Feature Article: High School Seniors: Preparing for Your Next Step After High School
Special Feature: College-Bound High-School Senior Planning Calendar
Bonus Feature: College Admissions Do's and Don'ts
Write Your Way to a Higher GPA Authors Present Gift to Stetson University Business Students
Quintessential Reading: QuintZine's Review of Career Books
Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue
The Career Doctor: Answering Your Questions
Latest Additions: What's New on Quintessential Careers
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search
Notes from the Editor: About this Issue...
We annually publish a College-Bound issue about this time of year because high-school seniors typically
prepare their college applications over the the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. This year, our
publisher, Dr. Randall Hansen, has run himself ragged to to bring a boatload of great information to our college-bound
readers. And let's not forget that many older and employed folks are thinking about going back to school and can also
benefit from much of this information.
Don't miss our next issue -- focusing on Internet Job-Hunting and celebrating the 6th anniversary of
Quintessential Careers. The issue will be jam-packed with features, including some exciting surprises.
High School Seniors: Preparing for Your Next Step After High School
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Your senior year in high school is a wonderful
time, with students filled with a wide range of
emotions, expectations, and plans. Senior year
is a time spent reflecting back on all those years
in the classroom while looking ahead to new adventures
of work or college. Senior year is also about making
plans and decisions,
and that's where this article can help you.
This article is about helping you manage and
make the transition from high school to college.
Taking the advice in this article will make you a
better person and a more prepared student -- and
will help make all those college plans and dreams
come to fruition. Following these seven tips will
help lead you to success from high school to college
-- and beyond.
Instantly email your resume to 1000s of recruiters,
headhunters, and direct hiring companies! With the most
comprehensive and targeted network of recruiters on the
net, you can rest assured you have taken the steps
necessary to jump start your search. We are so sure
you will be happy that we guarantee our service!
College-Bound High School Senior Planning Calendar
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Some of you have been planning for this year for
quite some time, while for others it seems as though
it has suddenly appeared from nowhere. Your senior year.
Wow. For college-bound seniors, it's a time to savor your
accomplishments, narrow down your list of colleges, gather
all your necessary test scores and high school transcripts,
request letters of recommendation, and begin work on your
college admission essays. . . and in reality, for most of you,
this process began at least a year ago, if not longer. Don't
fret if you're late to the game, however, you still have
plenty of time to get your college applications in - as
long as you're willing to put the time in to complete them.
QuintCareers, in partnership with JVIS.COM, brings you the
Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS), the career and
education planning tool that has already helped over half a
million people like you.
Based on years of research, the JVIS accurately measures
your interests, showing how they relate to the worlds of study
and work, and mapping out your route to an interesting career.
While every college or university has its own
requirements for admission and its own unique
set of criteria for selecting candidates for
admission, following these general guidelines
should help all college applicants better
prepare to tackle the admission application process.
Authors Present Gift to Stetson University Students
Write Your Way to a Higher GPA Authors Present Gift to Stetson University Business Students
DeLand, FL -- Stetson University Marketing
Professor Dr. Randall Hansen and Katharine Hansen
presented copies of their popular book, Write Your
Way to a Higher GPA, to 150 Stetson students taking
Freshman Business Experience courses as part of the
beginning of the celebration of the sixth anniversary
of Quintessential Careers, which first came online
in November 1996.
Before I begin the review of this book, let me reveal to you some biases on my part.
First, I am an educational junkie; I love reading about the inner workings of various
types of educational institutions, especially at the college level. Second, as someone
who holds three academic degrees, I have quite a bit of personal experience in the game
we call college admissions. Third, as the parent of high-school age children, I have
witnessed the anxiety, pressure, and excitement that college planning brings to today’s
teenagers. Finally, as a professor at a small private university that has consistently been
ranked as one of the best regional universities in the south by U.S. News & World Report
and received high praise from The Fiske Guide to Colleges, I have an appreciation and
first-hand knowledge of the recruiting and admissions process.
Let’s cut to the chase. Above all else, the college admission process is really about people,
but it is how these people -- the high-school students and their families, the high-school guidance
counselors, the college admissions officers, and the college faculty, staff, and administrators --
interact and impact each other’s lives over the course of the 12 to 18 months of the college
courting/admissions process that is an absolutely fascinating and life-changing experience for
all involved, and Jacques Steinberg’s storytelling and writing abilities help the reader experience
this interaction from the viewpoint of all the participants.
