MyLifeMyCareer.com

I don't care if you have close to a 4.0 GPA. If you don't have previous experience from a past job, you are digging yourself a hole. Companies are taking a big financial risk when they hire a new associate, and when it comes down to Al who had 2 successful internships with companies and Pete who volunteered with a student group on campus we all know that Al is getting the job unless he has no personality. Get out there and work. Build up a successful history of constant employment with no gaps. When you work for a company, you typically work year-round minus vacation here and there. They don't want somebody who is going to get bored and quit after a few months. Show them that you are dependable and experienced, and then get paid.

I hope you all had a good holiday eating way too much food and watching way too much television. It's the American dream. I'm sure you're parents and relatives were asking you if you found a job for after college or an internship for next summer. Those questions really get old, and they will keep coming until you land your offers. The important thing is to not let this nagging and pushing result in desperation and choosing a job or internship simply because it was there and you were tired of looking. Make sure you have THE job and work for THE company...not have A job with A company. When the dust settles I hope you have no regrets and truely enjoy what you will be doing. It's all about you at this point, and if you need to take more time to find what you are looking for then take the time rather than a crappy offer.

What jobs will be popular? Well the people at collegeboard venture to guess the top 10 positions that will be booming now and until then. A lot of medical positions, secondary ed teachers, and then of course many computer related jobs. What does this mean for you the college student? Do what you want really, but if you want to be sure to have a job, at least for a few years, then major in science, education, or any of the multitude of computing degrees. We all look at these statistics and salary predictions, and I guarantee that it weighs on your career and degree decisions. Be sure to pick something that you enjoy doing everyday, though, not just something that is predicted as being a good career route. You will be working at least 5 days a week after you graduate which takes up a good chunk of the ol' life and available time, so be sure you're into whatever it is you are doing. There's your feel good message for the week, enjoy that.

I've always said that your campus career center's resume submission/posting website will produce actual results and more than any other job posting sites combined. I won't say that this new evidence proves this point, simply because this isn't a scientific matter. It certainly does support it though. I had another job interview offer today. I graduated six months ago. I already have been working for four months. I haven't touched that resume since early spring when I stopped using the career resources on my campus after I had accepted a job offer. That's the fourth interview offer since I graduated, so if you are worried about finding that first job after you graduate there will still be openings. Use the career resources and website on your campus much more than any other job posting site out there. It's simple as that, but it's hard to understand because of the heavy advertising by the larger sites that may blind you. I'm not saying to use just the campus career resources. You need to put your resume everywhere you can, but now you know which one will yield the best results. Nice.

I'm not having a baby. Though, I have been working on a little something that you will enjoy. Keep your eyes peeled.

That's the answer to the question "Why am I supposed to research companies to the nth degree before I even apply with them? We live in the age where corporate scandal is more common than Hollywood break-ups, which also involve d-bags. Fortunately, our generation is just starting out and can start over if something goes sour. Unfortunately, our parents and their friends may have their life savings invested in their 401k and stock options that can disappear when one or a group of CEO's get greedy. Also fortunately for us, we live in the age of the internet where information flows freely. You can hop on any publicly traded company's web site, go to the investor relations section, and there you can access annual reports, conference calls, and other press releases. Numbers and spreadsheets may bore you, but listen to the conference calls and shareholder meetings just to get a feel for the upper echelon of mega management at whatever large company it is may be applying for. If you've learned anything throughout your college years, it's how to read people. Smell the bad ones out or the ones that rub you the wrong way, and pull yourself away from applying and interviewing any further if you sense something is off. This is an especially useful and valuable practice when applying with large corporations, so take advantage of this new knowledge. I like.

Remember the internet boom at the end of the late 90's which resulted in one of the biggest stock market busts of our young lives? Can you imagine graduating in 1999 and getting a job with a west coast startup company that was advertised as the greatest company to work for at the time, only to have your job disappear faster than the rabbit in the hat at a bad magic show? That would suck, and you need to be wary more than ever of young companies that seem poised to make millions for many years to come. So many business and financial publications and analysts are predicting that there are many signs pointing to not only the next internet boom, but also a real estate boom. Both industries will be hiring many graduates, so be sure to research the heck out companies who you may decide to pursue. Working for a young company (less than 5 years old) is like investing in a slightly risky stock. You may luck out and make some good money starting early with the next Google, or you may end up getting screwed working for the next pets.com. I miss that sock puppet, though. It sucks that the career sites are just loaded with scams and shady companies making it very difficult to find real, solid jobs that are aimed at college graduates. That's why I don't advertise on this site, because the AdWords that come up are always a 'work from home' or 'paid survey' or 'work for this company and make 6 figures your first year'. That's unacceptable and shouldn't be displayed on a legitimate career oriented site. Look out for the scams, unstable companies, and unrealistic opportunities as you move forward in this wild job market after college.

