Thursday, April 15, 2010

How It Affects the Nation - 2010 Census

Did you mail your Census form? There are only two days left. From late April 2010 to August 2010, Census employees will visit households that did not return the form.

Credit Card Act Impact

This Washington Post article includes clarification of credit card laws including those that will go into effect after August 22, 2010.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

How LinkedIn Will Fire Up Your Career

Article- How LinkedIn Will Fire Up Your Career
Periodical- Fortune
Vol. 161 no. 5 , Arpil 12, 2010
Author- Jessi Hempel
Reviewed by- Paolo Varrenti, the College of Westchester

LinkedIn is a powerful recruitment tool used to obtain positions in today’s most competitive job market. In today’s economy, it is harder than ever to find a good career path. The competition is very strong amongst college graduates trying to develop their careers. This year 50,000 job positions are opening up for telecom consultants, finance experts, software specialists and many more. Most people do not know that there is an easier way to get your name out there for job openings. LinkedIn is a networking system that can put your name out there, and companies can contact you after reviewing your profile. It is basically like face book and monster intertwined. This is because it is a resume in the style of an online profile with your skills and specialties.
Recruitment teams for big companies used to rely on headhunters, employee referrals, and job boards. This is a way of the past now that they can access thousands of applications with the click of a button. Companies find it much easier to review someone’s profile online and get a true understanding of who they are through their past experiences and skills. The article states that if you are not on the LinkedIn system, you do not exist in the eyes of John Compagnio. Compagnio is the head of Global Recruitment. He strictly uses LinkedIn to search for applicants to fill specific job opening.
I would recommend this article to college graduates with any degree level. They need to understand the importance of this system and how they can network on a professional level. Jessi Hempel stresses the importance of social networking because it is the future of recruitment. LinkedIn is one tool no college graduate should be without.

A Jolt for Energy Innovation

Periodical: U.S News and World Report
Article: A Jolt for Energy Innovation
Author: Kent Garber
Article date: Vol. 147. 4, April 2010
Reviewed by: Lewis Joseph (The College of Westchester)

A Jolt for Energy Innovation, by Kent Garber, focuses on the United States and it’s lack of technological innovation in recent years due to lack of funding. Due to the stimulus package set forth by President Barack Obama, Steven Chu was able to take strides by presenting new ideas and setting them into motion after becoming the head of the Department of Energy in January of this year.
This article explains the challenges that are present in finding funding for most potential energy endeavors in the U.S, and reasons why many ideas tend to fall by the way side. Steven Chu is trying to find new ways of both improving energy use and making sure good ideas don’t fail to come to light due to a lack of funding.