Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/54925
from the editors How to Succeed in Business While Really Trying here's no doubt that the job market is tough these days. So much so that many college graduates are taking to YouTube, contributing to a growing collection of "why-you-should-hire-me" video résumés. Some eager job hunters target their video pitches to specific companies. Others offer energetic musical numbers. Still others stand against blank walls dressed in business attire as they deliver stilted summaries of their qualifications. And then there are those who parody the video résumé genre itself. At the start of "I Dominate!," YouTube rapper Remy Munasifi portrays a megaloma- niacal job applicant who claims the MBA on his résumé stands for "Master of Being Amazing." Sure, that description might be accurate for many business graduates—but I doubt Remy's approach would help any of them land a job. Ultimately, business students would be more successful polishing their T LinkedIn profiles and building their personal networks than busting a move on YouTube, say the b-school career counselors in our article "Career Services Finds Its Way." In this issue, these career planners share the best practices they've developed to help business students navigate one of the most competi- tive job markets in years. Schools are training students to communicate like pro- fessionals, network like champions, and master the lost art of the cold call. And career services offices are practicing what they preach with more robust corporate outreach, especially to companies that have never recruited MBAs before. But while career services directors are looking beyond the Fortune 500 to find job opportunities, they admit it can be difficult to convince students to do the same. In their article "Coping with Mil- lennials," educators from the College of Business at the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith discuss the challenges of working with the latest generation of students. These students can be intelligent, passionate, and driven to make a dif- ference, but they also can be sheltered and reluctant to forfeit high expectations. By working to understand the Millennials' collective quirks, these authors say, business schools can serve them better once they come to campus. I remember when all it took to be a state-of-the art job hunter was the want ads, a polished résumé, good references, and a roll of stamps. Now, students also need to tackle LinkedIn, personal Web sites, and electronic portfolios. Today, even the most amazing business students will have to work harder than they expected to attract employers' attention. Lucky for them that they have access to the best career planning advice their business schools have to offer. 6 July/August 2011 BizEd RAQUITA HENDERSON