Can Small Businesses Increase Their Profits by Hiring Interns?

It’s no secret that most big companies hire interns each year to help increase their productivity. So why don’t small companies do the same? One of the most common responses from small business owners is that they don’t have enough time or money to get an intern. That’s because most small business owners don’t understand the massive benefits that they get when they hire interns.

In the past decade, having internship experience before you graduate college has become almost essential. Before being hired full time, employers want to see that the interns can perform in a professional environment and perform well. For this reason, applying for internships has become extremely competitive among students. So what does this mean for a small business owner? The high demand for internships means that it is extremely easy to get an intern. You will also get to pick from some of the best students that the college has to offer. These students will produce quality work and be highly motivated to succeed on all of the projects you give them. By shifting more projects over to your interns, you will have more time to focus on other more profitable areas of your business.

When you hire interns, not only do they increase your productivity, but they can also decrease your expenses. Hiring interns can be a cost effective way of staffing your organization. Although these students are very smart and capable, they don’t yet have the experience under their belt to command high wages. By hiring multiple interns, you can provide some valuable experience for the students while at the same time getting the output of multiple employees for the price of one.

Hiring interns can also be used as a way to reduce the risk associated with hiring full time employees. Hiring a full time employee can be expensive because you have to guarantee them a salary and maybe even benefits. If this employee turns out to be a bad fit for you culture or they aren’t as qualified as you thought they were then you could be in trouble. By hiring interns for a couple months, you get the benefit of a trying out period. During this period, you have the chance to make sure that the intern is a good fit for your company and if they are qualified to eventually take over a full time position.

The difference between a small company and a big company is that the big company utilizes all of the resources that are available to help it grow and expand. One of those major resources is the use of highly motivated interns to share the workload. When you make the decision to hire interns, you will discover that you have much more time to focus on increasing your bottom line. If you are a small business owner looking for a way to get an edge on your competition, then you absolutely must get an intern today!

Tips for Finding a Summer Job

With high school and college students in their final days of school before summer break, some of those with aspirations to work over the summer have already secured employment.  However, for the many still hoping to land a position, one job-search authority says it is not too late.

“While many employers already completed the process of interviewing and hiring for seasonal positions, this does not mean that those still wanting jobs should give up.  Some employers may need more workers than they expected; others may have delayed hiring; and some may have discovered that one or more of those hired early were not a good fit,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

“The point is, you never know if or when a job opening is going to materialize, so you want to keep pushing to ensure that you are in the right place if one does,” he added.

The outlook on the summer job market for young adults released by Challenger in March was not very optimistic.  However, since March, large seasonal hiring plans were announced by several employers, including McDonald’s, Home Depot and Lowe’s. 

“Job seekers will definitely need help from the private sector.  We still see a shortage of job opportunities for teens in the cash-strapped public sector, where taxpayer-funded park districts, public swimming pools, beaches, camps, etc., are likely to cut back on seasonal hiring,” said Challenger.

Last year, young adult job seekers experienced the weakest summer job market in decades.  Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that from May through July employment among 16- to 19-year-olds increased by just 960,000 jobs.  That was down 17.5 percent from 2009, when teen employment grew by 1,163,000.

The 960,000 summer jobs filled by these young adults represents the lowest level of summer hiring since 1949, when teen employment increased by 932,000 during the summer months.  In contrast, employers hired more than 1.7 million teenagers during the summer of 2006, bringing total employment for this age group to 7,494,000 in July, which historically represents the annual peak of teen employment.

