A couple of times a year, we like to
devote an issue to our youngest readers --
hence we present our College Bound issue in
which we offer some guidance for those
readers planning for college. If you don't
fall into that group, perhaps you have a son,
daughter, brother, or sister who does.
And even if not, we do always try to provide something
for everyone in QuintZine.
EXTRA! EXTRA!
Watch your e-mail next week for a special
bonus issue of QuintZine to celebrate
the fourth anniversary of Quintessential
Careers. We'll bring you some exciting
new features relating to interviewing.
Feature Article: Choosing the Right College for You
Choosing where to go to college is an extremely personal
-- and frequently stressful -- decision that teens and their
families must make. Our feature article by Webmaster Dr. Randall Hansen
offers a framework that will help
you choose the college that is right for you.
Been to a college fair at or near your high school?
Online College Fair is surprisingly similar
but can be experienced with all the comforts of home.
The site brings the college search experience to
the college-bound student. The site describes
itself this way: "It is an interactive, online
event that allows you and your parents to chat live
with school representatives, view campuses, and
learn about school offerings through a
virtual Q&A session.
During an Online College Fair,
you'll move from college to college in the Exhibit Hall
to ask questions and get information from the participating
colleges. You can search for schools that match your
specific interests. Your ability to move through the
Exhibit Hall, stop at booths, and chat with school reps
makes the Online College Fair experience virtually the
same as being there."
Online College Fair also offers Online OpenHouses, which
the site describes as "similar to an Online College Fair,
except the event is sponsored by one specific school.
That means you can get more detailed information about a
school or its programs that may be of particular interest to
you."
Phil Hey is a professor of English and writing at Briar Cliff College, Sioux City, Iowa.
High-schoolers, if you thought words of wisdom from a college
professor were at least a whole year off, you have a treat in store with
our Q&A with Phil Hey. Professor Hey, who has his students
prepare resumes, has this to say about the biggest mistakes
students make on these important documents:
"Aside from editing errors, few students know how to
give evidence of achievement - proof that their actions
had positive, recognized results. Employers don't want a
dead history of education and job descriptions; they want
some outcomes that show that the applicant really can produce
on the job."
Hey also shares his thoughts on the importance of writing
skills in the workplace, the up side and down side of
technological advances in job-hunting, the need to avoid spelling
and grammatical errors on resumes, and two major myths about
job-hunting.
Gen and Kelly Tanabe, authors of Get Into Any College:
Secrets of Harvard Students, and Get Free Cash For College:
Scholarship Secrets of Harvard Students, note that for
many students, there is nothing more nerve-racking,
stomach-churning, and downright intimidating than
college interviews. The other components of college
applications--application forms, essays, transcripts,
and recommendation letters--are evaluated in the private
offices of admissions officers. However, college interviews
put you face to face with an actual person.
The Tanabes,
founders of SuperCollege.com detail the top questions admissions officers are likely
to ask and tell nervous applicants that, even when they
feel they've blown it, the interviewer probably won't
judge them nearly as harshly as they judge themselves.
Read more.
Latest Additions: New Sites Added to QuintCareers
Energy
Careers -- featuring positions in all facets of the energy industry, where job-seekers can view current
job postings as well as sign-up for a resume service that offers confidentiality, automatic notification
of potential opportunities, and complete control over the distribution of your resume. Free to job-seekers.
MBA
Employment Connection Association (MECA)
-- where job-seekers with an MBA -- or MBA candidates -- can post your professional profile, where they are
then reviewed by hundreds of recruiters. Offers confidentiality option. Also lists a small number of
job openings. Free to job-seekers.
Minority
Executive Search, Inc.
-- this site specializes in identifying and placing highly skilled female and minority professionals who possess the
experience, expertise, and academic credentials necessary for upper level positions. Job-seekers can browse
job openings and submit your resumes. Free to job-seekers.
thingamajob.com
-- a free career site for all job seekers. Job searches, online resume posting, job alerts, industry news,
and career tools, are a few of the many features available to job-seekers. You can search for jobs by
job categories, keywords, location, and date the job was posted. Free to job-seekers.
Find even more additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest
Additions section.
Leah writes: "Hi, I am a student in high school, and I
have no clue what I want to do when I get older. If you
know of sites or anything, please inform me of them.
This has really been bothering me lately, and I really don't
know what else to do...."
"Anonymous" would like to post his/her resume on the Internet
but doesn't want to disclose too much information and would
prefer to remain ... you guessed it ... Anonymous.
High-school student Kris's grades, she says, are good enough only
for a community college, but she's unsure which careers require
only two-year degrees.
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
More high schoolers are taking Advanced Placement courses,
and those who take such courses are more likely to complete a
bachelor's degree than students who don't complete such work,
according to a report recently released by U.S. Secretary
of Education Richard W. Riley. The report, Getting Ready Pays Off:
A Report for National College Week, also indicates that
individuals who hold a bachelor's degree or greater can expect
to earn, on average, $15,000 more per year than high school
graduates do. You can read the full press release about this
report at the following Web address, which also provides
a link for downloading
the actual report in .pdf or MS Word format.
The U.S. Census, quoted in the Oct. 9 Business Week, shows an even
greater pay differential between high-school and college graduates --
more than $20,000. And JOBTRAK.COM reports in its Index for
October 2000 that the economy is still growing, and college
students looking for jobs still have many options. The
index shows a 3.9 percent increase in total job openings
posted in October 2000 in comparison to October 1999,
with an average starting salary for college grads of $37,268.
OK, so we know you'll make more money if you graduate from
college. But how close is the relationship between how much
you earn and which college you attend? The National Center for
Education Statistics recently examined this issue, and its
report explores the association between factors such as
selectivity and other institutional characteristics, and
the earnings of recent college graduates five years after
graduation. You can order a free
copy of the report, or download
it in .pdf format.
QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Case-based and behavior-based interviews
* Online Assessments
* Interviewing: It's more fun than you think
* Graduate school for working professionals
* Phone etiquette in the job hunt
* Guide to the company visit
* Letters of recommendation and references
* Completing a job application
* Changing Careers
* How to land an internship
* Temping
* Build your career through volunteering
* Hot jobs for 2001
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* And look for our special bonus issue of QuintZine on Nov. 13
to celebrate the start of the 5th year of Quintessential Careers.
. . . and much, much more!
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RESUMES * JOB SEARCH CORRESPONDENCE FROM TRUSTED EXPERTS * COVER LETTERS
Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters is up and running,
providing quality job-search correspondence at some of
the lowest prices on the Web.
We create resumes,
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follow-up letters, and list-formatted documents,
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Check out Quintessential Resumes
and Cover Letters!
QuintZine
A publication of
Quintessential Careers
Publisher: Dr. Randall S. Hansen
Editor: Katharine Hansen
ISSN: 1528-9443
