Survey results published today from NACE indicate that employers are planning to hire 7% more interns in 2010-2011 vs. last year at this time. Report was based on 266 employer responses out of 864 surveys sent out. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) is a leading source of information on the employment of the college educated.
Source: NACE, 3/17/11
In other words, are organizations more interested in applicants who already have a job? In short, yes– although exceptions exist.
Some job postings state “unemployed candidates will not be considered,” says Richard Thompson, VP of Adecco, the world’s largest staffing firm. It’s not illegal to do this. Even when employers aren’t admittedly restrictive, they often still prefer candidates who already have a job. The fact is that many unemployed candidates are not interviewed in favor of employed candidates.
Here’s a video of a recent grad who can’t secure adequate work to live on his own:
If you’re unemployed, what can you do to overcome this potential obstacle? Obviously many people are unemployed for legitimate reasons and are qualified to do the work they are applying for. Therefore, what tactics have you’ve tried while unemployed that have led to a successful hire? Your ideas could help others.
For more on this topic see: Unemployed Need Not Apply, Dilemma of Hiring the Unemployed
While LinkedIn is one of the most powerful job search tools, it’s possible to misuse it. Specifically, I’m talking about recommendation requests. But first there are 2 other “request” categories that deserve mention:
Recommendation Requests
Properly used, these are great. But unfortunately I sometimes get recommendation requests from people I’ve never worked with, or may not know very well. They ask me to write a recommendation to help land a job. I typically decline these requests, sometimes to the surprise of requesters. Why decline? Reputation–theirs and mine. How could I recommend someone I’ve never worked with? What could I write of substance about the person? This kind of recommendation is worse than no recommendation.
Bottom line: Request LinkedIn recommendations only from people that know you, and preferably, who have worked with you and have something glowing to say. For more on this topic, read: “Career Advice–Avoid Spontaneous Combustion Linkedin Introduction Requests written by Phil Rosenberg, Feb 8, 2011.
The reality is that most employers are not tattoo-friendly. So unless you’re ok settling for fast food jobs it may be an advantage to cover tattoos when interviewing for jobs. Some may complain that this forces them to deny part of their personality. But for many it comes down to the necessity of putting food on the table. Desirable jobs often have unspoken expectations–”no visible body art” being one of them. That being said, below is a list of employers with a reputation of being ok with tattoos and body art.
Tattoo-Friendly Employers
Source: Karen L. Hudson, About.com, Finding a Job When You Have Tattoos, Piercings, and/or Body Modifications
In a fascinating talk, Sir Ken Robinson lays out the link between 3 troubling trends: rising drop-out rates, schools’ dwindling stake in the arts, and ADHD.
Creativity expert Ken Robinson challenges the way we’re educating children. He champions a radical rethink of school systems to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.
Why don’t we get the best out of people? Robinson argues it’s because we’ve been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies — far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity — are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. “We are educating people out of their creativity,” Robinson says.
Glassdoor.com published their third annual Employees’ Choice Awards for Best Places to Work 2011. The Top 50 winners were selected by employees themselves rather than by outsiders: 1. Facebook, 2. Southwest Airlines, 3. Bain & Company, 4. General Mills, 5. Edelman, 6. Boston Consulting, 7. SAS Institute, 8. Slalom Consulting, 9. Overstock.com, 10. Susquehanna International, 11. CareerBuilder, 12. Mitre, 13. QuikTrip, 14. Shutterfly, 15. NetApp, 16. Trader Joe’s, 17. Goldman Sachs, 18. McKinsey & Company, 19. National Instruments, 20. Apple, 21. Analog Devices, 22. Northwestern Mutual, 23. Proctor & Gamble, 24. BB&T, 25. Synopsys, 26. Chevron, 27. Scottrade, 28. Bristol-Myers Squibb, 29. MassMutual, 30. Google, 31. Travelers Companies, 32. Fluor, 33. Monsanto Company, 34. Publix, 35. John Deere, 36. QualComm, 37. Morgan Stanley, 38. State Farm, 39. Adobe, 40. REI, 41. Salesforce.com, 42. Ford Motor, 43. Turner Broadcasting, 44. Genentech, 45. Intel, 46. American Express, 47. Nike, 48. Deutsche Bank, 49. Cummins, 50. Capital One
Source: www.glassdoor.com
The first step to managing your online reputation it is to ensure that all of your profiles are complete, accurate, and regularly updated. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google profiles will likely appear on the first page of Google search results when someone searches your name. It’s wise to do an additional three steps:
1. “Claim” your name on major social networks so that no else claims to be you and posts undesirable content. This can be done with http://namechk.com.
2. Untag yourself from all content that could be damaging to your reputation. If that doesn’t work, try to post as much positive content as possible to push down negative content in searches for your name.
3. Set up Google alerts to receive an email whenever your name is mentioned on the Web, including news sites, video, and social media.
For more information, read source article: Forbes.com 11/9/10
How should you introduce yourself at a networking event if you’re a liberal arts major interested in a business-related field?
Susan de la Vergne, founder of “The Liberal Arts Advantage,” published a blog response to this type of question. Essentially, Susan suggests that liberal arts majors (non-business or non-technical majors) refrain from mentioning that they are, say, an English major, until after mentioning some other things that captivate an employer’s attention. In other words, if your target employment is unrelated to your area of study, you could say something like, “Hi, my name is __________, a junior looking into [field of work]. My training in communication and analysis by studying English have given me a solid foundation to contribute in [field of work].”
On the other hand, if you’re pursuing work related to your degree, it may be to your advantage to boldly include your degree in your intro by saying, “Hi, my name is __________ and I’m a junior __________ major looking into [field of work].”
To learn more about introduction strategies for liberal arts majors, read Susan’s blog.
Sarah Evens, Director of Communications at Elgin Community College, wrote a short article last year on how to get the most out of your Twitter page. Her advice is still relevant:
Sarah also includes some helpful Twitter search tools & resources to assist with a proactive job search. She lists resources by field, by job type, and by region. Her article is a good starting point, especially if you are new to Twitter job search. Read the full article here.
If you’ve had an awesome internship, consider writing an essay about it to possibly win a $750 or $1,500 scholarship. To be considered, submit a 750 word or less, double-spaced, 12-point font essay to career.development@biola.edu on the topic:
“How My Internship/Work Experience has Influenced My Career Choice.”
Deadline for submittal is November 15, 2010. You must include a cover page with the essay title, your name, Biola University, and the total number of words in the essay. Without this information your essay will be disqualified. Your essay will be evaluated by 6-person panel using the following criteria: (1) clear and well written, (2) level of analysis/reflection, (3) writing topic, (4) creativity, and (5) career impact. The scholarship is sponsored by the California Internship & Work Experience Association (CIWEA), which Biola is a member of, and you will be competing against essays submitted by students from Biola and other universities in California. Click here to read past winning essays.
Mark Matthes, Associate Director Center for Career Development
Biola University, La Mirada, CA