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Remember on Lost (the TV show, I mean) when they were in the Hatch and they had to keep entering the same numbers into that computer every 120 minutes, but they really didn’t know why they were doing it or how it all worked. Well, that’s how I feel about job search sites like Monster, Careerbuilder, and Hotjobs.

After faithfully searching for jobs and submitting resumes for the last four years without a single substantial result to speak of, I feel more than a little cheated. I feel a lot cheated, darn it! Duped. Bamboozled. Misled. I mean, the way the whole thing is set up is just cruel. It’s easy to find interesting jobs, they take you directly to a customized page and you can just apply right there. You download your resume, answer a few questions, click the ‘Send’ button, and then… well, and then, who knows what happens. For all we know it gets printed up in Yeti’s lair in the far reaches of Tibet to be used as T.P. for the hairy guy. Or perhaps it gets put into a time capsule and launched into space to the Alpha Centauri system to show our galactic neighbors how naïve and foolish humans are. For all we know, it goes to this big digital drainpipe on the outskirts of the internet where it falls into the black void and disappears completely.

In all seriousness, as easy as they make it to apply, they really only increase the degrees of separation between you and hiring managers. You can’t call them, write them, or even email them. Assuming the resumes actually get to them, they only grab the top few, leaving you with no chance to plead your case or show them your shining personality. You have no way to control the process or sway it in your favor.

So, as of today, I’m swearing off job search sites. I refuse to be led captive by their friendly design, their deceptive offers to help. I’m saying, “Take a hike, Monster. And take your weird creature thing with you. No thanks, Careerbuilder. You’re not building here. Get lost, Hotjobs. This relationship has gone cold.” I’m blazing my own path of face-to-face communication, networking, and sending things via the postal service. If you’re sick and tired of useless job search sites, join with me in ranting. Tell us about your failed relationship with those deadbeat job sites…

Federal investigators seem to have their hands full nowadays. They’re not just putting away drug lords and crooked execs. Just as often, they seem to be catching politicians. Their newest catch, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, was a doozy. Spitzer had a previously squeaky clean record, a reputation as a crusader, a do-gooder, and a tough prosecutor. Accidentally, the governor was discovered to have been involved with a high-profile prostitution service and boom! The media was saturated with the story of a call girl named Kristen, the brief press conference, Spitzer and his wife’s heartbroken faces.

What must it be like to be one of those federal investigators? One day, you’re just checking out the governor’s dealings, suspecting possibly shady activities, maybe bribery. Next thing you know, you follow his money trail to a premium call girl service, accounts of a scandalous night at a Washington hotel. Without meaning to, you have revealed Spitzer to be morally askew, a hypocrite to everything he stood for. When you come home, your wife asks you, "So, what did you do at work today?" You answer, "I accidentally brought down the governor of New York."

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Some people really enjoy this sort of thing. I have a friend who is a police officer. With satisfaction, he tells me about people he pulls over, scumbags he hauls off to jail, doors he kicks in. For him, he is a servant of the law. Bringing people to justice is the highlight of his day. He deals with the most pitiful, irresponsible, dim-witted, ill-intentioned people in our society, and he enjoys it. Obviously, not a job for everyone.

You can bet that law enforcement careers will always be a growing segment. As populations grow and people do stupid things, the justice system will rely on having increasing numbers of people to investigate and bring them in to be prosecuted. That means that if you have the desire to catch bad guys, there will almost always be a position for you to fill. For example, it doesn’t look like we’ll run out of careless politicians any time soon. And that’s a pretty good position to be in (for law enforcement officials, not politicians).

If you’re interested in starting a law enforcement career, feel free to look into getting your degree. If you have something to say about the fall of Eliot Spitzer, sound off below…

You’ve probably heard people talk about going green as of late. It has become quite the fashionable phrase to throw out during newscasts, parties, and presidential campaign speeches. If you want to appear progressive, trendy, or world-wise, you talk a lot about going green. Companies who want to shed the typical capitalistic, earth-pillaging corporate image are jumping on the green bandwagon.

For the uninitiated, ‘going green’ refers to reducing or eliminating your use of non-eco-friendly materials. That means petroleum-based products, especially plastics and harmful chemicals, are out. Recycled or organic products are in. Fueled by rising fears of global warming, going green represents an important shift in thinking toward being more responsible in the way we use our resources.

Going green, however, also means that things will change. Some of the comforts we are used to may fall by the wayside. Even at the workplace, employees will be feeling a dramatic difference. If your company is going green, here are some of the disadvantages to look forward to (and just remember: it’s worth it!):

1. Recycled toilet paper – One word: ouch! Recycled paper will never be as refined and soft as regular paper. Unfortunately, this goes for toilet paper, too. Employees at green companies are in for a rough ride when they visit the restroom.

