Employers plan to hire 17% more graduates from the class of 2007 than they got from the class of 2006, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. That would make this year the strongest job market since 2000-2001, the association says. More than half of the surveyed employers said they planned to increase hiring; only 5% planned a decrease. Salaries were forecast to rise 4.6%, according to another survey by the same group.For many seniors this is a sign of encouragement. Is this sentiment shared across campuses?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Job Offer(s): Strongest Market since 2000-2001
As second semester of college begins, seniors have more options for future jobs than in previous years. The Wall Street Journal's Career Journal reports that the "Class of '07 Gets Plenty Of Job Offers."
Friday, January 19, 2007
Learning for Life
Please add your comments!
The first column of 2nd semester from the Cornell Daily Sun published Jan. 19th.
It is at this time of the year, with the start of the semester inching closer, that I remember my addiction, the one that consumed me through the first three weeks of classes. For days, I pored over the course catalogue, dissecting descriptions and mapping my route to listen to lectures and amass syllabi. I was a professional course shopper.The first column of 2nd semester from the Cornell Daily Sun published Jan. 19th.
Reassuringly, I was not alone in my addiction. I learned my method of madness from an upperclassman and was joined by peers who saw both the beauty and curse of it. “Shopping for courses is a lot like dating before you are committed. You see something attractive, but when it doesn’t work out, you move on to the next class,” shares David Choi ‘04. Of course, there were students whose schedules were pre-set by their major, and they were content. Still, others who chose classes months before confidently stayed with them.
So, what turned me into a course shopping addict? It was not because I wanted a schedule with no Friday classes or courses that would give me an easy “A.” In fact, it was just the opposite. Over the course of four years, I knew I would be exposed to new subjects, brilliant minds, and unlimited resources. I wanted to learn as much as I could in the limited time I had — approximately 34 courses and 120 credits worth of it.....
Continue reading the column here: Learning for Life
Thursday, January 18, 2007
US News and World Report Columnist Contest - please vote for me!
US News and World Report has nominated "One Year Out" for its Best College Columnist Contest.
Cast your vote, through 1/23 at midnight, here:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/tools/papertrail/070109/best_college_paper_columnist.htm
Cast your vote, through 1/23 at midnight, here:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews
Thursday, January 11, 2007
To Be Rich and Famous
Fight poverty, global warming, or hunger? Sure, but only after they are rich and famous. According to a Pew Research Study released this week, Generation Y wants to be both rich and famous first.
USA Today features an article on the study of Generation Y's goals. According to young people interviewed for the article, television plays a strong role in feeding their drive for wealth. In addition, young people strive to be unique from the crowd. A quote from the article explains this:
An earlier article in December's USA Today shares that the road to wealth for Generation Y is not only Hollywood fame, but creating their own fame as entrepreneurs with "Customized Careers." It shows the creativity and power young people can tap into as they forge their own path in the "real world."
The Pew poll was commissioned by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. Their project Generation Next, hosted by Judy Woodruff, is currently examining some of these same priorities of young people. It airs on PBS.
USA Today features an article on the study of Generation Y's goals. According to young people interviewed for the article, television plays a strong role in feeding their drive for wealth. In addition, young people strive to be unique from the crowd. A quote from the article explains this:
Jason Barg, 24, a 2004 graduate of Penn State University who works for a Philadelphia accounting firm and founded an online real estate company, says notoriety is more about standing out from the crowd."A primary goal of people my age is not necessarily to become famous but to become distinctive," he says.
Now, young people can be celebrities in their own worlds by posting videos on YouTube, posing like a model on MySpace or creating an online reality show featuring themselves. Pew found 54% of those 18 to 25 have used social networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook; 44% have created a profile featuring photos, hobbies or interests.
An earlier article in December's USA Today shares that the road to wealth for Generation Y is not only Hollywood fame, but creating their own fame as entrepreneurs with "Customized Careers." It shows the creativity and power young people can tap into as they forge their own path in the "real world."
