The following is an interview transcript with Shelley Lowe, Executive Director of Career Services for Davenport University, also known as DU. Ms. Lowe graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science and was a business owner for 15 years. After selling her company in 1999, she acted as a consultant for clients such as MSU, Michigan Foundation for Education Leadership, SBAM (Small Business Association of Michigan), H Inc., and Business Review. Ms. Lowe was hired by Davenport University in August of 2007 and became the Executive Director of Career Services.

Interview Transcript

Jill Randolph: What advice do you offer to people who are changing careers later in life?

Shelley Lowe: When we look at our alumni, sometimes we find that they haven't given themselves enough credit for the work they've done in the past. It comes so naturally and so easily to them after 10 or 20 years that they don't realize the breadth and scope of what they have accomplished. The first thing we do, and maybe this is counterintuitive to a university, is review their resume see if additional education is really needed, or if they are not giving themselves enough credit on paper.

For example, about nine months ago, I received a testimonial from an alumna who had consulted with one of our career services team. The alumna wasn't happy because she wasn't being promoted or progressing with her employer. She told us she thought she needed to earn a master's degree so she would be able to move forward. The career services person looked at her resume and saw that the former student had phenomenal experience, then asked her what kinds of questions she was being asked in interviews. They completed an analysis of how she was depicting her professional experience and then the career services person rearranged her resume and brought up some pointers that the alumna hadn't thought of. Her skills were second nature to her, but it is very important for an employer to be able to see and hear about candidates' expertise. After the career counseling session with our teammate, the woman interviewed for and was offered an extremely high-paying position at a hospital. The lesson learned is that this person was going to commit to additional education and all the time, work and expense tied with it, when in fact all she needed to do was to represent herself more effectively on paper and during interviews.

We don't always come out right away and recommend students return to school to earn their master's degree. We want to get to know them first and evaluate their experience to see what might be keeping them from moving to the next level or finding a job fit. If we think they need more education, we then decide if they should pursue a master's degree or if perhaps a certificate program will help. We ask them what they see themselves doing in the future, then we steer them towards the certifications or the master's degrees to help them on their paths. We also factor in the amount of time the person can dedicate to their education when making this decision. Some of our master's degrees are run like normal course work, and that's great for some people, but not for others. We also have an Executive MBA Program that holds classes every other weekend. It's a very strategic process we use when making this decision, and if the student needs to add an additional skill set we tend to send them into the regular MBA Program. If they are trying to move to the next executive level, then we recommend an Executive MBA or something similar.

Jill Randolph: Does your school only offer Executive MBAs to people who are currently employed?

Shelley Lowe: Any student with a bachelor's degree can get into the Executive MBA Program, but the university looks at the student's history. To use myself as an example, I really wanted to earn my MBA, but I was only looking at the regular option. I was thinking I needed my MBA in human resources management, because as a manager I tend to deal with a lot of HR issues. As I started looking at the program, however, I realized I've already had statistics, accounting and economics courses, and I decided I didn't want to go back and essentially retake those classes. Then people started telling me it would be more like a ticket punch because of all the experience I'd already had, and that I would probably be better served to go into the Executive MBA program where I could work on case studies and gain experience leading a group. As I thought about it, I realized they were right, and that I was definitely going into the Executive MBA Program. In fact, I am turning in my paperwork this year and will be starting next fall. It's worth it for me because it will help set me apart from other people, and I'll also be able to complete my coursework without the classes I've already taken; I would rather work on the core of the MBA.

In some universities, students are allowed to test out of certain program requirements; Davenport considers it for certain classes. The university wants to make sure the foundation is in place however, so they are pretty tough in assuring the core is developed before they allow a student to move on. They look at testing out of requirements at an individual level. For example, I owned my own company for many years, so in my case, they might look at my work history and agree that an undergraduate passing grade for economics qualifies as pre-requisite fulfillment.

Jill Randolph: Some Executive MBA programs require students have permission from their employer before being enrolled because the program is very demanding. They disallow enrollment to those who are currently unemployed because the unemployed have no current employer to grant them permission to pursue an Executive MBA. Why do you think some Executive MBA programs disallow enrollment to potential students, when those students may have other commitments or responsibilities that are just as time-consuming as working full-time?

Shelley Lowe: We have a lot of displaced alumni who have re-enrolled in school because they are currently unemployed, so there is a silver lining for them. Why would we keep them from furthering their education now when they have the time, and many of them have received severance packages, so they have the money to afford going back to school? It's an appropriate time in their lives, and I don't think we would turn someone away for one of those reasons.

Maybe there is some logic to what other schools require. Perhaps the schools were so engrained in the notion that the employer covered part of the tuition, so class work had to permitted. Our focus has always been on individual development and improvement. Our assumption is that if a company sees one of their employees striving to improve their skill sets, they are lucky to have that employee.

Jill Randolph: What advice do you give to students regarding networking?

Shelley Lowe: We stress the importance of networking tremendously with our students. In fact, we have whole programs in place to try to teach them how, where, and with whom to network, and for what purposes. We are piloting a student organization at one of our satellite locations called "Succeed". It is focused on how students should be presenting themselves when they are in the professional world, and how they should by networking to move to the next level. It starts with a thirty-second elevator speech about who they are and what their goals are, which I tell students they should be practicing every so often. This way, when the time comes, the speech is completely believable to the other person. I recommend students practice their elevator speech on family members, neighbors and friends, anything to help make it clear and concise, because people never know when they will need to have their speech ready for an opportunity.

