Transparency: It is a Beautiful Thing

My hat is off to Jason Goldberg of Jobster. It appears that high flying Jobster, for which I have tremendous respect, is about to lay off a significant number of its employees in an effort to become profitable in 2007. Unlike most CEO’s, Jason has been open and honest with the readers of his blog about what is happening. I’m sure that there are things that he has not been able to discuss because of the fiduciary obligations that he owes to his VC and other shareholders, but it is truly amazing how he has been willing to not only acknowledge the very difficult issues in his blog but also link to blogs and other articles that are trash talking Jobster. He even approved a comment from a disgruntled parent of one of his recent college graduate employees.
This is a difficult time for Jason, his shareholders, his employees, his clients, his vendors, and others who care about Jobster. Yet when they all look back upon this period, they will trust Jason more and because of that Jobster will be stronger and even more respected than it already is.

Email Becoming Tool of Choice Amongst College Students for Informational Interviewing

Informational interviews are one of the most effective methods of networking. Traditionally these interviews have been held face-to-face, but today’s college students are increasingly conducting such interviews via email.
University of Pittsburgh senior Emily Guzan, for example, used her college career service office’s database of alums and then emailed five who are working as attorneys, which is her chosen career path. All five responded and two of them invited her to shadow them in their offices.

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Ask A Librarian

I’m working on a project that requires some pretty detailed research. It’s not easy to find information on the Internet if you don’t know the right questions to ask. I don’t. So I pulled out my copy of “Facts In A Flash,” which I bought through the Writer’s Digest book club, and discovered another method: the library.
I went to the library, asked a librarian and got the information I needed almost immediately. It took about the same amount of time – if not less than – I would have needed to surf the Internet. I don’t knock using the Internet, in fact, I love it; however, there comes a time when you simply must use a different, more efficient method of research.
Ask a librarian! It works.

Two Winners

Two of my favorite members of the recruiting blogosphere are Dave Mendoza and Joel Cheesman. Both care deeply about their clients and profession and are very knowledgeable. I always learn something whenever I talk with them. For a fully recovered lawyer, that’s hard to admit.
At least as importantly as Dave and Joel being class acts professionally, they’re also class acts personally. They’re a real pleasure to be with. So isn’t it great that they’re receiving the accolades they deserve from their blogging brethren? Dave’s blog won the Recruiting.com popular vote as the best recruiting blog and Joel’s blog won the judge’s vote as the best recruiting blog. Folks, there aren’t any losers here. They’re both winners.

Final Blog of 2006

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and are having a happy, safe holiday season. This is my final blog of the year, so I thought I would just reflect a little bit. I must say that I have enjoyed my blogging experience. When I started back in May, I didn’t know I would be blogging as much as I have. CollegeRecruiter.com has given my fellow bloggers and myself a chance to express ourselves in an open forum as it relates to the workforce. As a result of being interns, we’ve had perks thrown our way too. Props to our website in 2006! It was so big, it had to upgrade the servers to hold the increased traffic. This website has provided me with a neat experience.
I want to thank everyone at CollegeRecruiter.com for their feedback on my blogs and making me feel comfortable with my blogging. One New Year’s resolution I have is to read more of my fellow bloggers writing; I didn’t do so this year.
I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2007 and look forward to more informative blogging!

We’re #17! (and 21 and 25)

Recruiting.com just announced the top 10 recruiting blog winners for 2006. Last year, we were fortunate enough to win two of the best blog awards. This year, the format changed and there was far more competition due to the huge increase in the number of blogs. Nevertheless, I was proud to see that three of our blogs were in the top 25.
Interestingly, all of the blogs at ERE.net were combined into one entry and together they secured 93 votes, enough to land them in the top ten. If you were to add up the votes for the three nominated CollegeRecruiter.com blogs, we would have had 112 votes and finished sixth. I kind of feel like a proud dad watching his kid take his first steps. Well, maybe not that proud but still proud.

Highest Paying Jobs in the U.S.

If you’re one of those who are primarily motivated by money, pay close attention. The 10 highest paying jobs in the country are as follows:

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Holiday Rant

It’s been a good month since I’ve been here, so here’s an update. I’m still with USPS until the 31st (so I can get my 90 days in) and then I’m done come the new year. I’ve appiled to Columbia College Chicago and Emerson College and things look on the up and up on that end. If I want to, I can start back to another temporay job that I had in February that pays $10.10/hour, and I will really start saving money then. It doesn’t feel like Christmas to me, probably because I’ve been working nonstop at my two jobs. Looking for a full-time job has been put on the back burner for now. After 180 days with the USPS, I can take a test and become a career employee. There’s nothing wrong with working for the USPS- they have great benefits, and with that kind of pay, if I go back to school, I can pay for it. CCC just sent me an application for a Presidential Scholarship basing it on my high school credits, not college. The funny thing is is that they need me to be full-time; I applied for part-time, so I don’t what will happen with that. With Emerson, I need to send off my $60 check and high school transcript. I really feel that with another diploma in a different degree will help me, especially if I move to cities like Chicago or Boston. If going to school again is not the answer, then what is? Somebody commented that he/she could give me advice if he/she knew what I wanted to do. What I want to do is get into publishing. Some of these posts I read sound like most want to get into publishing also. To be an editor some day is my dream, but right now, I would like to start with an entry-level job with the likes of an editorial assistant. I took some journalism courses such as Editing and Magazine Writing & Editing to give me more experience with it. However, I feel having a degree in that field will help, hence my applying to CCC and Emerson. They both have degrees specializing in publishing and I want to succeed in this and get into the field of my choice. Can I do that with the degree I already have? Yeah, but I’m stuck right now and can’t move forward. Any suggestions? My work experience is not enough for some places, and when I apply, I don’t hear back from anybody. I was in contact with a woman at a company called Hollister in Boston, but that didn’t work out because she needed to know when I was moving to Boston in order to help me with employment. I will listen to any advice and take it into consideration.
Any advice would be good right now.
Happy Holidays to everybody.

High Paying Internship and Entry Level Job

College students who are searching for great internships and recent graduates who are looking for the highest paying entry level jobs often search job boards such as CollegeRecruiter.com for the highest paying employment opportunities. There is little doubt that the highest paying internships are great for students who want to make as much money as possible. Similarly, the highest paying jobs for college graduates are great matches for recent graduates who want to make the most money.
So what is an example of an entry level career opportunity that is one of the highest paying jobs? Securities Commodities and Financial Services Sales Agents.

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Staying Motivated During the Job Hunt

Job hunting depending on how long it lasts, can become tiring and unmotivating. Here are some tips I’ve found helpful for staying focused and positive when it comes to finding the job and career you want.
1. Figure out exactly what you want. Knowing this means wasting less time on jobs that aren’t going to help you toward the career you want.
2. Set daily goals. It’ll focus your effort more and you’ll be more productive with your time.
3. Continue learning. Why not benefit from your spare time and make yourself more marketable. You could even take on an internship or volunteer.
4. Stay positive. Sometimes it take a while for the right job to come along but remember that if you know what you want and you work for it, it’ll come along.
5. Take time out for yourself. Remember to find time to relax, go out with friends, even take a walk. Your health and outlook benefit when you remember to take care of your physical and mental health.