The Pew poll was commissioned by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. Their project Generation Next, hosted by Judy Woodruff, is currently examining some of these same priorities of young people. It airs on PBS.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Recruiting via Facebook
While last year reports of potential employers pre-screening candidates via online searches and networking sites such as Facebook, Friendster, and MySpace, this year the Wall Street Journal reports that employers are taking a different approach with these same websites - to recruit future employees.
The WSJ reports that among one of the first in the corporate world to try this is Ernst and Young, which needs more than 5,000 recent college graduates for the fall. By creating a facebook page they are reaching out to students in new ways. The page is monitored and updated by recruiters.
For college students and young alumni searching for jobs, the prospect of a company coming to us has both advantages and disadvantages. The recruiters are seeing it as a positive for now:
The WSJ reports that among one of the first in the corporate world to try this is Ernst and Young, which needs more than 5,000 recent college graduates for the fall. By creating a facebook page they are reaching out to students in new ways. The page is monitored and updated by recruiters.
For college students and young alumni searching for jobs, the prospect of a company coming to us has both advantages and disadvantages. The recruiters are seeing it as a positive for now:
"'It's a very good thing for communicating with potential job seekers," says Mark Mehler, a co-founder of CareerXroads, a consulting firm that advises companies on staffing strategies. "You're reaching the student in their lair.'"The WSJ article profiles one student who used the facebook group in helping him to decide to join the firm in the fall. Now that we have gone a step beyond just being aware that employeers are evaluating us through these online networking sites, what will this mean for the future of recruiting?
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Career Center Creativity
Please submit your portfolio may soon become a phrase not only used for artists and designers, but for engineering, political science, and other college students with majors that previously did not include portfolio submissions for job interviews.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC)takes a look at a new system developed by Georgia Tech to make it one step easier for companies to see its students' credentials beyond the classroom. According to the AJC other colleges with this system include Kennesaw State University and Florida State University.
For college students who want to ensure future employers see their well rounded qualifications, this system might be up to the task.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC)takes a look at a new system developed by Georgia Tech to make it one step easier for companies to see its students' credentials beyond the classroom. According to the AJC other colleges with this system include Kennesaw State University and Florida State University.
For college students who want to ensure future employers see their well rounded qualifications, this system might be up to the task.
Clubs After College
The fifth column in the series, this addresses the activities that once filled our days after class, but now may (or may not) fill our lives after work.
What time is it? It’s 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Despite the fact that the show is not for another twelve hours, the devoted crew of the Cornell Concert Commission is already awake, preparing for the evening’s performance. It’s 9 a.m. on the Friday morning of Orientation week. The team of volunteers places items which would have been thrown away at the end of the year for sale as part of “Dump and Run,” the profits of which will benefit local charities. It’s 6 p.m. the night before Student Assembly elections. The candidates are out in force, chalking the sidewalks as they campaign to represent the student body.
Regardless of the time of day, as students ,we set aside studying for these diversionary, yet rewarding activities. With over 700 organizations to choose from, we dove into a sea of opportunities to pursue our talents, interests and curiosities. In return for our time, these activities provided the opportunity to apply our knowledge, gain tangible hands-on skills and develop friendships. Not a bad trade-off.
Many of us found the activities so rewarding that when graduation arrived, we naturally transitioned from club to profession. This was the case for Jason Levine ’06, who drew from his organizational skills from Concert Commission and Jewish engagement experience in Cornell Hillel to work for Hillel at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. Similarly, Lauren Jacobs ’05, who founded “Dump and Run,” now works for FSG Social Impact Advisors, a consulting firm that advises nonprofits and corporate philanthropy programs. Lauren’s philanthropic involvement cultivated her interest in the social sector and provided the experience she needed to pursue it further. “My extracurricular activities helped cultivate leadership skills that have been very useful [in my career],” she explained. And for Ben Rockey-Harris ’04 who was involved in campus politics, he is now working for the Arizona Democratic Party. “I’m here because I joined the Cornell Democrats, unquestionably,” he said. These activities, which previously occupied time outside of class, now fill entire days...