I also want students to understand that if they don't tell me what they are looking for, I can't remember who they are when I am meeting with employers, who are offering the position the student is seeking. We tell our students to tell us about their goals and their dreams, and then they will be the student who comes into our minds when a matching opportunity arises.

Networking is very important, and it starts with understanding one's goals. For example, students should join clubs related to the industry they are interested in. I use my friend who belongs to a Wool Growers Association as an example: the association includes everyone from people who only grow wool to weekend farmers, executives in corporations, nurses, and people who work at the county jail. There are so many different people in the association that a 30-second speech to the right person will stick in his or her mind because it's clear, concise and meaningful to that individual.

Networking is what we call an aggressive form of job searching. "Aggressive" in that the candidate can clearly identify what he or she is aiming for and is able to repeat it succinctly and believably to anyone who asks, at any time. We offer a lot of classes and workshops on networking, since it is such an important facet of searching for a job and career success.

We also recommend utilizing LinkedIn Groups, whether it's the Davenport University Alumni Group or a trade group. All of our team has completed training on how to best utilize LinkedIn, and we show our students how to effectively utilize professional networking groups. We also talk a lot about Facebook and the results students will see when they clean up their profile page and start to utilize it to let people know who it is they want to be versus showing pictures with their head in the toilet on Saturday nights. That's not who students want to be when they grow up, so they shouldn't let prospective employers see them like that now.

Jill Randolph: Are most employers you talk to looking for their job openings to be filled through their network, or are they still looking via traditional methods?

Shelley Lowe: They all want candidates to apply through their website. We are hearing that over and over, but I think employers appreciate a recommendation, particularly small and midsized employers. However, if a student determines the opportunity is not a good fit for his or her career goals, there is a professional way to ease out of the situation. It is not okay to not show up, act badly, or tarnish the reputation of the person who recommended them for the position. Employers like to know our faculty and about our programs so they can believe us when we tell them a student is suited for a position. We work very hard to help our employers get to know our faculty and we see that it helps the students find job and internship opportunities because when employers see Davenport on a resume they feel good about it. We remind students to remember that if they were hired because they came from Davenport, they are an example of the university, so they need to look and act in a professional manner at all times.

Jill Randolph: What do you think are the most important things high school students should do to be accepted into the best possible college, and how soon should they start working on that plan?

Shelley Lowe: I think personality tests are beneficial and a lot of high schools provide them to their students. We look at a student's strong interest areas and personality types, and we help guide them to where they will be happy in their professional life.

I think a lot of students go to college because they are told they are going to be an accountant or a doctor, or because they think a career sounds good even though they don't know a lot about it. We see a lot of students who come in with the notion that they have to pursue the career they always thought they wanted. We also encounter students who come in and have no idea what they want to do for a living, and they sometimes end up leaving school altogether. Students should assess the careers they may want to pursue, and then research the universities that offer those programs. Then they can sample those career paths in their first couple of years of college and start to make a formulated decision about which areas they feel most strongly about and are interested in pursuing as a career after college.

We want students to assess their career and personal goals. Very few people go to college thinking only that it sounds like a fun thing to do, because it is too expensive to do that. When students go into college not knowing where they want to go in their future, they tend to struggle and may have higher dropout rates.

Jill Randolph: What are the biggest trends you are seeing among incoming students?

Shelley Lowe: I think they are more concerned about where they are going to be when they graduate. When I went to college it never occurred to me to worry that I might not find a job when I graduated, but it's totally different now. Students are making the decision to come to Davenport because our degree programs offer them opportunities to find employment after graduation. We work really hard with them to assure that happens.

We are different than a traditional university because we only offer programs in health, business and technology. We are seeing a lot more students planning to continue on to a master's degree when they finish their undergraduate work, because they want to separate themselves from the competition. Our students are very focused on where they are going after graduation, and work hard towards their professional goals from the start. A lot are pursuing their master's to wait out the recession, and many of our older students, including some alumni, are coming back to do the same thing. We are starting to see a lot more alumni in our office, and many of them are considering what the next step in their lives will be. Some of them have had a career for twenty years and have been downsized and are trying to find ways to be more marketable. They seek advice from the career services center, then talk to admissions and move into our master's programs.

Jill Randolph: What are the three most important things students can do to prepare to find a job after graduation?

Shelley Lowe: Experience, experience, experience. If all else is equal, experience will separate them from other, otherwise equally qualified candidates. They need to show leadership and we hear this regularly from employers. For example, we recently held an accounting fair focused on our honors accounting students. We had 9 top employers from across the state and the country here, along with the 65 students who qualified to attend. The students did a fantastic job, and the employers were pleased, but the one piece of negative feedback we received from employers was that there was not enough volunteer and leadership experience on the students' resumes, so that's something students can improve on. We advise our students to approach their applications from all angles. We want them to have some volunteering experience while they are here, whether it's in a student life organization, accounting students participating in the beta program and doing taxes for other people, or going into the community and volunteering with an organization like Habitat for Humanity or the Boys and Girls Club.

