On MyPath.com: An Interview with Two College Career Services Professionals
Posted in Career Advice First Job Out of College International Careers Recommended Resources on February 4, 2010 at 6:00 am
What are the major hiring trends on campus this year? What are the best strategies for finding an entry-level job? What are the biggest mistakes students make in the job search process?
To answer these questions and more, I spoke with with Trudy Steinfeld, Executive Director of the Wasserman Center for Career Development at New York University, and Manny Contomanolis, Associate Vice President and Director of Co-op and Career Services at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear top tips from two of the best career services professionals in the country!
Listen to the podcast interview now.
Tags: Career Advice, career services, jobs
On MyPath.com: Job Opportunities with Women-Owned Businesses
Posted in Career Advice Job Hunting Recommended Resources Women on January 28, 2010 at 9:09 am
I recently came across a study by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute predicting that about one-third of new jobs created over the next eight years will be at small businesses owned by women.
As a woman small business owner myself, I was really intrigued by this news. It also reminded me that many students and young professionals miss out on great opportunities because they overlook the potential to get a job at a (man- or woman-owned) small business.
In this week’s podcast, I share my thoughts on the opportunities available in small businesses, how to find these opportunities and the pros and cons of working for a smaller organization.
As always, I look forward to your feedback and comments!
Tags: career, job search, MyPath
On MyPath.com: 5 High-Impact Career Habits
Posted in Career Advice First Job Out of College on January 25, 2010 at 8:00 am
Exercise for 30 minutes a day. Sleep eight hours a night. Floss. Good habits are the building blocks of a healthy life.
The same goes for your career: small daily habits add up to big success. The earlier in your working life you develop smart daily practices, the easier they will be to maintain and the more overall impact they’ll have.
Here are 5 important career habits to cultivate:
1. Keep up with the news. We live in the Information Age, so there’s no excuse for not being informed. Whether you read a news site every morning, watch the headlines on TV or subscribe to a major news outlet’s e-newsletter, you have to know what’s happening in the world. Pay particular attention to any articles relating to your profession. This will give you topics to discuss at networking events, articles to discuss on Twitter and LinkedIn and a base of knowledge to apply to your current and future career decisions. I landed my first job at WorkingWoman.com because I learned about the site from an article in a news magazine!
2. Share. You know those little “Share” icons that appear next to almost every video and blog post these days? Imagine that “Share” button everywhere you look. One of the best ways to maintain a strong professional network is to share articles, job leads, book recommendations, etc. with the people you know. For instance, if you read an article about grad school scholarships, forward it to your friend who is applying to PhD programs. If you come across a video of an interview with Bobby Flay, send the link to your former internship colleague who loves to barbecue. A small, kind, helpful gesture is a great way to keep in touch with people in an authentic, professional way.
Read the rest of this blog post on MyPath.com…
Image: eHow.com
Next 30/20 Vision Podcast: Wednesday, January 20th at 5:00pm EST
Posted in 30/20 Vision Future of Careers on January 19, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Join me and my fabulous co-hosts, Christine Hassler (author of The 20-Something Manifesto) and Alexandra Levit (author of New Year, New You), for our next 30/20 Vision podcast on Wednesday, January 20, at 5:00pm EST.
Our topic this month is The Future of Work: what it will look like and what that means for you.
On MyPath.com: An Interview with Financial Literacy Expert Manisha Thakor
Posted in Finances Generation Y Recommended Resources on January 14, 2010 at 8:30 am
Are you making smart money decisions in your 20s?
In my podcast this week for MyPath.com, I’m thrilled to present an interview with Manisha Thakor, financial literacy expert and co-author of two great books on personal finance, On My Own Two Feet and Get Financially Naked.
In this 15-minute segment, Manisha answers the questions on the minds of today’s college students and recent grads, such as:
- What are the most important financial steps to take in your 20s?
- What are the biggest mistakes to avoid in your 20s?
- How can college students make good decisions about how much student loan debt to take on?
- What are the best ways to save money and live on a budget?
- What are the important financial steps to take when starting a new job?
Don’t miss this essential information for you and your wallet! Listen to the podcast now.
New Year, New Guest Post: New Job, New You
Posted in 30/20 Vision Career Change Recommended Resources on January 4, 2010 at 11:27 am
Happy New Year, everyone! I love the freshness of the new year and look forward to sharing lots of great dialogue with you in 2010.
To start the year, I’m excited to share a guest post from my friend and 30/20 Vision podcast co-host, Alexandra Levit. She has just released a fantastic new book called New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career.
In addition to the tips below, Alexandra is offering some really cool giveaways, including a free teleconference, free coaching and free product offers. Don’t miss out on these great resources.
And now, over to Alexandra…
6 Tips for Landing Your Dream Job
By Alexandra Levit
As unattainable as a dream job might sound, with the right amount of forethought and preparation, you can make the move as well. Here are six tips to get you started:
1) Learn about yourself. Take time to do a self-assessment of your values, how you like to work, and what you’d be compelled to do even if you never got paid. Research careers and industries that map to your skills and interests. Hit the Internet, set up informational interviews, take relevant coursework, and arrange to go onsite at a company in your chosen field.
