How Americans Can Help Bring Jobs Back to America

The high unemployment rate is here to stay unless consumers help to bring jobs back to America. If you think the overall unemployment rate of 9.8% is bad; wait until you break the numbers down across various American demographic groups. It gets worse.

This last unemployment report for November 2010 had really very little good news and all major worker groups saw an increase in their rates of unemployment. The unemployment rate among African Americans went up from 15.7% to 16%. Within that group, the unemployment rate for black men was up to 16.7% from 16.3% and for black women up to 13.1% from 12.7%. Whites saw an uptick of 0.1% from 8.8% to 8.9% and Latinos had a bigger jump, up 0.6% to 13.2%. Rates among American teens were overall at 20.9% for whites, down from 23.6% and an astounding 46.5% for African-Americans. This actually was down from 48% and 30% for Latinos, a 1.6% drop from the month before. The rate of underemployment which looks at the unemployed, marginally attached and those working part-time for economic reasons was unchanged at 17%.

I looked hard to find the bright side, but couldn't -especially when I know that many of the jobs lost in manufacturing and construction sectors are not coming back to the America. Not that I don't want them to come back or think they can't. I think some can; especially those in the manufacturing sector.

I think that until Americans really begin to take notice of what they consume and what they buy, there will not be enough pressure on politicians to do the right thing and impose tariffs that will make American made products more attractive.
The next time you are in your favorite coffee shop waiting to pick up your $4.50 latte, wander over to the shelves adorned with mugs and assorted tea-drinking or coffee paraphernalia. Where are they made? What percentage of them are made in America? 

I guess the question would be, what exactly is the reason that they can't be made in America? I suspect it has something to do with tax incentives to ship jobs overseas, lobbyists and politicians who really don't care what voters think.

Your Online Past Could Kill Your Job Search

If there was ever a testimonial about how an online persona can affect your future career, check out the questionaire that potential employees in the Obama administration have to complete.

Here are some sample questions that cut right to the chase:

“If you have ever sent an electronic communication, including but not limited to an email, text message or instant message, that could suggest a conflict of interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-elect if it were made public, please describe.”

“Please provide the URL address of any websites that feature you in either a personal or professional capacity (e.g. Facebook, My Space, etc.)”

“Please list, and, if readily available, provide a copy of each book, article, column, or publication (including but not limited to any posts or comments on blogs or other websites) you have authored, individually or with others. Please list all aliases or ‘handles’ you have used to communicate on the internet.”

Imagine if every employer started to do this? The Class of 2009 should be wise and start cleaning up that online persona now before it is too late.

Does it mean that you won't get hired with a compromised online persona? No it doesn't mean that. The key is to make a good faith effort to fix the issue.

One of the biggest challenges I see with college students is they don't know what their image might be online. When they do find out, sometimes it is hard to get the owner of the content to do the right thing.

One suggestion is to Google yourself periodically to see what kind of online persona you have and whether or not it could kill your future career.

30 Career Lessons from Barack Obama's Campaign

It's been almost a month since the Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, won enough electoral votes to become the 44th president of the United States of America.

At that time I wrote a list of 30 career lessons that I thought that everyone could learn from Barack Obama's campaign.

I thought about it a bit and decided that these lessons were important enough to share with my high school readers as well. It really is never too early to start thinking about long term career planning.

1. Set personal goals
2. Stay away from those who say “You Can’t”
3. Plan and prepare for the long haul
4. To land a meaningful job, prepare for a really tough interview
5. Keep improving through the job search and beyond
6. Develop a personal board of advisors for support
7. Surround yourself with a diverse group of people with diverse thoughts
8. Develop a backbone. Even successful careers can have disappointments
9. Think around, outside and under the box. The way forward may not necessarily be clear or straight ahead
10. Don't expect your career paths to be logical to everyone looking on
11. Don’t burn your bridges behind you. You may need a reference or two eventually
12. Be mindful of what your associations can say about who you are
13. You don’t need to have all the experience in the job description to apply
14. Job descriptions get rewritten all the time
15. Be open to the fact that you might be underestimated
16. Some people will like you for the job and some will not
17. Some will laugh behind your back when they find out you are applying for a certain job
18. The real work begins after you land the job
19. Know your competition and do not underestimate them
20. Think transferable skills. eg. What skills did I develop as a community organizer or PTA President that could be valuable when changing careers.
21. You may have to say things during an interview to impress your future boss
22. You have to build consensus to move ideas forward
23. Keep track of your accomplishments; no one else is obligated to do that for you
24. You may find people want to hang around you, just because you are successful – not because they care
25. Education and training mean something
26. Hard work and discipline pays off eventually
27. It is not a shame to strategically plan your career
28. Many people are not working in their college majors
29. The more people who support you and your ideas, the more successful you will be
30. You are always preparing for your next career opportunity, regardless of what you are doing.