Continue reading the column here: Clubs After College
What time is it? It’s 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Despite the fact that the show is not for another twelve hours, the devoted crew of the Cornell Concert Commission is already awake, preparing for the evening’s performance. It’s 9 a.m. on the Friday morning of Orientation week. The team of volunteers places items which would have been thrown away at the end of the year for sale as part of “Dump and Run,” the profits of which will benefit local charities. It’s 6 p.m. the night before Student Assembly elections. The candidates are out in force, chalking the sidewalks as they campaign to represent the student body.
Regardless of the time of day, as students ,we set aside studying for these diversionary, yet rewarding activities. With over 700 organizations to choose from, we dove into a sea of opportunities to pursue our talents, interests and curiosities. In return for our time, these activities provided the opportunity to apply our knowledge, gain tangible hands-on skills and develop friendships. Not a bad trade-off.
Many of us found the activities so rewarding that when graduation arrived, we naturally transitioned from club to profession. This was the case for Jason Levine ’06, who drew from his organizational skills from Concert Commission and Jewish engagement experience in Cornell Hillel to work for Hillel at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. Similarly, Lauren Jacobs ’05, who founded “Dump and Run,” now works for FSG Social Impact Advisors, a consulting firm that advises nonprofits and corporate philanthropy programs. Lauren’s philanthropic involvement cultivated her interest in the social sector and provided the experience she needed to pursue it further. “My extracurricular activities helped cultivate leadership skills that have been very useful [in my career],” she explained. And for Ben Rockey-Harris ’04 who was involved in campus politics, he is now working for the Arizona Democratic Party. “I’m here because I joined the Cornell Democrats, unquestionably,” he said. These activities, which previously occupied time outside of class, now fill entire days...
Continue reading the column here: Clubs After College
Rewind and Fastforward
The fourth column, this column addresses the strange feeling of returning to campus as an alumni for Homecoming Weekend.
Last week, I felt my life rewind and fast-forward. I walked down Ho Plaza, ate a pizza bagel in CTB and chatted in Libe Café as if I never left. On Saturday night, I navigated through crowds of young alumni and students in Collegetown. In my head, the lyrics of a famous television theme song began to play, and I realized why so many of us had returned.
We sought to once again experience the familiarity of our years as students. “Just walking down College Ave. felt like senior year,” shared Jen Rosenbaum ’06. “It was reassuring to know that, regardless of where I lived, I was able to return to the ‘bubble’ of Cornell and pick up right where I’d left off.” As Krystyn Tendy ’05, MPA ’06 drove along Route 79 back to Cornell, one of her friends asked if anyone felt they were heading home. “And I couldn’t have agreed more ... Once you get back, you really get to see just how special a place it is,” she said.
At home in Ithaca, the weekend seemed more about the memorable places and faces than the homecoming game. With the strange realization of having no papers to write or meetings to attend, our only time constraint was fitting our four years as a student into one weekend. We visited Wegmans, the gorges and, of course, crowded the bars. “I was glad to go back to the Palms, and play my usual four songs on the jukebox — Toto’s “Africa,” Meatloaf’s “I Would Do Anything For Love,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and Sinatra’s “New York New York,” said Dan Schudroff ’05, who also ate at Shortstop Deli, the order acronyms for which he had not forgotten — PMP’s (Poor Man’s Pizza) and WGC’s (Wet Garlic and Cheese). Once we stepped on campus, the friendships we established felt like they had not missed a beat. “My college roommates live in different cities now, so we used Homecoming as a great excuse to reconnect on our old stomping grounds” said Emily Posner ’04, who also met two of her Professors for brunch. Returning “home,” we appreciated Cornell more than ever and wished that our time had not passed as quickly.
With graduation, the social familiarity of college changed significantly. It was comforting to sit on the Arts Quad, knowing we could wave to at least one person walking by us. “After graduating, I was forced to only see their AIM screen names,” expressed Jon Bellante ’06, who is now living in Arkansas. Now, on a daily basis as we travel to work, there are no friends to walk with as we did while heading to class. With less than an hour for lunch, we no longer have one dining hall where we congregate. We have adjusted to not studying in the evening, but there is no replacement for the productive and procrastinating social scene of Olin and Uris libraries. For one weekend, we sought to experience college in the place it had begun and with the friends we made as students....