The second is to find an experiential opportunity, such as taking on a project. Sometimes we'll find a company with a network program or development need. We'll give the problem to a class of students and a faculty member, and they will work out the project management of the whole networking system and help implement it. Any experiential opportunities students can find - including designing a webpage or going to an organization and offering to help create a human resources manual - will give them concrete experience for their portfolio, that they can show to prospective employees. It shows the ability to work in a team and leadership skills that are valued in industry.

Finally, we encourage students to seek out an internship or two, whether it is for-credit or not-for-credit. With so many qualified people looking for jobs who already have experience, it is harder to compete unless students have been in an organization and done the tasks necessary to demonstrate that they can fulfill the needs of the position. For example, many banks offer internships, and finance and business management students can show concrete examples of management leadership experience or finance experience after they've completed the internship.

It's a three-pronged process: students need to show community or club involvement, they need to gain experiential skills, and they need to have some work experience as well, even if they freelance. A lot of our students have the types of majors that allow them to freelance, but they also need to complete an internship to show they have organizational experience, that they understand the workplace environment and can function well in it.

Jill Randolph: What suggestions do you give to students to help them stand out from other job applicants?

Shelley Lowe: The two main pieces of advice we give students is if they are using an objective on their resume, they should specifically state the position they seek, and also the company name. I have seen hundreds of resumes that have nothing to do with the job posted, and nothing stated in their objective statement grabbed my attention. When an employer has numerous resumes coming across their desk, they are looking for a reason to eliminate applicants because they know there are going to be qualified people in the stack. If a company receives 100 applications but will only interview 7-14 people for the job at most, then they are looking for a reason exclude the other 90 resumes.

We tell students their resume should be fluid and specific to every job they apply for, and their resume should change in a couple of ways for each respective application. The first thing that should change is the objective, which should be specific for each different posting they are applying for. Then we also tell them to look closely at the job description. We have students set up their resumes so that much of their skill sets or previous experiences are bullet-pointed. The reason is so that students can move their prior job experiences around to suit the format of the job they are applying to. The average time an employer spends looking at a resume before they make their decision is around ten seconds, so being able to rearrange their resume for each application will make it more likely they employer will see something they like right away.

In those ten seconds, we want employers to see that our students understand the job they are applying for, what the company stands for, and can demonstrate experiences related to the employers' keywords used in the job description to define the candidate they are looking for. A resume's appearance is also important, but we want students to utilize the objective to tell the employer a very concise story about what they know about the company, and also to indicate to the employer they have the skill sets that are sought. We tell students the cover letter can fill in the gaps and better explain information in the resume.

I always tell the story about when I was hired into this position. I was handed about 120 resumes and I was told to hire a director for the east side of the state. I hadn't yet started this job, and I sort of knew what I was looking for, but if the objective said nursing in it, I threw it into the pile and never looked at it again, because I was looking for a director of career services. An applicant who didn't take the time to personalize their objective statement wasn't the candidate I was looking to hire. I was able to take 120 resumes and narrow them down to the 15 applicants I was going to look at more closely in just 20 minutes. As a past employer, I was flooded with applications for retail store manager positions, stockers, warehouse managers, purchasing, and receivable and payable positions. I agree the 10-second statistic is pretty accurate, based on my past history as a business owner. It's important for students to understand that they can use all the flowery language they want, but what employers really look for are keywords to indicate they understand the job and have the experience to allow them to succeed in the position. Any gaps can be explained in the cover letter.

If a student is able to include quantitative information stating they increased sales by 23 percent through improved customer service campaigns or something similar, it's worth including, especially if customer service is important to the company they are applying to. Employers look for quantitative and qualitative language, but it should be specifically related to the job posting. We struggle because we have resume books in our system employers can look through, and a resume book requires a generic resume. We tell students there is a passive way to find a job, and an aggressive way. Passively searching means applying for jobs on websites and putting resumes in a resume book, which is a good start. The aggressive way is the more personalized approach candidates can use, including personalizing every resume and networking one-on-one with people connected to or working for the company.

Jill Randolph: Do you recommend, "you seek, I offer" wording on a cover letter, so that way the applicant specifically calls out how they meet what the employer is looking for?

Shelley Lowe: That's an excellent format to use. We have some students who don't understand the cover letter is an engagement piece where they should be telling a company about the skills they have to offer. We also advise against including anything about what they expect to gain from the job, including simply stating they are seeking a position to help improve the quality of their skills. These days, employers don't want to know that. They assume the people they hire are going to improve the quality of their skills by gaining experience, so they don't want to read the obvious.

Jill Randolph: How has your school or colleges in general changed from the past?

Shelley Lowe: Many years ago, we were a last resort college for many students, but we have changed for the better. We still have mostly nontraditional students - our average student age is around 26 - but we now have five hundred students living on-campus and a student activity center, which sponsors 21 different sports. This has all developed within the last three years or so. We have evolved into a university with admissions standards, master's programs and have progressed and grown tremendously in the past 8-12 years.

A university's physical fitness requirement is causing an uproar on campus, with critics claiming that the policy discriminates against the obese.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that Lincoln University, a historically black institution in Pennsylvania, is requiring students who have a body-mass index above 30 to enroll in a course entitled "Fitness for Life" prior to graduating. Students are weighed and measured as freshmen and can be exempted from the course by dropping their BMIs to below 30 or by passing a sports course.

