All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

When we started working on a story about resume fraud and whether more people were lying on their resumes now because the job market is so tight, our biggest challenge was finding someone who would admit he or she lied on their resume. No easy task.

I called some of the big names who made news when their stretching of the truth became public, like George O'Leary, the former Notre Dame Coach who lied about his education and college football career and David Edmondson, the former CEO of Radio Shack who lied about a college degree on his resume. Maybe they'd want to talk to us and provide a cautionary tale to any job seeker who might be thinking of embellishing or outright lying in these recessionary times. Not a chance. They weren't interested or didn't return my calls.

What do you think is the best idea for a new business?

1) Taco ingredient home delivery
2) Flavored ice cubes - for those who want a hint of lemon in their drinks, but don’t want to use an actual lemon.
3) A bar on wheels
4) A taxi cab where people don't have to pay if they don’t want to.

And no, you can’t say "none of the above."

These ideas are all the brain children of 46-year-old Eric Hagen of Burlington, Vermont. For the last several months he’s been trying to come up with a way to supplement his income.

Fortunately for Eric, he does have a day job. He helps run blood drives for the Red Cross. Also fortunately for Eric, his friends talked him out of actually following through on any of his ideas. All but one, that is.

A few weeks ago Eric started the "Recession Ride Taxi Service."
His motto is "Pay What You Want."

I went up to Burlington this week to meet Eric because, believe it or not, he’s actually making money. Yes, some people don’t pay the going rate. But many others are paying MORE than the going rate. They say they like the idea of being trusted to pay a fare that's fair. Eric's convinced he’s stumbled on a new business model. Although when I asked him what other businesses might be able to use "pay what you want" pricing, he struggled, "um…delivery services, ahh, other taxi cabs, umm, couriers, ahh, delivery services…"

Too bad. I was hoping to get a steal on a new car.

To see Eric’s full story, please tune in for tonight's Assignment America on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

Will the city of brotherly love also come to be known as the city of second chances? Shortly after Michael Vick was named an Eagle, fans were already enraged that their favorite team could stand by a man who had exhibited such cruelty to animals in the past. Some are ticked off at the NFL for allowing a person to hold a job after a felony conviction when most other employers would not allow them back on the premises. You don't have to follow football to realize why this story becomes the "water cooler" story of the weekend and perhaps the biggest story of the NFL heading into this season. Do you believe in second chances and that prison sentences wipe the record clean for past crimes or do you think that Michael Vick's actions were so egregious that there is no repentance possible? Do you believe in redemption?

At a town meeting hosted by Senator Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania resident stood up to say that the health care debate has "awakened the sleeping giant."

Not exactly.

What's it's done, it seems, is stirred a hornets nest, and uncovered disturbing attitudes and emotions that have nothing to do with policy.

Are we really still debating health care when a man brings a handgun to a church where the President is speaking?

How does a swastika spray-painted on a Congressman's office further a discussion about Medicare?

These are tough and challenging times and lots of people are scared about their jobs and the economy. But we can't let fear and frankly ignorance - drown out the serious debate that needs to take place - about an issue that affects the lives of millions of people.

It's time for everyone to take a deep breath and to focus on the task at hand before this sideshow drowns out the main event.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

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Sometimes when I'm reporting the news about the economy, I feel like a real Debbie Downer.

Unemployment is at more than 9 percent, and the nation lost 300,000 jobs last month alone.

That's pretty bad. But, there's another way to look at it. That job loss number was about half of what it was in January.

And there are some good jobs out there. Industries like retail, construction and finance are taking a beating, but as the New York Times reported today - skilled laborers are in demand. Welders, nurses, engineers - come on down! There's also a need for special education teachers and respiratory therapists.

An employment expert at Challenger, Gray and Christmas told us that the news is especially good for people with a few years experience under their belts.

Now, don't get me wrong, we are still in the tunnel. But for first time in months, it seems like we could soon start to see some light.

And I'm very glad to be able to bring you that little bit of GOOD news for a change!

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.

With the national unemployment rate hovering at about 9 percent, there are roughly 14 million people out there in need of a job. Some companies say they've received hundreds of applications for just a single opening.

CareerBuilder.com reports that in order to stand out from the pack, job seekers are getting creative.

One man sent a shoe to his prospective employer with a note that read, "I want to get my foot in the door."

Another handed out personalized coffee cups, so no one would forget his name.

One in five managers says they've received one of these unusual trinkets from applicants.

It might sound a little weird or creepy, but experts say these gimmicks can work, if used sparingly and with some common sense.

After all, you don't want your resume to end up with that paper coffee cup - down in the circular file.

That's a page from my notebook.

There is one quote that really stuck with me when we were researching ideas for tonight’s story on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric about college students graduating into the recession. “Damn me for being born in ’87,” Suzanne Block told The Chicago Tribune back in March before graduating. “This is just a nightmare. There could not be a worse time to be looking for a job.”

Oh how right Suzanne is. Employers say they’ll hire 22 percent fewer grads this year versus last year. And while 51 percent of college seniors looking for jobs found one before leaving campus back in 2007, less than 20 percent were as fortunate this year.

Desperate times call for desperate measures? Well, maybe not desperate but unusual, creative approaches to the job hunt seem to be the norm, not the exception, as students try to find a way to stand out. Remember, today’s graduates are not only competing against their peers but against experienced 20-somethings and baby boomers who lost their jobs and are anxiously trying to find new ones.

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This post was written by CBS News producer Amy Birnbaum, to accompany a Kelly Wallace piece on Friday's Evening News with Katie Couric.

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As college seniors get their diplomas this month, there’s the usual excitement and the obvious relief. But this year more than any, the seniors we spoke with are worried, because so many of them are leaving college without a job.

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American women are close to another milestone - out-numbering men at the office for the first time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says women now hold almost 50 percent of the nation's non-farm jobs.

Still, it's not really anything to celebrate. This isn't because women are suddenly moving up. It's because so many men are being laid off. While the unemployment rate for men has jumped to 7.6 percent, it's only 6.2 percent for women. That's partly because women dominate areas such as health care and education that suffer less in recession, but it's also because so many work part-time.

The truth is the jobs these women hold often aren't as good. Women make only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men - and they're far less likely to have health insurance or retirement plans.

It would be great to cheer another crack in the glass ceiling, but this is just another sad statistic of a sad economy.

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Seth Doane is a CBS News correspondent based in New York.

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Even as an outsider, it was not an easy meeting to witness. In late October we were given a glimpse of the struggling Dakota Restaurant, including full-access to a meeting in which the boss told his staff they may soon have to close the restaurant. He gave them a timeline. If business did not improve in 30 days, they'd all be out of work.

Thirty days have come and gone and the restaurant is still open. But business has not gotten any better. It appears that the end of the restaurant – barring a miracle – is very near.

The Meert family, who own Dakota, have tried everything possible to stay open and are still contemplating making more changes. But with unemployment in the city of Elkhart at 12.2 percent, many of Dakota’s former customers have lost their jobs and, without them, the ability to afford to eat out.

Revenues at the restaurant are down 70 percent from their peak this summer and they owners have dipped into their personal savings accounts, cashed-in part of their 401(k)s and are still struggling to make payroll and pay the bills.

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