My Campus Chronicles
Our college blog dedicated to helping students prepare for life outside of college.
Economic times may be tough, and finding a job right now may be tougher. For those companies that are hiring, they may be more selective about who they hire. In these tighter economic times, you may have to stand out in a crowd to get a job, and according to one article I found, the quirkier the gimmick to get a job, the better.
Some of the ideas the article mentions (wearing a sandwich board with your credentials in traffic, sending a shoe asking to get a foot in the door) are quite extreme and may not fit your personality. These extreme techniques may also backfire if the company you are interested applying to work for isn't assumed.
If you do want to stand out from the crowd, but don't want to take the extreme measures to get the interview, try looking into alternatives to a traditional resume or use social networking.
Regardless, don't do anything that you feel uncomfortable with or you don't think you could pull off as a natural part of your personality. And remember, if all else fails, stick to business dress and a clean, formal resume.
Good luck with the search!
When considering a career, I believe that many people choose career paths for the wrong reasons. Money, status, participation in a family business. These are all valid reasons to choose a career, but it doesn't mean that it will personally satisfy you.
I read an article from U.S. News about choosing jobs that are a fit with your personality. Now, it's not always easy to determine exactly how to describe your personality, but here are a couple of categories to think about:
- Practical, straightforward = engineers, technicians, doctors
- Investigative, analytical = professors, software developers
- Artistic, creative = interior designer, graphic artist
- Helpful, social = nursing, therapy, teaching
These are only a few areas to consider, finding your calling based on your interests and what fits your personality might be a start in the right direction for finding the perfect career, or shed some light on why your current career may not be working for you.
"Nowadays, Web conferencing is becoming more and more popular. It is, without question, a great tool to facilitate meetings with team members who may be spread out in various locations, can reduce the costs of communication and is considered a more effective use of time. But what if they are met with less than enthusiastic participation? Tell us about your Web conferencing experience."
Q: Dear Seymour, My supervisor suggested that I begin holding my monthly team meetings online instead on in-person. I have never held an online meeting. Have any tips to make sure it runs smoothly?
- Submitted by Laura Schmitts, Burlington, VT
A: Dear Laura,
Even if you aren't new to the world of online meetings, there are definitely some guidelines to follow to make sure an online meeting goes smoothly. As you may know, online meetings provide a central area on the Internet and an excellent way for people to share ideas and information regardless of where they are located.
Follow these tips and your first entrée into the world of online conferencing should be a successful one!
Select a provider. Check with your organization to see if they have already selected an online conferencing provider which you should use. If not, you'll need to do some research and most importantly, go through live demonstrations of every vendor solution. Identify the best fit for your needs, depending on the typical number of attendees, frequency of meetings, functionality needs, etc. This is a good time to take advantage of vendor's free trail offers to take a dry run at your meeting.
Always Arrive Well Before the Meeting. You'll want to log in at least 30 minutes before the online meeting begins to troubleshoot. Is the audio working properly? Video? Arriving early will give you time to fix any potential technical problems.
Make it Visually Stimulating. One of the benefits to holding online meetings is that this type of venue supports the use of visual aids. Use detailed Powerpoints, graphs or video to enhance your meeting. Avoid excessive text on-screen as you may lose the interest of your attendees.
Solicit the Help of a Coworker. Particularly if you plan on offering a live chat or online Q&A, having another person to facilitate will allow you to focus on running the meeting or delivering your presentation.
Have a Backup Plan. You'll want to consider a secondary plan of action if your server fails or a technical issue prevents you from continuing your online meeting.
With proper planning and these general guidelines, I'm sure your online meeting will go off without a hitch!
Seymour
Happy hour is a time honored, workplace tradition of team building and bonding with co-workers. But as one recent CareerBuilder survey points out, happy hour has more often than not, turned into a pitfall for acting unprofessional.
Some of the highlights of the survey include:
- 15 percent go to hear the latest office gossip.
- 13 percent go because they feel obligated.
- 10 percent shared a secret about a colleague.
- 8 percent kissed a colleague.
- 8 percent said they drank too much and acted unprofessionally.
Ok, so the above doesn't sound like a recipe for successful team building, but it also doesn't mean that happy hours are not beneficial to the work environment.
Although some workers may over indulge in drink, make sure that you are not one of them by limiting yourself to a two drink maximum. It is also important to eat a meal or at least appetizers.
If you are in charge of organizing a happy hour, make sure to keep it short, probably two to three hours at the most. That way, those who feel obligated to attend do not feel trapped or have to be uncomfortable about leaving too early, and co-workers who are close friends can continue their night out if they choose. Also, make sure everyone is aware that a happy hour is taking place, so some workers do not feel left out.
Happy hours are meant to be fun and festive, and they can bring workers close together. Just be careful about how much "fun" you do have, and keep conversation casual...you may even want to consider taking the "work" out of happy hour!
Have you ever felt like a small fish in a big pond of applicants? Perhaps it will help quell your apprehension if you gain a competitive edge of knowledge before entering into a corporate talent pool.
One article that I came across offers very good points about researching companies to whom you are interested in submitting a resume. It definitely offers ideas about where to focus your research, and what you should learn about a company while preparing for an interview.
But company research has evolved from the typical career fair networking and corporate Web site review. Here are a few other places to learn more intimate details about a company you are interested in applying for a job.
