NLU's Career Services

Principals Panel Wheeling November 3

2010-11-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

Principal Panel Nov 3 Intro by careerservices

Principal Panel Nov 3 Shalini Patel by careerservices

Principal Panel Nov 3 Dr Lopez by careerservices

Principal Panel Nov 3 Q&A by careerservices

Employers Continue to Discriminate Against Jobless

2010-10-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

The number of Americans who have been out of a job for a year or longer has reached a record 4.4 million, roughly equal to the population of Louisiana, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report. The grim numbers may partially be attributed to the fact that employers are still openly discriminating against the unemployed--especially the longterm unemployed-- when deciding who to hire.
A surprising number of Craigslist job ads are automatically disqualifying the long-term jobless by including the stipulations, "Must be currently employed," "No unemployed candidates will be considered," or "must have been employed within the last 6 months." Other job postings specify that if an applicant is recently unemployed, he or she should include a "good reason" for his or her layoff along with a resumé.

Read more of the story here

So how do you solve this conundrum?

The articles says that human resource representatives do not want to look for the reason why one is unemployed. Regardless of whether this is a fair practice or not, rise to the challenge. Detail the reasons why you are unemployed in the section normally reserved for your objective. Chances are it is as simple as, "Displaced professional due to company folding as a result of bankruptcy."

If you do not want to mar your objective, list a few words next to the name of the company in which you were employed. It may look like this:

ABC Realty (company downsized) January 2007-September 2009

To discuss other ways to explain your transitioning into a new position, schedule an appointment with a career counselor.

Career Services at NLU

2010-10-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

Hello,

The Office of Career Services is here to assist you in your career planning and development. Whether
you are transitioning into a new career or not sure where your new academic experience will lead you; we are here to help.

Counselors are available on the Chicago, Lisle, North Shore and Wheeling campus to meet with you individually. We are available to meet in Elgin by appointment and via email, Skype or telephone if you are a student outside of Illinois.

Career counselors prefer to take into account your personality, career goals, experiences and abilities when assisting you in carving out your career path. As a result, each student has a unique job search strategy.

Jobs
The Virtual Career Network is the university’s job board. Found at http://www.nluvirtualcareernetwork.net/, employers from all over the country post positions intended for National-Louis University students.Unlike a placement office, we will ensure you have the tools necessary to find and maintain your next position as our goal is to educate you to be self-reliant in your life-long career development.

Workshops and Events
Throughout the academic year we will hold workshops on all of the Chicago are campuses for many of the different majors. The best way to stay abreast of upcoming workshops is to log on to the Virtual Career Network’s events calendar.

Upcoming Events
Uno Charter School Network Informational Session
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 4:00pm-5:30pm
Chicago Campus Atrium
The Uno Charter School Network is comprised of nine different schools so there is often a need to hire full-time and substitute teachers. Uno officials will be on campus to share information and answer questions.
To register and for more information log on to the Virtual Career Network

ABS Career Forum
Tuesday, November 9, 2010 6:00pm-7:30pm
Lisle Campus Public Forum Room
Alumni will be hand on to discuss their career since completing the ABS program.

Individual Counseling Sessions
Schedule an appointment to meet with a counselor by emailing careerservices@nl.edu or calling (312) 261-3270. During an individual counseling session you can have your resume and cover letters critiqued or take an assessment to determine the career path most suitable for you. If you’re sure of your profession, you can discuss ways to tailor your job search and networking skills to take a bold step into your career.

Our services are available to current students and alumni of NLU. We wish you much success in your class work and look forward to working with you in developing your career.

Firms Assess Young Interns' Potential

2010-09-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

As companies start to rely more heavily on their internship pools to make full-time hires, they're looking for ways to better evaluate candidates and targeting younger students.

Carlos Moore went from a graphics-design student to Macy's intern to art director after impressing the retailer's CEO on a campus visit.

