A large portion of employers are now conducting a type of background check that’s less formal and doesn’t cost a dime. All they need is a computer, a working internet connection, and a username. Then all the information they’d never be legally allowed to pry from your lips, or you’d be too smart to give, is at their fingertips. And many are giving them exactly what they don’t want.

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While Texas employers continue to create new area jobs, the rest of the country experienced a reduction in available positions. This was the first such decrease in available jobs since 2003. Many believe this to be a strong signal that national economy was slowing down and that a possible recession could be on its way.

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During the hour long and very interactive discussion we talked how many Gen Y’ers think nothing of posting photos and other information to sites such as Facebook and MySpace under the mistaken impression that employers either can’t see it or won’t care about it. I showed some examples of students using the web to enhance their employment opportunities and others who are killing their chances because of what they’ve posted on-line. We also talked about what candidates can do to remove harmful information that they’ve posted or which has been posted by others and to bury information that can’t be removed.

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There are many websites that can enhance your efforts to secure that perfect job. Professional associations are a great way to find out what’s going on in your particular profession and to establish relationships with people who can potentially lead to future employment for you. Establishing yourself as an expert in these online discussions and interactions with professionals enhances your profile.

Governmental agencies are high utilizers of the internet when it comes to filling open positions. Visiting the website of specific cities or governmental agencies leads to a ‘careers section’, listing open jobs, job descriptions, and skills required for certain job listings. Salary information is usually included with these postings.

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So what does this have to do with our, ahem, friend Jeffrey Dahmer and other cannibals? Well, not much. At least not much in a serious way. But I was recently thinking about the trend towards a more sustainable, environmentally friendly lifestyle and some of the ramifications that such a shift entails. For example, few would dispute that the world is essentially divided into two sections with North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas creating environmental problems by over consuming and the rest of the planet creating environmental problems through over population.

A solution, albeit a messy one, to our over consumption and their excess population is, well, cannibalism. Think about it. Most of the western world loves red meat. We consume way too much of it and cattle and other sources of red meat are one of the leading causes of global warming and pollution. If we in the western world were to consume even some of the excess population in the under developed world, then we’d help solve both problems. Kind of a kill two birds with one stone idea.

I jest, of course. But sometimes you just have to let your mind wander. This was one of those ideas that was a non-starter even before it got going but sometimes, just sometimes, your ability to let your mind wander results in some terrific ideas. Like employers from Wal-Mart to the local mom-and-pop paying more attention to their environmental impact and promoting those efforts to their Gen Y and other candidates who are rewarding employers who are engaged in green recruiting efforts.

– Steven Rothberg is the President and Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com, the leading job board for college students searching for internships and recent college graduates hunting for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

If you prove your worth in the office and behave like a valued employee then everyone will appreciate you and your work. This in turn will compel management to consider you for a full time job.

Be Generous And Pay Your Dues
Generosity pays - so act like an employee and take extra assignments and tasks to showcase your skills. Sometimes you may have to take a less glamorous job during your internship, but do not neglect your work and do that work with full sincerity.

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Perhaps I’m biased but my experience with Millennials has been quite the opposite. For example, I find them to be incredibly literate but in a different way than Boomers or Gen X’ers. Millennials have an incredible ability to converse through cell phone text messaging and instant messaging with several and even dozens of people simultaneously. How can someone who regularly converses in writing like that with so many people be accused of being illiterate?

Are they hypersensitive? Are they unable to think critically? Sometimes, sure. But who wasn’t at the age of twenty?

Do they wear flip flops too often? Well, yeah. But even with that issue I find it amusing that foot attire criticism is being leveled by the very Boomers and Gen X who absolutely adored such fashion statements as super wide ties, acid washed jeans, bell bottoms, burning bras, and leisure suits.

– Steven Rothberg is the President and Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com, the leading job board for college students searching for internships and recent college graduates hunting for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

• Entry level candidates are cheap, plentiful, and easily found. Your resume needs to reflect an aspect that will make you stand out from the crowd and will help create a demand for your profile. You need to highlight a USP (unique selling point), whether it is an internship or professional training. If you worked and paid your way through your training, you will project yourself as a hardworking, committed person. Self discipline and time management are the character traits that will follow from you financing your education.

• Presentation of your qualifications and background is the make or break point. You will have 35 to 60 seconds to pique the interest of the employer - that is how long it will take them to read your resume and decide whether to invest the time in meeting you to decide if you can be groomed for a career in the organization.

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At their heart, video resumes are a way for a job seeker to catch the attention of hiring managers. In a competitive job market, sticking out from the crowd is important. Those who are considering making should look at it as form of personal marketing. The image on the screen is all the employer has to judge the applicant by. Because of this, it is extremely important to consider what impression one wants to give.

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