If only you had a crystal ball back in college…

Imagine spending 4+ years to attain a degree in a field where no one is hiring. Prepare for tomorrow by studying today’s trends. READ: This is what the workforce will look like in 2010

An “A” player needs an “A” coach…

The career-coaching industry has been growing steadily for years now and attracting people with a wide range of backgrounds. By some estimates, there are more than 15,000 coaches in the U.S. Extensive training has become more widespread, but some in the industry complain that some certifications are easy to get and difficult for clients to evaluate. READ: Strategies for Selecting The Right Career Coach

Tricks of the Trade

For every occupation, there is a catalog of secrets only its employees are aware of

Who invented the cubicle?

Yes, Bob Propst knows who Dilbert is. How could he not? As the man credited with inventing office cubicles, he’s been asked often enough. Ah, Dilbert, the comic strip based on the miserable, pathetic minion with slim chances of promotion, suffering in his tiny cubicle amid a sea of tiny cubicles. Millions of office workers tape the strip to the walls of their own tiny cubicles (six by eight feet, if they’re lucky), provided their companies allow such testaments to individuality.

Propst has created a monster. The modern American office he envisioned as a place where productivity, if not happiness, would thrive has become exactly the kind of environment loathed by those who wear suits and collect regular paychecks. But Propst wants to make one thing perfectly clear: He does not accept the blame for the nightmare that his grand idea has evolved into.

“I don’t even feel faintly guilty about Dilbert,” Propst says from his suburban home near Redmond, Washington. “The things expressed in that comic are the very things we were trying to relieve and move beyond. It was a Dilbert world even back then. Everything we worked toward tries to express something more interesting.”

READ: The Man Behind the Cubicle

You are never too young to spy

The NRO designs, builds and operates the nation’s reconnaissance satellites. NRO products, provided to an expanding list of customers like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Department of Defense (DoD), can warn of potential trouble spots around the world, help plan military operations, and monitor the environment. They now have a kids site or is it a recruiting site? You decide. CLICK: NRO Junior My question is, how soon should companies begin their recruiting efforts?

Its all about perception people…

Start searching those .org Web sites. A new study released by the American Marketing Association finds that 79 percent of hiring managers think that candidates that belong to a professional organization have higher quality skills than those who do not. The A.M.A. polled 1,300 hiring managers and recruiters in advance of announcing a new online job site for advertising and marketing professionals. The new site is an alliance between the A.M.A, Public Relations Society of America, the American Advertising Federation and several other associations. If Marketing is your thing, be sure to check out: American Marketing Association – www.marketingpower.com

What’s in a name? (Part 2)

For some a unique name has been an asset. For stars like Oprah Winfrey or Shaquille O’Neal or Denzel Washington, a distinctive first name can become a unique, identifiable brand, almost a trademark. But some ordinary folks say being different is just too difficult. Tiqua Gator says people just can’t seem to get her name right. But she says her real burden runs even deeper. She’s concerned about getting a better job, and sees her name as a potential handicap. READ: Can a ‘Black’ Name Affect Job Prospects?

What’s in a name? (part 1)

A recent University of Chicago study, “Are Emily and Brendan More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal?” by Marianne Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan, found that people with names like Pam or Amber got 50 percent more callbacks for job interviews than applicants with similar r

Do you know your unemployment score?

Now this is an interesting concept! I wonder if it works? Unemployment Score

From their website:

NEVER BE UNEMPLOYED AGAIN. Patent-pending Unemployment Score will tell you which factors in your latest job profile pose high unemployment risk and how to minimize your risk factors and make your career layoff-proof. Find out why you were in the wrong job at the wrong time and learn how you could improve your job and income security.

Why Women Need to Save More Than Men

“Men and women may not be on equal footing when it comes to investing for the future. On average, women work fewer years and earn less than men, but they also tend to live longer. Therefore, women must focus on the concerns that are unique to them when planning for retirement… “

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