Twitter
View more presentations or Upload your own.
Twitter Presentation for Midwest ACE
My presentation is still uploading so hopefully it will be here soon!!
Thank you all so much for joining us today to learn about Twitter!!!
Jennifer Fisher
Thank you all so much for joining us today to learn about Twitter!!!
Jennifer Fisher
Thank you to The National Association of Legal Secretaries!
I had the opportunity to present information to The National Association of Legal Secretaries on Saturday and had a wonderful time!! You were all very interactive and made for a fun and entertaining presentation!! As I promised above is the link to my powerpoint slides. Please feel free to contact me if you would like any other information or if you have any questions about this topic!
Thank you again for allowing me to speak with your group on this facinating topic!!
Thank you again for allowing me to speak with your group on this facinating topic!!
Bad Market = Stressed Grads
I thought I would give you this link. CNN did a great interview with a young college student who blogs about graduates this year and the consensus is that this may be one of THE worst years ever to graduate.
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/05/12/class-of-2009-struggles-with-tough-job-market/
Really great blog and interview!!
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/05/12/class-of-2009-struggles-with-tough-job-market/
Really great blog and interview!!
Apathy Abounds - At least on our Campus
I'm not sure if other Career Services professionals (or parents) are seeing what we are seeing on our college campus but I have noticed a significant level of apathy in this years graduating seniors. Many either just started their job searches or are planning to take a few months off after they graduate and then start looking for something. I have talked to several seniors who just don't have a sense of urgency about their job search. I worry that they may be waiting too long to start based on the current economy.
Although the outlook for grads has gotten better, the opportunities out there for them are nothing like the last few years have been for grads. I think the last thing I read said that the average amount of time for a job search is anywhere from 9 to 12 months. CNN highlighted the fact that many of the jobs that are available are seeing record numbers of applicants. Apparently workers with a great deal of experience who are out of work are applying for entry level positions that used to be filled mainly by recent graduates. Experienced employees who have been laid off in this recession are now willing to work for wages that traditionally only appealed to younger people. Even teens are seeing a major decrease in the number of summer positions available to them.
What all this means is that we have gone from a virtual buffet of job openings for new graduates to a dog eat dog competitive fight for available positions. Remember how we talked about millennials expecting everything when they come into the workforce (flexible schedule, higher starting salary, lots of time off, insurance, etc.)? Well, I think those days (for now) may be gone. More seasoned workers are willing to come in and work for anything and they have more experience than the recent grads. I have mentioned it before in an early blog, but I really think Millennials will need to adjust their thinking about what they feel they are "entitled" to. If others are willing to take a job for less money and have more experience, it doesn't matter how much enthusiasm and fresh ideas you bring in.
The whole situation will be interesting to watch unfold. Already our office has decided to have workshops available to recent graduates this summer to match the timeline of their job searches. The reality may very well be a scary one but it is what it is.
So what can Millennials do to help themselves? Well step one is actually starting the job search now. Make sure your resume is free from errors and has an easy to read format. Know what you should be asking for in terms of salary and benefits (be realistic about this). Learn how to interview and sell yourself to a potential employer. BRAND YOURSELF ONLINE! That means make sure your facebook, myspace, and any other website with information out there about you is professional or at the very least not damning. Remember, we know recruiters and HR people are going to online searches more frequently to look up candidates. Make sure it doesn't hurt your chances. Stay positive (most HR people can spot someone who's jaded and angry a mile away). Use your network. That means talk to people at your school, do informational interviews, get to know where professionals hang out and go meet people there, get involved in professional organizations (in your area there are probably several). Most important, be smart and don't put this off. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. Finally, get some experience. Even if it means volunteering while you are looking for a job, it will still be professional experience that looks great on your resume and will help fill up gaps between graduation and your first "real" job.
If you're an employer, don't be afraid to look at Millennials as the future of your company even if they possess less experience than other more seasoned candidates. All of the negative things you have heard may be affecting your desire to hire new grads but the reality is they are your future. If they don't learn now the things they need to know in a work environment, in 5 years when the baby boomers really do retire, we'll be in a world of hurt because there really won't be enough people who are trained to take over.
Although the outlook for grads has gotten better, the opportunities out there for them are nothing like the last few years have been for grads. I think the last thing I read said that the average amount of time for a job search is anywhere from 9 to 12 months. CNN highlighted the fact that many of the jobs that are available are seeing record numbers of applicants. Apparently workers with a great deal of experience who are out of work are applying for entry level positions that used to be filled mainly by recent graduates. Experienced employees who have been laid off in this recession are now willing to work for wages that traditionally only appealed to younger people. Even teens are seeing a major decrease in the number of summer positions available to them.
