Obvious fact of the day:
Overall, results of NACE’s 2009 Student Survey found that just 19.7 percent of the Class of 2009 who had applied for jobs had one by the end of April. In contrast, 23 percent of graduates with an internship under their belt had a job in hand at that time. For those who didn’t do an internship, the job market was especially unwelcoming: Just 14 percent of those who hadn’t been interns landed jobs as of April.
“It’s not surprising that employers look first to their interns—who have a track record with the company—when they have jobs to fill,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.
So if you have an internship over the summer/semester with company X the odds that you get an offer from company X is 3.3% higher. Really not surprising at all given they had a chance to build a relationship with you and take you out for a test drive. What is surprising is that the % isn’t higher. You give an entire summer/semester for little or no pay and are left with a 3.3% advantage? Is it just low because of the economy, or would the same difference occur in a bustling environment?
All this tells us is that those without an internship shouldn’t get too caught up - your odds are still pretty good.
Self-saboteurs include breaking eye contact at a critical moment, looking down and/or taking one second too long to answer in a less-than-enthusiastic tone. Ted Kennedy came across this way in his 1979 CBS TV interview for the presidential candidacy with correspondent Roger Mudd, who asked him, “Senator, why do you want to be president?” While it’s advisable to think things through before answering, there are critical ‘telling’ moments when what we don’t say and what positive facial expressions we fail to convey, speaks volumes. If we give a wishy-washy, one-word “yes” to the serious interviewer’s query, “So does this sound like something you’d like?” we might as well close our briefcases and go home. The late Ted Kennedy stalled during his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1979 when asked why he wanted to be president. That question was far too important for a less than resounding, compelling answer and unwavering eye contact. Instead, he paused one or two seconds later than he should have. He looked down and away and gave an unremarkable, unmemorable answer. Thought people have speculated on Kennedy’s reasons, and no one knew for sure what they were, many believe that interview was the pivotal moment when he lost his bid for the candidacy. Although he did many wonderful things in his long career as a U.S. Senator, he never tried to run for president again. Your next interview could contain your pivotal moment. Don’t blow it. Don’t hesitate to grab your own good.
Reblogged from thehardworkersays
It seems there’s an iPhone app for nearly everything these days, job hunting included. The only thing is - are these really providing any value? As we approach our website relaunch/redesign we looked at the best solutions out there to see what we could do.
Arguably the “best” application out there right now is Indeed’s solution. It quickly helps you find some jobs in our area. What it doesn’t do is allow you to sort or filter thru the returned listings. All it does it return a short list (sorted by date posted?) with a truncated description, source, and posting age. Do you really need an app for that? Why not just create a mobile/iPhone page version that does the same thing? With smart phones using such full featured browsers do you really need all this noise?
Right now the best use for these applications seems to be filtering thru jobs and saving the ones you care about to apply for later. It’s a bit tough to type out a cover letter or answer employer questions right on a cell phone (you’d probably want to sit down and think about/edit your responses).
How do you want to use your cell phone for job hunting (or would you even do it)? Would you just browse? Would you save jobs and apply when you get back to your desktop/laptop? Would you like to directly apply to jobs that instant?
[Note] Indeed currently backfills the positions on our site and we have earned roughly $.25 from them. This is changing soon as they also cannot categorize entry level jobs. More to come soon.
The simplest way to define what professionalism is acting like the business you work for is your own. If you follow the idea that every cent is important and you’re personally responsible for the company you’re significantly* less likely to:
Thinking as a business owner + common sense* = professionalism.
*FYI: Common sense should be applied everything you do
In 25 years of being in the world of work, I’ve seen enough rudeness and stupidity to last a lifetime - and that’s just when it comes to job searches. My favorite:
I applied for a job with a bank online. I was called back by an automated system, which had me which had me do a “telephone” interview - with a voice response unit. That’s right, press 1 for yes, 2 for no, etcetera. After 40 minutes on the line, there was a soft beeping, at which point I was informed that I was not a fit for the job.
Then maybe we won’t feel so intimidated and overly conscious that we are being judged as if trying out for a part in a Broadway play that we freeze and become tongue-tied or draw a blank. Remember interview success is based on one question at a time. Know why you are there and what you have to offer. The interviewer is not (we hope) some sadist looking to shred you apart under a microscope to see you squirm—although sometimes it may feel like it—but to get an overall ‘feel’ of who you are in relation to the work and company. Only YOU dissect yourself in a self-deprecating way—without the same motive to show who you are in relation to the work and the company—but to put yourself down.
Reblogged from thehardworkersays
The blog for funnelthru.com - a job board dedicated to honest entry level jobs. We discuss interview tips, hiring trends, videos we love, and anything else we think you might find useful or fun.
