Career Paths for Smarty Pants

By Zack on December 30, 2009

This is certainly strange: A list of careers worthy of Mensa members (via Keppie Careers). The entire list of job descriptions for the intellectually enabled is worth checking out, but here's an excerpt:

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist. The Mental Health Parity Act now requires mental health to be covered as fully as physical health, but many insurers will cover only cognitive-behavioral therapy because it 's shorter-term and has generally shown greater efficacy than traditional therapy, which explores the impact of past experiences on your psychology. Among my thousands of career coaching clients, I've found that those who have undergone long-term traditional psychotherapy often suffer side effects from the therapy: excessive self-absorption, preoccupation with their past, and/or externalization of responsibility. Learn more: Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies: www.abct.org.

There are a number of other careers listed, for example terrorism expert, genetic councelor and media coach .  Granted. most involve an educational component that you may or may not be working towards. Still, if you think you are a smart cookie and are looking for some out-of-the-box career ideas, the list is worth checking out as these fields are either hiring or expected to be hiring in the next few years.

"Albert Einstein" courtesy of cliff1066 via Flickr Creative Commons

Tweeter For Hire

By Zack on December 29, 2009

Well, at least there was a Tweeter for hire. This Craigslist posting for a "Twitter Genius" is probably filled now that it has the attention of TechCrunch. But for a brief period there, you could have used your social media skills to secure a job as a social media marketer.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS JOB, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW EXACTLY. NO DEVIATIONS:

(i) Email me two tweets. The first should be about your experience. The second should by why you're perfect for this job. If you exceed twitter's allotted character count, you're done.

(ii) Email me your Twitter name in link form (e.g. www.twitter.com/YOURNAME)

(iii) Tell me how many followers you have and how many people you follow.

(iv) Tell me who's the best person you follow and why (in tweet form).

(v) Tell me what's the best way to get more followers (in tweet form).

(vi) Specific salary requirement.

IF YOU DO NOT SEND ALL OF THE ABOVE, EXACTLY AS I LAID IT OUT, I WILL NOT CONSIDER THE APPLICATION.

It's a pretty unique way to land a social media marketer. And I have to say, it makes a hell of a lot of sense. If someone is going to market a product online, they better have the skills to sell their potential employer. And what better way to show those skills than to, well, show them. I wouldn't be surprised if we start to see more of these types of postings. So if you're a PR/Marketing major, it would be best to get into this frame of mind.

New Study Says Facebook Use Won't Hurt Grades

By Zack on December 28, 2009

Are you tired of parents and professors telling you that all that time you spend on Facebook and YouTube could be affecting your grades? Well, now you have some data to throw back at them. The Whitmore School of Business at the University of New Hampshire has released a new study on the correlation between social network usage and grades, and found that there isn't much of one (via Inside Higher Ed's Quick Takes).

Grades followed similar distributions for all colleges, with the majority of students earning A's and B's. The study showed that more students use Facebook and YouTube than any other social media platform. Blogs, Twitter, MySpace, and LinkedIn had significantly lower amounts of student users. Students from the business school had the highest percentage of users of blogs, Twitter, and LinkedIn while liberal arts students were the highest percentage of MySpace users.

The researchers studied 1,100 students across a variety of disciplines at UNH and found some other useful findings. Facebook is the most popular social networking site (duh!) with 96% of students surveyed using the site. What's surprising, however, is that only 10% of the students used LinkedIn. Personally, this is a bit disappointing. LinkedIn can be a powerful networking tool for your career, and should be fired up around the time of your first internship as a way to connect with colleagues, and form an evolving record of your employment.

For all of the data, download a summary of the findings here.

Happy Holidays From ThinkTalk

By Zack on December 24, 2009

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas or Verdukia ... Happy Holidays from everyone at ThinkTalk.

Use Social Media to Improve Your Resume

By Zack on December 23, 2009

Resume advice is practically a dime a dozen. I mean, they really aren't that complicated. And if you need help, you can always turn to trusty old Google. But a post over at Mashable gives resume advice a twist, with their own unique infusion of social media. David Spinks lists five key tweaks to your life that will help you construct a resume that potential employers will notice come the Spring and graduation.

It's never too early to find a mentor. They can be extremely valuable for a young professional. They can provide everything from tips, to networking opportunities, to a friend that you can turn to with professional problems.

Is there a professional that you've been following for a while? If a mentorship isn't developing naturally for you, here's a good strategy.

a. Choose five professionals that you look up to.

b. Follow them on Twitter, read their blog and start to comment on all of their posts with as much value as you can gather.

c. Start to connect. Send them messages on Twitter and anywhere else you follow them. Just be yourself and be friendly.

d. If they're close, ask them if they'd like to grab coffee or lunch. If they agree, continue to build on that relationship and you've got yourself a mentor. If they're not close, send an e-mail. Explain your goals and ask them if they'd be interested in being your mentor.