“The key to success for late-to-the-game teen job seekers will be an aggressive approach.  Today’s tech-savvy teenagers are apt to conduct 90 percent of their job search on the Internet and submit applications online.  However, nothing beats actually walking into a business, introducing yourself to the manager and asking about job opportunities.  The personal touch sets the groundwork in building a rapport that will separate you from electronic candidates,” said Challenger, who offered some additional advice for teens seeking summer employment:

• Search where others are not.  Outdoor jobs involving heavy labor or behind-the-scenes jobs are often not as sought-after by teen job seekers.
• Look for odd jobs at odd hours.  ­Offer to work evening and night shifts and to fill in for vacationing employees.  As a job-search strategy, conduct a search for these types of positions during the hours they operate.
• Become a door-to-door salesman when selling your skills. ­Do what good salesmen do — start on one block and go from business to business, door to door.  Don’t simply ask for an application.  Take the time to introduce yourself and build some rapport with the hiring manager.
• Call friends and relatives.  Parents and other relatives are often the best source for information on job leads.  However, don’t forget to stay in touch with friends and other classmates, especially those who have been able to find jobs.
• Be a job-search ninja.  Wait outside the store or offices of a prospective employer to attempt to intercept a hiring manager upon his or her arrival.
• Dress for the part.  Even if you are applying to work on a road crew, show up to all interviews in nice clothes.  You want the interviewer to focus on you and your skills, not on your ripped jeans and paint-splattered t-shirt. 
• Don’t hesitate to revisit employers.  The types of businesses seeking seasonal employees typically have higher-than-average turnover.  An employer that did not hire you a couple of months ago might need more workers now.
  

1,000 High-Tech Manufacturing Jobs Created in the U.S.

Since the recession, you have probably heard about the loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States.  However, some may be coming back.  I was watching the news recently and heard the same; that reminded me of some job opportunities to share.

GE Transportation and its high-tech offerings are on a hot streak. Citing burgeoning U.S. and global demand for its products, GE Transportation announced plans today to open a new manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas, that will employ more than 500 workers by 2012 with the potential of up to 275 additional workers in subsequent years, and add 250 new jobs at its long-time home base in Erie, Pennsylvania. Since 2009, GE has announced the creation of 6,500 new high-tech manufacturing jobs in the U.S., with nearly 1,000 of that total added since April of this year.

For more information, please see the link below.

Source

http://www.gereports.com/ge-creates-1000-high-tech-manufacturing-jobs-in-tx-and-pa/

 

The Sport Of Writing Your Resume Where The Job Description Left Off

To me, resume writing is a sport of sorts. I have taken friends’ resumes and tweaked them only to the chagrin of having their email inboxes flooded in a few hours.

There are a few reasons why resume writing can get tricky and the first is that not many employers have the time to write a four-page job description.

Because writing a job description is such a tedious task, many employers don’t have the time nor do they have the patience to spend 16 hours jotting down and/or remembering every important detail that corresponds with the job slot they are responsible for filling.

Writing Your Resume Like A Website 

This is why a simple “cut and paste” from the job description to the resume is often unsuccessful.

Doing the best they can, resume writers are often forced to read between the lines and infer the more significant points to transfer from the job description to their resumes (and cover letters). Sometimes, these points are not written down at all.

For instance:

If the employer says they need someone who dresses nicely near the top, it probably means that the last incumbent was a slob or the clientele is high-brow. Put a picture on your resume.

Also, use your knowledge and common sense to decipher the daily activities that are probably of the utmost urgency (not always importance) to the hiring party and place these additional points throughout your resume in an unassuming manner.

In most instances, use the buzzwords or industry terms that correspond with those tasks.

Finally, they need to know how to verbalize on a piece of paper that someone is probably going to glance at for all of 30 seconds prior to determining if it warrants a full minute of review.

All of this is a daunting, but doable task. To get you started, I’ve included mock resume objectives and resume tips for sales/sales management, marketing and recent college graduate job seekers.

All of these stem from self-taught business knowledge and writing skills that were not taught to me in university.

Sample Sales Objective:

To leverage my business knowledge, sales acumen and marketing skills in order to align myself with a progressive, growing company that rewards results, team effort and forward thinking….

To write a good sales or sales management transition resume, you have to think like the employer or hiring manager. Remember that both think differently and have different personal and professional goals which will be the driver of a final decision.