Students and professors at the school are objecting to the policy, reports the school's student publication, The Lincolnian. "What's the point of this?" asked one freshman. "Some students on campus are just confused why a certain BMI has to be a requirement. Are there not a sufficient amount of prerequisites to complete prior to graduating from college?"

Dr. Yvonne Hilton, a professor in the school's health, physical education and recreation department, was also skeptical. "I don't necessarily agree with the BMI being a requirement," she told The Lincolnian. "It is understood that obesity in America is growing fast, but maybe there should have been a different approach in informing the students about their health and building their awareness."

According to Inside Higher Ed, nearly a fifth of the freshman class that began Lincoln three years ago had BMIs of 30 or greater. Out of these 92 students, about 25 have not proven they have lost weight or signed up for the class. James L. Deboy, chair of the school's health, physical education and recreation department, contacted the students about the unfulfilled requirement earlier this month, which caused a stir that resulted in the Lincolnian article.

DeBoy maintained that the requirement is an important one. "This country's in the midst of an obesity epidemic and African-Americans are hit hard by obesity and diabetes," he told Inside Higher Ed. "We need to address this problem directly with our students."

He added in the Chronicle, "We as health educators are responsible for students' total well-being, not just academic and cognitive, but physical and social. If a student is being wheeled out on a stretcher at age 35 or 40, they will never be able to say, 'I wish someone had told me that this would happen.'"

Although the requirement is a unique one, other institutions have taken steps to combat obesity on campus as well. In September, the University of Houston announced that it would offer a course using a Nintendo Wii game system in an effort to attract students who otherwise would not sign up for more traditional physical education courses. Students taking the course learn basic principles of body nutrition and maintaining a healthy body weight, track their activities and monitor their calorie intake.

Students at the University of California in Los Angeles angrily protested the Board of Regents' approval of a student fee increase raising undergraduate costs a whopping 32 percent next fall.

The move will raise the annual higher education costs at UC to $10,302, reports the Los Angeles Times, an increase of more than $2,500 and about triple what it cost a decade ago. But officials said that the fee hikes were necessary to maintain the academic quality of the university.

"I hate to say it, but if you have no choice, you have no choice," said UC President Mark G. Yudof, who was quoted by the LA Times.

UCLA's student publication, The Daily Bruin, reports that more than 500 demonstrators protested the fee hikes on Wednesday, and police were forced to use nightsticks and Taser guns to push the crowd back. After bottles and rocks were thrown at police officers, students were told to disperse or face arrest.

"We care about what's going on, and we hold [the UC Regents] accountable to the students," said Jan Victor Andasan, who helped organize the rally. "This [protest] has such a big effect because it doesn't happen every day."

But Peter King, a spokesman for the UC Office of the President, said that the state government should receive the blame for cutting funds. "We are raising fees because we have no other options," he told The Daily Bruin. "The only other option is to let universities slide into mediocrity by letting teachers leave and the university deteriorates. This is a great university, and we're trying to keep it great."

The New York Times reports on how cuts in state financing have affected UC: All staff and faculty have been put on furlough, with an average pay cut of 8 percent. Housekeeping has been cut back, resulting in overflowing wastebaskets. Required courses have been scaled back, forcing many students to be closed out of classes.

"Dismantling this institution, which is a huge economic driver for the state, is a stupendously stupid thing to do, but that's the path the Legislature has embarked on," said Richard A. Mathies, dean of the College of Chemistry at UC Berkeley, who was quoted in The Times. "When you pull resources from an institution like this, faculty leave, the best grad students don't come, and the discoveries go down."

Inside Higher Ed reported earlier this month that the commission agreed to look into the matter at a number of colleges, primarily in the Washington, D.C. area, but the group declined to name specific institutions. While private undergraduate colleges have the legal right to consider gender in admissions, the commission intends to determine how widespread the practice is.

"We hope to start a conversation on how to deal with it," said Gail Heriot, one of the group's commissioners and a law professor at the University of San Diego, who was quoted by U.S. News & World Report.

The Washington Post reports, for example, that at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, applications from females are about double the amount received from males. In 2008-9, approximately 29 percent of female applicants were admitted, compared to about 43 percent of male applicants.

Henry Broaddus, dean of admissions at the college, told the Washington Post that the issue is not about equity; rather, it is about an institution's desire to create a diverse student population that includes both men and women. The Post noted that Broaddus had been quoted as saying that "Even women who enroll. . .expect to see men on campus. . . . It's not the College of Mary and Mary; it's the College of William and Mary."

U.S. News concurred that many selective institutions have admitted male and female applicants at vastly different rates in order to maintain gender balance. The University of Richmond in Virginia, for example, has in the past decade been much more likely to admit men over women. U.S. News reports, however, that last year the school admitted 40 percent of women and 38 percent of men who applied.

The gender balance at some colleges can be influenced by the programs they offer. U.S. News notes that Illinois Wesleyan University has schools in art, music, theater, nursing, and a certification program in elementary education--all of which very likely contributes to the fact that 58 percent of the students are women.

