Association of Colleges and Employers] 10.12.11
  Fox Searchlight sued for using unpaid interns
  Reuters. 9.29.11
  NACE position statement on U.S. internships
  A definition and criteria to assess opportunities and determine the implications for compensation. Adopted by the NACE Board of Directors July 2011.
  NACE position statement on unpaid internships 6.30.10
  
• For some lucky folks, it's not just a job... it's a calling
  Roanoke Times. 9.4.11
  For Labor Day: Stories from readers who truly love their jobs, including careers in... education, medicine, social and human service, international travel, financial service, exotic animals.
• No Market for Lazy Job Seekers.
  Wall Street Journal. 8.21.11
  "The Internet has made it really easy for people to get a sense of false security about how productive they are."
  "I see spelling mistakes, I see punctuation mistakes, I hit delete in two seconds. I don't even bother to continue reading," says a recruiter.
• State unemployment rates 2011.
  Bureau of Labor Statistics. July 2011
• Why college students should join LinkedIn
  US News Money. 5.11.11
• 2011 college grads finding better job market.
  USA Today.com 4.22.11
• New online job posting domain allows employers to post jobs for free, unlike other job-search sites that charge fees to employers.
  NPR. 2.8.11
• Feds rule Facebook comments are protected speech.
  NPR. 2.8.11
  National Labor Relations board said comments posted by an employer on her Facebook page are protected speech under federal labor law. (This does not negate advice to job seekers to be discrete about what you post online.)
• Job hunters should steer clear of WikiLeaks site.
  The Washington Post. 12.9.10
  Viewing documents without authorization could jeopardize a potential security clearance, explains this article.
• The Nobel Prize in Economics in 2010 has gone to researchers who developed a theory explaining why many people are unemployed while at the same time there are a large number of job openings; analysis of markets with search frictions.
  Nobel Prize.org. October 2010.
• Seven Careers in a Lifetime? Think Twice, Researchers Say.
  Wall Street Journal.com. 9.4.10
  No one is sure where that oft-cited number originated. Oft, and erroneously, attributed to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Job changes and career changes are not the same thing.
• A jobs mismatch.
  Inside Higher Ed.com. 6.15.10
  Suggests "growing mismatch between the skills that will be needed for jobs being created and the educational backgrounds (or lack thereof) of would-be workers. That is the conclusion of a mammoth analysis of jobs data being released today by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce."
• Employers may do creepy web searches about you.
  CNN Money. 6.15.10
  Special caution not to post negative comments online.
• Advice for grads: How to live: follow your heart, risk be damned.
  CBS News Sunday. 6.13.10
• The Case for a Useless Degree: Why you should ignore the grown-ups and opt for an imaginative, if not lucrative, course of study
  Newsweek. 4.5.10
• The job market: Is a college degree worth less?
  Time. 12.8.09
  Some sobering realities, and tips on standing out in the job market.
• Conquer the federal job interview.
  The Washington Post.
• The federal government is hiring new college grads:
  Survey finds more college students interested in federal jobs.
  The Washington Post. 5.1.09
• How to get a job.
  CNN Money.com. 3.30.09
• Is Uncle Sam your next boss? Making the move to government IT.
  Computerworld Careers. 4.8.09
• Ethnic outlets thriving in sinking media market.
  National Public Radio; Morning Edition. 4.7.09
• Twitter caution: How to lose your job in 140 characters or less; thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com. 3.19.09
• Laid off camp: S'more scary job stories:
  How laid off workers are sharing skills for surviving joblessness and finding new jobs.
  National Public Radio; Morning Edition. 3.4.09
• So what's the employment rate?
  Bureau of Labor Statistics (definitive source for labor data) > employment.
• Writer Michael Lewis (Liar's Poker) has a viewpoint on salaries, Wall Street, and college grads' career ambitions.
  NPR Morning Edition 11.25.08. Read. Listen (7 min 19 sec).