The post has a lot more usefule advice too, so head over to Mashable and check it out.

Professors Just Don't Understand

By Zack on December 22, 2009

I always resisted buying Rock Band. It just looked so awesome, and I really have so little time. I could not afford to spend hours in front of my TV, pretending to play guitar. But last night, my roomates broke me down. We bought it. And I subsequently spent the next four hours pretending to play guitar.

In 2009 time is a valuable commodity. There are so many distractions that it can be a challenge to maintain ones focus. Professor Kara Miller of Babson College seems to think American students are losing this battle ... and that makes them lazy. In an Op-Ed in yesterday's Boston Globe (and on Boston.com*) Professor Miller voices her displeasure with the disparate work ethic she sees between her international and domestic students.

While Miller's Chinese, Indian and Latin American students show a motivated desire to actually learn, the Americans are quite different. You see, American students spend their nights playing video games rather than sleeping and their class time sleeping rather than learning (that is, of course, when they aren't busy sexting!).

By the time students are in college, habits can be tough to change. If you're used to playing video games like "Modern Warfare" or "Halo" all night, how do you fit in four hours of homework? Or rest up for class?

Chinese undergraduates have consistently impressed me with their work ethic, though I have seen similar habits in students from India, Thailand, Brazil, and Venezuela. Often, they've done little English-language writing in their home countries, and they frequently struggle to understand my lectures. But their respect for professors - and for knowledge itself - is palpable. The students listen intently to everything I say, whether in class or during office hours, and try to engage in the conversation.

Too many 18-year-old Americans, meanwhile, text one another under their desks (certain they are sly enough to go unnoticed), check e-mail, decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged.

You mean to tell me, that students with the means and motivation to travel 10,000 miles to attend school in Boston are working harder than the average Babson student from Attleboro? I am shocked. Shocked!

One of the problems with Miller's assertion is that she isn't comparing peers to peers. The fact of the matter is that, yeah, the average American student probably isn't as engaged in their average Rhetoric or History class (what Miller apparently teaches**) as an international student. But you know what, the average Chinese student, who hasn't traveled to the US for the explicit and sole reasone to study, isn't that engaged either.

You know how I know? I've met the average Chinese student. And he spends a hell of a lot more time playing Modern Warfare than the average American student. Last time I checked, American students weren't being checked into rehab for playing too many video games. Or, you know, dropping dead after forgetting to eat or sleep during a gaming marathon.

And I don't mean this to be an America versus the world type argument. That isn't the issue. The issue is the doom-and-gloom spiel that one generation lays upon a younger generation. "We've got a knowledge gap, spurred by a work-ethic gap," says Miller. A number of studies have shown that not only do American students have more homework than other countries, but American workers log more hours. For an educator to suggest that American students have a "work-ethic" gap is ignorant at best and intellectually dishonest at worse.

What that would suggest, to me, is that the problem is not this generation's work ethic. The problem is with the professor's engagement of students. You know what, prof, you're right. There are a lot of distractions. But instead of spending your time complaining in Op-Ed's to the Globe, how about you rethink your lesson plan. Find a way to understand and reach your students, rather than deride them for their generational differences.

And don't give me a load about how students should be lucky for the opportunity just to go to college and they should sit through your boring lectures because it's for their own good. Because in this economy, you should be lucky to have a job. And you need to recognize the opportunity you have. And if you aren't meeting the requirements of that job, maybe you should rethink your approach, rather than blame unquantifiables characteristics like video games, cell phones or "work ethic." Maybe Professor Miller needs to reexamine whom exactly the lazy party is.

*On an unrelated note: Really Boston.com? Pop-up ads? Is it 1999 already?

**This from only cursory research. I am a lazy American after all.

Dress Code Violation? Body Art and its Place at Work

By Eve on December 21, 2009

An interesting article from the Denver Business Journal was highlighted recently on Fistful of Talent. The article, Generations clash over tattoos, body piercings in the workplace, brought up interesting issues about clashing cultures in today's workforce.

Essentially the article talked about tattoos and piercings becoming more mainstream and how employers are dealing (or not) with the shift in attitudes about body art. The question was posed - what will dress codes look like in 30 years when the tatted-out employee becomes an executive?"

They bring up a legit concern. What happens when the generation of kids who dove head first into exploring tattoos and piercings apply for a professional position and come head-to-head with an employer who didn't experience that culture?

I tend to agree with FOT writer Kathy Rapp on this one:

I don't believe the way you dress/look impacts your ability to perform, but I do recognize and respect that in some organizations and in certain jobs, you have to dress the part. Personal freedoms aside, if you want to excel in a customer facing role you'll need to cover up the tat or take out the piercing."

