Comments on: One Way to Help the “Lost Generation”

By: liushujuan

liushujuan — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:45:19 +0000

Like many of my friends I’m considering getting a job in a service industry — waitressing, etc. — just to pay the bills. I fear for the future of industries who aren’t working with recent grads. By the time the economy picks up, 2008/09/10 grads will not have the work experience they should and may be unable to compete with people fresh out of school.

By: What to do When You Lose Your Job: 100 Tips and Resources

What to do When You Lose Your Job: 100 Tips and Resources — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:12:18 +0000

[...] here are a few unemployment tips from Keppie Careers you can use when starting your job hunt. 62. Gen Y Career & Workplace Expert Lindsey Pollak – Offers career tips for the “Lost Generation” who came of serious job age during [...]

By: Lindsey Pollak

Lindsey Pollak — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:09:20 +0000

@Dr. G – That sounds like a smart, mutually beneficial arrangement. Thanks for sharing.

Lindsey

By: Dr. G

Dr. G — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:16:53 +0000

I run a start up and we’re starting to implement the idea of virtual interns. We advertise for part – time interns (mainly university students) who are prepared to give us an hour a week of their time to work on agreed projects. In return, we help them to identify the skills they’re building, will help them to rewrite their CV’s and provide them with a reference. So, a win/win.

By: Lindsey Pollak

Lindsey Pollak — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:48:37 +0000

@Lianne – Thanks so much for sharing your story. Good luck and hang in there!

Lindsey

By: Lianne

Lianne — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:30:26 +0000

This is great to read. As a 2009 graduate, I now have two internships – one paid (though very little), one not. They both offer me great experience and contacts and I feel lucky to have them (especially the paid one), but the fact that I work almost full time and finish each week with a little over a hundred dollars is disheartening, to say the least. I can only hope they will benefit me directly and quickly, whether through a job at one of the companies or through the contacts Ive made. I hope companies hear your advice, because while I know recent graduates will always be willing to work for free for a time when the internship is right, it is certainly a tough and depressing step to take out of college.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:53:47 +0000

The problem with interning at smaller companies, Dr. G, is that they have less credibility on a resume than big companies. Although you may have a richer experience interning for “Joe Schmoe” Asset Management, it will be far easier getting job interviews with “Goldman Sachs” Asset Management on your resume. Also, big companies are more likely to hire their interns afterwords because they have so many more jobs to fill than small companies. In the end, the goal is not just to learn, but to get a job. Nobody wants to be an intern forever.

By: Dr. G

Dr. G — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:07:04 +0000

I own a start – up and have recently recruited a paid graduate and we were approached by a young French intern. She’s with us for 3 months and we can only afford to pay her travel costs. While I agree that interns can easily be (and are) exploited, in our case, the intern will go back to her course with a huge amount of experience from a short period of time. I suggest that interns try to find roles with smaller, more entrepreneurial companies. In my view these are environments in which more is expected and therefore more useful skills and experience gained

By: Lindsey Pollak

Lindsey Pollak — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:08:45 +0000

@Genevieve, @Bobby and @Zoe – thanks for your comments and adding to the conversation!

Lindsey

By: Lindsey Pollak

Lindsey Pollak — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:45:36 +0000

@John – not sure what you mean. Can you clarify your comment?
Thanks,
Lindsey