Continue reading the column, here: Rewind and Fastforward
Last week, I felt my life rewind and fast-forward. I walked down Ho Plaza, ate a pizza bagel in CTB and chatted in Libe Café as if I never left. On Saturday night, I navigated through crowds of young alumni and students in Collegetown. In my head, the lyrics of a famous television theme song began to play, and I realized why so many of us had returned.
We sought to once again experience the familiarity of our years as students. “Just walking down College Ave. felt like senior year,” shared Jen Rosenbaum ’06. “It was reassuring to know that, regardless of where I lived, I was able to return to the ‘bubble’ of Cornell and pick up right where I’d left off.” As Krystyn Tendy ’05, MPA ’06 drove along Route 79 back to Cornell, one of her friends asked if anyone felt they were heading home. “And I couldn’t have agreed more ... Once you get back, you really get to see just how special a place it is,” she said.
At home in Ithaca, the weekend seemed more about the memorable places and faces than the homecoming game. With the strange realization of having no papers to write or meetings to attend, our only time constraint was fitting our four years as a student into one weekend. We visited Wegmans, the gorges and, of course, crowded the bars. “I was glad to go back to the Palms, and play my usual four songs on the jukebox — Toto’s “Africa,” Meatloaf’s “I Would Do Anything For Love,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and Sinatra’s “New York New York,” said Dan Schudroff ’05, who also ate at Shortstop Deli, the order acronyms for which he had not forgotten — PMP’s (Poor Man’s Pizza) and WGC’s (Wet Garlic and Cheese). Once we stepped on campus, the friendships we established felt like they had not missed a beat. “My college roommates live in different cities now, so we used Homecoming as a great excuse to reconnect on our old stomping grounds” said Emily Posner ’04, who also met two of her Professors for brunch. Returning “home,” we appreciated Cornell more than ever and wished that our time had not passed as quickly.
With graduation, the social familiarity of college changed significantly. It was comforting to sit on the Arts Quad, knowing we could wave to at least one person walking by us. “After graduating, I was forced to only see their AIM screen names,” expressed Jon Bellante ’06, who is now living in Arkansas. Now, on a daily basis as we travel to work, there are no friends to walk with as we did while heading to class. With less than an hour for lunch, we no longer have one dining hall where we congregate. We have adjusted to not studying in the evening, but there is no replacement for the productive and procrastinating social scene of Olin and Uris libraries. For one weekend, we sought to experience college in the place it had begun and with the friends we made as students....
Continue reading the column, here: Rewind and Fastforward
When I Grow Up
The third column in the series, this article tries to inspire current students to think outside of the box to invent their own post graduation opportunities.
Dear Diary: When I grow up I want to be an astronaut, environmental lawyer, a reporter, a professional ice skater and a rabbi.
At age 7, this is how I imagined life as a grown up. When you were 7, how did you answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I believed the possibilities were infinite. Now, at 21, with life as a grown up one step closer, do you still have the same aspirations that anything is possible? As graduation approached, I maintained the same outlook that I had when I was 7: I could pursue any path, but only if it was one in which I could color outside of the lines.
In my quest for such a career, I was not in a category all my own, but joined by young alumni traveling “off the beaten track.” Ironically, this path could set the opposite group of young alumni “on track” to tap into their personal potential. This week, I seek to share with you the inspiring stories of just a few of these young alumni from different majors and varied backgrounds with the hope that their stories illustrate just how easy it can be to color outside of the lines.
In her first year out, Liore Milgrom-Elcott ’04 completed a fellowship with the American Jewish World Service in India. A Natural Resources major, she worked on a socially sustainable development project. Half-way through her year, the tsunami hit Southeast Asia. Adapting within her position, she managed medical supplies to provide victim relief. Now, she is spearheading an energy conservation campaign for a nonprofit.
