Weekly Poll: Would you relocate for a job?

Being geographically flexible when it comes to your job search is important, but to what limits? Will you move to another city, or another country if a job exists?

Vote below!

Bill offers tax incentive to college grads

Job incentive bill in North Dakota sparks interest

This post was written by Amy Dalrymple and was reprinted with permission from http://www.thedickinsonpress.com

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FARGO — A bill introduced by a former North Dakota State University student body president seeks to give college graduates an incentive to work in North Dakota.

The bill by Rep. Joe Heilman, R-Fargo, would give North Dakota residents who are paying off student loans a break on their state income taxes.

House Bill 1356 would let residents reduce their taxable income by the amount of student loan payments they made during the year, up to $2,000.

For example, a resident who earns $40,000 a year and pays $2,000 a year in student loan payments would be able to reduce the state taxable income to $38,000.

Based on preliminary estimates, residents would save about $50 per year, Heilman said.

“It doesn’t seem like much now, but it adds up over 10, 20 years,” Heilman said.

The bill does not restrict the tax benefit to graduates of North Dakota colleges and universities. Heilman said he also wanted to offer the incentive to people who attended college in another state and want to return to North Dakota.

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15 Interesting Facts About the Stock Market

Ticker Tape Trivia

By Molly Mann Jones for DivineCaroline.com

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I was an English major in college and didn’t go near a math class if I could help it, so my knowledge of stocks and trading is limited. But my interest in the history of Wall Street is keen, so I’ve collected many tidbits of information about the U.S. stock market over the years. For example, did you know the origin of the term “bull market,” or when ticker tape came into use? Here, fifteen fun facts about our nation’s financial trading center, from StockMarketTrivia.com.

Let’s Get Our Terms Straight

1. A stock is a share of ownership in a company that can be bought, sold, or traded. A bond is a loan to a company that can be bought, sold, or traded.

2. The origins of the phrases bull market and bear market are obscure. A bull market is characterized by investor confidence, and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) cites an 1891 usage as the earliest for the term. It may come from the French bulle spéculative, meaning a speculative market bubble. The OED points to London bearskin “jobbers” (market makers), who would sell bearskins before the bears had actually been caught. The bear became associated with short selling; jobbers would sell bearskins they did not own in anticipation of falling prices, which would enable them to buy them later for an additional profit. That would explain why the term bear market refers to declining investor confidence and deteriorating financial conditions.

3. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is one of several stock market indices created by Wall Street Journal editor and Dow Jones & Company cofounder Charles Dow. The average is named after Dow and one of his business associates, Edward Jones; it’s an index that shows how thirty large, publicly owned companies based in the United States have traded during a standard session. It is the second-oldest U.S. market index after the Dow Jones Transportation Average, which Dow also created. Along with the NASDAQ Composite, the S&P 500 Index, and the Russell 2000 Index, the Dow is one of the most closely watched benchmark indices. Although Dow compiled the index to gauge the performance of the industrial sector within the American economy, the index’s performance continues to be influenced not only by corporate and economic factors, but also by domestic and foreign political events and natural disasters that could affect economic scenarios.

History of the NYSE

4. Stock trading may have begun as early as 9000–8000 BC, at which time clay tokens were used for accounting. Unfortunately, writing hadn’t been invented at that time, so there is no way to confirm this possibility.

5. Later, around 4000–3000 BC, an item called a bulla (plural: bullae or bullas) came into use. This was like a clay purse that contained accounting tokens and was completely sealed. The bullae often had seals imprinted on them, and eventually had notations written on them designating how many tokens were inside and what they represented: for example, a certain number of sheep. These inscriptions on the outside of the bullae led to what is called cuneiform, the earliest form of writing, and may have been another source of the phrase bull market.

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Weekly Poll: Do you think the job market will improve this year?

Every day we here at New Grad Life read all sorts of data from different sources regarding the job market in 2011. Some predictions are gloomy while others are more optimistic. One perspective that we rarely see in the news is that of the job seekers themselves. So what do you think? Will the job market improve this year? Vote below!

5 Job-Hunting Tips for New Grads

Helpful advice for today's job seekers

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It's almost that time of year again, when newly graduating seniors hit the job market in search of a paycheck. I don't know about you, but everything I know about job hunting I learned after college. Like how to network and write an effective resume, for example. So, to give you graduating seniors a leg up, I interviewed two career experts to uncover 5 ways for new grads to find a job faster. This is the stuff I wish they taught in school ...

1) Cast a wide net

"In a declining economy such as we face now, you have to expand your options. If you've looked only at large corporations, start looking at small businesses, non-profits, universities, government jobs -- a huge area of job growth -- and other types of employers," advises Lindsey Pollak, Author of "Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World." Often, jobs at smaller and non-profit organizations are harder to find, requiring more networking on your part. However, you'll face less competition from other job hunters who are not willing to put in the effort. So basically finding entry level jobs as a college grad becomes easier.

