It is a well-known fact (and one of the reasons for Come Recommended’s success) that college teaches you pretty much everything but how to actually land a job. Many entry-level positions are assistants for more experienced co-workers. In this role, there is no room for error because a great deal of your future is at stake. And when left without guidance, this can prove very problematic.

ProAssisting is an online, interactive assistant training community composed of an e-learning module combined with real-time interaction to give assistants at all levels the guidance they need to succeed. The goal of the site is to offer training, tools and resources in order to create a comprehensive assistant training program to help make the most of career opportunities for recent college graduates. ProAssisting also offers HR managers overseeing multiple assistant positions an affordable training program designed to create continuity of knowledge and skill sets across all their assistant positions.

The ProAssisting Training Program comprises a 73-minute training module, private membership forum, downloadable templates, tools and checklists, and online resources to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. The program also offers direct e-mail access to Ethan Bull and Stephanie Rostron Bull, co-founders of ProAssisting with more than 20 years of combined assisting experience, for any private consultations.

Welcome, ProAssisting, to the Come Recommended family!

I’ve been saying it for years but now I’m making it official: I’m writing a book. Although I can’t reveal too many details at this time (at least in this forum), I can say that the book-in addition to being a great career-related read for high school and college students-will be the “student companion” to a top secret course we’re developing with one of Come Recommended’s sponsors.

Right now, I’m collecting advice from hiring managers, recruiters and other career experts to incorporate throughout the book. Would you like your expertise included? Please send an e-mail to book@comerecommended.com with the following information:

• Name
• Credentials (i.e., SPHR, etc.)
• Title and organization
• Contact information
• Web site and/or blog
• Short bio of your expertise

Not only would I like this book to entail advice from the experts, but also “real” stories from young professionals. Are you a recent college graduate who’s landed an entry-level job in your field and willing to share your success story? Please send an e-mail to book@comerecommended.com with the following information:

• Name
• Contact information
• Month and year graduated
• Degree (i.e., B.A.), major and minor
• College/university
• A brief description of your entry-level job, including your title
• Two to four paragraphs about a specific step (or steps) you took in college (be sure to include whether you were a freshman, sophomore, etc. at the time) that you believe helped prepare you for a successful entry-level job search

If you have any questions about this project, please do not hesitate to send those, as well. I can’t wait to work with all of you to finally make this book a reality! Trust me, it’s been a long time coming.

Best,

Heather R. Huhman, Founder & President
Come Recommended

It is with great pleasure Come Recommended is adding the following individuals to our team this fall:

Kristina Allen, public affairs intern

Kristina Allen graduated in May 2009 from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) with a B.A. in public communication and a minor in political science; she is currently enrolled in the communication master’s program. During Kristina’s senior year at FAU she was elected vice president of the American Democracy Project (FAU chapter), a national club sponsored by the NY Times to promote the importance of civic engagement. As a college graduate who had a wonderful, year and a half long internship during her undergraduate years, Kristina understands the value an internship adds to the personal and professional growth of a student. Additionally as a recent college graduate, Kristina understands the hardships faced in trying to obtain a desired, entry-level position in a tight economy.

Sunaina Bhatnagar, corporate relations intern

Sunaina Bhatnagar’s diverse professional background, desire to learn and proven excellence in graduate school make her a perfect fit for the corporate relations internship. She is a proud graduate of George Mason University, where she majored in biology and minored in business. While at Mason, Sunaina served as the PR coordinator for the university’s Indian Students Association.

Her work background includes experience in the financial and health care industries. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in PR/corporate communications from Georgetown University. Her areas of interest include digital communications and social media.

Caroline Jones, media relations intern

Caroline Jones is a May 2009 graduate from The University of Iowa with a bachelor’s in communication studies, certificate in entrepreneurial management, and minors in mass communication and art & art history. Caroline was an active member of Public Relations Student Society of America throughout her tenure at Iowa, holding the positions of secretary her junior year and firm director and social media and web editor her senior year.

