Career Development

"Are you interested in writing an article for the Government section of Career Convergence, but not sure about the topic? Here are 20 ideas to get you started. These are only the beginning…feel free to develop your own idea!"

"Research shows that motivation is positively correlated with college performance, academic discipline, and future occupational success. It is critical that practitioners and educators direct more attention toward implementing practices that focus specifically on increasing client motivation and behavior change-thus maximizing graduation rates and minimizing future educational, occupational, economic, and personal consequences (Miller & Rose, 2009; Willis 1994). Motivational Interviewing (MI) is one approach that is used to help clients engage in the career planning process."

"After serving on four faculty-hiring committees at community colleges in three different states, I've come to the conclusion that many universities do a poor job of preparing graduate students to negotiate all aspects of the academic job market. Certainly, departments offer sound advice on how to land professorships at four-year institutions, but they fail miserably when it comes to helping master's and doctoral students understand how to apply for jobs at two-year colleges and technical schools."

"High school graduation rates are one of education's perennial bad-news stories. How bad? In 2008, there were 1,746 "dropout factories," high schools that graduate fewer than 60% of their students. "

"He finds the grading grid, which has recently captivated many of his faculty colleagues in the history department here at Utah State University, entirely too rigid."

"Working adults sometimes assume that career development means going to classes or undertaking developmental roles outside of their jobs. They may even believe that development is only for those interested in promoting up the management ranks or for those on the "fast track." However, it is critical to both the individual and to the organization that employees continue to grow in knowledge and skills regardless of rank, tenure, or career movement."

"Working collaboratively with other teachers, school counselors can contribute to the development of an optimum learning environment while collecting information to assist with career counseling. Having been a former school counselor competing for classroom time, I found that working together with teachers on previously established assignments can create a new opportunity in the classroom for career counselors who are looking for strategy to help students without impinging on teachers' classroom time. Getting into the classrooms for counseling sessions need not be so challenging when using activities already in place that can serve dual purposes."

""Yes, you really do need to target your resume and cover letter every time." I find myself uttering this over and over again to my students. Whether itis in a class of design students or meeting one-on-one with a business student, they all doubt whether this is truly the case. They cannot believe that they need to go through the trouble of reading through a job description, interpreting what an employer is really asking for, and then demonstrating their interest and skill in these areas. They ask, "Do employers really care?" and some of them raise objections, feeling that targeting their resume is dishonest or "being fake." After several years of struggling with this, I have realized I can relate this issue to something students are more familiar with, something they think about all the time - dating. When placed in the context of an everyday situation where they "target" their communication, they begin to see how important it is to enter into a relevant conversation with a potential employer from the outset. "

"Do you remember your first day on a new job? Were you prepared for the job description? Was it a good fit? "

"Regardless of your title, career advisor, career navigator, career counselor, work workforce development professional, etc., you are likely to employ some career assessments from your tool kit to help individuals move forward in their career choice and development. There are so many assessments now available, both in paper-pencil and online formats, that it is easy to forget to take proper care to use quality assessments with your students, customers, and clients. Using a poor quality instrument, one without strong technical characteristics or using an instrument in which you are not trained, can cause harm to your clients despite your genuine intent to do otherwise."

"The #1 source for choosing a career, career pathway, college major, or training program."

"Employers who snapped up top talent on the cheap in the depth of the recession should start worrying about defections, recruiters and management watchers say."

"Google Inc. is fighting off Facebook Inc. and other fast-growing Internet firms that are poaching its staff, a reversal for a company that has long been one of Silicon Valley's hottest job destinations. "

Create employment projections and jobs in demand charts by region, industry, and short or long term projections.

Good tool to find labor statistics data.

Think a bachelor's or master's degree is the only way to advance your career? Think again. There are many associate's degree careers that pay high salaries. In fact, going after the highest paying jobs with a 2-year degree is a great way to handle debt after college graduation and reduce job-search anxieties after college. Whether you're looking for a fresh start in a new, more lucrative field or enrolling in college for the first time, a 2-year associate's degree from a community college is one of the quickest routes to bringing home more bacon each week. This is especially good news for those high school graduates who are wondering what to do after high school and before college. "

The number of long-term unemployed workers has increased sharply since the recession began in December 2007.1 In the second quarter of 2010, about 46 percent of the 14.6 million unemployed persons were jobless for 27 weeks or longer and about 31 percent were unemployed for 52 weeks or longer. This report focuses on the latter group - those who have been jobless for a year or more.

"Bosses who think they're the next Jack Welch might want to reassess their talent level."

"Victoria M. Holt, a senior vice president of PPG Industries Inc., quit late this summer to take command of Spartech Corp., where she previously was an outside director. "I hate to do this to you,'' she recalls telling PPG Chief Executive Charles E. Bunch during a meeting in his office. No wonder. Ms Holt left just three months after colleague William A. Wulfsohn resigned to run Carpenter Technology Corp., where he also had served on the board. Mr. Bunch wishes both "success in their new positions,'' a PPG spokesman says. "