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Employers: Show Common Courtesy to Applicants Posted: 23 Jan 2012 07:05 AM PST Looking for a job can be stressful. As job seekers triple check their resumes for typos and edit their cover letters, it seems like employers sit back and relax with all the power—especially in today's job market. Although companies do have the power to hire or not, they should still show candidates respect throughout the hiring process. A recent Washington Post article, "Are you hiring? Show Courtesy to Applicants" listed what companies can do to ensure they are displaying professional courtesy with applicants. Here are some highlights. Acknowledge all applicants. I applied for many internships last summer and was shocked that about half of the companies never even responded to my inquiry. Not even an automated, generic "we received this" email. Yes, I understand that companies have more important things to do, but a little courtesy goes a long way. Companies should recognize an application, if only to let the applicant know it was received. Inform applicants about the results of the process. In most cases, a 'no' is a lot better than playing the waiting game. I've heard countless stories of applicants going in for an interview and not hearing back afterwards. It's not fair to make the applicant wait around if you have no intention of letting them know your decision. Don't abuse applicants time and talents. Unpaid internships are commonly used as a way for job seekers to get experience with a company. But companies need to be careful and not exploit these interns. Sometimes unpaid internships do turn into a job, but don't lead applicants on. If you have no intention of hiring them make sure they know this before you offer them an unpaid position. The job seeker/employer relationship is a complex one and in the end, communication is key. Employers need to be open and honest with applicants and show them the common courtesy and respect they deserve. Companies should know that how they treat applicants is how applicants will view their brand from then on. Do you have a hiring horror story? Article by Dana Schwartz Dana Schwartz is a senior studying public relations and management at Syracuse University. She has previous internship experience with a small New York City public relations firm, as a communications intern for the Special Olympics in London, and in healthcare marketing. She is looking forward to starting a career in public relations upon her graduation in May.

Profile of a Gen Y Entrepreneur Posted: 23 Jan 2012 05:48 AM PST What do you get when you cross world citizen with Gen Y student with budding entrepreneur? You get Caroline Pugh. Pugh, a sophomore business student and president of the Virginia Tech Entrepreneur Club (E-Club), sat down with me to talk about her involvement in the club and her work with Gen Y entrepreneurs. Pugh, who has lived in South Korea, England, South Africa, and Taiwan before moving to the U.S., is studying business information technology. "I chose business information technology as my major because I was interested in the technical part of business," Pugh said. "I love business and entrepreneurship." Not long after her interest in business budded, Pugh joined the VT E-Club. "E-Club is a student-run campus organization for student entrepreneurs or students exploring entrepreneurship," Pugh said. "It's designed to help students transform their creative ideas for a business into a reality." The club was recently ranked one of the top 50 entrepreneur clubs in public schools in the U.S. and has grown over 300 percent in just the past year, attracting new student CEOs and business professionals. Even more recently, Pugh was named president. "I attended the first meeting and was blown away by all the enthusiasm for entrepreneurship," said Pugh of her first encounter with the E-Club. "I was so excited to finally be a part of an organization where students were motivated to improve themselves and take risks." The E-Club works to bring members together with established start ups and entrepreneurs, such Lujure, a successful start up founded by a former E-Club president, Nathan Latka. Every year, the E-Club launches a VT $5K competition, where student entrepreneurs submit their business plans and one in each of the five categories wins a $1,000 prize to start their business. Among the winners this year was GreenStar, a user-friendly solution for people to monitor exactly how much power the devices in their home consume; and Hokie Nanoball, a technology that harvest sunlight using an organic photovoltaic device. There's no doubt that these Gen Y entrepreneurs, and Ms. Pugh herself, are onto something big. "Young entrepreneurs need to first and foremost believe in themselves," Pugh said. "The motivation to keep going is often what makes or breaks a start up, so resilience and a strong-willed mind is key." Pugh says the single best skill an entrepreneur should have is the willingness to take risks. "The key is to brainstorm, share ideas and be open to criticism," Pugh said. "Feedback from others while in start up mode is probably the most valuable asset for any young entrepreneur." For more information on Gen Y entrepreneurs and working at startups, see: The "It" Place to Work: A Startup Gen Y: Entrepreneurs While Still In College Are You A Young Entrepreneur? There's A Fund For That HOW TO: Get A Job At A Startup Are you interested in entrepreneurship? What do you think of Pugh's advice? Article by Kate D'Amico is in her senior year at Virginia Tech where she is studying communications with an emphasis in public relations as well as psychology and special events management and marketing. She has prior internship experience in corporate communications and public relations for technology, nonprofit, and association clients.

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