2. Organic cafeteria – For those who like their steaks thick, juicy, and as enhanced as possible, the company cafeteria is about to become a bit less appealing. Use of growth hormones and other food-enhancing chemicals is becoming an endangered practice, viewed as bad for people and bad for the environment. Start bringing your lunch or get used to tofu.

3. Rain-water cooler – The blue bottle/central gathering place may soon be replaced by a faucet from a tank that collects rainwater. The rainwater is filtered, of course, but that familiar sterilized taste will likely be gone. The thought of drinking rainwater may be unsettling to some, especially if you live in an area known for air pollution. Just gulp down the bugs and the taste of exhaust with a smile, knowing you are doing your part to save the planet.

4. Bamboo office chairs – Most of today’s well-supported, well-cushioned office chairs are composed of plastics and other synthetic materials. Look for companies to ditch those for more plant-based materials. Bamboo is popular but not very friendly to backsides. You might have grounds to get your boss to provide an on-site chiropractor.

5. Biodegradable food containers – Plastics tend to overstay their welcome in the environment, hanging around for several millennia. To remedy this, companies are providing food containers made from sugar cane waste in their cafeterias and break rooms. The problem: these containers break down (within 90 days) considerably faster than their plastic counterparts. The result: don’t be surprised if your leftovers from the company Christmas party suddenly collapse into a pile of mush.

Which green changes are you dreading? Which ones are you looking forward to? Tell us about it below…

More people are getting college degrees than ever, and those degrees don’t always guarantee that graduates are worth their weight in wood chips, much less their weight in gold. For example, that idiot who sat next to you in Math 110 playing World of Warcraft got a diploma, too. He will get hired somewhere, show his new boss what a useless lump he is, and get fired. His boss will resolve never to hire someone just because of their degree. He will look for something more than just a fancy piece of paper from a fancy school. He will be looking for real skills, experience, and accomplishments.

The best way to get those skills, experience, and accomplishments is internships. Unlike the insulated assignments and exams of academia, internships give students a chance to strut their stuff in the real world. During internships, students can network with knowledgeable business leaders, pick up new skills, make tangible contributions, and refine their career goals. As an added bonus, internships can also involve making new friends and going new places. Graduates with internships under their belts are far beyond their peers when it comes time to find their first job.

Finding a great internship is much like finding a great job except that the application and screening processes are much less rigorous. Check out the following tips to help you nail the right internship and give your career a turbo-boost:

1. Start early. The early bird catches the worm, and the early student catches the internship they want. After all, you won’t be the only student smart enough to seek out an internship. If you wait too long, all the good ones will be taken and you’ll find yourself selling nightcrawlers at Jed’s Fine World of Fishing theme park.

It’s never too early to start contacting recruiters. The more contact you have with them, the more they will remember you. Email them with questions (good questions only). Send them notes to thank them for their help. Stay on their radar.

The web also offers some great internship-hunting resources. Vault.com, in particular, has one of the best internship databases I’ve seen. Among other things, they provide detailed internship descriptions and recruiter contact info. Check them out at Vault.com.

2. Get the most bang for your buck. Naturally, you want to find the internship that will give you the most leverage after graduation. Assuming that you know what you want to do after graduation, you should find an internship that has as much in common with your goal as possible.

For instance, if you plan to work as a fashion journalist, seek out an internship in the fashion industry. If you can find one with a fashion publication, even better. Another way to maximize the value of your internship is to find one with a well-known company. Future employers will be looking at the companies you’ve worked for and the positions you’ve held. The closer you get to what they’re looking for, the better off you will be.

3. Treat career fairs like an interview. Some students just wander into career fairs oblivious to what is really happening. They’re dressed like bums. Bits of their lunch is still hanging from their lip. They walk up to recruiters and mumble something like "So, like, what is all this stuff?" The recruiter shoves a pamphlet into their hands and moves quickly on to the next person.

Recruiters at job fairs are looking to fill internships and much of their evaluation of you is done on the spot. They will be assessing your attire, your mannerisms, your poise, and your questions. Therefore, you should prepare for career fairs as if you were going to an interview. Research the companies you are interested in. Think of insightful questions beforehand. Bring several polished copies of your resume. Dress in appropriate attire. Brush your teeth. Fix your hair. You know, all that ‘clean, respectable appearance’ stuff.

4. Be willing to bend. I’m not recommending that your compromise your ethics in any way. I am, however, suggesting that you show a certain degree of humility as a lowly intern. If they tell you there might be some travel required, don’t tell them you hate flying and would rather not. Instead, take up the challenge to do something that might be difficult. If they want you to rearrange their files, take up the challenge and show them how quick and effective you can be.

To be an intern is to take on the lowliest tasks. Do them with efficiency and a positive attitude and they may move you on to worthier tasks. By the time you finish, you will have a slew of accomplishments to list on your resume. If you constantly turn down opportunities to prove your usefulness, you will find yourself being ushered out the front door prematurely.

So go get ‘em! Internships can be a lot of fun and definitely worthwhile. Good luck in your internship search.