2) Persist without being a pest

Follow-up is one of the most important elements of any successful job search, especially for new grads lacking traditional experience. "'No' may really mean 'not right now,'" says Pollak. "Getting a job is often about timing, so stay on employers' radar screens. But instead of saying, 'Hi, I'm just calling to follow up,' try to add value in each communication, and only follow up once every two weeks or so." One way to add value is to use Google Alerts (Google.com/alerts) to stay current on industry news and trends. The service is free and emails you daily updates of the latest Google results (blogs, news, etc.) based on the topics you choose. Then, presto! You have a valid excuse to email or call employers about the relevant articles you find online.

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College students should prepare to secure jobs after graduation

Students spending time to prepping for the real world

This post was written by Jeremiah Yates and was reprinted with permission from http://thedaonline.com

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For many students, this semester will mark the end of their college years; no more late study nights or house parties.

Soon it will be time for job hunting and putting the thousands of dollars spent on higher education to good use.

This is easier said than done. The job market is very competitive, especially for recent college graduates.

Employers, for the most part, don't care about your education as much as they do experience. And too many college students have more experience at the beer pong table than they do in a real work environment.

Now is the time to expand as an adult and become a professional.

Don't think just having a degree will be the golden ticket for a white collar job. In an economy such as ours, businesses don't have the time or money to train new-hires. They want someone who can fill the slot with a smooth transition, allowing the business to operate as normal.

Many college graduates do not offer this type of transition. Some require a lot of attention and time to learn the business, whatever it may be.

In the period between graduation and landing a job, all college graduates are in the business of selling themselves. They have to show employers why they should take a chance on someone with little or no experience.

Although it isn't easy, it is possible to get a decent entry-level job out of college. You just have to be well-prepared and willing to sacrifice.

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Survey: College graduates unprepared for job interviews

College grads take time to reflect

This post was written by Becky Bruce and was reprinted with permission from http://www.ksl.com

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ALT LAKE CITY -- News flash to young job seekers: it's not OK to wear your flip-flops to a job interview.

A new survey of 100 firms found Generation "Text" doesn't understand key aspects of office etiquette -- especially when it comes to the job interview. For example, leaving in the nose ring, sporting flip-flops and even using words like "dude" with a prospective employer.

Carly Hazen, an executive recruiter for Prince, Perelson and Associates, says people in college get used to an abbreviated style of communication, encouraged by texting, Twitter and Facebook. But when it comes to writing your resume, 140 characters aren't appropriate.

"A lot of these individuals don't have the basic fundamentals on how to put together a well-written resume, a well-written cover letter, you know, proper interview attire," Hazen says. "They're a lot more casual in their attire, a lot more casual in their conversation style, a lot more casual in their follow-up for interviews."

The jobless rate is higher among job seekers aged 20 to 24, according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Labor Department. It's at 14 percent for that age group. It means there were 2.2 million people in that age group who were unemployed in November.

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College grads ready to navigate tough job market

Entry level job seekers standing strong

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Source: http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-121910-graduation,0,2725886.story

5 Tips for Your First "Real" Job

Work isn't a routine, it's a lifestyle

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Great things to get out of a job whether you like what you’re doing or not…

1) Get involved in activities outside of work. Now that you are no longer in school and don’t have endless hours of homework, studying, and group projects to complete, you may find yourself with a lot of free time. Ideas for activities to keep you busy include alumni groups, local networking organizations, professional organizations related to your field, a second “fun” job, volunteer programs, or recreational sports leagues.

Being involved in something outside of work gives you something to look forward to in the evenings or on the weekends and is a great way to meet new people and expand your network. Whether you’re reconnecting with people at alumni events, earning extra money at a second job, or giving back to your community through a volunteer program, you will have the opportunity to share your time and talents with others outside of the workplace!

2) Keep learning and developing your talents through formal or informal education. If you have the opportunity to go back to school and earn an additional degree while working, take advantage of it! While many companies are cutting back on their tuition reimbursement programs, you may have to find other ways to continue learning. Attend meetings in your industry, participate in free webinars, network with experienced professionals in your field, and find a few blogs to read regularly that interest you. All of these are alternatives to traditional classroom training.

3) Put yourself out there. Being the “new” person, and possibly the youngest person in your company or department, can be tough and intimidating. But at the same time, you have a great opportunity to put yourself out there. Because you are inexperienced, it is more acceptable to make mistakes…as long as you learn from them. It is better to put an idea out there and get shot down than to not put the idea out there at all. Plus, getting shot down isn’t always a bad thing – it’s going to happen to you over and over again in any job you have, so you might as well get a taste of it when you are first starting out.

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