But even in schools where gender balance is maintained in the overall student body, discrepancies are likely to be found among specific majors. The Tufts Daily, the student publication at Tufts University in Massachusetts, notes that particularly notable gender discrepancies can be seen in subjects such as art history, where only five out of 57 majors are male; computer science, where eight out of 50 majors are female; and child development, which includes only 15 males out of 107 majors. Nevertheless, the school--which is known to be one of the nation's most selective--reported only slightly more female than male students in 2007.

The American College Health Association reported that cases of influenza-like illnesses at colleges and universities went down last week for the first time during this academic year. Unfortunately, ACHA also reported on the first student deaths as a result of the virus.

A total of 6,373 new cases were reported in the week of November 7-13, 27 percent lower than the prior week's rate. ACHA noted that all but five states noted significant declines during that time--a sharp contrast to the surge in influenza-like cases reported last month. The data was collected at 263 colleges and universities which account for approximately 3 million students.

But the hopeful report was overshadowed by news of two student deaths as a result of influenza."Though pandemic flu remains generally mild among college students," said Dr. James C. Turner, president of ACHA and executive director of the department of student health at the University of Virginia, "these two deaths are harsh reminders of the rare but tragic consequences of influenza."

Turner expressed concern that schools were not receiving enough of the H1N1 vaccine. He noted that higher rates of vaccination are "the best hope for reducing the impact of the pandemic on campuses."

Earlier this month, The Washington Post reported that many college students who have access to the swine flu vaccine are not likely to receive it. According to a recent Post-ABC News poll, nearly seven out of 10 people ages 18-29 said they did not plan to get vaccinated.

"I've never gotten a seasonal flu shot in my life," explained Justin Fiorilli, a student at George Washington University who was quoted by the Post. "I roll the dice every year, and I am going to roll the dice this year. I mean, we're constantly interacting with people here. There's no way to get around it."

"The vast majority of students don't worry about this at all," said Turner, who was also quoted by the Post. He said that according to a survey at the Charlottesville campus at the University of Virginia, "only 54 percent--maybe this is good--say they never share a Solo cup or smoking material, which means there's 46 percent who continue sharing and smoking hookah pipes and cigarettes."

The following is an interview transcript with Mark Williams, Director of Career Development, Counseling, and Special Programs at The Community College of Baltimore County. Mr. Williams worked for 10 years in quality control for a major chemical company before moving to education at the community college level. He earned his Associate's degree in Business Administration from the Community College of Baltimore County, a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Baltimore, and a Master's degree in Human Resource Development from Bowie State University. Mr. Williams started on his counseling path with CCBC as an academic adviser and progressed to his current role as director of career development and counseling services, overseeing all career development and clinical counseling at CCBC.

The Community College of Baltimore County provides education that prepares students for transfer and career success while strengthening the regional work force. CCBC has more than 100 associate degree and certificate programs. Career Development Services at CCBC provides support for students and alumni in all stages of the career decision-making and planning process - assessing interests and skills, exploring careers and majors, setting goals, and developing a plan of action.

Interview Transcript

Jill Randolph: What advice do you offer to students regarding how to balance work with life once they start working full-time?

Mark Williams: It is difficult advice depending on age and where they are in their career. When I started in this job, for example, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the job. I wanted to gain experience promptly because I wanted to be an excellent advisor as quickly as possible. So at the beginning of my career, it was approximately 85 percent work and 15 percent life. Those who are further into their careers or those who are balancing children, life and work will not be able to put in long office hours. We have a lot of single parents, both male and female, who are trying to balance their jobs and schoolwork with parenting. They work full-time, go to school part-time and have children in daycare. It's difficult and takes planning.

I recommend students take some time to do what they like. They have to reserve time for themselves, because they can become too inundated with work. When someone's job becomes their life, they are less likely to enjoy what they are doing.

I am not late into my career, but I've learned how to balance life and career demands. Home time is home time in my house, at least until everyone is asleep. It's really about balancing and making sacrifices, because I have to give my family their time, but then I may have to use some of the time I normally spend sleeping or watching football working instead. I try not to have conversations about work when I go home because I want to refocus and rejuvenate for the next day. Some thoughts of work are always furrowing, but I try not to let them interrupt my family time. This all goes back to why we tell students to find something they enjoy doing, because that's the beginning of a good quality of life. We want them to be able to do a good job when they are at work, realizing they can only do so much, and then go home and try to enjoy the other part of their lives.

I have found that everything is a part of life, not just work or home demands. Balancing may be difficult for someone who has just started his or her career and is eager to show that they know what they are doing at work, but those are often the people who can become burned out and disillusioned. I try to get people to appreciate their family life and realize that if family life is going to suffer, work life is probably going to suffer as well, so there has to be balance. Often, students have to experience everything for themselves before they realize they can't go to work full-time, take two classes and have kids. The biggest task for a student is prioritizing.

Success relies on health, and quality of life directly impacts one's health. Being able to manage stress and realizing that health is the most important thing is absolutely crucial. It's impossible to work and take care of one's family when a person doesn't take care of him or herself.

Jill Randolph: What are the three most important things students should do to prepare for finding a job after graduation?

Mark Williams: Researching prospective employers and important details about the company is the most important step. Students should know the mission of the corporation, its goals and how, as a candidate, they can facilitate those goals, because the research process is about connecting their talents with the organization. During the interview, students will usually be asked to explain how they fit into that particular organization. If they have researched the company in advance, they will be able to answer this question much more thoroughly and intelligently.

