Online profiles vs. resumes

With the new age of social media, it seems like a change may be on the horizon. Will online profiles take the place of resumes? In mentioning online profiles, I am thinking about networking sites such as Facebook or Linkedin (used mostly by the business community).

With summer, approaching many of you are thinking about applying for a summer job or even a full time job if you are graduating and moving on to the next chapter in your life. In a recent survey done by Office Team, a staff service that questioned approximately 500 human resource managers, 63% of respondents said that it is not likely that the resume' will be replaced. They did suggest there could be a real benefit to having an online profile, but emphasized that you should be careful about what you put on your Facebook page. If you are communicating on Facebook with mostly friends, you may want to start thinking about changing your posts to be more professional. You may also want to untag yourself in certain photos and set privacy setting to control who can see certain parts of your profile. Other suggestions included listing beneficial qualities related to your achievements as well as as posting appropriate hobbies and interests.

Source: Creators Syndicate; Office Team Staffing

Xtranormal: The place to make movies

I happen to be watching a student in the library working on a class project. He had done research on a common disease and was looking for a new, inventive way to present his research. When I asked about what he was doing, he showed me the movie he had made on Xtranormal.com. It was really quite cool. Then he went on to tell me that with a mic he attached to his home computer, he was able to narrate the movie using his own voice. Being the researcher that I am. I went right out and researched Xtranormal. What I found is that it can be a great tool for student projects. Below is what Xtranormal says about themselves.

Xtranormal says they have a mission. They want to bring movie making to the people. We all watch movies, right; Xtranormal believe everyone can make movies. Movie-making, short and long, online and on-screen, private and public, will probably be the most important communications process of the 21st century.
Their revolutionary approach to movie-making builds on one of the most universally held skills—typing. You type something; we turn it into a movie. On the web and on the desktop.

Check it out. It is free for the starter version. If you want extra bells and whistles, there may be a fee.

College Access & Opportunity Guide

The College Access & Opportunity Guide put out by CSO College Center is a fantastic new guide we just added to our library collection. It features a section related to planning for college as well as high school timelines with a checklist for things to do during each year of high school. It also includes advice from college students and other experts as well as a section on why you should find a mentor and how to go about finding one. The best find in the book would be links to a wealth of information about how to apply for college scholarships and other grants.

The last part of the book has profiles of colleges and universities from all fifty states. Most of the UT campuses throughout Texas are listed. Look below are sites that are affiliated with this publication. These would be a great place to start, or stop in at the FHS Library to check out the print edition of this guide. If you are looking for other resources on college planning, don't forget to look in the college and career collection in the library.

http://www.csocollegecenter.org/

http://www.knowhow2go.org/