Q TIPS:
Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Job-hunting tips from the June 21, 2004 issue of
QuintZine.
An attire issue that high-school students and other
young men sometimes have trouble with is tying a tie.
This Web site, Tie-a-Tie.net, comes to the
rescue with step-by-step illustrations.
See our Dress for Success section,
including resources for men and women.
A new poll of 399 high-school teachers conducted by consulting firm Signal Hill Group on behalf of
Junior Achievement shows that a majority of respondents believe that experiential learning, such as job shadowing,
is "Very Effective" or "Somewhat Effective" at motivating students to learn (92 percent), at getting students interested
in higher education and careers (85 percent), and at curtailing dropout rates (79 percent). Additionally,
9 out of 10 respondents (90 percent) feel that experiential learning is "Very Effective" or "Somewhat Effective"
at raising academic achievement. -- From the
Job Shadow Coalition.
English-only speakers will find themselves at competitive disadvantage for a growing number of
U.S. jobs in coming years as employers ply global markets, reports Andrea Coombes on CBS MarketWatch.
"Being monolingual is about as American as football, but foreign-language fluency is an increasingly
significant asset, even for workers who never intend to set foot in another country," Coombes writes.
For job-seekers eager to position themselves for coming economic shifts, experts advise the following languages.
Spanish. Combine more Spanish speakers within U.S. borders and this country's growing trade
with Mexico, and Spanish becomes the language to beef up your resume. Mexico is
among the top five of U.S. trading partners.
Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese. Some estimates point to Chinese becoming the No. 1
Internet language by 2007, one expert said.
Portuguese. The third-largest consumer market by 2010, after China and India, will likely be Brazil.
German. An economic force in the European Union, Germany's language is increasingly the second
language-of-choice in places like Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Other languages to consider: Arabic or Farsi, Russian, French
Coombes also notes that English-speakers who are unwilling
to dive into another language should think about India: "The
country is increasingly a darling among U.S. companies seeking
offshore locations, and English is commonly spoken there," Coombes
writes.
An attire issue that high-school students and other
young men sometimes have trouble with is tying a tie.
This Web site, 