The Race to Recruit STEM College Graduates

The Race to Recruit STEM College GraduatesThe Race to Recruit STEM College GraduatesThe Race to Recruit STEM College Graduates DeZubeIts a good year to be graduating from college, but a tough year to be recruiting college graduates especially STEM college grads (science, technology, engineering and math.)Data from Michigan State Universitys College Employment Research Institute shows companies of all sizes are responding bystepping up their recruitment of STEM college graduates.The CERI survey found on-campus recruiting exploded between 2013 and 2016. Companies responded to the increased competition byEstablishing internships and co-ops well before senior yearRecruiting throughout the entire academic yearSponsoring campus events to gain the inside lane on student recruitmentWe have more employers on campus and theyre here more often and theyre here earlier, says CERI Director Phillip D. Gardner, Ph.D. Even the small companies are more active in the internship and co-op space. Theyve already extended job offers to people theyve known over the past three of four years rather than showing up on campus senior year.The robust economy and low unemployment have forced companies to compete for STEM graduates, who comprise only 1% of the U.S. labor pool.Staffing firm Robert Half has seen an uptick of hiring nationally across the finance sector, including entry-level financial analysts, staff accountants and accounts payable roles, says Regional President Katie Essman.There just arent enough graduates out there to fill the roles companies are hiring for. The flow of graduates is not as good as the flow of positions, Essman says.Small Companies Are AppealingSmall-businesses and startups may have a recruiting edge over big companies this year. Only 15% of graduates want to work for a large organization, and another 45% prefer a midsize employer, according to the Accenture Strategy 2015 U.S. College Graduate Employment Study.In large measure, this is an issue related to or ganizational culture, the Accenture report found. New grads appear to be apprehensive about being lost in the shuffle of a large company.Todays students value innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, characteristics associated with small businesses and startups, Gardner says.Know your Local Recruiting MarketWhile national trends are informative, local market conditions also influence graduate hiring. Organizations that lack the bandwidth to do recruitment research can reach out to a specialized staffing service, Essman says.The market is vastly different than it welches even a year ago, she says. Whether you do your own hiring or use a service, reach out for advice on salary trends, what people are looking for, and to find out what you can do to make your role more attractive.Student Recruiting TipsTo compete effectively for 2016 graduates, try these tips1. Make every job posting an advertisement.Job descriptions present an opportunity to sell both the position and the organizat ion, so be descriptive about why your company is a great place to work.Include a paragraph on the vision of your organization at the top of the page, says Sam McIntire, founder of the Deskbright online learning platform. This will orient readers to your management philosophy while emphasizing the fact that you care deeply about the business global impact.In the skills and responsibilities sections, highlight the soft traits your company values in outstanding employees, including a passion for your mission and enthusiasm for making a positive impact in the world, he says.Location is an important selling point in the job description, especially for recent grads. The temperature here in Colorado is 75 and if I were a recent grad, Id love to leave the office at 3 and go mountain biking, Essman says. So, a flexible schedule and a quick exit on Fridays would be fantastic to include in your job posting.2. Include your mission on your website.To appeal to Millennials, put a mission statemen t on your website emphasizing why your company is in business rather than what it does, McIntire says.Focus your employer brand messaging on the core set of values and beliefs that motivate employees to go to work every day, rather than the products and services that your organization offers.Google, for example, is an excellent case study in messaging done right. Rather than advertising a search engine that will help you browse the web, explains why search matters because everyone around the world deserves access to useful information, McIntire says.3. Create a social atmosphere.Millennialswant great employment experiences, says Judy Fisher, director of career services at Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California. If you have social groups that get together or identify groups based on gender or activities, that will help them, she says.One employer that recruited at Harvey Mudd used poker to differentiate itself. They had a poker championship once a year where they pulled people in from all their affiliates, Fisher says.4. Send alums back to campus.Match employees who are close in age to college career fairs where theyre likely to know students offer incentives for referring potential hires.5. Consider less polished applicants.Technology graduates are in short supply, but there are always some kids that dont make it past the first round of interviews due to a lack of polish and social skills, Gardner says. Companies ignore them and they sit, he says.Those students, when paired with the right mentor, can pick up soft skills on the job.Another group that employers sometimes overlook Chemistry, physics and biology majors who anticipated moving on to graduate or professional schools, but didnt make the cut.Theyre out there with no lab or pre-professional work experience and those are smart kids, Gardner says. Companies with time to devote to on-the-job training will find they make great hires.

