Health Care Bill Lets Graduates Stay on Parents' Plans

Health care bill brings good news for college graduates, at least for now

For graduating seniors without immediate plans for employment or further education, the scramble for health insurance is over. The sweeping health care reform bill, which was passed by Congress on March 21 and signed by President Obama on March 23, requires insurance companies to allow children to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until they turn 26, as long as their place of employment does not offer coverage.



Though elements of health insurance reform have different implementation dates that stretch until 2018 — the requirement that insurance companies accept customers with preexisting conditions goes into effect in 2014, for example — regulations requiring that insurance plans treat children up to 26 as eligible dependents goes into effect in September, six months after the bill’s signing.



For many seniors, this is a welcome change. Most students interviewed for this article said they are currently covered by their families’ insurance plans.



Meredith Bock ’10 said she plans to take advantage of the change after completing a one-year fellowship with Project 55, which connects graduating seniors and recent graduates with fellowships in the nonprofit sector, at the University of California, San Francisco Breast Care Center.



Bock will have health insurance from Project 55 but said she plans to stay on her mother’s insurance plan when she attends medical school after the fellowship.



Bock added that she thinks the changes might have the biggest impact on “the people who are going straight into the workforce, who might not be making very high pay at first.”



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Resumes: 5 Great Tips to Organize Your "Education" Section

Reprinted with permission from http://theessayexpert.com/



The first thing to know about your Education section is that it probably goes FIRST on your resume (after your header of course). Why? Because it’s what you’ve done most recently, so it is most relevant to your potential employer. (There may be limited exceptions to this rule for recent graduates who have an extensive and relevant work history. If you think you are one of those people, ask an expert for advice.)



The following are five useful tricks for organizing your Education section – so you pack in lots of information without taking up half the space on your resume:





1. What should the basic format be?



a. List your educational institutions in reverse chronological order, just as you do with your employment history.



b. The most important part of each school section is the name of the school you attended. Put it in bold and/or Small Caps, followed by the city and state. Use the same format you use for your employers.



c. Next put the degree you received. If you are anticipating a degree, write “Candidate for B.A,” “B.S. expected,” or “M.A. anticipated.” Fill in the appropriate degree of course.





2. Do I need a separate line for my GPA and for each of my honors?



If you need to save space, there is no need to put your GPA and honors all on separate lines. You can combine these onto one line, and you can even put them on the same line as your major. How you combine things will depend on how much room you have on other lines. Here are some possibilities:



a. BA in Political Science, cum laude, 2006 (GPA: 3.41)



b. Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, concentration in Psychology, May 2005



Major GPA: 3.73; Cumulative GPA: 3.68



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Your LinkedIn *Status Bar* - Tips for Job Seekers

Reprinted with permission from http://theessayexpert.com/



There are numerous ways to use your LinkedIn status bar effectively, but what if you’re looking for a job? What’s the best way to handle your status updates?



If you are a job seeker and want recruiters to find you on LinkedIn, you might fall into one of two categories:



1. You are currently employed. (In this situation, you might not want your employer to know that you’re looking for a job.)



2. You are currently unemployed. (In this situation, you do not want to sound desperate as you let the world know you are out of work and looking.)



If you are currently employed?



Never fear! Use your LinkedIn profile to make yourself stand out. Luckily for you, recruiters do not just browse the profiles of the unemployed. They have a time-honored tradition of finding not-completely-happily-employed people and enticing them to move elsewhere!



The good news for you? Your task is simple. Just write a great profile. Keep your status bar updated with interesting business news that will catch potential clients’ attention or make your boss know you’re doing a great job where you are. You will by default catch recruiters’ attention as they search through LinkedIn! The boss never has to know.



If you are currently unemployed?



Keep your language positive and engaging. Important note: You do NOT have to say anything in your status bar about looking for work! If you just attended a conference, or if you are studying the latest trends in your field, tell us that! Example:



… is ravenously reading up on Health Care reform debate and stimulus package issues.



This job seeker shows anyone who’s looking that she is keeping up to date on current issues in her field. She makes herself marketable that way.



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8 Stupid Interview Mistakes New Grads Make

Common sense interview mistakes? Not for new grads!

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This post was written by Julie O'Malley, a Content Writer and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) at PongoResume.com.





