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December 2008 Entries




Staying positive in the economic crisis

This article from Fast Company provides a different perspective to what we are experiencing with the economy.

 

Two Cheers for the Four-Day Workweek

| posted by Anya Kamenetz

 

In the downturn, more companies are cutting labor costs without layoffs by scaling back the amount of time their employees work: four-day workweeks, unpaid vacation, and forced furloughs.

Unlike the disappearance of 401(k) contributions, this development has a silver lining. Environmentalists, feminists, and work-life balance advocates have been saying for decades that Americans' breakneck work schedule is bad for people and the planet.  There's a "Take Back Your Time Day" movement; Moms Rising, an advocacy group started by one of the founders of MoveOn, has as one of its principles "open and flexible work;" and the UN's Environment Program, in a major recent report on green jobs, concluded:

"In the future, not only do jobs need to be more green, their very essence may need to be redefined. A number of countries and companies have wrestled with proposals to reduce individuals' work time in order to share available work better among all those who desire work." 

For jobs that pay less than a living wage, going part-time is no boon. But for the middle class and above, more time off can be valuable in many ways. Families can save on child-care costs. We could use the time to shop for fresher produce and cook healthy meals rather than grab takeout, to bike or walk rather than drive, or even to exercise, lowering healthcare bills. We can strengthen social capital and community ties by shopping at local markets rather than one-stop big box stores and by volunteering. And of course, we'd have more time to spend with friends and family.

We're one of the few countries where the richest people actually have less leisure time than those on lower rungs of the ladder. If the merry-go-round were to slow down just a little, we'd have a chance to close the gap on inequality while improving the quality of life for more Americans.  Sounds pretty productive for a day off.

 

Source: Fast Company Magazine: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/anya-kamenetz/green-day/two-cheers-four-day-workweek

Posted by: Kelley Madden, Career Center Liaison, CVBMS

posted @ Monday, December 22, 2008 2:06 PM | Feedback (44) | Filed Under [ Economy ]


Don’t get duped by jobs that sound “too good to be true”
If you are job searching or even if you are not, you probably have received emails advertising work from home opportunities. There are plenty legitimate opportunities to work from home full or part time, but many of the jobs you hear of are scams. 
“Scam artists follow market trends better than most corporations do, and, when they see a strong movement toward a certain product, service, or desire, they move quickly to bilk unsuspecting consumers out of their hard-earned cash,” says Christine Durst, CEO of Staffcentrix, a training company that specializes in home-based jobs and telework.
“Our researchers screen between 4,500 and 5,000 work at home job leads every week,” explains Durst, “and currently, there is a 54-to-1 scam ratio. This means, that for every 55 leads they investigate; only one passes our legitimacy standards.”
The right opportunity could lead to a job you love with tons of flexibility. Getting involved with a scam could cost you lots of valuable time, money, or even land you in jail! Be careful out there!
Recognizing work-at-home scams
Christine Durst, founder of RatRaceRebellion.com, offers tips for spotting scams:
1. "Work at Home" appears in the ad header: "Work from home" is not a job title. If it appears in the ad header there's a good chance it's a come on - scammers can rarely resist including it in the header – it’s the bait of their “hook” as they fish for desperate people to reel in.
2. Claims that no experience is necessary and no resume is requested: In the “real world” all jobs require you do something so it stands to reason that a legitimate ad will tell you what it is you need to be able to do. In the world of scams, a person’s gullibility is far more important than their experience or skills.
3. Unbelievable pay! - make $5,000 a week working part time! Exaggerated claims of income are a sure sign of a scam.
4. The ad arrives as spam in your email. As if by a miracle, an ad for home-based work just landed in your email inbox. How could this man from Romania have known you were looking for home-based work? Miracles do happen, but not via SPAM. If you receive unsolicited job offers in your email it’s probably the result of a scammer having “harvested” your email address from another location frequented by people who are seeking work. Move it to your trash file without using the “remove me from this list” link you’re likely to find at the bottom of the page. These links are often used to confirm that your email address is active and using them can result in even more SPAM.
5. No Job Description: What exactly is the ad for? Most scams will give little or no description of the type of work you are supposed to be performing – not even an allusion to such. Real job listings will always tell you what they expect you to do for them.
6. Palm Trees, Mansions, Beaches & Bikinis:  If the ad you’re looking at features palm trees, a mansion, and a Ferrari, it’s probably a scam. Successful scammers often bag their prey by dangling enticing things in front of them – much like kidnappers do. “If you get into my car I’ll give you this candy bar.”
7. "Limited number of openings" in the subject line: "We are seeking 11 people to work from home!" Scammers use this tactic to build a sense of urgency in their prospective victims -- "If I don't act now, the opportunity may disappear."
 
Posted by
Chuck Hancock
CSU Career Center
 
References:
 
 
posted @ Wednesday, December 17, 2008 9:06 AM | Feedback (6) | Filed Under [ FYI Job/Internship Searching ]


For Students It’s Simple
 
These notes come from Phil Gardner’s presentation at MPACE in San Diego on recruiting trends for 2008 – 2009 December 10, 2008. His research can be found at Michigan State University web site www.ceri.msu.edu as he offers up some thoughts for students on the job market and what his research shows is important to employers and what students need to know as they immerse themselves into their job search.
How do you find sustainable/green industries companies? You can look for 100 fastest growing sustainable/environmental companies in a Google search. Most of these companies hire on an “as need” basis, however many are in a holding pattern right now due to funding resources issues (lack of) Longer term future there are many opportunities here. 
It is so important for a student to know their skills and how to articulate them to an employer. It doesn’t matter what your major is, what matters are your skills, your skill sets, experiences you have had on campus, volunteer services, leadership experiences and be able to explain these experiences, the competencies you have gained and be able to articulate these to an employer. 
Five skills that have been used in the first job are applied learning, writing efficiency, teamwork, applied learning and efficient workplace.
New skills that students now need for their first jobs are communicate orally, think analytically, acquire learning, evaluate alternatives, creative solutions, teamwork, leadership, utilize technology and group facilitators.
Critically important new competencies are:
  • Initiative - #1 again this year
  • Build working relationships – NETWORKING is what your professional life is all about
  • Analyze, evaluate and interpret data –this is the 1st NEW skill to make the list this year. YOUR quantative knowledge is the most important thing for the work place – read the book Ayres, Ian. Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-By-Number is the New Way to be Smart. Bantam to find out more about this area
  • Engage in continuous learning – employers want you to learn all the time
  • Communicate through justification and persuasion – communication skills are still critical
  • Plan and manage a project – this is the 2nd NEW skill to make the list this year – There is no syllabus, there are no rules – YOU FIGURE IT OUT! Liberal Arts students should be able to articulate this skill.
  • Create new knowledge – figure out NEW knowledge and how to use it in the workplace
  • Seek global understanding – employers need to have a global context and how our company might work in a global economy
Students need to be focused: know who you are and what you want
Students need a strategy – where are you going and how will you get there
Students need to be connected – how do you use alumni, friends and families – look at professional networking sites – Linked In with alumni and CSU groups – right now there are jobs on Linked In

Judy R. Brobst, M.Ed.
Career Center Liaison
College of Natural Sciences
posted @ Wednesday, December 10, 2008 3:52 PM | Feedback (5) | Filed Under [ FYI News Job/Internship Searching Economy ]