The hiring outlook for 2014 is best described as cautiously optimistic. Citing the debt issues in Washington, a majority of employers are reporting a “wait and see” attitude toward expanding their staff. This is similar to the employee outlook from January 2013. The recently released CareerBuilder 2014 Hiring Forecast reports that:

Congratulations! You just received a call and have been invited to interview for your dream job. You’ve probably worked hard to get to this point in the job hunting process but, the work is not over yet. You need to invest some time to make the most of this opportunity.

Lately, I have noticed the internships have been getting a bit of a bad rap. Students view them as “working for little or no money,” and only envision themselves fetching coffee and making copies. It’s important not to be so short sighted. The National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that: 60% of paid interns and 37% of unpaid interns are offered a job at the conclusion of their internships. In industries like finance and accounting, where competition for positions can be fierce, an internship is a great way to get a competitive edge. But, internships deliver much more. The following are five reasons why college students and graduates should consider completing an internship.

In today’s business environment companies must react quickly to market changes and customer demands. Agility and the ability to be responsive are more important business attributes for technology departments than ever before. To meet these new demands, companies are realizing they must change the way they view their workforce. As a result, many tech departments are taking a fresh look at their use of contingent workers. A contingent workforce is a provisional group of employees who work for an organization on a non-permanent basis, also known as freelancers, independent professionals, temporary contract workers, independent contractors, or consultants.