College graduates make many mistakes during job interviews due to lack of experience, but some things just stick out. Here are 8 common "stupid" interivew mistakes that college grads make during job interviews. Take some notes and learn!



1. Acting bored or cocky (69%)

This sounds familiar. We had someone interviewing at Pongo recently who seemed pretty good, but two or three people used the word "cocky" to describe the person's attitude. (Our managers, like those at many companies, solicit opinions from everybody who comes in contact with a job candidate, not just those in the interview room – hint, hint.) If you're a new grad, it's important to realize that you may have been the coolest kid on campus a few months ago, but today you’re an unproven beginner. A positive, respectful attitude is one way to set yourself apart. Confident = good. Cocky = bad.



2. Not dressing appropriately (65%)

Your interview attire, like your attitude, says a lot about whether you're serious about proving yourself, or just think you're entitled to the job because you're you. Your clothing should be clean, pressed, and modest. As they say in middle school, no visible boxers, bellies, or boobs.



3. Coming to the interview with no knowledge of the company (59%)

There's no excuse for not researching an organization that's considering hiring you. They have a web site; use it to learn what they do, who they are, what they specialize in. Google the executives' names (after all, they'll be Googling you; see #8, below).



4. Not turning off cell phones or electronic devices (57%)

Frankly, I'm surprised this isn’t No. 1. If you accidentally leave your phone on and it rings during the job interview, don't get flustered and start babbling, "OMG, I can't believe I did that!" Offer a brief, sincere apology, turn off the phone (without checking who it is), then carry on professionally as if nothing happened.



5. Not asking good questions during the interview (50%)

If you don't ask anything, you must not be interested. That's what the hiring manager will assume. This is a place where you supposedly want to spend most of your waking hours for the next couple years or more. You must want to know something. Besides, there are certain questions you should always ask.



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7 Ways to Stay Motivated During Your Job Search

Motivation is key for job seekers

Recruiters and employers have an uncanny ability to sniff out job seekers lacking motivation. If a job seeker cannot stay motivated during the job seeking process, believe me, a recruiter is going to know about it.



It is important to practice ways to stay motivated and focused during job searching. If a job seeker becomes despondent and lacks positivity when looking for a job, this impression will be communicated in your job application. Remember that even the most self assured job seeker has to continuously push themselves to stay motivated when job hunting. No matter how lengthy or quick it takes you to find a terrific job, every job seeker needs to stay motivated and inspired during this time. Imagine, after you have applied to several job vacancies and still have not heard anything, you are bound to become a little despondent. If you are about to embark on a job search or career change journey remember these simple tips to stay encouraged when looking for a new job.



Top Tips to Stay Motivated When Looking for New Job.



Schedule a Job Search Time Table.

The hardest part of the job search process is staying motivated in your current job. Many job seekers loose drive and focus once they have decided to look for a job. There is no guarantee on the length of time it will take to find a new job. In the mean time you will need to maintain you current roles and responsibilities with the company you are currently employed by. In order to do so Jobs.co.za recommends that you prepare a strict time schedule to stick to. By assigning a specific time in which to run your job searches will encourage a positive job search attitude. Not only will you have allocated time according to your time management schedule to job hunt, but you will also remain focused in your current role.



Set a Time Limit to Your Job Search Sessions.

Stay motivated during your job search by assigning a set time limit in which to process your job searches. It is one thing to leave no stone unturned when looking for a new job, but don't exhaust all of your resources in one sitting. Set a time limit in which to run job searches during for example an hour or two hours a day to run searches. It is not in quantity of job searches where you will find your dream job, but rather through quality job searches. Stay motivated and avoid job search burn out by running quality job searches during a focused time period.



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Akhtaboot Conducts the First Career Planning Lecture at King Saud University in Al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

As a step to fulfill the growing demand for online recruitment solutions in the Middle East, Akhtaboot - the career network - has expanded its operations to reach Jeddah and Al-Riyadh. Akhtaboot’s presence in the Saudi Market aims to provide both companies and job seekers with a higher level of onsite and local customer service. Akhtaboot’s offices in Saudi Arabia are run by Recruitment Consultants, HR and Marketing Specialists who are dedicated to provide an extraordinary variety of employment-related services for both job seekers and businesses of Jeddah and Al-Riyadh.

