School is out for the summer, and we know motivating your students to actively focus on their job search - or at least prepare for it - while on break is difficult. However, the Class of 2010 may feel differently. In fact, if they have not yet landed a job, they may be more motivated than ever to follow your advice and accept your help.

This summer, encourage recent graduates to create a OneWire profile. Once their profile is complete with detailed information, they will begin to be matched to these and other relevant opportunities:

1. Quantitative Developer, Optimization Analyst - O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, Stamford, CT

2. Client Service Marketing Associate - K2 Advisors, Stamford, CT

3. Administrative Assistant - Longbow Capital Partners, New York, NY

4. Administrate Associate - Collins Stewart, New York, NY

The importance of networking has never been as apparent as it is today. But a recent WSJ article points out that students just do not incorporate networking into their job searches as undergraduates. The main reason? Uncertainty. Whether they are uncertain about with whom they should speak, uncertain about how they should phrase their questions, or uncertain about their identity as students versus job seekers, these reasons all contribute to the overall lack of student networking.

With a tough job market that certainly impacts today's graduating seniors, they need to network. But should they go it alone? Of course not - they should turn to the career services office of their school to overcome these uncertainities.

Now, schools using OneWire's Campus Pro application to fulfill their campus recruiting needs have enhanced resources at their fingertips to better help their students gain access to much-needed networking opportunities. From scheduling career fairs and employer presentations to hosting networking events and career workshops, Campus Pro Partner Schools can help their students get hired faster.

Want to learn more? Email us at campuspro@onewire.com.

At OneWire, we know many students are still looking for internship opportunities. Even though it's already May, it's not too late!

As one of our Partner Schools, we want to share with you an exciting new internship opportunity on OneWire so you can pass it along to the students you think may be interested.

• Computational Finance Intern – Options Trading, Kinetic Trading Strategies, LLC, New York, NY

By now, you already know that the best way for your students to be matched to positions on OneWire is to have complete, detailed profiles. If we can help in any way with encouraging your students to create their profiles, please let us know at campuspro@onewire.com. In the meantime, please feel free to forward the message below to your students.

STUDENT EMAIL:
Greetings!

As a member of our student community, we want to share with you an exciting internship opportunity on OneWire. One of OneWire’s clients, Kinetic Trading Strategies, LLC, is currently conducting looking for candidates to fill the following position:

• Computational Finance Intern – Options Trading, Kinetic Trading Strategies, LLC, New York, NY

If you would like to be considered, all you need to do is complete your detailed profile at http://www.onewire.com to begin being matched to this and other positions. After creating your profile, you can Express Interest in the opportunities listed above, as well as other relevant opportunities on our site, to let the employer know that you would like to be considered.
 
You will also be able to use OneWire’s networking tools to search for and communicate with other students and alumni from your school.  These networking tools will help you expand your network so you can break into your desired industry.  Creating your profile is completely free and your information always remains confidential.

For a lot of people, money is tight right now, and many evaluate each decision to spend with caution. In recent years - even months - return on investment has become a main factor into many households' budgetary planning. And now, we are seeing that while many professionals opted to return to school to pursue higher education in the early stages of the recession, no matter the cost, students are questioning the value in attending a traditional four year college or university.

With huge tuition bills and even larger student loans to pay off after graduation, some students are turning to Associate Degree programs and trade schools. These programs are undoubtedly the right choice if a student wants to pursue a career as a Dental Hygenist or Radiation Therapist (or anything else that requires only a two year Associate's Degree). But if a student is passionate about a career in a different field and money is the sole reason for considering a less expensive educational path, should they abandon their career aspirations?

No!

If attending a four year institution has always been your plan, stick to it. There are always ways to make it work - and make it worth your money. The loans can be daunting, but if you feel you received great value from your education, moreso than you would have found in a two year program, then you made the right choice.

Even if you can establish a career in a field that requires you to have only your Associate's Degree, you may want to consider a four year college or university anyways. A post on the Brazen Careerist blog claims that today's generation of high school and college students have incrediblly polished writing and communication skills because of their activity on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. I completely disagree. I think this age group has much difficulty with grammar, punctutation, and - especially - spelling. Twitter and Facebook updates allow you a very limited number of characters (ok, Facebook doesn't really limit your characters, but if you include too many, your post gets cut off), so people using these sites have adapted their communication skills - abbreviations are probably more prevalent than ever, and punctuation, aside from five exclamation points in a row at the end of a sentence, are basically nonexistent.

And what about verbal skills? There's very little need these days to pick the phone, let alone talk to someone face-to-face. If a child isn't constantly participating in class, how else are they going to learn to be a good speaker? I truly believe four year universities are credited with turning students into great writers and good communicators, not social media sites.

So, if these skills are important to you, you may want to consider a four year institution, regardless of your desired career path. 

The New York Times recently featured an article exposing the truth about most unpaid internships: often, they are illegal. Many firms, however, embrace the practice of hiring summer interns to work for free, cutting costs without cutting the number of employees needed to get a job done.