Fire Controlman (FC) Navy Job Description

Fire Controlman (FC) Navy Job DescriptionFire Controlman (FC) Navy Job DescriptionNavy fire controlmen (FC) operate certainweapons ordnungsprinzips aboard Navysurface combatant ships. It is a highly technical, highly challenging rating (as the Navy refers to its jobs) in the advanced electronics and computer field. Fire controlman is a highly competitive rating within the Navy, so standards for recruits are very high. If youre considering this rating, youll need to be mature and willing to take on a lot of responsibility, in plus-rechnen to having technical skill and expertise. Unlike other ratings,in addition to operating weapons systems, fire controlmen troubleshoot and repair the weaponsas well. These weapons systems include theTomahawk missile system, the Sea Sparrow missile system and the Harpoon missile systemas well asthe associated computer and sensor packages. Training Recruits cant enlist with the guarantee of an FC rating. Theyre required to enlist under the Navys adva nced electronics/computer field (AECF) and will spend about nine weeks in basic electronics training. Thats in addition to fire controlman A school for about 20 weeks, both of which are conducted at the Navy base in Great Lakes, Illinois. During the initial phase of AECF training, recruits are assigned to either the fire controlman rating or the electronic technician (ET) rating. These two ratings comprise the basis of a ships combat systems department, which are responsible for maintaining its readiness for combat operations. Duties The expanded duties of the fire controlman include operating and maintaining combat and weapons direction systems, surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile systems and gun fire control systems. They also providesystem employment recommendations, performing maintenance on digital computer equipment systems, The fire controlman has other duties related to the upkeep and maintenance of a ships weapons systems, which include inspecting and testing micro- and minicomputers and related electronics. Working Environment The working environment for fire controlmen can include the entire Navy fleet of surface ships, including aircraft carriers and Aegis cruisers, as well as repair activities ashore. Job Requirements Recruits must score a combined 156 in the mathematics knowledge (MK), electronics information (EI) and general science (GS) portions of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test, and a 222 on the arithmetic reasoning (AR) portion. Also, aspiring fire controlmen need to be able to qualify for secret security clearance, have normal color perception, normal hearing, and be a U.S. citizen. This rating has a 72-month enlistment obligation. Advancement opportunities and career progression for fire controlmen, as with many Navy ratings, are directly linked to the ratings manning level. Personnel in undermanned ratings have greater promotion opportunity than those in overmanned ratings. Sea/Shore Ro tation for Fire Controlmen First Sea Tour 60 monthsFirst Shore Tour 36 monthsSecond Sea Tour 60 monthsSecond Shore Tour 36 monthsThird Sea Tour 48 monthsThird Shore Tour 36 monthsFourth Sea Tour 48 monthsForth Shore Tour 36 months Sea tours and shore tours for sailors that have completed four sea tours will be 36 months at sea followed by 36 months ashore until retirement. Information from theNavy Personnel Command

10 Dos Donts of Salary Negotiation

10 Dos Donts of Salary Negotiation10 Dos Donts of Salary Negotiation Should I tell them my salary range? Do I want too much? Am I undervalued? Will the recruiter try to lowball me? Do my colleagues earn more than me?These are the questions that may be running through your mind when you think about negotiating your salary for a new job. However, theres no need to rack your brain for answers to these questions. Glassdoor is here to help.Here are the dos and donts of salary negotiations.Bookmark this page.As part of the Glassdoor surveys , employed men and women were asked how confident they were about receiving a pay raise or cost-of-living increase. Almost always, men have shown greater confidence than women that they will get the increase. In fact, data shows men have been consistently about 6 percent more confident than women over the last seven years.However, confidence might be one key to closing the gender pay gap . Glassdoors recent gender pay gap report show s that there is an unadjusted pay gap between men and women of 24.1%, meaning women earn about $0.76 for every $1 a man earns. However, when we control for variables such as age, education, experience,occupation, industry, location, year, specific company and job title, the adjusted gender pay gap shrinks to 5.4%. Armed with a healthy dose of confidence, you can get the salary you deserve.Advice-landseeking is a powerful way to have influence without authority, says Adam Grant, aprofessor at Wharton School of Business and the author of Give and Take .If youre worried about manipulation, I have some good news it doesnt work if its bedrngnis authentic. In the best case scenario, the contact will take the initiative to advocate for you directly. Failing that, youll gain some valuable advice about who to approach and how to make your case, as well as some possible history on precedents for negotiating in your role.Thisrequires no hardball negotiating and keeps your integrity intact, insists Grant. If you are deciding between two companies and offers, be honest. All you need to do is share the terms of the competing offer, and say, Id rather come here. Is there anything you can do to make this an easier decision for me? More often than leid, the answer is yes.Take notes during negotiations, advises the LDS Employment Resource Services. Notes will help all parties recall what has already been discussed or decided. Be sure to get all offers in writing. Then, make sure to, Paraphrase to ensure understanding. Restate in your own words what the other person has said to make sure you understand correctly.A thank you note is an important follow-up after a face-to-face meeting, says career expert and writer Eileen Meyer. In addition to being a polite acknowledgment to those who met with you (whether your manager or an HR team member), a thank you note also gives you one more opportunity to remind them what a stellar employee they have in you.At some point, nearly every employer will ask what salary range youre looking for and this could happen as soon as their very first phone call to you, says Alison Green, author of How to Get a Job Secrets of a Hiring Manager . You want to be prepared for this in advance, because if youre caught off-guard, you risk low-balling yourself or otherwise saying something that will harm you in negotiations later. Be sure to do your homework ahead of time so that youre ready with an answer when the question comes up.Job seekers sometimes claim that theyre currently earning more than they really are, figuring that will help them get a higher offer from a new employer. But this can backfire because plenty of employers verify salary history, either by asking to see a recent pay stub or W-2, or by checking with the previous employer directly, insists Green. And even worse, its common to do this after youve already accepted a job offer, which means that you risk having the offer pulled over the lie, even after yo uve already accepted it and resigned your previous job.In response to an offer, restate the offer, sit quietly, and silently count to 10. Allow everyone time to consider. This technique may also prompt the employer to justify the offer, which could continue the negotiation process, or it could lead to a better offer, advises LDS ERS. When a final offer is extended, if it is not enough, thank the employer, provide a power statement that emphasizes your value, and ask for time to consider the offer.Be confident in what youre requesting, but understand that a negotiation is just that- a conversation, not a dictation. Listen to what the other side has to say and take it into consideration when offering up numbers, says career expert and experienced hiring manager Heather Huhman. Money is a sensitive subject for most people, but you should never let a company have full control over your worth. Be both knowledgeable and understanding when discussing a salary negotiation. If the negoti ation didnt fall in your favor, always factor in how much joy the position will bring you- because money isnt everything. Over-apologizing is a major turnoff and makes you appear anxious, fearful, and unsure, insists Huhman. When you make small mistakes or express an opinion, dont say sorry. Thats not to say you should ignore personal accountability. Certain situations do indeed warrant an apology. However, dont go overboard in negotiations.