Funding Education in a Tight Economy

I wrote about paying for college in a bad economy a few months ago and wanted to add a new resource from the Department of Education.

The guide is available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded in both PDF and HTML.

If you have questions or concerns about paying for school contact:
Federal Student Aid Information Center by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

CCA Calls on Students, Faculty and Staff to Vote

In a press release last week, the Career College Association (CCA) is encouraging civic participation from the students, faculty and staff from career education institution. There are over 1250 accredited, private postsecondary schools, institutes, colleges and universities that are member organizations of the CCA.

CCA member schools offer career education to almost 3 million students.

“Regardless of party affiliation, all agree this election is one of the most significant in modern times. Given the many challenges facing not just our sector but the nation at large, it is critical Americans vote into office leaders ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow,” said CEO of CCA, Harris Miller. “Active participation in the most fundamental of all political acts—voting--helps our sector steer a better course and could have a significant impact on what is expected to be a very close election a mere five weeks away.”

Paying for College When Banks have Stopped Student Loans

The credit crunch in the U.S. has forced many banks to curtail or discontinue their tuition loan business. In the past 12 months, 33 banks and lenders have permanently or temporarily closed their student loan businesses. Additionally, more than 100 lenders have cut back or eliminated their involvement with federally guaranteed student loan programs.

In the past 12 months, 33 banks and lenders have permanently or temporarily closed their student loan businesses. By March 2008, three of the banks that closed down funding were HSBC Bank USA, M&T Bank, and TCF Financial Corp that loaned more than $560 million of the $119.2 billion made in loans in the 2006 fiscal year.

Here are some of the things students have been doing to help fund college:
- Working more hours.
- Taking fewer classes therefore taking fewer loans.
- Apply for scholarships and grants.
- Families exploring PLUS loans.
- Some parents are taking home equity loans - provided they still have equity in their houses.
- Taking more classes for the same amount of money and graduate earlier.
- Finding less expensive schools and programs. Take classes at Community College and then transfer to four year schools.

Sources
- UPI.com
- Big Student Lenders Suspend Business

Rising Gas Prices Could Affect School in Rural America

How will the rising cost of gasoline affect students in community college and vocational training programs?

Vocational students, just like the rest of us, are going to be making serious choices about habits, especially where a commute is involved. Enrollment at some rural schools, community colleges and Vo-Tech programs might be affected this fall.

"Every time you fill the truck up, it costs $10 more a week than it did a year ago...That's $10 that's not being spent somewhere else," says Paul Kraft, at the University of New Mexico at Gallup, a two-year institution in the remote high desert. (Source - Chronicle of Higher Education)

Some tips to help vocational students manage the commuting crisis this fall:

- Car pool if possible. Visit the career placement office to find out about other students who want to car pool.
- Look at class schedules with longer days like a full Tuesday/Thursday or Monday/Wednesday/Friday options.
- Definitely take online classes.

Paying for College in a Tough Economy

Both students and parents are worrying about the availability of student loans for college this fall as the crisis in the financial sector begins to affect education loans.

One way the US Congress is addressing this is by announcing that the federal government plans to now purchase and invest in education loans. The hope is that this will give confidence to lenders, allowing them to make new loans for vocational training and higher education. The solution on the table from congress is for one year only and there are no long term solutions being considered right now.

