Click this link to view an optimistic article about the survey results from the National Association for Business Economics.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/26/news/economy/NABE/index.htm?postversion=2009102607
Visit this link to find out the top 25 companies hiring recent college graduates this year.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/05/25/cb.whos.hiring.2009class/index.html
Click here for a great article about what to do if your job offer is rescinded.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/07/29/cb.where.did.my.job.go/index.html
Click here for a great article on how to avoid job scams!
By Anthony Balderrama
CareerBuilder.com writer
When two people fall in love, they only see sunshine and rainbows when they look into each other’s eyes. If you asked, “What’s the worst trait of your boyfriend or girlfriend?” they would answer, “Absolutely, positively nothing!”
Ask that same question a few years later when they’re living together and have seen each other at their respective worst. You’ll get a pretty good list:
“She cuts her toenails on the coffee table.”
“He speaks in a cutesy voice on behalf of the dog.”
“She kicks me in her sleep.”
Hopefully none of these nuisances find their way into your work life, but other ones probably do. Everyone has some weaknesses in their work behavior that they need to work on, and they often extend beyond annoyances (such as eating a smelly lunch at your desk) and become problems for your career.
Here are 10 work habits that you should try to break:
1. Procrastination
A lot of people work best under pressure, or at least they say so. With everyone having a different personality, you can’t say a strict schedule works best for all employees. Putting tasks off until the last minute, however, invites plenty of problems, even if you think the final result will be glorious.
When you leave yourself no wiggle room to complete a task, you run the risk of encountering an unexpected obstacle that makes you miss the deadline. Even if the situation’s out of your hands, everyone will be left wondering why you didn’t plan better and account for last-minute emergencies.
2. Being a sloppy e-mailer
E-mails are second nature to most people these days, and in informal communications they’ve become a digital Post-It note. We type out a message and send them without proofreading or double-checking the recipients. That’s a recipe for disaster.
If you haven’t learned your lesson by now, the day will soon come when you accidentally “Reply All” to an e-mail and a slew of unintended readers receive a silly note you only intended your co-worker to read.
3. Confusing informal with disrespectful
In many workplaces the boss might be the decision maker, but he or she isn’t the stern, humorless caricature you saw on TV. Using your supervisor’s first name and going for some drinks after work are common in many industries.
Still, you are the employee and the boss is the boss — the one who can fire you and tell you what to do. Don’t cross the line by talking to him or her as if you’re talking to one of your direct reports or even your best friend. You need to show some respect for their authority.
4. Taking advantage of leeway
Some companies are strict about the time you clock in and out. Others have guidelines but no hard rules. So you can arrive at 8:35 a.m. and no one cares. If over time you’re arriving at 9:10 a.m. and leaving at 4 p.m. (with plenty of breaks in between), your reputation will suffer.
This also goes for dress codes. Business casual is up to interpretation, but ripped jeans and concert tees probably don’t fall under your company’s accepted definition.
5. Refusing to mingle
Plenty of wisdom lies in the advice not to mix personal and professional lives. However, refusing to take part in any social activity — such as the office potluck or a happy hour — will not help your career.
You don’t need to be the resident party animal, but being personable with your colleagues helps build camaraderie. You get to know other people better and they get to know you as more than the person they pass in the halls.
6. Always running late
This isn’t the same as abusing leeway; this is a matter of trust. If you’re late to work, to meetings and with projects, your boss and colleagues will associate that trait with you. When it’s time for a promotion or to deal with an important client, everyone will think twice before giving you the opportunity. Who wants to trust the person who can’t manage his or her time?
7. Being rigid
One of the unfair aspects of the working world is that sometimes it seems you can’t win. If you’re hired to do a job, most bosses don’t want you passing the day by reading your favorite book.
The reason: You were hired to do a job, so do it. But if the boss comes to you with a new project that’s outside the parameters of your usual duties, it’s still yours to do. “You don’t pay me to do that” isn’t something you want to tell your supervisor.
8. Acting as the resident contrarian
We all love your spirited personality, but try not to be the person in the meeting who always has a better idea and can tell you why everyone else’s idea is dumb.
Voices of opposition are often missing in many workplaces because too many eager employees want to be “yes” men and women. But too much negativity grates on nerves and makes people dread hearing your voice. Continue to be a critical thinker, but make sure you’re doing what’s best for the company and not just trying to be the loudest voice in the room.
9. Badmouthing the company
With blogs, Facebook, Twitter and a host of other sites, you have plenty of opportunity to vent your frustration with life. If you’re going to complain about how dumb your boss is and how much you hate your job, keep those rants private.