What all this means is that we have gone from a virtual buffet of job openings for new graduates to a dog eat dog competitive fight for available positions. Remember how we talked about millennials expecting everything when they come into the workforce (flexible schedule, higher starting salary, lots of time off, insurance, etc.)? Well, I think those days (for now) may be gone. More seasoned workers are willing to come in and work for anything and they have more experience than the recent grads. I have mentioned it before in an early blog, but I really think Millennials will need to adjust their thinking about what they feel they are "entitled" to. If others are willing to take a job for less money and have more experience, it doesn't matter how much enthusiasm and fresh ideas you bring in.
The whole situation will be interesting to watch unfold. Already our office has decided to have workshops available to recent graduates this summer to match the timeline of their job searches. The reality may very well be a scary one but it is what it is.
So what can Millennials do to help themselves? Well step one is actually starting the job search now. Make sure your resume is free from errors and has an easy to read format. Know what you should be asking for in terms of salary and benefits (be realistic about this). Learn how to interview and sell yourself to a potential employer. BRAND YOURSELF ONLINE! That means make sure your facebook, myspace, and any other website with information out there about you is professional or at the very least not damning. Remember, we know recruiters and HR people are going to online searches more frequently to look up candidates. Make sure it doesn't hurt your chances. Stay positive (most HR people can spot someone who's jaded and angry a mile away). Use your network. That means talk to people at your school, do informational interviews, get to know where professionals hang out and go meet people there, get involved in professional organizations (in your area there are probably several). Most important, be smart and don't put this off. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. Finally, get some experience. Even if it means volunteering while you are looking for a job, it will still be professional experience that looks great on your resume and will help fill up gaps between graduation and your first "real" job.
If you're an employer, don't be afraid to look at Millennials as the future of your company even if they possess less experience than other more seasoned candidates. All of the negative things you have heard may be affecting your desire to hire new grads but the reality is they are your future. If they don't learn now the things they need to know in a work environment, in 5 years when the baby boomers really do retire, we'll be in a world of hurt because there really won't be enough people who are trained to take over.
Still thinking about the whole "manners" topic
A few months ago I wrote about whether or not Millennials lacked basic manners. I'm still thinking about that topic so I thought I would spend a little more time on it. I was having a conversation with one of my classmates this week and the subject came up about workplace etiquette. We concluded that people in a work environment sometimes just don't know how to act professionally. The same problems we had when we were in high school with cattiness, clicks, talking behind peoples back, and other childish behavior, still continue on into adulthood and into the workplace. What I found fascinating about this conversation is we concluded that it wasn't Millennials who were the problem. It was Babyboomers and Gen Xers who were the worst offenders. Imagine that...we blame Millennials and claim that they lack basic professionalism in the workplace and at times, we are worse than they are. Isn't that interesting.
One only need to turn on the news to see how far we have come in our willingness to screw other people to get ahead. People having their money stolen by "respectable" businessmen. Banks looking more at the bottom line than at their customers, and the full on "I care more about my pocketbook than I do this company's success" attitude that some CEO's seem to have. Why would we expect Millennials to know how to behave in the workplace when we don't even act professionally? So that begs the question...what is professional behavior?
I found one wonderful definition of professional behavior on the University of Chicago's website for medical students. Here is how they defined professional behavior (I have changed some of the wording to make it relevant for other environments)...
Integrity: Displays honesty in all situations and interactions; is able to identify information that is confidential and maintain its confidentiality.
Tolerance: Demonstrates ability to accept people and situations. Acknowledges his/her biases and does not allow them to affect personal interactions or contribute to threatening or harassing interactions with others.
Interpersonal relationships: Provides support and is empathetic in interactions with co-workers. Interacts effectively with "difficult individuals." Demonstrates respect for and complements the roles of other professionals. Is cooperative and earns respect.
Initiative: Independently identifies tasks to be performed and makes sure that tasks are completed satisfactorily. Performs duties promptly and efficiently. Is willing to spend additional time and to assume new responsibilities. Recognizes when help is required and when to ask for guidance.
Dependability: Completes tasks promptly and well. Arrives on time and actively participates in work activities. Follows through and is reliable.
Attitudes: Is actively concerned about others. Maintains a positive outlook toward others and toward assigned tasks. Recognizes and admits mistakes. Seeks and accepts feedback and uses it to improve performance.