Cyber Guidance, a virtual high-school guidance office
created by Bob Turba, chairman of Guidance Services at
Stanton College Preparatory School, Duval County, Jacksonville,
FL, is simply a wonderful collection of links and resources
for high-school students and their families, focusing on
colleges, scholarship and financial aid, and career information.
While some information is directed at Stanton students, much is
for college-bound student everywhere. Links include:
The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How
to Find -- and Get -- The Job or Internship of
Your Dreams! (For College Students and Recent Grads Only)
has just been published by our friend Steve Rothberg, and
it's a gem.
The book contains must-read contributions from 149 of
North America's top employment experts, including the folks here at
Quintessential Careers. You can receive it risk-free for
the next 90 days through the
link to this Website.
Latest Additions: New Sites Added to QuintCareers
eCollegeApps.com --
where college applicants can request information for more than 3,000 college and universities
and obtain admission materials (including applications and view books) electronically or via postal mail.
Also includes college admissions tips and advice. Free service.
Education-Jobs -- where
qualified professionals can find part- and full-time teaching jobs and career resources
for careers in higher education. Job-seekers can develop a personal profile, search
for job postings (by keyword, educational level, discipline, and location), and find other
career resources for educators. Free to job-seekers.
myFootpath.com
-- a college search and college admissions site that includes a vast library of free articles
related to the college admissions process, as well as an "ask the counselor" feature where
students and parents can submit questions. Also sell their "Inside Admissions" reports for a
select group of colleges.
WineandHospitalityJobs.com
-- where job-seekers interested in working in all aspects of the wine/spirits/beer and hospitality industry can
search for jobs (by job type and keywords), review the job openings of featured employers, and
upload your resume or personal profile. Free to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest Additions section.
Ad: Planning Coach Seeks Beta Testers
Liz Sumner, M.A. Whole Life Coach, is now offering single-session Bite-Sized Planning for people who
need help thinking through a complex or overwhelming project. She's looking for volunteers to try out this
new service and suggest improvements. All kinds of goals would be appropriate for this service, from a class reunion
or association event to a home remodel or even a doctoral dissertation.
If something seems huge and impossible, and you don't know where to begin, Bite-Sized Planning can help.
The service is free to the first 10 volunteers; subsequent beta testers will be offered a substantially reduced rate.
Marsha writes: "I am presently in the process of
entering college, and I would like to pursue a
career in education; however, I am not aware of
what other jobs I may be able to get into other
than teaching. I need to know if this is a good
and financially successful degree to attain. My
intention is to either do psychology or environmental
health as the minor study as well."
Anonymous writes: "I am having a hard time finding
a full-time accountant position in New York City.
All I have been to obtain are temp assignments.
What should I do?"
Bob writes: "I work for large national insurance
company. Recently I was selected to interview for
a position in a pilot program called 'Fast Forward.'
The program is designed to develop
future managers.
Only 12 people will make the final cut. I was told
that the first step in the process would be an interview
where four candidates would be interviewed at the same
time by a panel of four managers. Have you ever heard
of this technique? Is this the latest trend in
interviewing? What might I expect?"
Jenny writes: "Hi, I am 17 and hope to do a degree
in music. Have you any suggestions for music careers
outside the field of education, aiming more toward
the performance/entertainment industry. Are there
any good Web links or books where I could go for
advice. How would I know if I have chosen the right
career for me?"
THE QUINTESSENTIAL CAREERS JOURNALING COURSE
A comprehensive online course that includes exercises designed to help you achieve career
and job fulfillment.
Learn more about
the Career Journaling Course.
CAREER KICKSTART COURSE -- NOW OFFERING COACHING OPTION!
A quick and comprehensive course that will teach you everything you need to know to launch a career and find a job
Learn more about
the Career Kickstart Cource.
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Colleges and universities are seeing a
steady decline in students enrolling in computer
classes and pursuing careers in the technology industry,
reports Michelle Kessler in USA Today. A weak job market,
the changing nature of technology jobs and the technology
bust are reasons that students are tailing other career
options. According to the Information Technology Association
of America, the hiring of high-tech workers dropped 27 percent
in the past year. More than 334,000 tech and telecom workers
have lost jobs this year, according to employment firm
Challenger Gray & Christmas. But tech companies are worried
that shortages will arise in the next couple of years as fewer
and fewer students get computer-related degrees.
