Do you work? Do you also go to school? If your answer is yes to both questions, welcome to the majority.

According to a survey quoted in Newsday, 66 percent of college seniors last year said they worked while in school, compared with 59 percent in 2006. Those numbers, provided by the National Survey of Student Engagement, are only likely to rise this year along with increased tuition and other living costs. Another survey, from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, yielded nearly identical results, so for once the surveys are pretty consistent.

In our workplace, we have several interns who work to learn, but also work to earn. This is not a new tradition, but it's certainly becoming more entrenched as a part of school -- both undergrad and grad school.

On my way to a degree, I spent too many evenings doing things like turning out photos for people who dropped their film off at convenience stores to be developed and printed. (To this day, I still can't stand seeing photos of dogs dressed up in little hats and outfits, sorry!)

A relatively small number of institutions have really extensive work-study programs, and those are primarily for undergrads. For grad students, and for alumni (who often try to fit in courses around the jobs that pay the bills), you're probably on your own.

It'd be way too easy to say that student loans are the entire basis for this problem, or maybe the price of gas. Truth is, working while in school becomes a choice, a rite of passage. College should be accessible, but not easy, most people would agree. Making the tough decisions about working and paying as you go along, versus paying later, is part of the educational process.

Unless, of course, a close and loving family member hits Mega Millions.

Do you resent having to go to school AND work?

Image by Wildcard403. Original photo by foTommEn.

Is a traditional 9 to 5 job a thing of the past? (They're turning the old workplace movie, 9 to 5, into a Broadway musical, so you may get a chance to see what life used to be like). Sorry if you're stuck in one of those jobs, or maybe congratulations. But it certainly is no longer the only way to work.


We talk a lot about changes in the workplace, with flextime and telecommuting becoming at least a significant part of how we work in and out of offices today, if not actually taking over as the norm. One problem seems to be that many of the changes are coming from the bottom up, with employees getting permission to be the exception, and to work a schedule that's not 9 to 5, Monday through Friday.

I used to work at a company that finished its workday promptly at 5 p.m., regardless. To enforce this, a security guard started walking through the open office spaces at 5:15, shutting off the lights (yes, really!).

Now this may have been done for the benefit of the employee, but for many of us who were trying to be more productive and finish our projects rather than punching out, it was weird, and a little demoralizing.

Values are relative, I guess, but it would be interesting to officially open up the possibilities a little more, letting project groups decide how best to get things done. And not have to get individual permission for finding creative ways to be more productive.

If you're in HR, have you tried to institute any changes like that? Do you think it's a good idea, regardless of whether you're in HR?

Hi, 'Potential Employer'-
I saw ur Asst. position available in The Boston Globe & wanted 2 let u know that i am def. interested in applying!! :) I would luv 2 send u my resume & cover letter… & am ready 2 come in 4 an interview asap. I have included my contact info. below. Plz let me know if u have ne questions.
-Thanx!
Jane Doe
janieloveseverybody@zoobuh.com

Can anyone spot something wrong (to say the least) about the pre-cover-letter email above? Or rather, spot the multiple errors? And no, this isn’t a photo-hunt game, no prizes… my apologies. If you were in the shoes of Mr./Mrs. 'Potential Employer' up there, would you ever in a million years hire this gal, Jane Doe? I think not. And unfortunately, it may not be because she lacks the smarts, ambition, or enthusiasm for her future role in the workplace – but more likely because she has been caught in the evil web of CASUAL communication. And oh how sticky it can be!

This problem seems to exist because of some of the many wonderful (?) advances in technology that we enjoy today: emails, text messages, and online social “networking” sites – such as Facebook and MySpace (it’s a hard-knock life, Gen Y). The problem also seems to exist because of pure laziness on behalf of the students and candidates applying… and quite simply, bad manners.

Sarah E. Needleman, of The Wall Street Journal discusses these exact issues in her article: Thx for the IView! I Wud ♥ to Work 4 U!! ;).

She reports how:

"An increasing number of job hunters are just too casual when it comes to communicating about career opportunities in cyberspace and on mobile devices. Thank yous on paper aren't necessary, but some applicants are writing emails that contain shorthand language and decorative symbols, while others are sending hasty and poorly thought-out messages to and from mobile devices. Incidents typically involve college students and recent graduates, and recruiters say such faux pas can be instant candidacy killers because they hint at immaturity and questionable judgment."

Nancy R. Mitchell, founder of The Etiquette Advocate lists twelve practical steps to follow for EZ Email Etiquette – part of her bi-weekly column on our website.

So I beg you, please put down your cell phones, close out any websites other than your email service and the one of the company that you are applying to (for research purposes), and write a complete sentence for crying out loud. Remember, you are not writing to your “BFF”, you are writing to your potential employer (if you keep your game-face on). *wink*

And call me old-fashioned, but am I the only one who sends hand-written thank you notes anymore? Perhaps that’s a question for another day.

Photo by: eron_gpsfs

By Allison Jameson

It wasn't until this past fall, when I attended a business etiquette training dinner that I fully understood how important manners and etiquette are. Jodi Smith, of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting, came to Emerson to do a presentation on business dinner etiquette for our graduate program (Integrated Marketing Communication), and it was a great experience.