This creates a huge job search dilemma for students: under what circumstances should you accept the offer of an unpaid internship?

During the summer after I had graduated from college, I had to take one of said unpaid internships. My job search had gotten to the point wherein I needed to build a stronger resume with any relevant experience I could get my hands on, otherwise who knows how long it would have taken me to land a full-time position in my desired field. I now realize that I was lucky to have landed an internship that afforded me real work experience - the students interviewed in the article describe their internship experiences more as manual labor than as opportunities to hone industry-specific skills.

So when should you accept an unpaid internship? First off, you need to make sure that you can afford not to bring in any income for that period of time. Or, you need to make sure that your internship hours are flexible enough to allow you to pick up a part-time job. Throughout my three month internship, I also worked full-time in retail. If nothing else, this shows employers that you are fully capable of outstanding time-management skills.

You should be sure to maintain realistic expectations. If you have a feeling that you will spend your internship making coffee and filing papers, then you should accept that from the start, or turn down the offer. If you are seeking an internship position just to bulk up your resume or get your foot in the door, then accepting any internship might be the right choice for you. But if you are looking to learn the ins-and-outs of a certain industry, then you may need to search a little harder for the opportunity that will provide you with real work experience.

Most importantly, you should make sure that if a company plans to bring you on as an unpaid intern, they will write you a great letter of recommendation and will serve as one of your references. If they are not going to pay you for your services, then this is the least they can do for you. But if they are not willing to go the extra mile to help you land a full-time job, then they probably aren't worth your time.

It's time for the summer hiring season to start - or at least, it should be for young Americans. Unfortunately, job seekers between the ages of 16-24 seem to have been hit the hardest by the economy, facing an unemployment rate of 18.5%. But, it may not be all bad.

According to a recent survey, the employment outlook for young job seekers is no worse this summer than last year's. In fact, 29% of employers plan to make the same number of hires as last summer, and 6% plan to increase their summer hires.

Just as the unchanged unemployment rate from January to February in 2010 can be viewed in a positive light, so can this summer's jobs outlook for teens and college students. No change is certainly better than a change for the worse.

So, what steps should high school and colleges students take to improve their chances of landing a job this summer? CBS Moneywatch.com suggests the following search strategies:

1. Network Strategically

2. Push your Passion

3. Mine the Web

4. Research All your Options

5. Study Up

6. Last Resort: Buy One

Readers, do you know any high school or college students who have found a job for this summer? What strategy worked best for them?

More than 500 top colleges and universities are brining OneWire to their students to help them land their first jobs out of college, including Grinnell College. I came across a recent article in which the Director of Career Development at Grinnell outlines his tips for students who plan to begin their job search before graduation. Here is his list:

1. Develop a plan and stick with it.

2. Think small, think local, think national.

3. Don't underestimate networking.

4. Tailor the resume for each position.

5. Use technology to bring opportunities to you.

You can find his tips in full detail here.

By now, we all know the job market is a tough place for undergraduate or recently graduated students. Although companies are hiring, the high level of competition makes finding success difficult for many.

Now, a recent survey indicates that the unemployment rate among the classes of 2008, 2009, and 2010 goes beyond college transcripts and the job market. Companies are finding that the level of professionalism among students from these classes is below expectations:

Many Employers See Lack of Professionalism in Grads

College graduates are making the grade but failing the tests of professionalism, excellence.

Carla Larkin, Career Services

If you often debate with yourself if it is important to participate in programs Career Services offer, why professors often insert proper professional behavior advice into their lectures, or the importance of taking classes pertaining to professional behavior you might want to read the following.
"A recent survey said that the majority of new college graduates fail to exhibit professionalism in the workplace." The study was conducted by the Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania, questioning 418 HR personnel along with 102 business leaders.

They identified "five primary characteristics of the professional they are looking to hire," according to David Polk, professor of the behavior science at York and president of the research group behind the study:
1. Personal interaction skills, including courtesy and respect.
2. Communication and listening skills.
3. A solid work ethic and the motivation to stay on task until the job is done.
4. Professional appearance.
5. Self-confidence and awareness.

Unfortunately, Polk notes, "The research also found that a lot of college graduates nationally are not measuring up well in these areas." Thirty-seven percent of the employers in the study said that less than half of new grads show professionalism during their first year on the job. Similarly, nearly 61 percent of the employers surveyed said that "sense of entitlement" has increased among new-grad hires during the last five years." (Source: Professionalism in the Workplace, York College of Pennsylvania and Polk-Lepson Research Group, August 2009; York College of Pennsylvania news release, October 26, 2009)

So, if you are soon to be looking for the job of your dreams you might want to take note when a professor mentions professional behavior or Career Services offers an event. Even if you are not quite ready to go out into the World of Work, events offered by Career Services are ways to practice your employability skills. Then when you do finally go after that dream position you are ready to show employers what you have to offer. By doing so you will increase your marketability to employers as you go on your job search and be one step ahead of the other applicants.