What can you do to ensure that you keep your job or that you even find one in an economy like this. So many people are losing their jobs and getting laid off because companies can't afford to keep everyone on. So you need to make sure that there is a way for you to stand out among all of the other people who either have your job or a similar one like yours or from the other people who are also applying to the job that you are.

One thing that you can do is make sure that you go above and beyond to make sure that you are qualified and stay qualified for the job you have or would like to have. A lot of companies are impressed by employees or potential employees who do more than they are expected of them. If your company is in a more technological field you may want to consider obtaining you're a+ certification (which you can do through a computer training course or a CBT). Just taking that next step will ensure that your employers knows that you are serious about your job and that you want to stay with your company and help take it as a whole to the next level.

It can be scary right now especially when people who have worked for companies for decades are getting laid off. If they are losing their jobs, what ensures that someone who has only worked for a company for a few years or even months won't too? Nothing really. As terrible as that sounds it is the reality right now. But doing whatever possible that you can to keep your job is what you should be doing right now.

And honestly, if you do all of those things and the company have to lay you off still because of financial problems, you have paved a great future for yourself. Odds are, you will get a glowing recommendation and you will have all of those efforts, certifications and achievements to put on your resume to show a potential employer. So doing what you can to advance in your company in the present or even just to try to keep your job secure now will benefit you forever. You resume sticks with you and you want to be able to put those kinds of things on it.

Posted by Greg on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @ 7:44 PM

For part of our computer science class that I took sophomore year (and I am terrible at computers and technology in general) we had to go through a computer training course to get our a+ certification. I hadn't really known before what that was, but it actually came in handy when I was writing my resume and showing it around at the career fair last semester.

It turns out that any CBT (computer based training) course or certification shows great initiative and is really appreciated in the career world. I walked around and talked to a lot of different contacts and networked a little and showed off my resume and even though my major really isn't computer based (pharmacy) it does involve the daily use of a computer and a mistake using one in this field could actually be life threatening. So a lot of the employers were impressed with my experience.

Also, I think that it isn't just experience that employers are looking for in potential employees. When I was at the career fair a lot of them talked about the fact that I (as well as other people) took the initiative to do more and try to learn more on my own (I also had a lot of volunteer experiences outside of school and the computer certification). Because people try so hard to get a job, but once they have it they often just sit back and relax after the first few months. I have a part time job working at the computer labs at school and I took an optional class that was offered on a weekend to help improve general computer knowledge. It showed that even though I had the job (and obviously wouldn't be punished if I didn't go or rewarded if I did) I still took the opportunity to learn more about computers in general and how I could help if someone was in the lab when I was working or during my shift and needed help with something. It shows that I didn't just slack off once I had it and that I knew I had to keep working. Employers look for people who will continue to go above and beyond not only when they are being hired but also after and to keep doing it throughout the time that they are with the company.

Posted by Greg on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @ 6:52 PM

Our university offers a program that is for seniors or students (maybe younger than seniors or grad students who are older) that are about to graduate and are looking for work.

Although they have almost always polished their resumes, this program offers support for students on how to go about finding that perfect job or internship, or even just finding the next step to take that will get them there. They offer seminars with speakers from companies that are hiring and what they are looking for as well as job fairs just for them. They even do practice interviews, clothing's checks to see if you have a professional wardrobe (it may seem silly but you need to look professional when interviewing).

One of the seminars I went to with a friend of mine who is graduating in the fall. It was all about competency and competition with others who are after the same job as you. Taking that next step (like using enterprise learning library) and getting you're a+ certification can put you over the edge of another person with a similar resume to your own. Many of the employees that are currently working for companies are doing everything that they can to keep their jobs (including taking classes through e-learning while continuing to work). Knowing what they are doing to push themselves over and make themselves stand out can help you to gauge on what skills and experiences and certifications you may need for that particular job.

I don't think that a single one of these meetings or lectures were a waste of time. It is an amazing service that the school is providing and next year when I am a senior I will be taking advantage of as many as I can fit into my schedule. Even when the speaker works in a field that has nothing to do with your own, they have work atmosphere and etiquette experience and even interviewing experience that they can share with you. Right now we are young and have not been through this process yet. But these people have and they have volunteered their time and energy to help us through it. So definitely do what you can to go to as many events as possible and network and learn. Because this is the time to do it and you don't want to look back and regret missing out.

Posted by Greg on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @ 12:52 PM

Though there are many amazing moments throughout the year, the winter around here though tends to be a bit overwhelming and can make all of us sort of numb and dull to a great many things. For me the summer still seems to stand out the most in my mind as the time in life when we create our most lasting and strong memories. In my mind it is all about the bike riding and the birthday parties, since my birthday is in July. It is also the time when everyone who has been married in my family got married in the past so that also stands out as a benchmark in my past. This summer will surely be similar those that have passed before.

My best friend from high school, who goes to school across the country, will be getting married in early June. She set the date in early September and since then we have been in almost constant contact. I am most excited for school to end because when finals week is over I am not going home first. I will be going to her house and we will be planning some of the items for the reception. She says she has a lot of things in mind for the candy, but she's just not sure if it is the right kind of wedding candy for the type of people her and her fiancé Brad really are. Right now she is sort of jumping around a lot about her plans for it but I think she should just go with some ghirardelli chocolate because it really is the best chocolate I have ever had. I usually use that when I bake anything, especially if it is for company because they are always impressed with the dark and rich flavor of the chocolate. That is exactly what I think that they should portray of themselves at the reception of their marriage.

I don't mean to bore you all with the minor details but I am just so excited. I mean it is one thing when someone in your family is married, but it is another thing when your best friend gets married. I hope I don't get marriage fever from all of this. Here's hoping.

Posted by Greg on Friday, April 10, 2009 @ 7:38 PM

Sometimes college can become more of an adventure than you could have ever imagined. For a friend of mine who I have known since we were both very young kids his experience while in college has become a very sad situation as well as the most uplifting journey he has ever known. His story started long before he came to college, when we were both still young kids in grade school.

When we were in seventh grade his parents got divorced. This experience changed him forever because even I remember this being quite a painful set of circumstances for everyone involved. We would do sleepovers at each one of the houses and there was always the atmosphere that the other house did not exist . It was strange for me but for him it must have been utterly heartbreaking. This is basically the same way it was up until the day we graduated and from there we both went our separate ways to go to school.

Last summer he had finished his first year and went on a road trip by himself just for fun. This vacation however ended with him getting in to a car accident which left him paralyzed. He dropped out of school that fall because he had no desire to take his classes from home, which became his mother's house. He did nothing but physical therapy for the whole year and I visited him as much as I could and it was very sad.

To try and cheer my friend up this year I have a plan for him that I think will change his whole outlook on everything/ He has decided to go back to school in the fall so I have planned a road trip for us to his favorite festival. I have found places that have ride away handicap vans. Getting handicap vans is probably the hardest part of the whole trip but this should be exactly what he needs to get him out of his funk. Since I started planning this trip his parents have actually been the ones helping me with the mobility van sales Ohio search so we can get him something permanent as well as a big birthday present for him when he gets back from the vacation. All in all I think that this should be a pretty amazing experience for him and I hope it is as much a journey for him as I already envision it to be for us all.

Posted by Greg on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 1:16 PM