First, take a look at some of the social networking sites. Many companies have moved to MySpace and Facebook to market themselves to potential candidates. This would give you opportunity to ask questions about the company, its culture, and perhaps even the department you are interested in working with.
Next, visit a company's careers Web site and check out if there are options to receive information via email about company news and updates. This will give you an intimate look inside the company and provide a real time description of the goings on with the corporate culture.
Although they aren't as common as they probably should be, some companies are also developing corporate blogs with fresh content. Now, you can find those that are employee-generated such as Mini Microsoft, a Microsoft employee's blog. Here you can find useful information about the inner workings of the company, and what may be some of the "hot topics" among the workforce. However, you do have to remember that this is from an employee's point of view, who may or may not have had a good day with any given post.
These research areas, coupled with the basic Web site searches, will keep you head's above the competition. And at the very least, make you as prepared as possible for your interviews.
Good luck!
Q: Dear Seymour, I am a college student full time. Money is hard to come by. Is there a legit online job or something of that nature I could do to earn extra cash? So many scams out there its hard to tell which ones are real. Any suggestions?
- Submitted by Anonymous
A: Dear College Student,
This is a common problem among full time students, finding time to earn extra money. You are right, many online jobs are either scams, or not what they appear to be according to the job posting. So it's true, you do have to be careful. It's important to understand that most online jobs are probably going to be aggressive sales jobs, which not everyone is cut out for. Not to mention the chance you take of getting involved with outfits that send email spam.
Many people looking to make extra turn to services such as Amazon or eBay to sell items they no longer needs. Perhaps old text books, or used CDs that are just collecting dust. Online sales can definitely get you cash fast, but it can also be time consuming with having to ship items to buyers.
Although you are taking classes full time, you might still have more time than you think to pick up a part-time job, or one with flexible scheduling to accommodate school schedules. Try looking on campus. Sometimes jobs are open for students to work in administrative offices, bookstores, or on-campus restaurants. This offers you a convenience factor, and managers understand the need to adhere to school schedules. Not only do you earn some income, but you have a good start to your resume.
One other idea is to find an internship associated with your degree. Again, you will find flexible scheduling, but make sure to look for paid internships or at least one that offers a stipend to take care of some of your financial stress.
If you find that you are too strapped to continue a full school schedule, you might want to consider cutting down your class schedule and selecting a part-time job in retail or an office. This will help you resist the temptation of using your credit cards to live. Although this may delay your graduation a bit, or put you in a position to attend summer school, at least you can keep credit card debt ay bay.
Hope these suggestions help you find something that works. Best of luck!
A recent Big Time post addressed the issue of strange interview questions are how to handle them. This week, we talk about the opposite - bad interview answers and embarrassing moments.
I came across a Fortune article that covers the subject of dumb job interview moves from candidates. Some of the examples of stupid interview moves include:
"The candidate got his companies confused and repeatedly mentioned the strengths of a competing firm, thinking that was who he was interviewing with."
"A guy called me by the wrong name during the entire interview."
"We're a retail company, and when we asked the candidate why she wanted to work for us, she replied that she didn't want to work in retail anymore."
"An interviewee took his bubble gum out of his mouth and held it in his hand. Then he forgot about it and shook hands with me."
Now, being nervous and giving answers that may not be the most compelling is one thing, but not paying attention and being completely checked out of your surroundings is quite different.
Some interview "errors" are unavoidable, such becoming ill or stumbling over your words. As a matter of fact, recovering from these blunders may actually work in your favor.
If you have made a mistake or blunder, try not to let it derail the rest of your interview. Hiring managers and interviewers are human, and will understand nerves or issues that cannot be avoided. So make up for it as best as possible.
There will be a chance the interview isn't salvageable. If this is the case just chalk it up to experience and move on. Don't beat yourself up over interview mistakes either. Learning from your blunders will help you better prepare for your next interview.
Getting ahead and making an impression is more than producing exceptional work and having a positive attitude. It's also important to stay on top of your industry and know your trade.
By showing your bosses and co-workers that you are "in the know", you are showing a responsibility towards your job and investment in the success of your company.
Sometimes, even the most senior members of your company may not be aware of some of the newest trends and news around your industry, so it's helpful to pass these articles along.
Others will appreciate your initiative, especially if you share important articles and news that may help alter the course of the company or at the very least keep upper management in the loop about a looming trend or industry issue.
One thing to keep in mind though - be selective about how many articles you send out. Everyone is inundated with email, so too many messages may become bothersome and go right to the deleted file. So evaluate what is and isn't the most important to send along. Articles, blog posts and podcasts that may be interesting but not earth-shattering, can be mentioned in staff meetings.
Staying on top of industry and business news not only gives you a leg up at your current job, but it can also help set you apart from other candidates during an interview.
The high cost of living has forced many baby boomers to come out of retirement to once again start earning a paycheck.
Some boomers have yet to retire, choosing to work well into their 60's. For some though, this is an opportunity to work in a field where their job has more meaning than their lifelong career.
USA Today recently published an article about some of the fields that baby boomers are choosing for their second careers, or even choosing to switch to even before retiring. Those fields include health care, teaching, social work and even environmental projects.
Not only do these jobs provide a paycheck, but they also give workers a sense of giving back to the community.
This is also a time for workers who are close to retirement to consider turning a hobby into a product, such as photography or cooking.
For those who are considering a second job, this is a time to be creative...and as the saying goes: "do what you love and love what you do"!