Second is to practice answering potential interview questions even before the student is invited for a meeting. These can be standard questions so that students feel more comfortable and are able to articulate their thoughts more clearly when the time comes. We don't want students to give answers that come across as overly rehearsed; instead, we want their responses to feel and sound natural.

Finally, students should remain calm throughout the process. The hiring timeline can be a very long one, so students have to understand that and relax. They also need to be confident in the written presentation of their resume and cover letters. Additionally, they need to prepare for potential interview questions, research organizations, be comfortable following up post-interview. Hopefully by the time they are invited for an interview, they have taken these steps and are prepared and confident. A lot of times, students are really nervous about the interview process, even though they are good candidates and they have the ability to answer the questions intelligently. Because they are so nervous, however, they lock up verbally on the interview, which should not happen to those who feel sufficiently prepared.

Jill Randolph: For non-traditional students who are at school to change career paths or reenter the workforce, does it seem like they are more highly invested in the process because they are older and have more responsibilities? Would you say that they are like more relaxed because they've had interview experience, or do you think they're more anxious because they have much more on their shoulders?

Mark Williams: I think both of those scenarios come into play. Those with a sense of urgency are willing to spend more time preparing and doing what they need to do to succeed.

Jill Randolph: If someone has an interview offer for a job for which they are over-qualified, what would you recommend that they say in order to convince the employer that they are not going to leave as soon as something better comes along?

Mark Williams: That is an extremely difficult sell. Organizations weigh loyalty very heavily these days, because they are trying to hire the best possible candidate from an oversized applicant pool. The most important thing is for people to find work they enjoy, because it is more likely they will succeed and they will have a better quality of life because they enjoy what they do. However, it's difficult to convince students that it's not always about the money.

To use myself as an example, I worked in a chemical company, and I went to school as an economics major. I was crunching numbers all day long, falling asleep at a computer, and I didn't have someone to see what my strengths were. Luckily, I had an opportunity to work in the college environment and realized that this is what I want to do. I took a pay cut, but my quality of life improved because I enjoyed what I was doing and I excelled at it. I recommend that students think about what they enjoy and are skilled at, and many opportunities will come from that. This may be a tough sell for someone who has a mortgage payment, a PhD and is looking for the highest-paying job. Taking a pay cut is difficult, but it's even more difficult trying to get people to understand that quality of life has much more meaning than earning a higher salary.

Jill Randolph: What are some suggestions you make to students to help them stand out from other job applicants?

Mark Williams: Right now, people who know another language are competitive. Often, organizations are looking for people who are bilingual, but that doesn't necessarily have to mean that the applicant speaks Spanish. Those who can sign and understand sign language are competitive and will stand out as well.

When writing resumes, I advise students to include any volunteer work and the experience they gained from volunteering. I want them to understand that it is wise to get an education and experience at the same time because there will be a long-term payoff. Students may struggle to find internships that directly relate to their majors, but the classroom and volunteer experience they gain in college is additional knowledge that they can list on their resumes.

I also think it's a good idea for students to join a professional organization based on their major. A psychology major could join the APA for students, while a business major could join the Human Resource Management Organization. This will help students gain a feel for their field while gaining experience and meeting people to add to their network. .

Jill Randolph: In the past couple of weeks, I've read at least three articles that say that over 80 percent of people are finding job leads by networking. You had talked about how volunteering and joining professional organizations are a great way to meet people with similar interests. Do you think that companies are looking for future employees via current staff, or are they still using traditional methods to find new hires?

Mark Williams: It's not a set rule, but whom you know is a big part of the job search process. Having skills to do the job is important; knowing people is also important. However, having both skills and a strong network is the safest route. If I can refer someone for a position, and if I have credibility with that company, it is much easier to network that person into a position than for the candidate to go the traditional route. I definitely believe job search success is about knowing the right people, but networking takes time. Students need to understand that they have to make time to network. Sometimes the sacrifice is difficult, because it's so easy for a student to just put their resume out on the web and hope and wait for someone to contact them.

Students need to have opportunities to gain work experience and to gain necessary skill sets such as networking, because both are important. Having the ability to network can pay off in the long-term, because even once a person is employed, networking continues to be important. For example, a lot of times companies will ask employees if they know of anyone else who would be a good candidate for a posted job. Employees always need to think about how they can improve the organization they work for once they are hired.

Students usually don't network well in a professional atmosphere, though. They network at parties and at student events, but by exposing them to opportunities where they can practice networking with business owners and other professionals, it will pay off in the long run.

Jill Randolph: Do you have any career related books or websites that you recommend to students?

Mark Williams: I recommend "What Color Is Your Parachute". Also, "The Authentic Career", which focuses on work-life balance, "Seven Habits", which has students to focus on themselves and how they can improve as individuals, and "Seven Seeds of Meaningful Work", by Dave Smith. I read a lot, and I try to have my students do the same because authors will often pull in information from research, which gives students insight.

Jill Randolph: Currently, there is a lot of technology competing for students' attention. Is there anything you recommend to students who don't make or have time to read entire books?

Mark Williams: I want students to read books, because when they start working, they are going to have to read and analyze material. Books on tape and podcasts are all well and good, but what's the problem with a student picking up a book in their free time? It is sometimes a tough sell to get students to read, but it is a necessity. I try to give them relevant reading material that will give them insight on who they are and who and what can guide them in their process. The idea is that if we have good literature for students, they'll be more inclined to read.

