Gen Y Career

Job hunting isn’t easy these days, but it does have an upside: students, as early as middle-school and high-school, are understanding the importance of building up their resumes early on, and pursuing activities that improve their character and can help hone their professional skills before they ever step foot in the office. For college students, being a Greek is an excellent way to build a well-rounded character with an emphasis on working as a team, and understanding how to network to maximize your business contacts. Of course, students should always pursue academic majors and extracurricular activities that they’re interested in and have their heart in, but for most, being a Greek is an experience that is both rewarding while in college and a plus for that ol’ resume once that diploma is in hand.Being A Greek Teaches Well-Rounded Skills.Most Greek organizations require their members to have a certain grade point average, help plan and participate in Greek events … [Read more...] about Want To Rise To The Top? Start Off By Being a Greek!

You've brushed those butterflies aside and are ready to brace your first day on the job.  Good luck!  Just be sure you don't make these four workplace mistakes.  DON'T Be LateSo you’ve done the hard work and proved to your employers that you’re worth bringing on board. You’ve got your brand new work clothes, some pens and perhaps a brief case, and then you go and ruin the whole thing by turning up late. All employers will be keeping a close eye on your arrival time on the first day as this will likely suggest to them what your work attitude is like. If you come into work anything but early or spot on, you’re putting yourself in the firing line before the gunners have even had a chance to load. Don’t even think about excuses either. The bus may have been late, there may have been ice on the road and the dog may have eaten your brand new suitcase, but not of that will matter to your boss, who’ll say that “you should have planned … [Read more...] about 4 Things Not To Do on Your First Day at Work

A new survey by free texting app textPlus shows certain workplace interactions - those typically reserved for a face-to-face or phone conversation - are taking place more and more over text message.In early 2008 Jobacle wondered if texting in sick was career suicide.  According to these stats, it might be safer than we thought (though we definitely do not recommend it).When it comes to college kids and recent grads (18-24 years old):·  11% think it’s appropriate to ask for a raise via text· 32% say it’s OK to “call in sick” to work via text (22% have actually done it)· 11%  think it’s alright to quit a job via textAnd as for the generation after that - the one raised on text messages (13-17 years old):· 18% of 13-17 year olds think it’s appropriate to ask for a raise via text· 51% think it’s OK to “call in sick” to work via text· 20% think it’s alright to quit a job via … [Read more...] about Text Message Sick…Acceptable Work Practice?

The Real World.  These seemingly innocuous words have somehow managed to strike fear into the hearts of college students everywhere for decades - nay, centuries - and it’s high time something was done about it!  I propose that facing your fears head on is always the best plan of attack.  Although it is never easy to make an important life change (and what could be bigger than embarking upon adulthood?), with the proper tools at your disposal, you can ease the transition considerably and make “the real world” just another place you’ll journey to.To begin, you should talk to your career counselor (well before graduation would be smart).  Find out what jobs are available in your chosen field and if you can take advantage of internships to help you get a foot in the door (and possibly a job offer by the time you graduate).  Unless you formulate Newton’s Fourth Law of Motion or design a game that’s better than Halo, chances of … [Read more...] about Facing the Real World and Winning

We all want to believe that once we graduate from college, we’ll be inundated with job offers and automatically make a great living doing exactly what we want.  Okay, it’s a bit far-fetched, but even if you’re fairly grounded in reality, you still want a job that suits your talents and sensibilities.  But how do you know if your chosen field is going to pay off or put you in the poorhouse?  Well, you really can’t go wrong with a degree in business, medicine, or law, and even a market flooded with tech-savvy computer specialists can be lucrative for someone who’s willing to hustle for freelance work.  However, if your area of study lies outside the norm, you may find yourself swimming upstream.  So read on to find the tip five college degrees that will not only slow you down, but may stop you in your tracks.1. Botany – this is the science of plants.  While a degree in this field could lead to certain high-paying jobs … [Read more...] about Top 5 Worst College Degrees if You Want a Job (and to make money)

Graduation season is here, and thousands of new job seekers are joining millions in the job market. What does the new kid on the block need to do to be successful? Here are 10 tips for graduates from Janice Bryant Howroyd, an employment expert whose AppleOne staffing company puts thousands of people to work each month: 1.    Do Your Homework.  You may have graduated with honors, but the real research begins now.  Invest your skills and time into studying opportunities in your field of interest and learn what’s going on in that market.  Look beyond Monster.com, Hot Jobs and LinkedIn.  Search company websites, and set Google alerts to learn what they aren’t saying about themselves.  Tailor your resume to each company; it is time consuming but can pay back big! 2.    Ask Somebody.  Everyone you know knows someone who knows someone who works in a company you want to be employed by.  Work every contact you have, … [Read more...] about 10 Job Hunting Tips for Graduates

The end of the semester is fast approaching for many college seniors. Even though you may be caught up in campus life, the professional world is just around the bend. Here are a few tips on how to get into a “real world” mentality to make the transition a tad bit easier. Think about what you want to do. You have been studying a particular field for around four years, but that doesn’t mean you will—or will want to—automatically enter it. If you know that you want to pursue something else upon graduation, there is nothing wrong with not going into the field you studied. In fact, you’ll do better off knowing this from the get-go so you can build your career in another field. Regardless of what you want to do, learn about your options. Examine what you want your ideal day to be like. What kinds of jobs are available in your industry and in the region you want to work in?  It may sound silly but most new grads are on autopilot and, understandably, … [Read more...] about Attention Graduates: Getting Into the Real World Mentality

With graduation season quickly approaching, college seniors across the country are on the hunt for their “dream job” as they look to embark into the next phase of their young adult life. Given the condition of the current job market however, many are finding it very difficult to land their first job.  Job search engine Juju.com has put together five effective strategies to help recent grads landa job.1. Make a Plan/Stay Organized – The more organized you are, the more effective you’ll be. Plus, the competition is organized, so you’d better be too. Think about which companies you want to work for, what other areas/industries your skills might apply to, and how you’re going to track and follow up with all the contacts you make in the course of your job search (hint: use a spreadsheet). If you plan well and execute your job search diligently, there’s a much better chance you’ll get what you want.2. Think Before You Search – … [Read more...] about 5 Job Search Tips for Graduating College Students