"The idea that employers perform Internet searches on job candidates is nothing new -- and the frequency of these searches is climbing. Some experts report that up to 85% of hiring managers "Google" a candidate before or after an interview."

"ast year, business owner Paige Darden stumbled upon an employee's MySpace profile saying this person was planning a two-hour lunch because her boss was out of the office. "

"It's something job seekers often wonder: Do you really need to submit a cover letter with your résumé?"

Workforce Weekly March 5th, 2010

"Q: As a LinkedIn user, I am seeing many people stating, "looking for a job opportunity" and other similar statements in their profile or status. If you are unemployed, is it good to announce that you are looking for a job this way, or does it potentially damage your image?"

"When I do a seminar for prospective career changers, I always ask the audience how many people are using LinkedIn to communicate directly with contacts in their new industries. Typically, only a handful of people raise their hands. But given the fact that tapping the social-media groundswell is one of the best ways to launch a new career, active participation in sites like LinkedIn should be 100%."

"Can you teach a dinosaur to dance? More importantly, can you teach him to network in 21st Century style? I was skeptical. But George Langis, a veteran turnaround executive, dispelled doubts by learning new networking steps that may hasten his job hunt. He went from conventional handshake networking to creating a personal brand that would be easily marketable online. Though Mr. Langis still hesitates to plunge into "tweeting," his experience could benefit countless other older applicants with rusty job-hunting skills. "

"Personal Branding redefines many of the concepts used in career development and shows our clients why career development is important at all phases of their careers and not just when they are in transition."

"No one is surprised to hear that seniors on the threshold of graduation visit the Career Resource Center (CRC) looking for job search assistance. Those who have procrastinated on career choice and finding employment see the finish line approaching and realize they need to find something that will keep them fulfilled and flush with cash once they're marched to the edge of campus and pushed out of the proverbial nest."

"When James Watson was 24 years old, he spent more time thinking about women than work, according to his memoir "Genes, Girls and Gamow." His hair was unkempt and his letters home were full of references to "wine-soaked lunches." But when Mr. Watson wasn't chasing after girls, he was hard at work in his Cambridge lab, trying to puzzle out the structure of DNA. In 1953, when Mr. Watson was only 25, he co-wrote one of the most important scientific papers of all time."

"Teacher seniority rules are meeting resistance from government officials and parents as a wave of layoffs is hitting public schools and driving newer teachers out of classrooms. In a majority of the country's school districts, teacher layoffs are handled on a "last in, first out" basis. Critics of seniority rules worry that many effective and talented teachers who have been hired in recent years will lose their jobs. "

"Five years ago, Augusto Giacoman was commanding about 30 soldiers and leading raids in Iraq. Now he spends his days in classrooms alongside former bankers, engineers and other civilians earning a master's in business administration."

"Internal transfers and promotions accounted for an average of 51% of all full-time positions filled in 2009, down from 39% in 2008 and 34% in 2007, reports CareerXroads, a staffing-strategy consulting firm in Kendall Park, N.J. Survey respondents included 41 companies that employ a combined 1.8 million U.S. workers. Last year these firms collectively filled 176,420 positions. "

FEBRUARY 19, 2010 │ VOLUME 4, ISSUE 6 In This Issue: Quinn Outlines Plans to Streamline GED Process WIB Suspends New Licensing Policy Nancy Giles to Emcee 2010 Awards Reception Spotlight on Opportunity Award Winners Albany Lobby Day is March 9! Vocational Conference Introduces Foster Youth to New Opportunities Obama Defends ARRA As Administration Steps Up Job-Creating Programs Workforce Marketplace

"Before Andree Bogaerts returned to work as an attorney last fall after nine years at home with her three children, she says, she took a little training first-"a crash course in Excel spreadsheets from my 12-year-old daughter." "

"In this free training webinar designed exclusively for careers professionals, you will learn the strategies and best practices to leverage LinkedIn in your classroom or your career or alumni center. Lindsey Pollak, author of Getting from College to Career, will show you:"

NYC Workforce Weekly February 12, 2010

"As an entrepreneurial woman with big ideas in the rural, small-town environment of central New Hampshire, Leslie Sturgeon faced plenty of challenges to building her business - especially because when she launched her first company, she was only 22 years old. "

"Olympic athletes know a lot about sacrifice since most have had to juggle jobs and college with rigorous training schedules. And they often end up putting their professional lives on hold like speedskater Eric Heiden who scaled back on medical school. so he could become a professional road-racing cyclist. Freestyler Kirstie Marshall even had to go into debt to personally finance her own way onto the national team.But winning medals is just the end of the first act for the following seven Olympic athletes. All have gone onto successful post-Olympic careers, reinventing themselves to become doctors, lawyers, business owners and politicians. And they didn't simply discard one career for the next. They've been able to apply their experiences as athletes-the drive, goal-setting and dedication- to become better at their new jobs. "

"Women were earning about 166 associates degrees and 135 bachelor's degrees for every 100 earned by men in 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Perhaps as a result, more women were employed in teaching, government and health care, sectors that held up better in the recession. The construction and manufacturing sectors, which often require less schooling, have shed millions of jobs in the last few years. "