Jill Randolph: What do you think are the most important things high school students should do in order to get into the best possible college, and how soon should they start working on their plan?

Mark Williams: High school students should have been working on their plan as early as middle school, identifying interests and honing skills to help them accomplish their goals. They should be involved in extracurricular activities beyond sports, language and business clubs, and focus on a club or organization that relates to their professional interests.

The second thing students need to focus on is grades, as most students overlook how important academics are. Students can earn college credit while they are in high school, especially in math and science courses, as those tend to transfer readily to four-year schools across the country. I think it's also important for students to get involved with a parallel enrolment program, and for them to find take courses in a foreign language throughout high school. I think learning Spanish, French, German or even an Asian language like Chinese helps high school students get into better colleges and universities because it allows them to stand out among other students applying to those same schools.

Finally, students should explore their college options, looking at target schools and admissions requirements including essays and public service hours, as early as ninth grade. If students begin this process early, they will be prepared to submit very competitive applications and materials when the time comes.

Jill Randolph: Do you think most students are proactive enough to look at a college or university's requirements an early age, or is that something high school counselors or parents may need to push them to do?

Mark Williams: I think most students are pushed in the right direction by their parents, as many are directly involved in their student's high school careers. Also, student peers have a lot of influence; they can inspire each other to reach for better schools. That's positive peer pressure that pushes students to begin the exploration process early so that they can get into their first choice of schools.

Jill Randolph: What are the biggest trends you are seeing with incoming students today?

Mark Williams: We are seeing a lot of students choose majors in the healthcare field. Students know there is going to be some security in that field once they graduate, that its salaries are very competitive, and that they will have opportunities to travel with a lot of healthcare jobs. For example, with a nursing degree, a student doesn't have to stay in Baltimore; they can go to Jacksonville, Florida or Los Angeles and still be able to find a job. The idea is that a lot of students want to be able to get into a career they can take with them and which won't limit where they can find work.

We are also seeing a lot of incoming students who are in need of more developmental course work. These students are looking for jobs and careers that sometimes don't match their developmental skills, and it takes them a little longer to take the required prerequisites for those majors. We are seeing many students lacking soft skills like communications, which they will need to find jobs. From our perspective, we help shape those students once they arrive here because they didn't use a lot of the processes in place in high school to help them prepare for college. We are starting the process of having students develop resumes and practice interviews so they can begin to work on their soft skills concurrently with class work.

Jill Randolph: Are there any specific classes geared towards teaching students job search skills, or does the school rely more on the career center?

Mark Williams: We offer a career development course, but few students take advantage of it. We also offer college-wide resume workshops, but students really don't come forward until help is urgently needed. There is little pre-planning among students, even though they know they are going to need this information. Ideally, students shouldn't be coming in for help with a resume if they have an interview next week; the planning piece is a big part of success.

We also recommend volunteering as an excellent way to gain valuable experience and potential leadership opportunities. A lot of students aren't willing to give up their time for free, so we have to educate them that volunteering is important because it gives them an edge in a competitive workforce. We try to change students' mindsets so that they will be more prepared for the future.

Jill Randolph: How would you say that your school or colleges in general have changed from years past?

Mark Williams: I think one of the biggest changes is technology. We have a student portal that puts everything literally in the students' laps and requires them to use technology. In a lot of schools, students cannot succeed without using technology. Certain courses are only offered online; while grades, financial aid and scholarship applications, class sign-ups and student-professor communications are all done online at most colleges and universities. Technology has changed, and sadly, some students aren't prepared for that. We have had a surge in enrollment, but along with that surge is the number of students who require more handholding when they use technology.

I think the biggest difference between then and now, however, is the amount of responsibility and accountability students place on their education today. They are making sure their instructors show up for class on time like they should, they are questioning and working with their instructors more, and they are taking advantage of the resources more than they did in the past. I think colleges are trying to offer as many resources as possible in order to increase retention among students, so they are trying many different strategies and initiatives to hold onto students.

Jill Randolph: What about students who are unable to afford their own computer? Most colleges have computer labs and libraries with computers on campus, but do you know of any programs that make it easier for economically disadvantaged students to purchase computers?

Mark Williams: It's very difficult for economically disadvantaged students; they don't use email, and they don't have home access, but we try to engage the students as much as possible while they are here so they will learn the necessary skills using technology. There are programs that help students buy computers, but there are other things that they need their money for other than a computer, which could be bus fare to school or something to eat.

I think that's our biggest challenge, and because we are an open-door college we are naturally going to have more disadvantaged students. It's an ongoing challenge, and that's why our libraries work hard to make sure students have online access, and why the college has computers in hallways and lounges across campus.

Training for green jobs, such as wind technicians and solar cell designers, is increasingly being offered at community colleges nationwide.

Fortune Magazine reports that community colleges seem to be embracing green professions quicker and more fully than other institutions, in part because the two-year schools are proficient at training students for practical professions. "They really understand the labor market and where there's demand," explained Mindy Feldbaum, author of "Going Green," a report on the role of community colleges in training for green jobs.

WKYC-TV in Ohio reports, for example, that Lorain County Community College recently launched Ohio's first associate degree program in wind turbine power generation. About five dozen students signed up for the program.

