Articles

How to get and keep a job in this economy

Survive the Recession in Style! Skills you need NOW 1. The Ability to Listen! Employers want someone who pays attention the first time. Keep a pen and paper handy and write down instructions and assignments. Make sure you get the details right and ask questions if you aren�t sure. Antithesis: The opposite of this skill is talking too much. Most people would rather hear ...

Starting Your Future Off On the Right Foot

Heading into the final year of your college career can be both exciting and frightening at the same time. On one hand, receiving your diploma means no more classes, research papers or exams; which is truly a welcome sight. However the trade off of leaving academia is entering the real world. Although leaving campus life for the corporate world may be something that can seem stressful after ...

Tips for Grads Looking for Employment During the Recession

Being a college grad in the middle of a recession is one of the toughest times to try to find a job. Unfortunately, there are thousands of students who have recently graduated � or are about to cross the stage � who will be looking for employment with 4 million others who have recently been laid off. So how can someone with very little experience compete against candidates who have years of ...

Prove and Persist to Get Hired

Prove and Persist to Get Hired To get hired for any good job you must do two things: prove to employers that you can do the work, and persist past the point where others give up. Here's a success story from someone who did just that, with lessons you can apply to your job search today ... "When I was 15, I wanted to cook at a local restaurant. It was the nicest one in town and well ...

16 Tips for Job Search Email Success

Email plays an increasingly important role in our lives both in and out of the office. In fact, the most popular web mail service, Yahoo! Mail turned 10 years old in October, 2007 with 250 million users. TechCrunch reported recently that Yahoo leads the pack followed by MSN with 228 million accounts and Gmail with 51 million. Needless to say, many people are relying on email in their job ...

The Real World Workplace: When Reality Bites

Congratulations! You�ve graduated from college, successfully completed the resume shuffle and interview dance, and now are knee deep into your first job in the �real world.� Fancy laptop bag in hand, new work outfit laundered, you feel the essence of carpe diem pulsing through your blood. That is until reality does indeed start to bite. All of a sudden the job you thought you wanted has you ...

5 lessons about choosing a career

You�ve been asked a million times: �What do you want to do?� I�ve spent the last three years of my life getting answers to that question, and here�s what I�ve learned. 1. Your decision matters Think about the people you know. You can tell who loves their job and who doesn�t. If you enjoy your work, it will be a lot easier to enjoy your life. Here is an equation I did that showed me how ...

3 Steps for Overcoming a Lack of Experience

You need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience. New college grads often find themselves caught in the middle of this classic Catch 22, and may spend months trying to convince someone to take a chance and hire them. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to emphasize the experience you do have, and, while you�re at it, make people think you�re so competent that ...

The Road to a Passionate Career: Getting Started

A recurring question we are asked as we enter the working world is, �What do you want to do?� Having a confident answer is easier said than done. When I was close to finishing my undergraduate degree I had no clue what was next. There was no career or field that I was passionate about. Consequently, I prolonged my career decision and went to grad school. A year and a half later I had a ...

New Grads � Tips For Moving Out, On and Up

The first thing that comes to your mind after getting your degree is to find a lucrative job in your chosen field. The job market is highly competitive and it is important to prepare yourself before you start your job search. Multiple careers, downsizing workforces, and a lack of job security are realities of today�s job market. There�s nothing called a �lifetime career� anymore - and on ...

Graduating Into a Good Job

College graduates had been on a good run during 2006, when they hit the streets for their first jobs. However, a February report from the Labor Department may mean that the brakes have been applied to a fast-moving market. During 2006, employers added an average of 187,000 jobs per month, which corresponded with the lowest unemployment rate since 2001. The February numbers showed that 2007 may ...

4 Simple Steps to Get Out of Debt-And Stay Out

Step One: Plan for the Unexpected Big Time Bill

The first step arises from debt from a one-time large expense - something that is too large to be paid for with your monthly paycheck, or by saving for a few months.

Many of these debts are investments in either an asset that will appreciate over time, or a income stream that will be greater over time. The most common ...

Drowning In Debt?

Are you a college student or a recent graduate? Chances are you're saddled with a hefty amount of student loans as well as consumer debt, like car payments and credit card balances. Two-thirds of undergraduates emerge from college with student loans, with the average amount from federal loans alone (Stafford and Perkins loans) just above $19,000. Throw graduate school into the mix, and those ...

Always Look on the Bright Side

Having graduated with a degree in journalism just a few months ago, it feels like there are so few options, but so many opportunities. Who wants to hire someone with less than a year�s worth of experience in the field of writing? I can see my resume being read once, the experience adding up in the recruiter�s head, and nothing else matters. G. P. A., enthusiastic clips, interests, I. Q. score ...

May 2007 Graduation: Steps to Start Planning Now

Even though senior year is just beginning, it may be the best time to spend a few hours here and there preparing for the road ahead. The rude awakening brought on by the real world won�t feel so harsh with a little pre-graduation planning. Last minute preparation may hurt you financially and could postpone the hard earned success you�ve been anticipating. Here are some tips to help make your ...

5 Effective Work Habits for Fresh Graduates

Being new in the working world, I am sure you are eager to show off your newfound skills and knowledge. However, out there in the working world some basic work effective habits can increase your productivity. By being consistently effective at your work increases your chances of success in your career.

The 5 effective work habits are:

1. Volunteer for Assignments ...

Making the Most of On-Campus Interviewing

On-campus interviewing has been on a long, slow decline for the past fifteen years at college campuses nationwide. The past five years have seen one of the worst slumps for college grads in more than two generations. However, it is still vitally important to make the best use of on-campus interviewing opportunities. It's a gift that you will only have access to for a limited time. Make the most ...

The Very Best Sources of Company Information

The one aspect of job search preparation that can truly set you apart is employer research. Employer research is what brings you together and keeps you together with those who have the power and authority to potentially offer you your first position. Employer research serves a dual purpose. First, you will need to identify and target specific hiring companies in your job search. Second, you ...

Setting Up Job Search Central

Job hunting is serious business. To be successful, you'll need to organize your job search like a business. While a manila file folder labeled "Jobs" will serve you well as a collection device for job-related information in your early years of college, it's far from adequate for controlling the mountains of information generated during a full-fledged job search. You need to set up a control ...

Confessions of an Entry Level Hiring Manager - Part Two

The company site interview. Very few college students will make it this far with our company. Only 10-20%. Most students are weeded out during on-campus interviews. They receive their "Dear John/Jane" letter in the mail. The lucky few are given the opportunity to enter the inner sanctum of hiring holiness. No bowing or kneeling, please. Just know that you've done well to get this far, but you ...