JOBTRAK.COM`S CAREER CORNER

Move Over Dear Abby... When it Comes to College Students` Questions About Their Careers, JOBTRAK.COM`s Experts Have the Answers

(CPWire) Los Angeles -- May 4, 1999 -- Each day, college students from across the country send questions regarding their career search to JOBTRAK.COM, the nation`s largest job listing and resume service targeting college students and recent grads. College recruiters from some of the country`s leading employers give insight into these questions. Beginning today and once a week, JOBTRAK.COM will compile the best of these questions and answers and submit them to college newspapers nationwide in the hope to give college students a competitive advantage in the job market. We welcome you to inaugural edition of the JOBTRAK.COM Career Corner...

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
Q. Dear JOBTRAK.COM,
I have a question regarding thank you notes. Should they be hand written or typed? A hand written note seems more personal while a typed message is more professional. Which is better? What about emailing a thank you note?
-L.M.D.

A. I think the short answer is all of the above. While a hand written note might appear more personal, I think typed or email thank you notes are also both perfectly acceptable expressions of appreciation. The intent is to demonstrate good manners and good job searching skills. Form, in my opinion, is much less important than speed. Thank you notes ought to be sent the same day as the interview or at the latest the following day. When I do campus interviewing, nothing is more impressive than having notes from the students I`d interviewed awaiting me upon my return to the office. Now, many recruiters carry laptop computers. Email thank you notes will often reach them while they’re still ``on the road.``
- Don Jensen
Employee Relations Consultant
Former Director of University Recruiting, Lucent Technologies.

SLEEPING IN
Q. Dear JOBTRAK.COM,
I was hired in my current position to work Mon-Fri, 9am to 6pm. My employer now wants me to work from 6am to 3pm. Do they have the right to change my schedule?
-Dan

A. If you work in a state that has “at-will” employment (which includes most of them), then your employer has the right to change your working conditions. An offer letter is not a contract between an employer and an employee, but simply an acknowledgment of the job offer. So, what was stated there is subject to change at any time. If you have a good reason why you cannot change your hours, work with your manager on a compromise. Change is a constant in any business, so you should be a good team player and try to work it out.
- Julie Cunningham
Manager, Global College Relations
Tellabs
www.tellabs.com

MAKING THE BIG BUCKS
Q. Dear JOBTRAK.COM,
I was recently asked during an interview what my salary requirement was. I wasn`t sure how to answer this question. I didn`t want to come up with a figure that was too high (and possibly lose the opportunity), but then again I didn`t want to undersell myself. What is the right way to answer the question?
-Lisa

A. I`m not sure why employers ask this question of new college graduates. Most companies have a set pay range for new grads, and that range will determine your salary offer more than your stated requirement. But, you want to play the interview game well, so visit your career center and find out what the average pay range is for your major and degree, and use that in your response. For example, ``I`ve done some research and found that the average starting salary for my degree and major is $40-45,000. While money is not the most important factor in my decision, I do hope to be within the upper part of that range.``
- Julie Cunningham
Manager, Global College Relations
Tellabs
www.tellabs.com

Students can submit their job searching questions to:

Keri Resh
JOBTRAK.COM
1964 Westwood Blvd, Third Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90025
[email protected]
Or visit the JOBTRAK Career Forum at https://www.jobtrak.com/forum/

About JOBTRAK.COM
JOBTRAK.COM is the nation`s largest job listing and resume service targeting college student and alumni and can be accessed at www.jobtrak.com. Established in 1987, JOBTRAK.COM has formed partnerships with more than 900 college and university career centers, alumni associations and MBA programs nationwide. Over 400,000 employers have utilized JOBTRAK.COM to target college students and alumni for full- or part-time employment opportunities and, in 1998 over 440,000 job openings were posted on its site and there are over 35,000 job-seeking students, graduated and experienced professionals accessing the JOBTRAK.COM web site daily.