Akhtaboot has also continued its ongoing commitment to support the young graduates in Jeddah and Al-Riyadh through the Akhtaboot Cares Initiative, which is a comprehensive plan that was developed through partnerships with a number of third parties and educational institutions that aims to educate the young public on issues related to career planning, while creating awareness and readiness on different work-related issues.

As part of the “Akhtaboot Cares initiative”, Akhtaboot’s Area Manager, Dauod Abu Kasheh, along with one of Akhtaboot’s Recruitment Specialists, Atef Hajeer, have conducted their first lecture on career planning at Saudi Arabia’s oldest and most prestigious university, King Saud University, Al-Riyadh. The main focus of the lecture was to educate the attendees on the differences between a job and a career and the steps that they should follow in order to effectively plan their career. The interactive presentation was well received and feedback from the 150 attendees was overwhelmingly positive. One of the students commented: “God bless you, this is one of the most informative and inspiring lectures I have ever attended”.

More college grads needed, report says

DAYTON — The rate at which Americans complete college degrees falls far short of the nation’s needs and potential.



Currently, 36 percent of Ohio adults ages 25-34 hold an associate or bachelor’s degree, according to figures released Tuesday, March 2, by Complete College America.



According to labor market projections, by 2020, more than 60 percent of jobs will require a college education.



“States need to work harder and faster to educate enough college graduates in order for the country to be able to sustain the vitality that is necessary for local communities, and the economy that results from individuals with college degrees,” said Jamie Merisotis, president and chief executive of the Lumina Foundation for Education.



Lumina is one of five national education foundations announced Tuesday, March 2, to provide $12 million in multiyear support to Complete College America, a nonprofit organization that works with states to increase the number of young adults with college degrees.



The Gates, Ford and Kellogg Foundations and Carnegie Corporation also will provide support.



Ohio is one of 17 states that will form the Complete College America Alliance. The states will set annual degree goals, develop and implement action plans, and publicly report data on their progress.



The alliance will allow Ohio to compare numbers and share experiences and solutions with other states, said Rob Evans, spokesman for the Board of Regents.



States will not receive additional funding as part of the initiative, said Stan Jones, president of Complete College America.



“We’ve all made significant investments in state policy change, and investments in the last year or two in particular in increasing college completion,” Merisotis said regarding the foundations. “This helps to provide some focus for that through Complete College America.”





Source:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/more-college-grads-needed-report-says-576861.html



Reporter:

Dave Larsen has covered higher education for the Dayton Daily News since July 2008. He started at DDN in 1990 and previously has served as film critic and pop music critic. Dave graduated from the Boston University College of Communication. He lives near Tipp City with his family and is president of the Southwest Ohio "Kon-Tiki" chapter of the Fraternal Order of Moai.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danzen/ / CC BY 2.0

Resume Promiscuity and Its Hazards

Resume quality, not quantity!

A surprising number of job seekers think the key to getting hired is submitting a resume to as many job openings as possible. They may have no real qualifications for the job, and don't really know anything about the employer, but they apply anyway. And if there are multiple openings at one company? They apply to all of them! Quantity, not quality, baby!



This is what I like to call resume promiscuity, and like that other kind of promiscuity, it's pretty ineffective if your goal is a meaningful, long-term gig.



In fact, sending copies of your generic resume to 100 places is far less likely to get you an interview than sending 5 or 10 targeted resumes to employers you really want to work for (with job openings you're actually qualified to fill).



But that means you have to invest some time and effort before you apply. If you take these five steps (which, fortunately, most of your competition won't), you'll greatly increase your chance of getting called for an interview:



1. When you find an opening on a job board, do not just hit the APPLY button and send the resume you uploaded six months ago. Save the posting. Print it out.



2. Make note of the parts of the job description that caught your eye, and the ones that align well with your experience or education. Also, highlight the key requirements and any submission instructions. Those are the things you'll emphasize in your resume and cover letter.



3. Visit the employer's web site. Get a feel for what they do, how they communicate, what values they put forth, and what's been happening in their industry.



4. Look at the About Us page on their site. It may give you insights into the management team and the size and structure of the business.



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Top 100 Social Sites for Job Seekers

Whether you’re out of a job, a college student just starting out in the real world, or an old pro looking to make the switch to a new field, finding a great job opening in an economy where unemployment is skyrocketing is a tough task indeed. While finding a job may not always be easy, you can help pave the way to success by using some of the great job hunt tools and forums the web offers for those on the hunt for employment. Here you’ll find a list of 100 sites that let you connect with companies who are hiring, others in your field, and potential clients to help get your job search off the ground and your career back on track.



