advice for high schoolers on what to do in college by Alison Green on September 2, 2011 A reader writes: What advice do you have for high schoolers? I have a nephew who’s barely in the 9th grade – just started last August, in fact. Nevertheless, he’s already feeling the pressure from a million different sources to pick the right major that will lead to a relatively secure job. (And yes, I’m […] Read the full article →
don’t send poetry as your writing sample, and other suggestions for job applicants by Alison Green on December 30, 2010 I’m hiring college students for several internships right now, which means that the candidates are a mix of really impressive/prepared and really … not. Lessons from just this past week: 1. Don’t send poetry as your writing sample. It doesn’t matter how good it is; it’s not relevant to the kind of writing I need […] Read the full article →
why do so many college career centers suck? by Alison Green on November 8, 2010 Preemptive apologies to any college career center that doesn’t fit this description — but every time I hear about a campus career center, it’s about the bad advice they gave someone: insisting you need to have an objective on your resume, recommending salesy interview answers instead of genuine ones, giving our commenter Rob bad advice […] Read the full article →
how should employers respond to parents job-searching for their kids? by Alison Green on June 10, 2010 In response to a recent post on parents who job-search on their kids’ behalf, one anonymous commenter left this question: I am hiring – albeit only summer positions for teens – but have had several responses from parents on their kids behalf. I don’t know how to respond. I want to contact the parent and […] Read the full article →
grad school is not your escape by Alison Green on May 26, 2010 From a Monday New York Times article on the job market for new grads: Liam O’Reilly, who just graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in history, said he had applied to 50 employers — to be a paralegal, a researcher for a policy organization, an administrative assistant — but he had […] Read the full article →
seriously? by Alison Green on May 5, 2010 Here’s a tip: If you’re writing to busy people and asking for them to answer questions for your master’s project, which is due five hours from the time of your email, you are already screwed. Read the full article →
just tell me your real name by Alison Green on April 25, 2010 Okay, this one is for college students and recent grads. Someone along the way, someone gave you the idea that it’s unprofessional to use anything but your full, given name, even if everyone in your life calls you something else. While this is sort of adorable, you should drop this idea. It’s disconcerting to go […] Read the full article →
internships: stay where I am or seek out new experiences? by Alison Green on July 16, 2009 A reader writes: I am currently awaiting the start my junior year at a D.C. university and was fortunate enough to spend my summer in Washington, D.C. I threw myself into 50 hours of work per week – with two part-time internships and a part-time job. With the summer now in full swing, I have […] Read the full article →
16-year-old seeks advice: jobless and losing hope by Alison Green on July 14, 2009 A reader writes: I’m 16 and I have absolutely no job experience. I fear that along with my lack of experience, the economy being crap right now will entirely prevent me from getting a job. Am I truly hopeless? Another reason it may not be working out for me is that I started applying right […] Read the full article →
an alternative for bored students/grads who can’t find jobs by Alison Green on July 6, 2009 The New York Times had an article on Thursday about college students and recent grads who are finding that the work world is looking a bit different than they’d planned: The well-paying summer jobs that in previous years seemed like a birthright have grown scarce, and pre-professional internships are disappearing as companies cut back across […] Read the full article →