When transitioning into a sales management role for the first time, remember that you are a risk factor and I would personally spend more time on smaller, entrepreneurial companies who are more apt to take risks. 
Contrary to the practice of many, it is sometimes good to recognize this gamble on your resume and egg on the entrepreneur or forward-minded thinker.

Remember that you are a sales professional. Focus on how you can make them money; no more, no less.

Sample Recent Grad Resume Objective:

After spending four years studying x, y and z, I feel that I can heavily contribute to an employer’s bottom line….

Tips

Just as there are apprenticeships/internships in law, accounting and medicine, sales and marketing newcomers have to pay their dues. When it comes to writing a resume or cover letter, the young job seeker should have 2 different versions – corporate and entrepreneurial.

The larger companies are going to look for stability, while the smaller firms, regardless of clout or marketing are more willing to take somebody without internship experience. It doesn’t make one better than the other; it just makes knowledge of that difference part of your job seeking.

Remember that as a recent college graduate, your sole existence is to do the tasks that the employees who are a “recent college graduate +1yr.” worked hard enough not to have to do. Proving yourself is a marathon; any employer who says it is an absolute sprint, has inaccurate information.

Sample Resume Objective – Marketing Careers:

Following a four-year tenure with x corp., I have begun to transition to the more analytical side of marketing and wish to….

Marketing Resume and Cover Letter Tips:

The primary reason many marketing job seekers, especially entry- to mid-level, miss the initial “resume scan cut” when going for a marketing position is that they focus on the knowledge they guess the employers want, and it turns out that they’ve guessed wrong.

From countless interactions with younger job seekers looking to get into marketing, I’ve noticed that the majority have all the pertinent skills and knowledge. However, for a reason I can’t understand, many are being told by universities, writers, coaches, friends and colleagues to focus on other, overly creative and less lucrative skills.

The last tidbit of advice that I can give to prospective job seekers wanting to be in marketing is to focus as much on the analytical side of the employer’s needs as you do the creative aspects listed on the job description.

Regardless of whether you’re writing a sales, sales management, recent college graduate or marketing resume, resume writing is about telling the employer exactly what they want to hear. Whoever has them most excited prior to the initial interview is usually going to be the winner.

Just like anything else, many times luck plays a role as to whether the employer actually picks up the phone to call you after you submit your CV, though it’s hardly a sizable factor.

“For me, losing a tennis match isn’t failure, it’s research.”
Billy Jean King

Just as the tennis champ says, resume writing is simply trial and the proper tweaks after each perceived error.

Ken Sundheim 

President 

KASWrite – Resume Writing, B2B Marketing Consulting 

www.kaswrite.com

KAS Placement – Sales and Marketing Recruiting 

www.kasplacement.com 

 

Job Seekers Need to be Aware of Scammers

With the job market is on the rise again, job seekers need to be aware of scammers taking advantage of the individuals who are still looking for work. Unsolicited emails or newspaper ads appeal to the unemployed by offering employment shopping at expensive stores and eating at nice restaurants. According to the Federal Trade Commission there are many scammers who offer jobs as mystery shoppers that may hurt those who believe they have found a great opportunity.

Some companies hire marketing research companies to evaluate the services of their retail stores or restaurant. This entails hiring a person who poses to be a customer, but this person is actually evaluating their services. Usually the shopper is reimbursed for the cost of the service or product. These people who are hired typically work part time. The marketing research companies post these opportunities online.

Fraudulent mystery shopping promotions are using emails and newspaper ads to direct future victims to a website. This website asks the interested parties to “register” to become a mystery shopper – after paying a fee for information about the program. The fee sometimes claims to go to a certification, or to enter the victim into a directory of mystery shoppers. The registration often times also asks for personal information such as address, birth date, and credit card numbers.