In the 2007 – 08 year, the federal government made or guaranteed almost $110 billion in student loans including Stafford loans for undergraduate college students and PLUS loans for parents or graduate students.

If you don't have a private education fund that you can tap and funding your vocational training or career education program is a challenge for you, consider exploring the following:

- Research or ask about and apply for scholarships. Do not just look to your vocational school for scholarships since there may be opportunities they don't know about. A student in a vocational training program recently told me about a scholarship program sponsored by the property management company that oversees the apartment complex where she lives.

- If you participated in special clubs or activities in high school, there may be private scholarships available, if you choose to continue the activity in school. Music and art teachers are a great source of private scholarship information from donors or even alumni.

- If you were not thinking about working, think about it now. Although 300,000 jobs have been lost this year, and the US is flirting with a recession, there are still part-time job opportunities available. These might be even more popular when employers want to keep costs low and do not want to higher full time employees.

- Consider a public or state funded vocational program rather than a private school. Tuition is definitely lower for in state students. If your goal is to compete a 4-year degree at a later time, completing 2 years at community college will save you a lot of money and give you a lot of transferable credits.

- Negotiate full or partial tuition reimbursement with your current employer. Many companies will support the cost of additional education and relevant training if they see your education as an asset to the company.

A Real Washington Internship Story

Do you know who Huma Abedin is? You do or you might. You just don't know you do.

Huma Abedin is Hillary Clinton's body person. You probably saw her during the presidential primaries always next to Senator Clinton. Essentially, as Senator Clinton's body person, Huma Abedin manages the Senator's event schedule and meets her every need at public events. New York Magazine says, "Huma Abedin, Hillary’s beautiful, enigmatic “body person,” spends nearly every waking minute with Hillary and so has the best sense of her daily rhythms and routines."

Abedin is known for her extraordinary ability to multitask and juggle several assignments without breaking a sweat.

Huma Abedin was born in Michigan, to an Indian father and Pakastani mother. She was raised in Saudia Arabia and attended George Washington University. Abedin applied to the Whitehouse Internship Program and became an intern in 1996. She impressed Senator Clinton once she landed an internship role in the First Lady's office. Her internship role has evolved into that of the personal "body person", available to meet the candidate's every need from water bottles to keeping the press at bay.

Want to apply for internship programs in Washington DC? Consider the following:

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Internship
This Internship program is open to college juniors and college seniors as well as new college graduates within 24 months after graduation. College interns must be interested in careers in performing arts, management and/or arts education. College interns will work 37.5 to 40 hours weekly for a twelve to fourteen week rotation. About 20 students are selected each semester for this prestigious internship program.

Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Psychology majors in approved APA and counseling psychology programs are eligible to apply for the internship program at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington DC. The deadline to apply for this internship program is November 1. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0, submit an application, 3 letters of recommendation and a formal statement from the program director supporting eligibility for the internship program.

Every year thousands of college interns spend time in Washington DC working and learning in a variety of internship programs. Not only do these paid internships and unpaid internships offer valuable work experience, the college interns get to build a network of contacts and mentors.

Abedin is one such college internship success story.

8 Major Hiring Trends for 2008

Every year Career Builder surveys thousands of employers to get a sense of hiring trends.

The 2008 survey was completed in November through December 2007.

Here are the 8 major hiring trends from the survey results: (Keep in mind that some of these general trends might be affected to some extent in our changing economy)

1. 56% of employers expect to increase salaries on initial offers to new hires and 80% of employers plan to increase salaries for existing employees in 2008.

2. Employers are looking more favorably at flexible schedules for workers. Sixty percent of employers currently offer flexible schedules and almost 40% plan to provide more such flexible work arrangements in 2008.

3. More employers are using the internet to screen candidates. Currently about 45% of employers use online tools like search engines and social networks to find information about candidates.

4. Older workers are postponing retirement and staying in the workplace longer. As new college grads, you will have to be prepared to be in the workplace with multiple generations at the same time.

5. Employers are expressing greater need for bilingual candidates. 48% state that in addition to English, Spanish is the most in demand language. Consider options for bilingual training early in your career.