I'm not one to judge when someone has a tattoo or piercing, I have my fair share (10 piercings to date), but in the world we live in they cause people to make snap judgments. Until the general consensus changes, it seems we have to play the corporate dress up game. Check out the article in the Denver Business Journal or Fistful of Talent's take on it and let us know what you think!

"Msuami Max Tattoo" courtesy skalas2 via FlickrCreative Commons

Blogging Opportunities with Microsoft

By Zack on December 16, 2009

TechCrunch reports on a new opportunity for college students to gain some legit blogging experience as well as some free trips ... not to mention putting Microsoft on your resume:

We've confirmed with Microsoft that the tech giant has launched a new program, called Student Insiders, to enlist college students to blog about Microsoft products. In return, the Microsoft "Student Insider" will be able to attend Microsoft conferences, such as Microsoft's developer conference, PDC, and others and then write about their experiences and the products. The student will get all expenses paid to attend conferences as well as receive free training on Microsoft products. Student Insiders are expected to cover 15 events or topics a year, with at least '500 engagements per event/topic.'

A lot of the comments focus on the potential bias of student bloggers essentially being bribed to write about Microsoft. But you know what, phooey to that. This program just seems like a great way for college students to gain some valuable tech-writing experience. It's also a great way to see the inner workings of covering a conference as a blogger. And so what if they pimp a little bit of MS products to their peers?

TC also points out some other opportunities for students with Microsoft's Student Partners and DreamSpark programs.

Links: Underrated Career Tools, Thousands of Entry Level Jobs and How to Climb the Green Job Ladder

By Zack on December 15, 2009

I have a number of good posts from around the career blogosphere. Everything from underrated career advice to finding entry level jobs. So let's get to it!

Penelope Trunk Reveals Underrated Career Advice: Penelope thinks asking good questions can give you a leg up in your career. She then offers up 5 tips for how to ask good questions, for example, make sure the question matches the person.

Jobacle's Cubicle is Shrinking: "Needleman gives an example from an interior design group that is creating new work areas that are now 48 sq. ft., down from 64 sq. ft. five years ago. When I mentioned that to my husband, he said the 48 sq. ft. actually sounded roomier than his current space. I'm sure a number of very practical reasons go into these decreases; companies needing to cut costs during the recession, elimination of space for employees who work mostly away from the office or adapting to a more open floor plan."

Career Alley Offers Thousands of Entry Level Jobs: Like, for reals. No exaggeration. Hot Jobs has over 8,000 job listings. Indeed has 77,000. Monster has over 2,000 listings. All for entry level. So get cracking!

Brazen Careerist Ashley Shute has another Underrated Job Search Skill: Keywords: "Keywords are so important to my job search. Knowing what I want to do “ outreach, social service, preventative services, non-profit work, communications “ is so key in finding the good jobs. Without knowing exactly what I am looking for the job hunt would be really hard. Well, the job hunt still is hard, but nonetheless, it's not as hard knowing where to find the jobs I want now that I know how to narrow them down."

The Think Pink Line Profiles Green Jobs: "There has been a cultural shift in society's expectations that businesses should work to protect the environment and its people. In fact, 95 percent of CEOs report that businesses must address the social and environmental pressures of society (McKinsey & Co., July 2007) and mounting evidence shows that employees will drive companies’ efforts to address sustainability (MIT Sloan Management Review, Sept 2009)."

Orson Welles: Work is an Extension of Life

By Mindy on December 14, 2009

We were very excited to welcome SHE.E.O and entrepreneur Marla Malcolm Beck to the ThinkTalk studios today. Erika talked to her about her experience founding Bluemercury as a 29-year-old businesswoman. Marla answered student questions from the University of Maryland's Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. Marla has a great story- a Harvard graduate, she went from a career in the financial industry to founding a luxury product internet store to being CEO of 26 spa and retail locations around the country. If you are thinking about starting your own business someday, definitely check back in January to watch the show.

Zack passed along a video he spotted last week on Kottke.org. In a 1960s interview in Paris, Orson Welles is talking about his films and his work/life balance. In the first few minutes of the video, the interviewer asks Welles if, in his experience, he has worked to live or lived to work. Welles has a fascinating answer.

"I regard working as part of life. I don't know how to distinguish between the two." Incredible man and a great quote. Even in an antique armchair sipping tea, Welles is an imposing figure and I really enjoyed watching the interview. His opinion on work being an extension of life, not separate from life, made me think of something director John Hillcoat said during a ThinkTalk interview about the importance of passion for your work.

There you have it: your deep thoughts Monday at ThinkTalk. If you're not already done, good luck with finals!