The truth is that it is never necessary to pay in order to become a mystery shopper. These certifications do not exist, and the information obtained through the registration can be used to steal the victim’s identification. When the target realizes they have been scammed and attempts to get a refund they find themselves out of luck. The business will not return phone calls, and when they do they make another attempt to scam more money.

InstantPeopleFinder.com reminds consumers to be skeptical of employment opportunities that come unsolicited via email or newspaper and suggests the unemployed to educate themselves before applying for a job that sounds too good to be true.. Do not pay a fee for a job, and be wary of those that ask for a certification to be hired. Use InstantPeopleFinder.com to search public records and information from the “company” to verify their legitimacy. Simply enter the information about the company applied for, the contact at the company, and any other relevant facts. When encountering a mystery shopping scam, be sure to file a complaint with your local consumer protection agency.

3 Techniques to Make Your Resume Stand Out

There’s nothing like adding distinctive talents to your resume to help you stand out from the other candidates sitting in the same stack of resumes.  But how do you find those skills that prove you’re unique?  And how do you choose which ones to list?  Here are some tips to help you decide:

1. Look to Your Hobbies

You may be surprised to discover that your hobbies are a great place to begin looking for some of your unique abilities.  Very often, dedication to your passion transfers easily to a job.  For instance, if you’re a part-time dance instructor, this proficiency could showcase your ability to lead others in a work environment.

2. Think About Your Volunteer Efforts

The same goes for your volunteer efforts.  If you spend time building houses for Habitat for Humanity, you not only bring dedication to the table—in the eyes of an employer, you come with a big heart—something a hiring manager just might be looking for.

3. Ask Your Friends and Family

Your friends and family may also be able to give you some insight into areas of expertise you’ve forgotten about.  For example, your old roommate could remind you that while you were in college you volunteered briefly for a teen hotline.  And although the stint may not have been a long one, it shows your compassion and could push you over the hump—depending on the employer.

You are a matchless person who brings plenty to the table as a job candidate.  Show off those irreplaceable skills that make you stand out from the dozens of other candidates competing for the same opportunity.

 

Guest post from Jessica Hernandez .

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Pomp and Circumstance – and Welcome to the World of Work

It’s a time for joy – A time for tears – A time we’ll treasure – Through the years – We’ll remember always Graduation Day (song- JAN-1991)

Congratulations on attaining your degree! A special time and a proud accomplishment — You did it! You’re finished! With school that is – now it’s time to do some learning about the survival techniques in the “World of Work” in a competitive environment. Are you ready to take the next steps?

Hopefully you have a good resume prepared, if not, that will be your first priority! Need help? Many colleges have career centers that are willing to help you with your resume, but if you don’t have that option try the “resume help” of the top job search engines or find a resume expert on Linkedin/Facebook.” The aim of this resume is to create enough interest to garner you an invite for a job interview.

Start by doing research on job postings and companies that may interest you. There are several good job search websites available to assist you in your search and they may give you ideas on places to connect with people in your field of interest. Once your resume is polished the next challenge of course will be getting that resume out to the right people. This may require some new techniques for you and will become your new “job search homework assignment”. Find the sites that interest you and submit or post your resume there.

Scouting through the want ads is important to create your own “wish list” of the type of job you want and a summary of what’s important to you. While times are tougher than ever for new grads, ideally, you will want to find a match with your goals and values. The goal of this step is to find a win-win situation for your first job. This will happen when you find a job in an area you excel in. That way your employer gets an enthusiastic “new grad” ready to get out and make a difference, and you will be motivated by what you’re doing and at the same time be gaining valuable experience to advance in your career.

Now, getting the resume to the correct sources will also require you to use some networking techniques. Networking, both social media and person-to-person will be essential if you want to get the word out that you are looking for a job or are interested in a certain type of position. Both online activity and the in-person networking with people you know and their contacts are extremely important to your success in this difficult environment, so please don’t only rely on one source. Working every possible contact and opportunity to connect is the target you are aiming for here.