After graduating from Cornell, Etan Rand ’05, a Design and Environmental Analysis major, filed a patent and established his own company. Drawing from research conducted at Cornell, he founded Design in Motion, Inc., where his first endeavor sought to improve the lives of wheelchair users through ergonomics. “I saw an enormous problem and I needed to do something about it. I work on this project because I want to improve the way millions of people live” Etan explained...
Continue reading the column, here: When I Grow Up
Dear Diary: When I grow up I want to be an astronaut, environmental lawyer, a reporter, a professional ice skater and a rabbi.
At age 7, this is how I imagined life as a grown up. When you were 7, how did you answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I believed the possibilities were infinite. Now, at 21, with life as a grown up one step closer, do you still have the same aspirations that anything is possible? As graduation approached, I maintained the same outlook that I had when I was 7: I could pursue any path, but only if it was one in which I could color outside of the lines.
In my quest for such a career, I was not in a category all my own, but joined by young alumni traveling “off the beaten track.” Ironically, this path could set the opposite group of young alumni “on track” to tap into their personal potential. This week, I seek to share with you the inspiring stories of just a few of these young alumni from different majors and varied backgrounds with the hope that their stories illustrate just how easy it can be to color outside of the lines.
In her first year out, Liore Milgrom-Elcott ’04 completed a fellowship with the American Jewish World Service in India. A Natural Resources major, she worked on a socially sustainable development project. Half-way through her year, the tsunami hit Southeast Asia. Adapting within her position, she managed medical supplies to provide victim relief. Now, she is spearheading an energy conservation campaign for a nonprofit.
After graduating from Cornell, Etan Rand ’05, a Design and Environmental Analysis major, filed a patent and established his own company. Drawing from research conducted at Cornell, he founded Design in Motion, Inc., where his first endeavor sought to improve the lives of wheelchair users through ergonomics. “I saw an enormous problem and I needed to do something about it. I work on this project because I want to improve the way millions of people live” Etan explained...
Continue reading the column, here: When I Grow Up
Baggy Jeans or a Tailored Suit
The second column in the series, this installment addresses the start of fall recruitment as the job search begins senior year.
There is something different about the way your classmates are dressing, and it has more to do with their future than with current fashion trends. One less person is wearing baggy jeans and a sweatshirt; instead, they are sporting a tailored suit with heels or dress shoes, all sure signs that the fall season of recruitment is in full swing. This is the start to a senior year of resume drops, career fair schmoozing and rounds of interviews until seniors find the right fit and the right fit finds them.
Hundreds of companies will descend upon campus this fall. The 2005 on-campus recruitment season brought 619 firms, conducting 8,818 interviews and hiring approximately 17 percent of seniors, according to a Career Services survey. Less than one year later, many of those 17 percent return to recruit. “It’s amazing how much more you learn when you are on the other side of the recruiting equation,” Eric Hsu ’05 of Wachovia Securities explains. “You realize what is important on a resume, which answers are the ‘good’ answers, and which candidates get the job.”
It is now our job to review the resumes. “When confronted with 200-plus resumes for 13 interview slots, the quantity of candidates with impressive job experiences and great GPAs is overwhelming. While resumes are not everything, there’s unfortunately not much more to work from,” admits Diana Myint ’04, one of the youngest recruiters from her team at Barclays Bank. “From a 30-minute interview and a blank piece of paper, how do we recognize who is sufficiently motivated, intelligent, aggressive and affable?”
Continue reading the column, here: Baggy Jeans or a Tailored Suit
There is something different about the way your classmates are dressing, and it has more to do with their future than with current fashion trends. One less person is wearing baggy jeans and a sweatshirt; instead, they are sporting a tailored suit with heels or dress shoes, all sure signs that the fall season of recruitment is in full swing. This is the start to a senior year of resume drops, career fair schmoozing and rounds of interviews until seniors find the right fit and the right fit finds them.