General



These sites cover a lot of ground when it comes to networking and finding a job, so they’re a great place to start.



1. Jobster: Sign up through this site to create a free career profile, allowing you to search for jobs and for employers to find you.

2. JobFox: JobFox is a bit like a dating site, but for jobs, not singles. Create a profile and it will match you up with the job listings you’re best suited for.

3. Monster: As one of the largest job sites on the web, Monster is a great place to start seeing what kind of work is out there.

4. CareerBuilder: Sign up with this site to create and share your resume, search for jobs, and get help and tips with your search.

5. Ning: With Ning, you can search for social networks that meet your interests or if you don’t find one, create your own.

6. FD Career: With this site you’ll create a profile, learn about companies, find helpful articles and join a lively community of professionals.

7. SimplyHired: This site lets you search for jobs from all over the web, then quickly and easily send your stored information to listings that you find interesting.

8. Beyond.com: Find loads of niche career communities on this site, as well as a powerful job search tool.

9. BrightCircles: Stay in touch with your coworkers and business connections using this social network.



10. Koda: Use this site to contact employers you’re interested in working with, look through listings and meet others looking for work.

11. Jobirn: This insider referral network helps give you a leg up in the job search by hooking you up with someone who can actually put in a good word for you and get you job interviews.

12. indeed: Search for jobs worldwide on this site and use it to share and store your work information.

13. Climber.com: If you’re already doing well at work, check out this website that will put you in touch with recruiters and companies looking to hire.



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4 Career Lessons from American Olympians

Lindsey Vonn: Don’t Stop When it Starts to Hurt



Lindsey Vonn is the first American woman to win a gold medal in the Olympic downhill skiing.



A contender in Torino in 2006, Vonn suffered a terrible crash that sent her to the hospital. She left with pain arching through her legs and back but still competed in five events. She didn’t win any medals in Torino, but the experience prepared her for Vancouver. Suffering a serious shin injury only weeks before the 2010 games, Vonn worked through the pain and roared down the mountain fast enough to win her the gold.



In your own career, you’re bound to encounter some icy patches. Sometimes you’ll be uncomfortable, your career will be inconvenient, you’ll be tired, you’ll be sick, you’ll be sick and tired. But like Vonn, sometimes you have to ignore the pain and put up with the hardship in order to achieve your ultimate career goals. Quitting is easy; fighting through discomfort is a lot harder. But usually, it’s worth it. Just ask Lindsey…



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Akhtaboot at The University of Jordan Job Fair

As part of Akhtaboot’s ongoing commitment to support the young Jordanian graduates-to-be in their quest to find the right job and plan their career path, Akhtaboot - the career network participated in The University of Jordan job fair which was held on Mar 4th in the Deanship of Student Affairs.

The University of Jordan provided Akhtaboot with 2 booths; one of which was dedicated for interviewing University students and graduates who are interested in finding a job at Akhtaboot, where they can gain excellent experience in a dynamic environment that promotes continuous career development and skill improvement. The other booth was devoted for free CV evaluation where two of Akhtaboot’s HR specialists advised students on how to best structure their CVs as well as highlighting common mistakes they should avoid when writing their CVs.

The CV Evaluation Booth was set as part of Akhtaboot’s CSR initiative “Akhtaboot Cares”, which is a comprehensive plan that was developed through partnerships with a number of third parties and educational institutions that aims to educate the young Jordanian public on issues related to career planning, while creating awareness and readiness on different career related issues.

Bullying is Not Over Yet!

Bullying is something we all hope not to have to deal with much beyond school days. Unfortunately, the bullies you tried to avoid at school will most probably grow up and follow you to the workplace. Adult bullying has become a common trend in both small and large organizations. Employees as well as managers should be able to easily distinguish between the various forms of bullying such as hostile communication, exclusion of certain employees, public humiliation, making some employees the target of particular jokes and using faulty language. In addition, employees who are being bullied should be able to handle the issue immediately; otherwise, it can result in high levels of stress, low self-esteem, lower productivity and possibly depression.