The next step, once you are starting to get some interest from employers, is to start preparing yourself to go out there and sell yourself. If you’re not getting any interest then go back to the first step. This may be a signal that you are not highlighting your knowledge and skills in the best light, which is always difficult for people entering the workforce. The goal here is to summarize what you’ve done so far and to attract interest from someone who wants to know more about you as a possible candidate for a job.

If you are starting to get invited to interviews you will want to be prepared! The time to start your preparation is best done before you are invited, not the night before the interview. Planning ahead will make you feel more confident. With more confidence you will be more relaxed and you will have a better chance of connecting with the interviewer which is a main step in acing the interview.

Interviewing is a learned skill and as with every other skill you’ve ever learned – you have to learn techniques and then you will have to practice, practice, practice. One method to use to practice is to do a mock interview with someone – a friend, professional or a coach. Make sure the person you decide to get feedback from can be objective and is not reluctant to tell it like it is. Frankly, family members tend to be too gentle or too harsh in their feedback, so I recommend asking a professional person with interviewing experience for help with a practice run.

When you do get that call for the interview you may feel some anxiety about the process. It’s not unusual to feel nervous before and even during the interview. It is a new and uncomfortable situation and for many this may be the first time to interview. Everyone, even executives may feel nervous about the interview. Fear of rejection and judgment can create feeling of inadequacy. The best way to deal with these feelings is to change your thinking about the process. Begin to think of the interview as a two-way process. It’s like going on a date in some ways. You are going in to check them out, and at the same time they are checking you out. Think to yourself: “If it works – great! If not, there will be other opportunities.”

Remember, you bring a lot of what happens during the interview into the interview yourself. Let go of any anxiety and think of this as an opportunity for a great beginning! School is back in session – at least until those job offers come through for you. Good luck!!
================================

Guest Author: Carole Martin, The Interview Coach
Website: http://www.interviewcoach.com

The Interview Coach, Carole Martin, is a celebrated author, job coach, and speaker on the subject of interviewing and recruiting. Contributing writer at Monster.com and featured on talk radio. Carole is using her proven methods for coaching job seekers on competitive interviewing skills in technical and non-technical industries. Learn more at http://www.interviewcoach.com Carole has created a way for students to create their Job Winning Brand online at http://www.jobwinningbrand.com/JWBSC/

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College Grad, Job Bound, Late Summer Job Search Vol 2

“Doing the job right the first time gets the job done. Doing the job wrong 14 times gives you job security.” Author Unknown

Are those leaves I see falling off of the trees already? What? Summer is almost gone and you don’t have a job yet? Unless you want to start a neighborhood leaf blowing company as a side line, it’s time to get serious in your job search. This is the second in a series of posts to help you in your job search for your first full time job.

What comes first: First things first and this short list covers some of what you will need:

1. Resumes
2. References
3. Research
4. Cover Letters

Resumes:

• Entry Level Resumes – The first and most important thing you will need is a resume. Take your time with this as your ability to “get your foot in the door” is heavily dependent on the content and “look and feel” of your resume. There are so many choices these days. This resource, from Collegegrad.com, provides a list of links to help you get started (or to improve on what you already have).

• Resume-Resource.com – This is an excellent site and one of the best I’ve seen and it is definitely worth spending some time here. There are numerous articles and tips for almost every aspect of the Resume process (writing, cover letters, thank you letters, etc.) It provides:
  • A broad range of tips and articles
  • Sample Resumes for many careers / industries
  • Resume writing tips
  • Resume templates (for a fee)
  • Cover letter examples
  • Thank You Letter examples
  • Follow-ups

• Monster Career Advice – Monster offers resume, letters and some career advice. Not nearly as comprehensive as Resume-Resource.com and it looks like the bulk of services are fee based.

