College admission should not be the ultimate goal of education reform.

The Opportunities Project and eBranding Me announce Solutions for Change in Education, a series of white papers that reveal the shortcomings of higher education’s lack of focus on career development initiatives and highlight potential solutions.

Download the first paper TODAY!

In 2011, new college graduates are facing multiple obstacles in their efforts to launch their first careers, including record student loan debt, prolonged unemployment, and growing employer dissatisfaction with their abilities. Because of expanded job searches coupled with large loan payments, most new graduates will not break even on their investment in their bachelor’s degree more than a decade after they graduate.

In “The Economic Achievement Gap: No End in Sight,” the first white paper in this series, authors Tracy Brisson, Keith Petri and Justin Mathews summarize alarming economic data that illustrates the true scope of the problems our students face in today’s economy and pose questions about whether college career centers can play a role in improving economic outcomes for new graduates. Continue Reading »

The current job market is very poor. Career Coaches and industry experts have been throwing around statistics stating there are anywhere from 5-8 qualified individuals applying for each open position. The last thing a job seeker needs is a social media blunder to ruin his chance of securing employment.

eBranding Me released its Reputation Index as a fun, and social, tool to determine how compelling an individual’s social media presence is. The results of a query returned three results:

1. Enrollability: College admissions staff likes to see evidence of initiative, passion, and drive in pursuing your goals. Our algorithm works hard to find initiative and positive thinking in your online presence, since we know how big a difference those make to your college admission chances!
2. Hireability: Because employers value initiative, positive thinking, and hard work, that’s exactly what we track. eBranding Me’s algorithm automatically determines positive (and negative) sentiment, popularity, and passion. We try and figure out if a lot of people are impressed (or not!) with what you’ve accomplished online, and weight that by how frequently people talk about you. The more passionate people you have talking about you, the higher your score!
3. Dateability: We know the first thing some people do these days is Google (or Facebook) the name of their prospective amour. We have tried to simplify that search into our Dateability score, which tracks whether or not a person has a good reputation and a loyal group of friends. We figure that people who have those attributes will be better to date – so the higher your score, the more attractive your online reputation!

However, the team over at MyWebCareer has built a tool that has practical applications and actually reads your personal Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles to determine Your Career Score! With research showing a staggering 83% of recruiters turning to social media websites and online search engines to research job candidates in 2011, it is more important than ever to control the information published about you online!

“Your Career Score provides insight into how colleagues and employers perceive and evaluate your professional competencies and achievements. It is refreshed each month, and you are notified of any changes and actions you should take to maintain a strong and positive career brand.” Continue Reading »

“You want that new job so badly, and the big interview’s booked. But when the recruiter types your name into an online search engine, nothing comes up. Will they hire you if they can’t find you on the Internet? Host Tory Johnson and others answer the question this week on Job Hunt.”

Tory Johnson, a well-respected television personality with experience working for both ABC and NBC, is a New York City local with the motivation to improve other people’s lives. Tory is a workplace contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America, successful author, entrepreneur and founder of Women for Hire: “the first and only company devoted to a comprehensive array of recruitment services for women, Women For Hire offers signature career expos, inspiring speeches and seminars, a popular career-focused magazine and customized marketing programs.” Continue Reading »

This post was originally published on Keith Petri’s Blog. Keith Petri, the founder of eBranding Me, is a recent graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. His studies in business, economics and studio art along with strong passions for marketing, technology and entrepreneurship led him to his current passion for social media and strong understanding of the new rules of networking. Through his prior entrepreneurial pursuits, recent blogging and extensive networking, Keith has seen the need for educating his peers on creating a positive online presence. eBranding Me is the culmination of his efforts.

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“Pause Before You Post” – It is one of eBranding Me’s founding principals and the first step in protecting an individual’s personal reputation online. In its simplest form, Pause Before You Post helps Generation Y students realize the implications of pressing publish too soon. “If you have to think about whether or not an update is appropriate or an image suitable for an online social network, then it is most likely not.”

While it took me nearly 5 years of participating in online communities to realize the importance of maintaining a professional image, it has taken Paul Kim and Billy Rose, two Northern Highlands Regional Highschool students, far less. Kim and Rose are seniors preparing to apply for college and begin the transition into higher education. The daunting admissions process led them to discover the importance of privacy in our increasingly transparent society. Continue Reading »

Facebook just announced and released an updated design for user profiles. The popular social networking website now allows users to construct a profile page that truly reflects the individual’s personality. Are you taking full advantage of the new features?

Creating a strong online personal brand is the first step to maintaining a powerful reputation in this increasingly digital society. With nearly 100% of employers actively searching Google and social networking websites for potential job candidates, it is necessary to make sure that all of your online profiles are appropriate. Continue Reading »