When you eat at a restaurant, how do you treat your waiter when everything is going well? And what about when your dinner goes to hell in a handbasket? Surprisingly enough (or perhaps not surprisingly at all), according to leading U.S. CEOs

As I mentioned in August, when it comes to finding a job in this tough economy, sometimes it's easier to turn to smaller companies that are less bureaucratic in their hiring practices and more likely to speak to a grad who just picks up a phone and gives them a ring. The difficulty is in actually finding these successful, private, small companies. Lucky for you

Whether you're in college and looking for experience or just graduated without a job, we've always championed unpaid internships as a vehicle to get your foot in a door, build your network, and pick up some skills. But as those of you who've explored this option probably figured out, they're difficult to find

We have long advocated volunteer work as a great way to expand your skill set, network with new people, and stay engaged during a long job-hunt. But even we were surprised to read in The Wall Street Journal that small businesses are doing the exact same thing (Firms Fight Slump with Pro Bono Work).

Our friends over at Six Figure Start, a career coaching outfit led by former Fortune 500 recruiters, has just announced its fall lineup of virtual seminars. It looks like there are more than a few that would be beneficial to anyone looking for a job or trying to keep their networking game strong.

Barack Obama said he would create more jobs, and he's lived up to his promise—at least in his new hometown. According to a study on the Best and Worst Cities to Look for a Job, Washington D.C. is a job-hunter's heaven, with six job postings for every unemployed person.

Forbes tells us that West Point is best school in the country. Newsweek lets us know that Tulane is the "Hottest on the Rebound" (take that, Katrina!).

Most people look to large companies for their first job out of college, but have you ever considered sticking to small and medium-sized businesses?

We recognize that trying to get a job in the current economy can be harder than trying to fit a circular peg in a square hole. But it's certainly not impossible, and whenever you can get a leg up on your competition, you might as well. Right now, there are a ton of recent grads who are still trying to find work. So what's one way to get ahead? Create a story.

Do you have any articles on your site about doing a part-time grad program and full-time work? - @gradspotguru Twitter follower

The answer is no—but let's see if we can rectify that here, because it's a great question that we've heard from several people recently (coincidence?) in different variations.