I don't know too many companies that are without an on-line career site that handles resume submissions and job postings. This means you can submit your resume all over the place. I guarantee you will not hear back from half of them if they are larger companies, but that leaves the other half to hope for. Always submit a cover letter explaining why you are the right candidate for the position, a skill or experience that qualifies you, and then a nice little ending. The cover letter in my opinion really sets you apart from everyone else and gives you a chance to show off your personality. Plus, all those lazy people who just upload their resume and submit them without the big CV won't compete with your extra effort. Companies can still tell who really took the time to submit a thoughtful cover letter and perfectly constructed resume over the ones who just treated the experience like the drive thru at your fast food restaurant of choice ordering off the value menu. Include something about the company that you really like, and research their website to find inspiration. Keep it short, personal, and true (for more details, check out the book, shameless promotion I know). Good luck. The more jobs you apply for then the greater your exposure and chances of being noticed in a faceless online job market. Once again, your best chances for job and internship offers will be at career fairs and campus interviews/events. Too many college students fall into the trap of searching for careers online due to the heavy marketing of those types of sites, and the effort and time spent on-line is not worth near as much as attending career fairs.

I'm not really sure, but when you see the line of people standing outside the door when it's raining or freezing cold outside you have to wonder. They assure me that it's beans, cream, espresso, fruit, and no addictive substances. Who am I talking about? Starbuck's of course. You may not be able to function anymore without starting your day with one of their delicious beverages, but have you ever thought of working for them. I'm not talking about serving up hot drinks to the crazed coffee crowd for a sweet hourly wage. I'm hinting at corporate careers, managing regional territories, working at the production plants as logistics experts, or maybe even running your own store. One of the hottest companies in the past few years without question, and they don't show a whole lot of wear and tear on the tires. They are the McDonald's of the A.M. hours and beyond. That was a bold statement, but I stand by it. They have great training and benefits that lead to solid career growth potential...and plenty of coffee in the break room brewer. You look at a large company like Starbuck's, and you have to look at the mastermind behind all the popularity. Howard Shultz and his entourage of management men and women took this single Seattle store and turned it into the global beast that is publicly traded and growing at a healthy rate. I'd hop on right now to enjoy an exciting first step in your career. Plus, I'm sure you get free coffee and espressos to feed that little need of yours. Check out their career page here.

I don't know how many people say, "Oh, if I don't find a job I'll just go to grad school." This is a poor decision although it may work out in the end for some. Grad school is tons more work than undergrad, costs lots more unless you can get a graduate assistant position or other funding, and will not be very enjoyable if you enrolled simply because you gave up on the job search. Oh, and you still will have to search for a job in another year, and another degree still doesn't guarantee that you will easily find a job. Most companies will pay for you to go back to school while working part-time. It's a little benefit you will see as "continuing education" when you are applying for jobs. Especially for those considering an MBA, I have heard from everyone who is older than me that the experience working full-time and gaining real business experience makes it a much more rewarding experience. Eveyone who goes straignt to MBA programs after undergrad studies are dedicated, no doubt, but they lack any real experience other than a possible internship. It would be beneficial to have something to back up what you reading in textbooks. Bottom line, giving up on the job process and going to grad school simply because you did not get a job is weak sauce. Go to grad school if you really want to and had no intention of working right after college. Otherwise, keep using the campus career resources, even after graduation, and you will eventually find a job.

I saw this coming from at least a mile away, but probably further than that. Take a social networking site, and turn it into a site aimed at job-seekers and employers. The new site will concentrate on the high end contractors for mostly tech/consulting jobs, but the concept is excellent and could easily be developed into a college job site. Someone out there that has sufficient web programming skills, get on this, and get paid. Can you imagine logging on to job-Facialbook (that's what I would call it, real original), having networking groups you could join, posting your interests onto an employer's wall, connecting with others interviewing for the same company, and applying for jobs directly through the site. Keep all of the scams, crappy jobs, and jobs for those with 5+ years of experience off of the site and it would be golden. The job boards are flooded with non-college grad jobs and are inefficient to search and filter, and this would be a way to connect potential candidates directly with logically matched employers. I look forward to seeing one of you developing this bad boy, because it would benefit college students everywhere.