Job Search Best Practices

"Kiss a lot of frogs" and be persistent to get a job in 2015
Job seekers may have to "kiss a lot of frogs" in their search, but they should be persistent to find the best job, career consultant Roberta Matuson advises. Candidates should begin now rather than wait for the new year, and be willing to take temporary employment to gain new experiences, she writes. Forbes (12/18)

Boost your social media prowess to land a job
The majority of recruiters check social profiles of candidates, writes Ron Stewart. Build your personal brand on social media channels by posting insightful content, utilizing a tool such as Commun.it to manage multiple profiles and connecting with like-minded people via Wefollow.com. Brazen Careerist/Brazen Life blog (12/17)

Other News

Higher Ed Employment Trends

New Pa. law implements background checks for college employees
A new Pennsylvania law, passed in October, means many faculty and staff members at the state's colleges and universities must submit to regular criminal background checks. The law stemmed from a package of measures to strengthen child-protection laws following the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Pennsylvania State University. InsideHigherEd.com (12/18)

Other News

Higher Ed in the News

Report calls for community college reforms to help students graduate
Community colleges must create structured and streamlined academic pathways for all students to keep them on track to graduation, according to the authors of a new report by Jobs for the Future. The report also recommends accelerating remedial education and expanding support and intervention for students when they falter. The Chronicle of Higher Education (free content) (12/18)

Students provide more revenue to colleges than states, report finds
Students are now contributing more revenue to colleges and universities than state budgets, according to a new study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. In 2003, students contributed only 17% of total revenue for schools, while states provided 32%. By 2012, students were providing 25% of total revenue, with states contributing 23%. Quartz (12/18)

Leadership Focus

U. of Alaska president sets goals ahead of June retirement
University of Alaska Fairbanks President Pat Gamble will step down in June but will use the next few months to lobby for more state funding to close a $26 million budget gap. Gamble also plans to oversee ongoing reviews of the university's operations to identify where to save money. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (Alaska) (12/18)

HERC News

Interested in exploring international academic careers?
Register for a FREE HERC webinar and learn how international experience can boost your academic career. Learn from two distinguished faculty how they navigated successful international career paths. Co-hosted by HERC Trustee Partner, jobs.ac.uk. Thursday, Jan. 29 -- 10:00 a.m. PT/11:00 a.m. MT/12:00 p.m. CT/1:00 p.m. ET.

Editor's Note

SmartBrief readers choose 1st annual Educators' Choice Content Award winners
Two original content pieces about the Maker Movement struck a chord with SmartBrief readers this year. We asked readers to choose their favorite original content pieces written by educators, for educators, from a pool of 20 original content pieces chosen throughout the year by our team of editors. Nearly 3,000 people voted! Meet the winners.

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