"The student who graduates will have a two-year degree," explained Duncan Estep, coordinator of LCCC's Alternative Energy Program, who was quoted by WKYC-TV. "It's stackable. They can go on to a four-year degree. They can go to work for a company that installs wind turbines right out of the chute."

Fortune notes that in recent months, major companies have formed partnerships with community colleges to encourage green training: IBM announced that it would provide course materials and hardware to Metropolitan Community College in Omaha in order to create a green data-center management degree. GE, meanwhile, donated a small wind turbine to Mesalands Community College in New Mexico and plans to hire graduates of the school's new wind energy technician program. And Johnson Controls in Wisconsin is building a 2,500 panel solar education farm at Milwaukee Area Technical College so students can be trained to become photovoltaic installers and designers.

"Johnson Controls' headquarters is nearby, and it's looking for thousands of people," explained Joseph Jacobsen, the school's associate dean of environmental studies, who was quoted in Fortune. "The baby boomers are retiring, and it's going to need new employees."

Similarly, Local Tech Wire reports that the North Carolina Community College System recently received $14 million in grants from Duke Energy to fund projects aimed at promoting careers in various fields. One project is Guilford Technical Community College's new Career Launch Pad, an educational lab that promotes careers in manufacturing, green technology, aerospace, health care, energy and life sciences.

A new survey released this week indicates that hiring of new college graduates plummeted about 35 to 40 percent this year and is expected to drop an additional 2 percent in the coming year.

According to the Michigan State University Collegiate Employment Research Institute's Recruiting Trends survey, hiring levels are at their lowest in several decades. Phil Gardner, director of the institute, admitted that the data--which was based on responses from more than 2,500 companies and institutions--was much bleaker than he originally anticipated.

"Last year, we though labor would contract by about 8 percent," he told the Daily Texan, the student newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin. "When November rolled around and things got really bad, it contracted another 35 or 49 percent."

Yet Gardner, who will be presenting the survey results at the Trends in Recruiting Conference in Chicago later this week, also predicted that the job market will not get much worse. "It's kind of bottomed out," he told Michigan's Lansing State Journal. "The problem is the bottom is so low. . . . It's going to be a hard year."

The survey noted that companies with 500 to 4,000 employees expect to decrease hiring by 11 percent in the coming year, while large companies with more than 4,000 workers plan to cut back on hiring by 3 percent. But the news is more optimistic for companies with fewer than 500 employees: They plan to increase hiring by 15 percent in the coming year.

Gardner told The Chronicle of Higher Education that when employers consider hiring, they are looking for candidates with flexibility, an entrepreneurial bent, critical thinking and strengths that could be suitable for a number of positions.

"Skills are paying off more than a degree per se," he told the Chronicle.

He also noted that demand in engineering and accounting has dropped, while e-commerce, entrepreneurship, and environmental sciences have become stronger fields.

Kelley Bishop, career services director at MSU, said in a press release that it's important for college students to network, land internships and develop critical thinking skills as early as possible. That's because employers, he said, are much more concerned today about how new hires solve problems.

"The premium is being placed on flexibility and adaptability," Bishop said, "because this change in the labor market looks like it's permanent. And those who can quickly adapt are the ones who are going to survive through this and prosper through this."

A new survey elaborates on common as well as surprising mistakes job applicants make on interviews which can often cost them the job.

The survey was conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management and Cosmopolitan magazine, which polled 500 SHRM members about interview dos and don'ts. The study found that the number one deal breaker was dressing too provocatively, which 67 percent referred to as a major problem, reports Business Wire. Other major mistakes included being late for an interview, speaking about a previous boss negatively, and having a cell phone ring during an interview.

Commonly-used clichés also tended to irritate hiring managers. For example, 65 percent of survey respondents advised candidates not to say, "This is my dream job." In addition, 30 percent recommended against saying, "I think outside the box."

According to The Wall Street Journal, 20 percent of survey respondents said that speaking in a too-familiar way with hiring managers can derail an interview. Mary Willoughby, director of human resources at the Center for Disability Rights in Rochester, New York, told the Journal that she once interviewed someone who commented on a sty she had near her eye. Needless to say, his approach cost him the job.

The survey also said that many job candidates ask about benefits, vacation time and schedule flexibility far too early, and Willoughby agreed. "I've had candidates ask if they can work part-time from home right off the bat," she told the Journal. "Let's figure out if you're the right person for this job before we discuss how little you want to be in the office."

Some HR managers do check social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace for background information about a job candidate, but not as many as one might think: A full 70 percent said they do not Google job applicants or check social networking sites.

In a related story, the Detroit Free Press reports that job interview questions have changed considerably. According to Phillip Kovacs, a senior consultant in human resource training and development in Michigan, new interview questions focus more on past behavior.

"Behavior-based interviewing is based on the logic that what a person has done in the past is the most reliable predictor of how they are likely to perform in the future," he told the Detroit Free Press. Interview questions, he said, "are posed in a way to elicit specific examples of what a candidate did, how they did it, and what the result was."

Instead of questions that ask about one's greatest strengths and weaknesses, Kovacs said a behavior-based question might inquire about regrettable decisions a candidate has made in the past and what could have been done differently. Another example might be elaborating on how one manages when plans are interrupted.