Her professional experience includes research, writing, strategic communication, media relations, branding, digital media, consumer and b-to-b marketing and event planning. She is currently exploring health care public relations and corporate communications at a creative, mid-sized advertising agency in West Des Moines, IA. Caroline is enthusiastic to be a part of the Come Recommended team to share resources and knowledge with fellow internship and entry-level job seekers and to expand the media profile for Come Recommended.

Kate Scozzaro, event planning intern

Kate Scozzaro is a senior at the University of Rhode Island. She is majoring in public relations with a minor in leadership studies. She is the president of URI’s student-run public relations firm and a URI student mentor.

Ever since she was little, she loved to organize events with her friends, and as the years went on, she realized she wasn’t half bad at it! Kate lives to see people smiling and having a good time. Her passion for event planning (and perfectionism!) makes Come Recommended’s Event Planning Intern position a perfect match for her.

Sarah Tiambeng, editorial content intern

Sarah Tiambeng is a strategic communications student at the University of Missouri- Columbia. With her combination of reporting and public relations skills, Sarah is well versed in producing online and offline content. She spent two years as a metro section intern for The Dallas Morning News and recently completed a public relations internship at Dallas-based advertising agency, Moroch Partners. At the University of Missouri, Sarah serves as publicity director for the Student Union Programming Board and is a member of the promotional team for the university’s student run publication, The Maneater. As Come Recommended’s editorial content intern she is looking forward to providing an outlet for applicants and employers alike.

There has been some confusion surrounding what sets Come Recommended apart from other professional networking sites, so I’d like to set the record straight. While other sites urge users to seek out recommendations from colleagues as a way to strengthen their profiles, Come Recommended requires both employer and candidate members to receive at least three recommendations before they are accepted into the community.

The recommendation process serves as a way for employers and candidates to gain immediate, objective feedback on each other. Most other Web sites lack any type of screening process for their users. This is very problematic for career-based sites because they become cluttered with false or misleading job ads and the résumés of unqualified candidates.

Recommendation requests are sent out using the site’s technology and ask specific questions about the employer or candidate. These questions ask about an employer or candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, the best reasons to work with the candidate or employer and whether or not the reference would hire or work for the individual or company again. Some examples include:

Candidates:

• Explain the candidate’s responsibilities when he or she worked with you
• Please provide example of a time when the candidate showed initiative or extra responsibility
• Would you describe the candidate as an introvert or extrovert? Would the candidate work well with others or prefer working alone?

Employers:

• What are the best reasons to work for this employer?
• What are some areas in which the employer needs improvement?
• Overall, would you recommend the employer to others seeking internships or entry-level positions, and why?

The fact that both employers and candidates must receive three recommendations before being granted access to the community is something that makes Come Recommended different from any other job networking site. The exclusivity of the site will benefit both candidates and employers because employers have the most qualified, highly recommended candidates at their fingertips and candidates can see what other people in their positions have said about potential employers. This simple process is extremely beneficial to both employers and candidates.

If you have any further questions about Come Recommended’s recommendation process, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at heather@comerecommended.com.

Best,

Heather R. Huhman
Founder & President

Come Recommended is pleased to announce a new and exciting partnership with ResumeEdge. Together, we are offering a wide array of products and services catered to every job seeker’s need.

Through the Candidate Resource Center, job seekers will be able to connect with experts in their fields who can speak the industry’s jargon.

Beneficial and strategic, these services are designed to set entry-level job seekers apart from the rest. The job pool is filled with candidates of similar backgrounds, and sometimes it’s hard to distinguish one candidate from the other based on education and experience (and references!) alone.

Through Come Recommended and ResumeEdge, not only will candidates be given the tools to put their best foot forward, but they also will receive the necessary means to highlight their commitment and strength of character.

A well-crafted résumé and cover letter-unique and sleek-have the ability to impress any hiring manager. It’s not just about getting a foot in the door-it’s about taking a step through the door.

Individually crafted from scratch (or edited from an existing résumé) based on your responses from the ResumeEdge job questionnaire, you will receive an expertly written résumé within 48 to 72 hours, have the opportunity to work with your editor for up to seven days and have an available pair of ears to discuss your job aspirations.

Come prepared, come smart, Come Recommended.

See also ResumeEdge’s Canadian site: www.resumeedge.ca.