Hundreds of companies will descend upon campus this fall. The 2005 on-campus recruitment season brought 619 firms, conducting 8,818 interviews and hiring approximately 17 percent of seniors, according to a Career Services survey. Less than one year later, many of those 17 percent return to recruit. “It’s amazing how much more you learn when you are on the other side of the recruiting equation,” Eric Hsu ’05 of Wachovia Securities explains. “You realize what is important on a resume, which answers are the ‘good’ answers, and which candidates get the job.”
It is now our job to review the resumes. “When confronted with 200-plus resumes for 13 interview slots, the quantity of candidates with impressive job experiences and great GPAs is overwhelming. While resumes are not everything, there’s unfortunately not much more to work from,” admits Diana Myint ’04, one of the youngest recruiters from her team at Barclays Bank. “From a 30-minute interview and a blank piece of paper, how do we recognize who is sufficiently motivated, intelligent, aggressive and affable?”
Continue reading the column, here: Baggy Jeans or a Tailored Suit
Orientation After Cornell
The first of the series, One Year Out, this column introduces readers to its theme and adjusting to life as a recent graduate.
If you are like me, before you read a column, you often skip to the end to read about the columnist first. What’s different about this Daily Sun columnist? Five years ago, I sat in Bailey Hall for Psych 101 learning about Power Sleep; four years ago, I declared a government major, diving into Causes of War; three years ago, I ate at the Statler’s Terrace restaurant, waiting in the never ending salad line for lunch; two years ago, I began writing a senior thesis, hiding in the 7th floor stacks of Olin Library; one year ago, I graduated and moved to New York City, beginning life after college.
“The city” is now my campus: Third Avenue is the new Tower Road, the street I walk on during my daily commute to work, not to class. Meetings divide my day in lieu of courses; and networking and alumni organizations have replaced the after class clubs with evening cocktails and conversations.
In trading the real world for college, life changed considerably. The transition is much like being a freshman again — we must meet friends, explore ways to get involved and navigate our way around without a map so we do not advertise our newness. But, this time, life after college is not accompanied by an Orientation Week of organized activities like a capella arch sings and barbeques, Welcome Volunteers to greet us, Resident Advisors to guide us towards resources, Club Fest to introduce organizations or tours to help us find the hot spots.
For the first time in our lives, we are really on our own as each of us forges a distinct path. At this exciting and admittedly overwhelming transition in our lives, we are introduced to work by our employer, but who introduces us to life outside of work? Orientation at Cornell helped us to find new friends, ways to relax outside of class and organizations to join. Now, it is our job to create those same opportunities for ourselves.
How do we begin?
Continue reading the column, here: Orientation After Cornell
If you are like me, before you read a column, you often skip to the end to read about the columnist first. What’s different about this Daily Sun columnist? Five years ago, I sat in Bailey Hall for Psych 101 learning about Power Sleep; four years ago, I declared a government major, diving into Causes of War; three years ago, I ate at the Statler’s Terrace restaurant, waiting in the never ending salad line for lunch; two years ago, I began writing a senior thesis, hiding in the 7th floor stacks of Olin Library; one year ago, I graduated and moved to New York City, beginning life after college.
“The city” is now my campus: Third Avenue is the new Tower Road, the street I walk on during my daily commute to work, not to class. Meetings divide my day in lieu of courses; and networking and alumni organizations have replaced the after class clubs with evening cocktails and conversations.
In trading the real world for college, life changed considerably. The transition is much like being a freshman again — we must meet friends, explore ways to get involved and navigate our way around without a map so we do not advertise our newness. But, this time, life after college is not accompanied by an Orientation Week of organized activities like a capella arch sings and barbeques, Welcome Volunteers to greet us, Resident Advisors to guide us towards resources, Club Fest to introduce organizations or tours to help us find the hot spots.
For the first time in our lives, we are really on our own as each of us forges a distinct path. At this exciting and admittedly overwhelming transition in our lives, we are introduced to work by our employer, but who introduces us to life outside of work? Orientation at Cornell helped us to find new friends, ways to relax outside of class and organizations to join. Now, it is our job to create those same opportunities for ourselves.
How do we begin?
Continue reading the column, here: Orientation After Cornell
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