A quarter of the nearly 480 respondents to The Wall Street Journal's survey of college recruiters said more than 50% of their new-graduate hires had been interns at their companies; 14% said more than 75% were. Similarly, the National Association of Colleges and Employers reported in its 2010 Internship & Co-op Survey that nearly 57% of students from the class of 2009 were converted from interns to full-time hires, up from 50% the previous year.
The trend toward intern-pool hiring has come on very strong in the past three to five years, according to Monica Wilson, acting co-director of career services at Dartmouth College. "Internship recruiting will largely replace entry-level recruiting in the next few years," she says.

Read the entire article here.

26,000 Illinoisians Put To Work

2010-09-07T14:19:00.000-07:00

As reported by Sandra Guy for the Chicago Sun-Times

Kevin Plattner realized that he might have a tough time finding work in his college major -- music composition -- so he was glad to get a training job involving his love of the visual arts.
Plattner is earning $10 an hour restoring and designing stained glass at Solstice Art Source Inc., an architectural stained glass company housed in a warehouse building at 2010 W. Fulton.
"I find it satisfying to work with my hands, and the glass is fantastically gorgeous stuff," said Plattner, who graduated last year from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa.

For Zandrea Carter, a West Side resident, the program has meant she can provide for her 3-year-old daughter while still saving money by working as a cashier and occasionally waitressing for Quench restaurant on the South Side.

"I've learned how to deal with people, build my customer-service skills and realize that the work is all about serving people," Carter said. "I was shy for a long time, but I really broke out of that, and now it feels good to be around people, helping give them what they want."

Plattner's and Carter's jobs, along with 26,000 others throughout Illinois, were created through the Put Illinois to Work program and paid for with $200 million in federal funds from the $787 billion Recovery Act -- the Obama administration's federal stimulus package. Of the total employed statewide, 19,116 are working in Cook County and another 3,069 are in the five collar counties.
Nationally, the Recovery Act's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families emergency fund provides training and work to young adults (ages 18 to 21) -- and to adults who have a child. They also must be U.S. citizens with a household income level of less than 200 percent of the poverty level ($2,428 for a family of two).

The Obama administration is calling on Congress to extend the program, which is funded through Sept. 30, but it's unknown whether an extension would add workers or simply extend the existing program.

Put Illinois to Work received 60,000 applications from its start in April until its funding quota was filled June 13.

The wages go directly to the employees, most of whom started work in May.

The program -- aimed at providing meaningful training and work experience -- attracted more than 4,200 employers statewide. The employers run the gamut, including churches, nonprofits, retailers, hotels, insurance companies, child-care programs, chambers of commerce, landscaping firms and auto repair shops.

Are programs such as this helping the economy?
The economic-stimulus plan increased the number of employed Americans by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million during the second quarter this year, lowering the unemployment rate by up to 1.8 percent, according to an Aug. 24 Congressional Budget Office report.
Experts say federal stimulus funds can offer some relief in a recession, but economic restructuring and measures that create greater consumer and business certainty are needed to deal with the real structural issues plaguing the country.

Infrastructure and job-training spending can improve the country's growth in the long term, but the infusion has yet to have the intended "snowballing effect" of getting the economy back on its feet, said Michael Brandl, an economist at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.

"The American consumer and many businesses don't have the confidence to say that we've addressed and fixed a number of other problems," he said.
Allen Sanderson, a University of Chicago economist, said 200 jobs can be created by hiring 100 people to dig holes and another 100 to follow along filling the holes back up.

"A lot of the Obama programs have their hearts in the right place, but they have created an enormous amount of turmoil," he said. "What's stopping up the toilet is the enormous amount of uncertainty. Consumers are asking, 'How much will I be paying for health-care coverage?' and 'What's the value of my house?' and 'Am I going to have a job in the next year?' Bank executives are asking, 'If I loan this guy money, can he pay me back?' And businesses are asking, 'What will it cost me to hire this guy?' and 'What am I facing in health-care costs and the tax rate?'
"The best thing we could use is something sedate."

Whatever stimulus money is spent on job creation, "It's absolutely critical that the spending be the most efficient possible," he said.