The Internet is public domain and comments have a way of finding their way back to all the wrong people. If you wouldn’t stand outside your boss’s office and tell a co-worker how ready you are to quit, don’t express the same thoughts in an open forum.
10. Politicking
Office politics are often unavoidable, and sometimes having a grasp on what’s going on can benefit you, but you shouldn’t spend more time masterminding office warfare than you do working.
Getting caught in the crosshairs of a workplace controversy can be out of your control, but if you’re the one instigating the drama, you’re earning a bad reputation. You’re the person who starts trouble and whom no one trusts. That’s the kind of notoriety that follows you from one workplace to another.
From http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/06/03/cb.10.worst.work.habits/index.html
Many graduating seniors find that the adjustment to a 9-5 workday can have an impact on their health and the fitness routines they had been accustomed to during their college years. When transitioning to a full-time job, students often find their time management skills challenged. No longer are the days structured so that you can hit the gym between class periods, or swing by Liberty for a cheap, fresh, and healthy lunch. It’s important to make an attempt to stay healthy when you transition to your new workplace or graduate school. Here are a few tips for a healthier transition:
1. Check for company discounts
Many companies have a local gym that offers discounted memberships to employees. (Some companies even reimburse employees for their gym memberships). Check with your new employer and see if they are aware of any local discounts!
2. Lunch time fitness
If you’re not a morning person and hate crowded gyms during the after work rush, fit your fitness routine in during lunch. Use your lunch hour to walk outside, use a workout DVD, or even go to a nearby gym. If you don’t like to workout alone, find a co-worker who is also interested in lunch hour fitness; working out with a buddy gives you a social outlet and more accountability for fitting in that workout.
3. Pack your lunch
Stay healthy while saving time and money by bringing your lunch to work. You can also save time in the morning by packing your lunch the night before or cooking larger portions of meals over the weekend and individually packing them for the week. Preparing your meal at home allows you to control the calories and nutritious content- plus it’s much cheaper!
4. Keep clothes in your car
Keep a pair of athletic shoes and workout clothes in your car. This way you can fit a workout in without making an extra trek back home to pick up your gear. By the time you fight traffic, get home, and unwind a little you’re likely to lose all motivation to get that work out in. Fit a quick workout in right after work and then head home and unwind!
5. Schedule it in
Write exercise ‘appointment’ times in your daily planner. Scheduling your workouts in as an appointment on your personal or work calendar helps you to prioritize this time for yourself and not get too busy to fit in your daily fitness routine. If this is part of your weekly routine it will also help you to maintain a regular fitness schedule over a long period of time.
Graduating from college doesn’t mean you have to lose your personal wellness routine. With a few minor adjustments you can maintain and continue a healthy lifestyle as you transition into the working world.
Know what you really want. Where do you picture yourself working? For many graduates, this is the biggest hurdle to overcome when conducting a job search. If you just apply to anything and everything, you are just taking a “shot in the dark” and hoping that you’ll eventually hit something. But this approach leaves everything to chance – and do you really want to end up with “whatever“?
Take into consideration your interests, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses when planning the next step in your career. What are your skills? Just because your previous experience hasn’t been in your chosen career field doesn’t mean that you don’t have relevant skills. Perhaps you’ve also gained transferable skills from part-time or volunteer work. A job search takes time and energy, so it is critically important that you focus your energy on jobs and career fields you would want to do – for now anyway – even if not forever.
If you don’t know why you want the job, you cannot convince an employer to hire you. We see this all the time, a graduate just thinks, “Well, here I am, and I have a college degree, and I have a great personality, so you should hire me.” But, when asked why they want this particular job with this particular company, the answer is a blank stare. This is why research is so important. What does the company or organization do or produce? Why are you interested in them? What would you be doing in the job? Why is this type of work important to you? How does it fit your skills, abilities, and knowledge?
You should not just post your resume to a job listing site (like Monster, CareerBuilder, etc.) and expect to get the perfect job offer (or any job offer for that matter). This approach requires little to no effort, and typically will yield little to no results. First of all, many job openings (particularly those for recent college grads) are not advertised on major job boards. Over 80% of the job openings available are not advertised. They are filled either through word-of-mouth or through direct application (meaning you go directly to the organization, either applying to a job you see on their homepage or by contacting them directly to find out how to apply for jobs). Check out major job listing sites – absolutely! You don’t want to miss out on any possible opportunities. Just do not use them as your only job search tool.
Other people are your best resource in finding a job. Utilize your former professors, your parents’ friends, neighbors, and friends who may already be working. Tell everyone you know, (and everyone you meet) that you are seeking a job, and tell them a little about the type of job or career field you are targeting. Don’t be afraid to ask for to ask for advice or leads. You may be surprised at how many job leads you get from networking.
