Bill offers tax incentive to college grads

Job incentive bill in North Dakota sparks interest

This post was written by Amy Dalrymple and was reprinted with permission from http://www.thedickinsonpress.com



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FARGO — A bill introduced by a former North Dakota State University student body president seeks to give college graduates an incentive to work in North Dakota.



The bill by Rep. Joe Heilman, R-Fargo, would give North Dakota residents who are paying off student loans a break on their state income taxes.



House Bill 1356 would let residents reduce their taxable income by the amount of student loan payments they made during the year, up to $2,000.



For example, a resident who earns $40,000 a year and pays $2,000 a year in student loan payments would be able to reduce the state taxable income to $38,000.



Based on preliminary estimates, residents would save about $50 per year, Heilman said.



“It doesn’t seem like much now, but it adds up over 10, 20 years,” Heilman said.



The bill does not restrict the tax benefit to graduates of North Dakota colleges and universities. Heilman said he also wanted to offer the incentive to people who attended college in another state and want to return to North Dakota.



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5 Job-Hunting Tips for New Grads

Helpful advice for today's job seekers

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It's almost that time of year again, when newly graduating seniors hit the job market in search of a paycheck. I don't know about you, but everything I know about job hunting I learned after college. Like how to network and write an effective resume, for example. So, to give you graduating seniors a leg up, I interviewed two career experts to uncover 5 ways for new grads to find a job faster. This is the stuff I wish they taught in school ...



1) Cast a wide net



"In a declining economy such as we face now, you have to expand your options. If you've looked only at large corporations, start looking at small businesses, non-profits, universities, government jobs -- a huge area of job growth -- and other types of employers," advises Lindsey Pollak, Author of "Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World." Often, jobs at smaller and non-profit organizations are harder to find, requiring more networking on your part. However, you'll face less competition from other job hunters who are not willing to put in the effort. So basically finding entry level jobs as a college grad becomes easier.



2) Persist without being a pest



Follow-up is one of the most important elements of any successful job search, especially for new grads lacking traditional experience. "'No' may really mean 'not right now,'" says Pollak. "Getting a job is often about timing, so stay on employers' radar screens. But instead of saying, 'Hi, I'm just calling to follow up,' try to add value in each communication, and only follow up once every two weeks or so." One way to add value is to use Google Alerts (Google.com/alerts) to stay current on industry news and trends. The service is free and emails you daily updates of the latest Google results (blogs, news, etc.) based on the topics you choose. Then, presto! You have a valid excuse to email or call employers about the relevant articles you find online.



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College students should prepare to secure jobs after graduation

Students spending time to prepping for the real world

This post was written by Jeremiah Yates and was reprinted with permission from http://thedaonline.com



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For many students, this semester will mark the end of their college years; no more late study nights or house parties.



Soon it will be time for job hunting and putting the thousands of dollars spent on higher education to good use.



This is easier said than done. The job market is very competitive, especially for recent college graduates.



Employers, for the most part, don't care about your education as much as they do experience. And too many college students have more experience at the beer pong table than they do in a real work environment.



Now is the time to expand as an adult and become a professional.



Don't think just having a degree will be the golden ticket for a white collar job. In an economy such as ours, businesses don't have the time or money to train new-hires. They want someone who can fill the slot with a smooth transition, allowing the business to operate as normal.



Many college graduates do not offer this type of transition. Some require a lot of attention and time to learn the business, whatever it may be.



In the period between graduation and landing a job, all college graduates are in the business of selling themselves. They have to show employers why they should take a chance on someone with little or no experience.



Although it isn't easy, it is possible to get a decent entry-level job out of college. You just have to be well-prepared and willing to sacrifice.



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Survey: College graduates unprepared for job interviews

College grads take time to reflect

This post was written by Becky Bruce and was reprinted with permission from http://www.ksl.com



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ALT LAKE CITY -- News flash to young job seekers: it's not OK to wear your flip-flops to a job interview.



A new survey of 100 firms found Generation "Text" doesn't understand key aspects of office etiquette -- especially when it comes to the job interview. For example, leaving in the nose ring, sporting flip-flops and even using words like "dude" with a prospective employer.



Carly Hazen, an executive recruiter for Prince, Perelson and Associates, says people in college get used to an abbreviated style of communication, encouraged by texting, Twitter and Facebook. But when it comes to writing your resume, 140 characters aren't appropriate.



"A lot of these individuals don't have the basic fundamentals on how to put together a well-written resume, a well-written cover letter, you know, proper interview attire," Hazen says. "They're a lot more casual in their attire, a lot more casual in their conversation style, a lot more casual in their follow-up for interviews."



The jobless rate is higher among job seekers aged 20 to 24, according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Labor Department. It's at 14 percent for that age group. It means there were 2.2 million people in that age group who were unemployed in November.



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Akhtaboot Goes Social with LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

Akhtaboot - the career network, announced the launch of a cutting-edge feature that is designed to enable jobseekers to import their LinkedIn profiles into Akhtaboot with just one click. By allowing users to fill out over 70% of the required fields on their Akhtaboot account with just one click, Akhtaboot takes one more step towards having the fastest signup process in the industry.

Adding more social features to the mix, Akhtaboot earlier this month unveiled a Facebook Application that allows its users to search for and apply to jobs directly from within Facebook. With the Akhtaboot Facebook Application, users interested in looking for jobs won’t have to leave the comfort of their Facebook profile to log into their Akhtaboot account to look for and apply to jobs.

In addition, Akhtaboot is engaged in building its Twitter following and actively tweeting jobs on behalf of its client companies in order to spread the word about jobs virally across the web.

Mohamad Haj Hasan, Head of Product Development and Co-founder of Akhtaboot, said:

“Akhtaboot understands the importance of the ever-growing influence of social media on the recruitment process. We are always looking for ways to be first movers, and we feel that our new changes have solidified our promise of being a true career network for the MENA region.”

The ever-expanding career network is set to expand its tentacles to reach its users wherever they are on the web by having a solid presence on the major social media portals in the Levant and GCC region.

5 Tips for Your First "Real" Job

Work isn't a routine, it's a lifestyle

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Great things to get out of a job whether you like what you’re doing or not…



1) Get involved in activities outside of work. Now that you are no longer in school and don’t have endless hours of homework, studying, and group projects to complete, you may find yourself with a lot of free time. Ideas for activities to keep you busy include alumni groups, local networking organizations, professional organizations related to your field, a second “fun” job, volunteer programs, or recreational sports leagues.



Being involved in something outside of work gives you something to look forward to in the evenings or on the weekends and is a great way to meet new people and expand your network. Whether you’re reconnecting with people at alumni events, earning extra money at a second job, or giving back to your community through a volunteer program, you will have the opportunity to share your time and talents with others outside of the workplace!



2) Keep learning and developing your talents through formal or informal education. If you have the opportunity to go back to school and earn an additional degree while working, take advantage of it! While many companies are cutting back on their tuition reimbursement programs, you may have to find other ways to continue learning. Attend meetings in your industry, participate in free webinars, network with experienced professionals in your field, and find a few blogs to read regularly that interest you. All of these are alternatives to traditional classroom training.



3) Put yourself out there. Being the “new” person, and possibly the youngest person in your company or department, can be tough and intimidating. But at the same time, you have a great opportunity to put yourself out there. Because you are inexperienced, it is more acceptable to make mistakes…as long as you learn from them. It is better to put an idea out there and get shot down than to not put the idea out there at all. Plus, getting shot down isn’t always a bad thing – it’s going to happen to you over and over again in any job you have, so you might as well get a taste of it when you are first starting out.



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