2) Don’t be deterred by a lack of experience. In developing a resume and other promotional materials for the field you want to pursue, think about how your current skills and talents apply to the responsibilities you’ll hold in the new job. For example, knowledge of project management, client relations, information technology, and sales will take you far in most types of careers. (more…)
On MyPath.com: 3 Ways to Make 2010 Your Best Career Year
Posted in Career Advice Job Hunting Life Advice Recommended Resources on December 21, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I’ve always loved new beginnings — the first day of a new month, the turning of a new season, even the sunrise of a new day (on the rare occasion I’m up early enough to see it). Of course there is no bigger new beginning than the turning of the calendar to January 1.
This year in particular, the New Year feels like a crucial fresh start. 2009 will go down in the books as one of the hardest years ever for job seekers, especially those looking for entry-level work. If you’ve had a tough time in 2009, or even if it’s been a great year for you, here are some tips for starting 2010 on a successful note.
Out With the Old. To make room for new things in your life (a great job, fresh ideas, more money, a strong network, etc.) you need to get rid of any clutter that is weighing you down. This might include critical people, a job that drains your energy, college junk piled in your closet or self-defeating thoughts like “I’ll never get a job in this economy.” For inspiration, check out two of my favorite resources on the topic of simplifying and decluttering: the Zen Habits Blog and Julie Morgenstern’s book, Shed Your Stuff, Change Your Life.
Set Quality (not Quantity) Goals. We all know that New Year’s resolutions are generally forgotten by February. So, instead of making a long list of “rules” for my year, I prefer to declare three to five big goals or priorities. I keep them in a little note file on my computer and on a little card pasted on the inside cover of the notebook I use every day. I peek at my list constantly to remind myself what my priorities are, how I want to spend my time and what opportunities I should not pursue. If you need help clarifying your goals, check out Your Best Year Yet! Ten Questions for Making the Next Twelve Months Your Most Successful Ever.
Read the rest of this blog post on my “College to Career” blog on MyPath.com…
On Green Careers: An Interview with Shari Aaron, co-author of Climb the Green Ladder
Posted in Career Advice Future of Careers Recommended Resources on December 10, 2009 at 12:36 am
As green careers continue to grow in popularity, I’m pleased to share an interview I conducted with Shari Aaron, co-author of Climb the Green Ladder: Make Your Company and Career More Sustainable.
Lindsey: For those who don’t know, what is social entrepreneurship and the “triple bottom line”?
Shari: Sustainability, corporate social responsibility, green, and triple bottom line are all terms that refer to doing business in a way that is more sustainable. These terms refer to taking into account the social, environmental and economic impacts of the way we do business — hence, not just a financial bottom line but a triple bottom line.
There has been a cultural shift in society’s expectations that businesses should work to protect the environment and its people. In fact, 95 percent of CEOs report that businesses must address the social and environmental pressures of society (McKinsey & Co., July 2007) and mounting evidence shows that employees will drive companies’ efforts to address sustainability (MIT Sloan Management Review, Sept 2009).
Social entrepreneurs work both inside of companies and in their own firms to help advance a triple bottom line approach to business and society. If you utilize entrepreneurial talents inside of a company, you can be referred to as a social intrapreneur. The success of social intrapreneurs lies not only in their passion for sustainability, but also in their ability to translate that passion into a great pitch, a solid business plan, and positive, measurable results.
Lindsey: Can you share some examples of sustainable businesses? (more…)
Winter is the New Summer…for Finding Internships
Posted in Career Advice Generation Y Internships Job Hunting Recommended Resources on December 3, 2009 at 6:00 am
This is a guest post from Lauren Porat, co-founder of UrbanInterns.com
As I was perusing the job listings on UrbanInterns.com today, I couldn’t help but note the following excerpts:
- “understand the inner workings of a start-up…”
- “24-hour turn around work during business days…”
- “As the business grows, I will be hiring [full-time]…”
Don’t all of the above sound like summer internships? Wrong. They’re all winter internships with small businesses.
Sure, it’s officially the holiday season, as verified by the number of 30% discounts that are sitting in my gmail account. But that’s the point — businesses are gearing up to finish the year strong, and they need extra sets of hands to help them do that.
So…what types of winter internships are out there? Social media, PR/marketing, blogging, and business development are the top areas we see people hiring for this winter. And this all makes perfect sense. An eMarketer report just came out indicating that small businesses are using social media to market their businesses even more than their big firm counterparts. (more…)
Some (Career/Workplace) Things I’m Grateful For
Posted in Future of Careers Recommended Resources Social Media on November 25, 2009 at 10:53 am
It’s no secret that 2009 has not been the easiest of years for most college students and young professionals; however, over the past year there have certainly been bright spots. Today, in honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share some of the positive trends I’ve noticed this year.
More resources to help students and recent grads. While we’ve lost some bloggers and websites this year, we’ve also welcomed many helpful new resources for young professionals. I’m particularly grateful for the resources I find myself recommending over and over again, such as UrbanInterns.com, LinkedIn’s Grad Guide and Twitter lists (check out my list of career/workplace experts to follow).
University career centers serving more alumni. Resources for more experienced job seekers are growing as well — and some of that growth is coming from college career centers, which traditionally only served students. Almost every career services professional I spoke with this year mentioned the influx of alumni calling for their help. One career director at an Ivy League university told me that, for the first time ever, they’ve added a dedicated staff person to service alumni.
I think this is a great thing: as people face more career changes and job hunts, they need more resources to turn to. While I do suspect that career centers will begin charging their alums (currently the vast majority serve alumni for free), I believe this trend is here to stay. Perhaps in the future university career services will become more of a lifelong resource rather than a one-time stopover. (more…)