If you're employed but would like to go back to school,
there's a decent possibility your employer will pay for classes,
according to Knowledge@Wharton. Peter Cappelli, director
of Wharton's Center for Human Resources, found that virtually
all employers offer this benefit to some degree. Second,
employees do not pay for this benefit in the form of lower
wages. In fact, employers actually pay higher wages when
they also have this benefit, suggesting that the workers
must be more productive to compensate the company for
the higher salaries. Part of Cappelli's research, which
is summarized in a paper entitled, "Why Do Employers Pay for
College?" focused on industry-wide use of tuition
reimbursement. Among the biggest users are the hotel
industry and the business services industry (e.g.,
consulting firms). Also high were retail and wholesale
trade. Those industries that offer the lowest levels of
tuition reimbursement include food and tobacco, textile
and apparel, lumber and paper, and printing and publishing.
Other facts that Cappelli turned up in his research include:
Roughly 20 percent of graduate students are receiving some
financial assistance from their employers to attend schools;
roughly 6 percent of the much bigger pool of undergraduates
receive such aid as well.
If one looks only at adult students, 24 percent of adults
in post-secondary education programs of the kind that offered
credentials (e.g., degrees or certificates) were receiving
tuition assistance from an employer, and 53 percent were
either receiving tuition support or paid time off from work.
Financial assistance from employers is the most common
source of financial aid. The average level of employer-provided
assistance per recipient was equal to about a third of the
average annual cost paid by post-secondary students.
CareerBuilder recently uncovered some interesting facts about
hiring decisions after surveying 480 respondents who were
responsible for or involved in the hiring process:
Almost a third of the survey respondents involving
in the hiring process indicated that it required four
or more people to make the hiring decision.
For 58 percent of hiring managers, two to three people
were involving in making the decision to hire.
Nine out of 10 hiring managers felt that the right
balance of education and experience was the most important
criteria in evaluating candidates.
Fitting into a company's culture is important to 84 percent of
the respondents.
Seventy-eight percent of hiring managers indicated that they
spend both time and effort in screening resumes sent to them by HR.
Once screened, 55 percent felt the candidates provided by HR were
well-qualified; however, 17 percent disagreed about the level of quality.
According to the 2001 NACAC (National Association
for College Admission Counseling) Admission Trends Survey,
the percentage of schools that ranked these factors as
considerably important in admission decisions:
80 percent: Grades in college prep courses
52 percent: Standardized test scores
49 percent: Grades in all subjects
31 percent: Class rank
20 percent: Essay/writing samples
17 percent: Counselor recommendations
16 percent: Teacher recommendations
11 percent: Interview
8 percent: Community service
6 percent: Work/extracurricular activities
3 percent: Ability to pay
We'd Love You to Link to Quintessential Careers!
If your school, organization, business or other
entity has a Web site, we welcome you to link to Quintessential Careers.
If you already have a link from your site, we want you to know we
appreciate it. If you don't have a link to us, please
send a request to your site's Webmaster to establish a
link to Quintessential Careers. Thanks so much!
For more details (including sample HTML copy), see our
Link to Us page.
QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* How to create and publish a Web-ready resume
* Crafting a successful e-mail resume
* The interview as sales call
* Getting the raise you deserve
* 10 things I wish I'd known before starting college
* 10 things I wish I'd known before starting my first job
* Letters of recommendation
* 10 ways to develop job leads
* Why, how, when to use a career coach -- and whom to choose
* Employer research: step by step
* Learn about careers through job-shadowing
* Balancing career and family
* 10 job-search reality checks
* Is job flexibility right for you?
* First days on the job: Strategies to get ahead
* Dealing with a bad boss
* Making your case for telecommuting
* A day in the life of a recruiter
* Don't wait by the phone: Following up on all job leads
* Dining etiquette
* The relationship between personality and career choice
* What employers are really looking for
* How to resign from your job gracefully
* New series: 10 mistakes to avoid in: resumes, cover letters, interviews, salary
negotiation, career change, networking, job-search
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more!
Don't ever want to miss another issue of QuintZine? Get a free subscription to
the email version of QuintZine by completing our
subscription form.
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Quintessential Careers also offers writing services
for those who have been asked to give a speech and
need assistance in researching and writing their
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Need a speaker for your career-oriented conference or
event at your college or organization? The Quintessential
Careers Speakers Bureau can help! Our quintessential experts
can provide presentations/workshops on a variety of
career-related topics.