I was very impressed with everything that Mrs. Smith taught us, and all of what I learned can be applied to any business situation I find myself in, whether it be a lunch conference, or a fancy dinner with the bigwigs of a company.

During the presentation, we sat down to a three course meal and were guided through the dinner with specific tips on every aspect along the way. We learned how to fold and use the napkin, how to properly hold the silverware and eat each type of food, what and what not to order when out at a business dinner, how to pass the salt, and many other things.

All of these seem like manners one would learn growing up, but there are many technical aspects that I was unaware of until the presentation. You can easily get away with cutting your chicken wrong, or ordering a messy pasta dish when out with the family, but while at a professional dinner event or meeting, you won’t make it out alive with bad manners.

It is always important to be aware of how you are portraying yourself and the company you work for, so it is never too late to learn more on manners and etiquette. Check out this article from Experience on business etiquette, and start brushing up on your skills today!

Anyone have any bad manner horror stories?? Please share!

Photo by SdPanek

A job is a job, as long as it's green.

It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, but a survey this month by Experience, Inc., found that young professionals as well as students would rather work for companies that are more conscious of environmental concerns.

An overwhelming majority of Gen Y'ers surveyed -- 84 percent -- said they see the green movement as a major influence in their lifestyle and career choices. Other survey findings include:

• 81% say it is important to work for a green company -- meaning they are either green-friendly, green-conscious or green-certified
• 79% report that they would be more likely to accept a job offer at a green company over another company, when evaluating two similar job offers
• 16% currently work or intern at a green company

Millennials are the new face of today's workforce," according to Jenny Floren, founder and CEO of Experience. "Companies should clearly communicate their environmental commitments and socially responsible practices throughout all recruiting programs to attract the best talent."

Knowing full well that Gen Y is more tech-savvy than any generation that's come before it, why do so many companies ignore that resource?

A couple of weeks ago, Allison wrote in this space about the advantages GY'ers (especially GY women) can offer because of their lifelong tech and social networking skills. So what happens when they hit the business world?

They're shoehorned into doing thing only in a certain, well-prescribed way, even though that "way" may be ignoring all the newer possibilities. If Facebook has opened socialization to go beyond networking, but now includes sharing technology and tech knowledge, why not take advantage of it? (Side note: that's exactly what the internet was originally designed to do -- share technical knowledge).

In a recent CNET article, Tony Speakman of database company Filemaker said, ""We've all got e-mail, and we've all got access to the Internet, and so we probably tend to think we're completely up to date.

"But what we've tended to do in many businesses is we've automated a paper process rather than necessarily look at the capability of the technology that you have and ask if there are even more efficient ways to use it," he said."

So what can be done? Companies can get their heads out of the 20th Century and start thinking creatively about how employee skills can help. They can do regular employee check-ins of what skills are available and how they may be used. And then they can take make a priority out of finding ways to let employees -- especially GY'ers, but not limited to them -- use those skills as part of their jobs. Maybe it would even help the employees feel more valued, and help with employee retention.

Go on, I want to hear some legitimate arguments as to why that can't be done. Or shouldn't be done. Go on, tell me why...

Photo by DMBFreakNo41

For several months student loans have continued to mirror other types of loans, with less money available to fewer people. Over the past couple of months, we've seen privately-issued loans from companies such as Wachovia and Bank of America, disappear.

At the same time, an increasing number of state-funded loan programs such as New Hampshire and Massachusetts have simply dried up.

Realizing the need to provide loans to insure education remains accessible in these times of sky-high tuitions, there's a lot of action going on to help alleviate the situation. In Massachusetts, bonds are being issued to fund undergrad loans. To help make the bonds successful, and to make money immediately available, the governor is seeking investments in these bonds from groups as diverse as the state pension fund and Harvard University.

And schools are scurrying to provide information to students and parents about other sources of money, such as federally subsidized loans.

So the news is not all good, but it's very clear that people in government and education are working to alleviate some of these issues as quickly as possible. For more information, see the federal student loans website.

Along with all the other side effects of an economy gone bad, add women’s jobs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of women in the workforce has been decreasing steadily over the past several years.

At first this was chalked up to social reasons such as delayed motherhood, but a recent NY Times article quoted Congressional economists who changed their minds and tied the downturn directly to the economy.

Dealing with layoffs and job “restructuring” is always difficult for anyone. For women (some of whom are the first generation in the workplace), it’s particularly discouraging – especially if they had to fight for job or wage equality in the first place.

Rather than backsliding to entry-level or service jobs, many women seem to choose the option of dropping out. This is particularly true for women who find the only jobs available in the current economy won’t handle the high costs of day care providers.

This gets really intense for all the economic borderline sectors such as single women (with or without children), older women, and women in those blue-collar communities heavily affected by the bad times. Even families – facing higher living costs overall and skyrocketing college tuitions – are struggling with the loss of a large portion of income as women are dropping out.

Economists are good at looking in their rear view mirrors, but looking ahead? Not so much. If this “trend” continues, I’ll make a prediction – diverse workplaces will take the biggest hit of all, by far. And it'll affect you and me.

What’s your prediction?

Photo: Library of Congress