6. 31% of employers surveyed expect to be working with more freelancers and contractors in 2008. This may actually increase if employees are reluctant to make full time hiring decisions in an uneasy economy.

7. One of every ten employers expect to offer more special perks and bonuses such as company cars, stock options and free childcare in 2008.

8. 26% of employers are likely to provide more promotions and career advancement opportunities in 2008. This is important since more than half of workers state that a company's ability to offer career advancement is a major asset when they look evaluate job offers.

Read more about the 2008 hiring trends from Career Builder!

Teen Unemployment Rate is 15.2%

Did you know that the unemployment rate for teenagers (15.2%) is 3 times larger than the overall unemployment rate (4.7%)?

You probably hear the 4.7% all the time, but rarely hear about the 15.2%.

As the economy closes in on a recession, high school students should pay closer attention to the unemployment rate, since it might have an impact on your summer job search.

The "Unemployment Rate" is the percentage of the U.S. labor force that is unemployed.

Here is how you find it:

It is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed individuals by labor force. The labor force is the sum of the number of people who are unemployed and the number of people who are employed.

Here are the latest unemployment numbers for February 2008.

Include all of the Labor Force 4.7%
Adult Men - 4.2%
Adult Women - 4.1%
Whites - 4.2%
Blacks/African Americans - 7.4%
Hispanics - 6.1%
Teenagers - 15.2%

Source - EconedLink

Virtual Career Fair for International Students in STEM Disciplines

In a recent press release the National Association of Colleges and Employers shared their response to the shortage of graduates from STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in the US. Their answer? A Virtual career fair for international students.

The virtual career fair is “designed to make it easier for employers and international students to find each other, so that talent and opportunity can come together in productive ways for candidates and organizations,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.

This virtual career fair will be open to:

1. U.S. employers with overseas operations who want to expand their global work force.

2. Global employers who are seeking candidates currently studying in the United States who wish to return to their home countries for internships or careers beyond graduation.

3. International employers with offices in the United States looking to hire candidates with international skills.

4. International students currently attending NACE-member colleges and universities in the United States who:
- Want to return to their home country for full-time or internship opportunities.
- Are currently pursuing one-year Optional Practical Training (OPT) and/or long-term opportunities in the United States.
- Are currently pursuing summer Curricular Practical Training (CPT) internships in the United States.

Employers will begin posting internships and job opportunities on January 22, 2008. The virtual career fair will open to students in February.

Mark your calendars and check for updates here!

Are You Watching the Presidential Campaign?

The news is that college students are engaged in this process this election cycle as they haven't before. This is a good thing since the current presidential campaign can have the following impact on your future career:

- The unemployment rate went up to 5% this past December. Is that an indicator of the job market for the Class of 2008 and 2009?
- How will the cost of healthcare impact your entry level career and entry level salaries?
- How can government affect or offset the rising costs of higher education?
- How will competition from China or off shoring jobs to Asia affect your job, major and career choices over the next few years?
- What does international security and instability mean for your career choices and options?
- What lessons are you learning about how bad behavior can follow you in this time of 24 hour media?

There is no shortage of questions and hopefully our college students are paying attention!

Sign up For Classes This Spring - It is Not Too Late

Franklin Covey completed their third annual New Year's Resolution survey recently.

Here are the results:

TOP 10 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2008

1. Get out of debt or save money
2. Lose weight
3. Develop a healthy habit (e.g., exercise or healthy eating)
4. Get organized
5. Develop a new skill or talent
6. Spend more time with family and friends
7. Other
8. Work less, play more
9. Break an unhealthy habit (e.g., smoking, alcohol, overeating)
10. Change employment

If you have been considering registering in a vocational training or career education program, now is the time to do it.

Many career education or vocational training programs have rolling enrollment. This means that you can apply at any time.

Since these schools are typically smaller with smaller incoming classes, it might be possible to go through the entire enrollment process in a short time. Many schools will work with you to get all formal transcripts and other documents in before or immediately after classes begin.

If you want to change your life and take advantage of more job opportunities, get into a training program this spring. It is not too late!

Take a look at the 30-Day Path to Greater Career Satisfaction through November 2007 posts.