Function under stress: Maintains professional composure and exhibits good personal and professional judgment in stressful situations. Identifies unprofessional conduct while recognizing the importance of maintaining professional behavior in the work setting, in spite of inappropriate action on the part of others.
Appearance: Displays appropriate professional appearance and is appropriately groomed.
What I find frustrating is, our best attempts to teach students professional behavior are completely undermined when they walk into many work environments and see behavior that is totally contradictory to what we try to teach them. They learn very quickly that how we teach them to act isn't the way everyone else is acting. Now maybe your reading this and thinking, "I'm totally professional. I would never think of acting unprofessionally at work." That may be true, but look around your office. I'm betting there are people there who do things that definitely are not professional.
Now my attempt here is not to chastise completely, but I do think we all have a LONG way to go before we can rest the blame for bad workplace behavior solely on the shoulders of Millennials who have recently entered the workplace. The truth is, Millennials don't seem to like that type of childish behavior. They want to work in teams and get along with their co-workers. They don't want to stab them in the back and climb over them to get ahead.
So here's the moral of the story and me standing on my soap box for just a moment...the workplace can at times be a very immature environment and that is not the Millennial generations fault. We have created this and we must clean it up. What happened to the manners WE learned as children. Respect those around you...if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all...and of course the grand-daddy of all the lessons we were taught, treat others the way you want to be treated!
Maybe it's time we re-learned how to behave at work and went back to the basics of treating people respectfully and with the kind of manners we should have learned as children!!
One only need to turn on the news to see how far we have come in our willingness to screw other people to get ahead. People having their money stolen by "respectable" businessmen. Banks looking more at the bottom line than at their customers, and the full on "I care more about my pocketbook than I do this company's success" attitude that some CEO's seem to have. Why would we expect Millennials to know how to behave in the workplace when we don't even act professionally? So that begs the question...what is professional behavior?
I found one wonderful definition of professional behavior on the University of Chicago's website for medical students. Here is how they defined professional behavior (I have changed some of the wording to make it relevant for other environments)...
Integrity: Displays honesty in all situations and interactions; is able to identify information that is confidential and maintain its confidentiality.
Tolerance: Demonstrates ability to accept people and situations. Acknowledges his/her biases and does not allow them to affect personal interactions or contribute to threatening or harassing interactions with others.
Interpersonal relationships: Provides support and is empathetic in interactions with co-workers. Interacts effectively with "difficult individuals." Demonstrates respect for and complements the roles of other professionals. Is cooperative and earns respect.
Initiative: Independently identifies tasks to be performed and makes sure that tasks are completed satisfactorily. Performs duties promptly and efficiently. Is willing to spend additional time and to assume new responsibilities. Recognizes when help is required and when to ask for guidance.
Dependability: Completes tasks promptly and well. Arrives on time and actively participates in work activities. Follows through and is reliable.
Attitudes: Is actively concerned about others. Maintains a positive outlook toward others and toward assigned tasks. Recognizes and admits mistakes. Seeks and accepts feedback and uses it to improve performance.
Function under stress: Maintains professional composure and exhibits good personal and professional judgment in stressful situations. Identifies unprofessional conduct while recognizing the importance of maintaining professional behavior in the work setting, in spite of inappropriate action on the part of others.
Appearance: Displays appropriate professional appearance and is appropriately groomed.
What I find frustrating is, our best attempts to teach students professional behavior are completely undermined when they walk into many work environments and see behavior that is totally contradictory to what we try to teach them. They learn very quickly that how we teach them to act isn't the way everyone else is acting. Now maybe your reading this and thinking, "I'm totally professional. I would never think of acting unprofessionally at work." That may be true, but look around your office. I'm betting there are people there who do things that definitely are not professional.
Now my attempt here is not to chastise completely, but I do think we all have a LONG way to go before we can rest the blame for bad workplace behavior solely on the shoulders of Millennials who have recently entered the workplace. The truth is, Millennials don't seem to like that type of childish behavior. They want to work in teams and get along with their co-workers. They don't want to stab them in the back and climb over them to get ahead.
So here's the moral of the story and me standing on my soap box for just a moment...the workplace can at times be a very immature environment and that is not the Millennial generations fault. We have created this and we must clean it up. What happened to the manners WE learned as children. Respect those around you...if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all...and of course the grand-daddy of all the lessons we were taught, treat others the way you want to be treated!
Maybe it's time we re-learned how to behave at work and went back to the basics of treating people respectfully and with the kind of manners we should have learned as children!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)