Most bullied employees simply choose to quit in order to escape the trouble and the stress, but why give bullies the victory when you can win the battle as well as preserve your job? While bullying obviously harms those directly targeted, it can also affect onlookers and ultimately lead to an unhealthy organizational culture. Akhtaboot will help you identify the main types of bullying behavior and the way to handle each one of them.

Chronic Bullying

This form of bullying is the meanest and cruelest of all as it is part of the individual’s nature and everyday behaviors. Chronic Bullies behave with an intention to harm and they have pleasure in torturing others. They usually target those who have low self-esteem levels.

How can employees survive a Chronic Bully and stop him from crossing the line? Humor is the ultimate solution. Using humor is the best way to disarm a bully. Telling a joke about yourself, will give the impression that you are not intimidated by the bully’s criticism and will help the bully let down his wall of insecurity. In general, when you make a bully feel that he’s an insider rather than the person who has to fight his way in, he becomes more approachable and easier to deal with.

Situational Bullying

This is the most common type of bullying and usually happens in specific situations such as, high stress levels at work, change, competition and conflict. In such situations, Situational bullies can turn on their colleagues through verbal abuse, intimidation and aggression. However, these acts are only temporary and tend to stop once the situational factors disappear or when they feel it is in their favor to do so. In fact, Situational Bullies can be very friendly when it comes to achieving their personal career goals.

When dealing with a Situational Bully, one of the common mistakes that you should avoid is to become defensive about the situation. Defending your actions through explaining why you did something signals weakness. Don’t argue with the bully as it will make him more hostile and will definitely blow things out of proportion. The Situational Bully tends to meet aggression with aggression. Instead, stay calm and keep the argument at a minimum. Again, the most useful piece of advice that you should follow in this regard, is to use humor to disseminate the situation.

Unaware Bullying

Some bullies might not be aware of their bullying behavior or the effects it might have on their colleagues. The Unaware Bully is someone who just happens to be in the mood for criticizing and commenting and is totally oblivious to what he is doing.

The best way to deal with Unaware Bullies is to ignore them because their bullying behavior is not intentional and most probably will not happen again. However, once the bullying behavior starts to reoccur, you must confront the bully and tackle the situation at once. A typical reaction of an Unaware Bully would be to become defensive as he might not be aware of his bullying behavior but most of them will stop and apologize.

If you have exhausted all your options and non of the above suggested solutions seemed to work, then you might be left with only one alternative and that is to communicate your problem to top management. Top managers have a huge responsibility towards keeping the work environment bully-free. They should be able to solve such situations immediately through creating a zero tolerance anti-bullying policy that details how employees should treat each other and the punishment that any employee will be subject to in case they mistreat one of their colleagues.

If your company is not supportive of making the changes that will help you feel less bullied, then maybe you should move on and find another Job. After all, if the corporate culture is one that won’t support and protect you from anti-productive bullying, do you really want to work there anyway? Well, maybe you do, for other reasons such as your compensation and the other people you work with. But if not, then it’s time you moved on. Just remember, bullies will always be there, in every industry and almost every company, so be prepared!

Facebook Job Hunting in 3 Steps

College grads are using Facebook day in and day out - but what they don't realize is that their favorite site can be turned into their favorite job search site as well. It seems natural for a college grad looking for an entry level job to use social media for job hunting, but many aren't doing it. The good news is job hunting on Facebook isn't as complicated as you might think. Take a look at these 3 simple steps for a facebook job search. If you have any ideas of your own please do leave a comment.



1) Design a Job Search Friendly Facebook Profile



When building your personal profile, strategically add and organize content with your job search in mind. You can include your resume or networking profile in the “notes” and “information” sections. You can add separate tabs for Slideshare and YouTube to showcase your professional media. You can connect Twitter to your status updates and refer to your expertise in your tweets. If you write a business related blog, you can share your posts with your Facebook friends via an RSS feed.



You also want to strategically exclude content from your profile, if you plan to use Facebook as a job search tool Remove any inappropriate photos and ensure that none of the public profile content is racy or inappropriate - this is even more important for college students.



After you create your job search friendly profile, go to the Privacy Settings area on Facebook and choose preferences that allow you to share the appropriate information with the public, and share the remaining information with just your Facebook friends.



Social network recruiters who leverage social media tools to search for (source) candidates to fill open positions actively use Facebook, so you want to be found. (A recent survey from Jobvite.com, stated that Facebook use among employers grew from 36 percent in 2008 to 59 percent in 2009.)



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