The Top Blogger

One of the key elements in college and professional life is the ability to communicate, both orally and in written form. As an English teacher in high school, I have noticed that a majority of my students still struggle with effective communication , even after 4 years of English classes. We have superior talent among our teachers, so the cause cannot be found in instruction. Some experts suggest that this new generation has replaced reading with watching television and playing video games, thus depriving the students of much needed vocabulary. Others point to the disappearance of Latin and Greek as subjects in instruction. Whatever the reason, many high school teens may suffer a severe handicap when approaching the job market and/or college.

For years, the hallmark of a good job has been that you do that job Monday through Friday from 9 to 5.  That standard, however, has been changing dramatically in the past decade.  Whether it is telecommuting or adjusted and part time workweeks, the 9 to 5 job is no longer a requirement.  For those who are either in college, just out of college, or returning for graduate work, this is great news.

An increasingly common tactic being used by hirers and Human Resources departments is the telephone interview .  The phone interview allows the person to determine relatively quickly whether or not this person is worth an interview in person.  

If you ask a lot of college students or recent graduates about what kind of career they want to have, you’ll likely get a pretty vague and nebulous response.  “I want to be a teacher,” or “I want to start my own business,” will be the types of answers you’ll get.  

The regular trend for a student of the sciences is to toil through their undergrad and graduate studies before beginning doctoral work that will lead, hopefully, to a full time research or university position, but that trend has been shaken up a bit in the past few years. 

The summary statement on a resume is usually used in place of an objective, although both can be used.  The objective is used to convey to an employer what you want to accomplish in the job.  The summary statement is exactly what it sounds like, a summary of who you are and what you can do.  We’ll start with a few guidelines and then work on writing your statement.

For a lot of college students, having a regular part time job isn’t all that great of an option.  There is studying to be done and essays that need to be written.  Luckily for those people, there are a number of seasonal work opportunities (other than the summer) where you can make some money without hurting your study time.

The economy isn’t in a good spot right now, and that means that the job market isn’t either.  Now more than ever, it is incredibly important that you keep you network of business contacts current and up to date.  If you already have a good job, then be aware that it may not last and prepare for that eventuality.  If you are looking for a job, then you’re going to run into a whole different set of problems.

With the current state of the economy, it is becoming very difficult to find jobs in some professions.  Also, the jobs that are available in those professions are usually being snatched up by the most experienced people, meaning that the recent college graduate is a bit out of luck.  

Yes, you’ve heard this before:  advice like “look sharp for your interview”, “wear appropriate clothing”, etc.  The reason that these pearls of wisdom need repeating is that the job market is increasingly competitive, especially in the current economic climate.