• eResumes.com – Another comprehensive site which offers a broad range of samples and advice. There are also quite a few recommendations for fee-based resume services. High level, this site provides:
  • Resume writing advice and examples (including a tutorial on writing your resume)
  • Sample cover letters
  • Numerous articles and advice including links to third party services

Next post will focus on References.

Good luck in your search.

 

Article Contributed By: CareerAlley

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

The Best Companies to Work for – Vol 16

“The nearest way to glory is to strive to be what you wish to be thought to be.” – Socrates

It’s still a tough job market out there, and although many companies reduced their workforce last year, many actually added jobs. While not every company on the Best Companies list added jobs, many did. Today’s list covers a broad range of companies, from health care to technology. Each of these companies had to earn their place on the list by providing a great working environment.

• Arnold & Porter – Based in Washington DC and number 65 on the list (and also on the Working Mother top 100 list), Arnold & Porter is a Law Firm that covers a broad range of industries. Their career site gives background on the Firm and has a dedicated search for Attorneys as well as a general search function. Their general search function returns jobs for legal secretaries and other support functions. There are special links for Associates, Summer Associates and London Trainee Solicitor. The Attorney search is based on practice.

• Stew Leonard’s – Ranked 64, this company owns supermarkets. Over 2,000 employees and 80 jobs lost last year, their main career page is very interesting. It almost looks like a family web page with pictures of employees across different events. Listed on the left-hand side of the page is information on the company (with various categories), a Current Openings link as well as a Apply Now link. Current Openings (well you can figure this out) is of course current openings. The Apply Now page allows you to register so that they have your information should a job opening that matches your experience become available.

• Southern Ohio Medical Center – Another medical related company on the list, SOMC is ranked 63 this year (up from 68 last year). Over 2,200 employees with 121 jobs added last year, SOMC’s career page is fairly simple. The main part of the page is taken up by an advanced job search function, with special links on the right for Apply online, How to Apply and company information. As with most company career sites, you can register on the site. There were 47 job opportunities when I checked their generic search.

• Kimley-Horn -Based in North Carolina, the company provides design and consulting services for landscape architecture, structural engineering, environmental, water resource, and aviation projects. Number 62 on the list (down from 35 last year), the company has just over 1,800 employees and lost over 300 jobs last year. The main careers page provides a company overview with links to Career Opportunities, College and Grad Students and Apply Online. You must select Apply Online to register for the site and upload your resume. There were more than 30 job opportunities when I checked the site.

• Brocade Communications Systems – The first year the list for this company that provides networking solutions (and ranked 61 in their first year on the list). Their careers page provides a brief overview of the company, followed by links for Job Search and adding a profile. They have almost 2,300 employees in the US and an amazing 806 jobs last year. There were 158 job opportunities when I checked the site.

Good luck in your search.

 

Article Contributed by CareerAlley

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

How Your Job Search Compares to the World of Dating

Have you ever thought about the similarities between your job search and dating? I had not, until I came across an article, which focused on this topic. Everything actually made sense; the rules for dating can be applied to your job search to help you find your ideal employer. Here are some good tips to use.

-Don’t be afraid of rejection- This is a fact of life. You may have to pursue several job opportunities and hear “no” before someone finally says “yes”.

-Don’t use the same old line- If you are interested in someone, you might try to woo him or her with a good pick-up line. In a similar way, your cover letter should capture the interest of the reader enough to view you as an attractive candidate for a job.

-Don’t be a stalker- After meeting someone you want to date and exchanging contact information, you will probably follow up with him or her. The same is true when meeting a contact (say a recruiter) about a job opportunity. However, like a potential date, you don’t want a recruiter to think you’re obsessed with him or her. Follow up with a call or an email as a reminder of your interest in the position.

For other tips to apply to your job search, see the source below.

Hopefully, these tips will assist you in finding your ideal match in your professional life, as well as your personal life.

-Source-
The Career News

 

By: William Frierson is a staff writer for CollegeRecruiter.com.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.