LinkedIn is an incredible resource for lead generation, networking, and career development. Discover how to become a power user and enhance your current career or job search in Mediabistro’s LinkedIn: Job Search and Networking course starting May 14, 2013. Over six weeks, instructor Delia Camasca, a recruiter for NBC Universal, Disney ABC Media Networks, and Lifetime Networks, will show you how to:

• Build a strategic profile on LinkedIn that is rich in keywords and SEO tags
• Research companies and build relationships with new contacts
• Start, join, and partake in LinkedIn Group discussions
• Develop a comprehensive LinkedIn Company Page for your business or brand

This new course starts on May 14, 2013 and early registrations prior to May 13 will save $50. Use the code LINKEDIN50 to redeem. Limited seating is available, so don’t wait! Register today and start building your professional relationships.

What we’re about to tell you is bleak, so please don’t say we didn’t warn you.

According to new survey results released by Accenture, 41 percent of recent college grads who are employed indicated they’re underemployed.

Essentially, they graduated within the past two years and feel they’re working in jobs that don’t require college degrees.

Furthermore, approximately 63 percent say they will need more training in order to get their desired job. The 2013 College Graduate Employment Survey included 1,010 students graduating from college this year along with 1,005 students who graduated in 2011 and 2012. Read more

Remember on “Mission Impossible” when messages would self destruct after an agent listened to them? In this episode of “Elevator Pitch,” Alan Meckler speaks with Jacob Robbins about his startup “Burn Note.”

“Burn Note” allows you to send a secure email and set a timer to destroy the message after it’s read…forever…without all the smoke and drama.

For more videos, check out mediabistroTV, and be sure to follow us on Twitter: @mediabistroTV

This post is inspired by our friends at Brazen Careerist as it relates to the ubiquitous question: “What have you done for me lately?”

Here’s a hint: Show, don’t tell.

In the piece, Erin Palmer writes, “Coasting on past success will not get you far. Businesses that succeed are not in the habit of dwelling in the past because their innovation, creativity and profits would suffer.”

Consistency is key so if you wrote and submitted clean copy for a features piece for your editor, bravo! Now, it’s time to do it again by focusing on your current deadline. If you falter on this piece, it’s going to be pretty hard to rest on your laurels from the last one. In a way, it’s a healthy motivator, right? Aim for dililgence without leaning too much on your past. Strive to impress your clients and ultimately yourself each and every time you’re tasked with a project!

Demonstrating consistent excellent performance, of course, showcases the ability to focus on the present one, no matter how big or small. Sure, there will be times when you have to do some piddly work that isn’t exciting and invigorating.

Palmer points out when Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, “It wasn’t all genius, all day.” Remember, he had to clean his paintbrushes from time to time and climb that scaffold.

“The important thing is to put your all into every task, even the small ones,” Palmer points out. “Figure out how to manage your energy and make every assignment the most important one.”

A new survey published by the Korn/Ferry Institute revealed the majority of executives think telecommuting stalls a career. Plus, one-fifth of participants think telecommuter salaries should be less than employees who work in a brick and mortar office.

According to the press release, Ana Dutra, chief executive officer of Korn/Ferry Leadership and Talent Consulting, explained, “While some high-profile companies have stepped away from telecommuting, our survey shows that most enterprises still see it as an important way to drive productivity, increase retention and demonstrate inclusion in the workplace. It is all about driving responsibility and accountability, whether a person works in the office or at home.” Read more

This latest headline is a real head scratcher in particular when it comes to employer branding. Check that — employee branding.

Rapid Realty, a New York-based residential real estate brokerage firm, told its 800 employees they would get a 15 percent raise if they got a tattoo with the company’s logo.

The human resources side in us think it’s dicey to leverage employees as a permanent walking billboard in exchange for a bump in commission; the creative marketing side thinks it’s somewhat innovative but most definitely quirky. As for the employee side? Well, you be the judge.

Here’s the kicker: Almost 40 employees took Rapid Realty up on its offer! Their commission was boosted from 25 to 40 percent. And technically, the brokerage firm is getting a whole lot of mileage out of free PR from its policy. Read more

As Sara Horowitz, founder of the Freelancers Union, once said, “One of the challenges for all freelancers, though, is it can be feast or famine.” Sometimes you could be raking in the assignments; at others, editors could be strangely silent when you want to hear from them the most.

In the latest Mediabistro feature, magazine veterans give tips on how to foster your relationships with editors to keep the assignments, and the paychecks, rolling in.

Read more in 6 Tips for Landing Repeat Writing Assignments.

The full version of this article is exclusively available to Mediabistro AvantGuild subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, register now for as little as $55 a year for access to hundreds of articles like this one, discounts on Mediabistro seminars and workshops, and all sorts of other bonuses.

If you’re among the 9-to-5-ers who also burn the midnight oil pursuing your passion, you’re not alone. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of Americans who work two or more jobs got a jolt last year by two percent.

Maybe you’re a marketing manager by day, freelance writer by night; whatever the situation, you may be experiencing stress and time management issues associated with juggling both. Today, a piece in The New York Post offered some pointers to successfully manage more than one job.

1. Seek balance. The piece suggests an ideal situation will balance out two jobs. If one gig is incredibly stressful, hopefully the other job can provide the opposite atmosphere. So, maybe you work in a busy newsroom during the day and enjoy switching gears as a yoga instructor at night. Read more

This blog post serves as a reminder to retain your power during an interview.

Seriously.

As much as the employer is interviewing you, it’s your job to interview them. Observe, ask questions and take mental notes.

The Work Buzz outlined three red flags during an interview and we couldn’t agree with them more.

1. Hints of high turnover. Ask about the history of the job you’re applying for as well as the employees who previously worked in the role. Is it a newly created position due to growth? Did someone get promoted or resign?

Or are they hiring a new person because the former person bailed after only being there for six months? If there’s a pattern of high turnover, put on that journalism cap and ask about the workload, too. It’s possible the position is a one-way road to burn out. Read more

Sorry to end the week with grim news but we heard production workers at the San Jose Mercury News are going to lose their San Jose-based jobs starting on Monday.

According to The Business Journal, layoff letters were issued to 118 employees. As for the good news? An undetermined number of those employees will be offered jobs at other locations affiliated with the paper.

The employees impacted by the reduction in force (a.k.a. “RIF”) include press operators and production staffers. It sounds like timing is everything. After all, the layoffs are occurring merely two weeks after the newspaper announced its intentions to market its 30-acres.

Publisher Mac Tully explained, “This plant sits on very valuable real estate that we want to realize the value of.”