President Obama on Friday said he will introduce new plans next week to create jobs and keep the economy moving, including expanding tax cuts for the middle class, rather than introducing another massive stimulus program.

Obama called on the Senate to pass a bill that would provide $12 billion in tax breaks to small businesses and create a $30 billion fund to spur lending.
For those in the Put Illinois to Work program, the training and temporary work could turn into full-time positions.

Emily Carlson, founder and president of Solstice Art Source, employs Plattner and one other worker at her studio. She hopes her client base picks up enough that she can keep Plattner on the payroll.
Carter's employer, Quentin Love of the "I Love Food Group," intends to hire Carter full time, along with Kenneth Romandine, another Put Illinois to Work employee who has become a much-in-demand cook at Carter's "no beef/no pork" Quench chain of restaurants. The Quench concept aims to provide a bridge for lovers of African-American comfort food looking to eat healthier fare. The "I Love Food Group" comprises a variety of food outlets, including a bakery, Soul Xpress, vegetarian fast food, a breakfast cafe and the Quench restaurant chain.

Love hired 30 workers through Put Illinois to Work and intends to keep 15 as permanent staff. Of the 30, five worked at Love's new grocery store, and the rest worked at the Quench restaurants.
"Overall, if business owners have the opportunity to train free labor, we benefit," Love said.
Romandine, 42, who grew up in McHenry County, had changed careers from being a roofer to getting an associate's degree in culinary arts.

"I always had a passion for cooking, and I figured people have to eat, so there should be jobs available," Romandine said.
Romandine now has Quench patrons who wait for his dishes.

"The Put Illinois to Work program is very good for people who really want to work," he said.
Love, who has partners in traditional soul, vegetarian and Mexican food endeavors, as well as bakery and cafe operations, in late August opened what he describes as Illinois' only black-owned grocery store, Fresh Family Foods, at 336 E. 95th St.

"Jobs are scarce, so we must create them," Love said. "Our community is bigger than barber and beauty shops."

The Best Companies for Working Mothers

2010-05-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Abbott Labs in Abbott Park Illinois ranks near the top. Learn more about their career opportunities here

Midnight Madness

2010-04-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland will be offering an introductory Psychology course at midngiht next term. Read more about their plans for making courses more accessible here. The creator of the schedule and head of the Psychology department, Matt Yeazel, says it is scheduled at this time to be more accessible to students.

So, what is the verdict? Would you take a class that starts at midnight?

An Influence Letter

2010-04-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

In the article, "Turn A Rejection Into A Job Offer," by Susan Adams found here, Adams describes how what seems like a dead interview can actually turn into a job offer with a few key tactical moves. Adams quotes Robert Hellmann, a career coach at a career counseling firm who advises job seekers to ditch the traditional thank you note and instead use that letter as a chance to answer questions about their candidacy. Read more here and let us know what you think. Does this seem like to gutsy of a move?

10 Best Places to Work in Chicago

2010-03-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

The companies that are considered the top 10 to work for in Chicago according to Chicago Business surveys have a different twist to them. Gone are the days when fancy perks like ping pong tables and rainbow walls attract the young professional.

Today's crop of newly vested employees appreciate benefits and flexible work schedules. They will also prefer an opportunity to develop their professional life, which may be considered consistent with the job hopping this new generation of employees is known in which to engage.

Above are employees' responses to the survey question, "What do you like best about your company?" The size of the words reflects their frequency as answers.

Source: Crain's survey; Wordle.com

But I'm guessing you are more interested in which companies Chicago Business consider the 10 Best Places to Work in Chicago. For that information, you are going to read more here.

What about your place of employment? Do you consider it one of the best places to work? Why or why not?

A few career mistakes

2010-03-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

The New York Times detail some of the mistakes that could hamper your career. Read more here.

Some of the mistakes included limited communication to virtual instead of fostering strong interpersonal relationships face-to-face.

What do you think? What are key mistakes that could be made that could hamper the longevity of your career?