Be flexible and realistic. Maybe you are finding that you aren’t getting job offers because you don’t have relevant experience. Could you get this experience through a part-time job or though volunteer work with an organization? Maybe you can work two part-time jobs – one for $$ and one for experience. Or maybe you can work a subsistence job (something for now, not related to your career, but will pay the rent), and volunteer with an organization that will help you develop skills and contacts in your chosen field of interest. With the economy right now, you may not find the job you really want right away, but this doesn’t mean you should just give up and not try. There are many ways to get from point “A” to point “B” and it isn’t always a straight line!
Don’t be easily discouraged. You will be turned down for jobs, and you may be turned down for a lot of jobs. The job search is not for the faint of heart. This is where you show what you’re made of. Research-time-energy-practice-patience. Repeat.
Fact: There are over 14,000 profiles in the Facebook CofC Network.
Fact: MySpace is one of the most trafficked websites on the Internet.
Fact: Social Networking websites like Facebook and MySpace can be used against you during the hiring process.
There is one common denominator between college students world wide (though there are a few of you who will say Not Me!). That is social networking. I do not mean going out to parties or clubs and hanging out with friends. Social networking in today’s world means connecting socially through the Internet on “social network” websites. You talk with friends, leave ‘presents,’ post pictures and your views of the world around you all without leaving your computer. But have you thought about what those messages or pictures are saying about you? For example, the pictures of you dancing on top of a table at a local bar may not be the best image for a potential employer to see.
More and more employers are becoming connected to potential employees in the various social networking websites. They do ‘research’ on employees and may not hire you based on the impression they receive. But it does not end once you get the job. Just because employers are paying you, does not mean they are not checking up on you. Pictures or comments that are deemed unprofessional by your employer or potential employer can harm you.
Before the job search process (and after you get the job) think of a few simple things to combat a negative impression your employer may have toward you.
For more tips and suggestions go to our Social Networking page. What are some other ways you can combat negative impressions based on your social networking pages? Do you have any horror stories about employers and these sites? Do you think employers should use social networking sites to check on present or future employees?
If you listen to the news about the economy, you may come away with the idea that there are no jobs out there, so what is the point in looking? Actually, there are still job opportunities, but fewer of them. This means that there is more competition, and upcoming graduates must work harder and smarter in order to find the jobs available.
Here are tips for finding jobs in the current economy:
A job search in the current economy is not for the faint of heart. And experts agree that “waiting it out” and doing nothing is the worst strategy, because it shows a lack of energy and interest in your career. At least if you are trying and making an effort, employers may appreciate that fact and consider you when they have an opening come available.
Check out this recent graduate’s job search success story and learn from his experience!
As a child, when I would try something and be unsuccessful, my teachers or family would repeat this old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” Nowhere is this advice more true than in the job search.
The job search always requires persistence and resilience, even in good economic times, but even more so in bad economic conditions like we are now experiencing. The job search will likely take more time and effort than it may have in the past. There is no use sugar-coating it, hiding from it or complaining about it. (Okay, you are allowed to complain a little).
In this economy, you are likely to apply for many, many positions before successfully landing a post-graduate job opportunity. Upcoming graduates seem to be shocked when we tell them that applying to 3-4 jobs will probably not result in a job offer. You will most likely have to apply to many more than 3-4 jobs in order to even land an interview! This is where the persistence part comes in. Apply to as many jobs as possible, as long as they are opportunities that interest you in some way, or will provide you with skills and experience you need to move to the next level. Also, if you aren’t getting interviews for the types of jobs you desire because you lack experience, look for positions that are the next level below the type of job to which you aspire. Depending on the career field you are seeking to enter, this may be the only way to gain a position, due to the levels of competition for certain types of career opportunities.
Rejection is also just part of the process. You will apply to jobs, and despite following up with the employer with a well thought out phone call or email, you won’t hear back from them at all. You’ll interview for positions and be turned down. Here is where the resilience comes in…pick yourself up and just keep applying and interviewing. Don’t let the rejection get you down, because this will negatively affect the next interview. Learn from each experience and you’ll do better the next time. And don’t eliminate a company just because they turn you down – if they have other jobs later on, apply for those as well! Sometimes the employer may like you, but just not think you’re the right fit for one position – but you may be the right fit for a different one! (Yours truly would not be writing this blog entry if I had given up on the College of Charleston – I applied twice for the exact same position. I was rejected the first time, but the second time…well, here I am!)
If you have questions or concerns about how to conduct an effective job search make an appointment to see a staff member in the Career Center. We’d be happy to assist you in developing your own personalized job search plan of action.