First Comment

Back in April, the New York Times wrestled with the issue of whether the unpaid intern was legal or not. One of the conclusions stated: "California and some other states require that interns receive college credit as a condition of being unpaid. But federal regulators say that receiving college credit does not necessarily free companies from paying interns, especially when the internship involves little training and mainly benefits the employer."

Well TLNT wrote this week that the United States Department of Labor (DOL) has begun to crack down on businesses that do not pay interns and offers some keys about complying with the law. While the DOL has issued a "fact sheet", TLNT does a great job of translating that for Human Resources and figuring out where problem areas still exist.

And then there's the factor of which degree to choose when you're in school? Well Monster.com and Yahoo! HotJobs issued a list of the worst-paying college degrees (H/T Wendy). A good list of majors to avoid for students and areas where Human Resources should take notice.

Well once those college students graduate, what is waiting for them? Not much. The New York Times wrote back in July that many are trying to join Teach for America--but few are actually chosen for the very selective positions. But yet many graduates from some of the most prestigious colleges around the country are applying there for the job security and resume booster that it provides.

Last piece of advice for the college grad (or, really, anyone else) comes from The Oatmeal: "What your email address says about your computer skills." A funny must-read for anyone who is applying to a job with an @aol.com/@yahoo.com/@hotmail.com address.

Since most of us don't have the luxury of punching our boss when we get mad at them, there's this from AngstCorner which allows you to virtually punch them.

Strangely enough, this was sent by my boss, Wendy. She also sent me this article from Harvard Business School on how to get fired with dignity.

So I'm not sure what to think about my job security at this point... (just kidding...I hope!)

While watching football this weekend, I saw a few commercials from Hyundai touting their new "Hyundai Assurance" (click here). In this new ad campaign, Hyundai goes after a consumer segment looking for an "out clause" in tough economic times. The ad tells buyers “we’re all in this together” and proceeds to give car buyers the security they need in a time of job uncertainty. This out clause allows the buyer to return the Hyundai if they lose their income within a year.

This seems to be a great idea for a large amount of Americans who are worried about buying a new car for fear they may lose their jobs. I wonder how successful the campaign will become, but judging from the amount of people I watched football with who seemed to respond positively to the ad, it could definitely work. It'll be also very interesting to see how many other companies copy this idea. Would a real estate company having a tough time selling condos try this? Or Best Buy selling you a new High Definition television? Interesting food for thought...

First, my apologies for being off line for a while. The fourth quarter shuffle is in full swing here at Astron!

I read an interesting article on jobsinthemoney.com regarding performance reviews. Specifically, making them work for you. You can read the full article here: http://www.jobsinthemoney.com/news.php?articleID=713 The main gist of the story is that employees should consider performance reviews not as events to be dreaded, but rather ways to demonstrate additional value and initiative to employers by actively seeking ways to improve themselves.

With all the gloom and doom on the news, each day more people are thankful to have a job. Undoubtedly, though, these same people are worried that they might have to face the reality of a layoff in the coming months. One of the best ways to avoid being in that painful situation is to demonstrate with concrete deliverables and actions how you as an employee showed initiative and rendered yourself invaluable to your employer.

When I was working in industry, I always kept a folder with copies of any e-mails I received saying that I did a great job, demonstrated positive ROI, etc. So if there was ever talk of a layoff or a less than stellar performance review, I was ready to defend my case. Thankfully, I never needed to dip into that folder. This technique, however, is one you might consider doing to help ensure your job security in this rocky economic climate.