Our Karate Kid, Becky-san!

Our faithful intern Becky just got her first full-time, post-grad, PAYING job. It was a strenuous process, but she was very patient and the company that hired her seems stable in this crazy economy.

Interestingly, though, during her interview process Becky experienced just the thing that we are trying to help job seekers manage. They asked her for her social security number pre-job offer. So many job seekers are anxious, so no one is going to rock the boat by responding to such a request with, "why do you need it?", but they should! After working with us, Becky knew that she did not have to provide her SSN at such an early stage - but she was not prepared to say "no" - and I totally understand that. Key to our success is giving the consumer the tools that will help them confidently say, "at this point in the process I would rather not provide my social security number, but I can easily provide proof of whatever you need my SSN to research."

It also seems that Becky's internship work is what helped her clinch the job! Her hands-on management of our data and the research that she had to do provided her with the skills that the company needed - and she exuded confidence! Her quote: "So, even the smallest tasks can make the biggest impressions with a prospective employer. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!"

I try to tell our interns that their tasks may seem menial, but the process of managing data is extremely important. I cannot seem to successfully convey the point that consistency is critical, but I keep trying.

Sometimes I feel like Mr. Miyagi with Daniel-son when I harangue: wax on, wax off; post to LinkedIn, post to Facebook. But my hope is that just like Becky they will look back and realize that the skills they are getting now will help them win that tournament!!....I mean, help them establish great careers ;-)