College to Career: Your Guide to Starting Out

RE: 10 Great Career Books for Young Professionals

lindsey-p-0193 — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:59:07 GMT

Dana - Thanks for the recommendation. I hadn't heard of that book, but I will check it out!

Lindsey

RE: 10 Great Career Books for Young Professionals

dana-b-3600 — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 14:43:17 GMT

I got a lot of great insight from a new book "A Better Way to Make a Living...and A Life". It has a really good perspective to consider when starting a career!

RE: Top 5 Recruiter Pet Peeves REVEALED!

lindsey-p-0193 — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:51:39 GMT

Jill - great suggestion. Candidates can anticipate most of the questions an interviewer will ask, so there is no excuse for not thinking about what you will say.

Lindsey

RE: Top 5 Recruiter Pet Peeves REVEALED!

lindsey-p-0193 — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:50:08 GMT

Becky - that's a great addition, thanks! I've heard that too. I don't mind if students get to an interview location super early (which is always better than being late), but DON'T GO INSIDE! Wait in the car or walk around the block!

Lindsey

RE: Top 5 Recruiter Pet Peeves REVEALED!

jill-b-2019 — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:37:08 GMT

Lindsey,

Great list. I would also add the preparation for the most common interview questions. I recently interviewed someone who couldn't tell me what she really enjoyed doing for work. Basically, she didn't care--just wanted a job. I understand there are many people today who are out of work and are willing to do various jobs to make ends meet. That didn't come through with her.

Instead, when I asked the candidate, "If you could design any job--taking job title out of it--what would the job entail? What types of responsibilities and work would you want?"

she responded, "I want my own desk and computer. It would be really nice to have access to my own phone too."

Really? That's the best she could come up? I thought maybe she didn't understand the question so I restated it a bit differently. Nope. Same answer.

Job seekers, whether it's an interim position or your long-term career goal, make sure you're putting your best foot forward and can talk about what you really enjoy and what you're looking to get out of your work--other than the paycheck and a computer.

RE: Top 5 Recruiter Pet Peeves REVEALED!

becky-b-3863 — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:51:10 GMT

Hi Lindsey!

I had to show this to a recruiter friend of mine because I've heard similar complaints across the board. She instantly said, "I would add showing up for interviews WAY too early. I schedule things for a reason, and I don't have time to figure out what to do with you because you showed up a half hour or 45 minutes early. I already work 60-70 hours a week and am looking for more efficiencies so I can decrease this amount."

Definitely something I never would have thought of!

RE: The Most Important Career Growth Tip

mark-j-1906 — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:57:08 GMT

On the subject of asking for help, people are often wary of doing this in the workplace - especially when they start a new job. On the one hand, they can't possibly be expected to know everything about the job/company but on the other hand they are perhaps worried that they will sound as if they don't know what they're doing. Plus, some people are just inherently shy when it comes to being introduced to lots of new people especially in such an intense environment as the workplace.

Possibly as well there has been an occasion when they have plucked up the courage to ask for help and have received a response such as "I'm too busy", "Don't you know how to do that?" or "It says how to do that in the instructions I gave you", thus resulting in a withdrawal from the trust bank.

Any advice for overcoming those reservations, Lindsey?

RE: New Research on Millennials and the Great Recession

lindsey-p-0193 — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:30:24 GMT

Hi Amy,

Thanks for the comment. I think we'll start to see more variation in higher education as traditional 4-year degrees become too expensive and time-consuming and as technology makes other options more appealing. I suspect we'll see more 3-year degree programs (The New York Times just printed an op-ed recommending this) and more acceptance of online degrees. I also think we should see more specialized degrees for specific industries that require training, but not a traditional bachelor's degree.

What do you think?

Lindsey

RE: New Research on Millennials and the Great Recession

amy-b-2047 — Fri, 21 May 2010 00:17:13 GMT

The higher education point is really intriguing. Given the growing sentiment that traditional four-year colleges are losing their relevance, do you expect alternative types of higher ed to take their place? Do you think the bachelor's degree will lose ground as a valued credential to more specific forms of certification? How do you think this will play out?

RE: 10 Great Career Books for Young Professionals

lindsey-p-0193 — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:47:32 GMT

Becky,

Glad you've read some of these books and will check out the others. Let us know if you have some favorites that are not on this list!

Lindsey