The Ultimate Post-College Starter Kit

Gradspot.com — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:55:10 -0500

Class of 2009, your moment is now! For those still on campus, have fun and be sure to carry around some Claritin so you can say you have allergies when people accuse you of crying. Then, once you've had a second to catch your breath, decide which of the following groups you fall into and check out all the helpful resources we've compiled to help you transition seamlessly to life after college.

Congratulations!

The Dollar Is Strong, Give Me an Around-the-World Ticket and Some SPF-50!

Hitting the road or taking to the skies is a textbook post-graduation move. If you've got the money (you don't need much) and the time, why not? Unwind, see somewhere new, and have fun.

Recession? Not My Problem. I Need a Job NOW!

Right now, finding gainful employment is all about being persistence and looking for opportunities instead of "dream jobs." Use these tips and tricks, and don't rule out the possibility of starting out with an internship.

Get Me to Graduate School, I Need More Learning.

With the job market tightening up, the grad school rush is on. Do you really need another degree? And if so, is now the time to get it? Think through your options with these guides.

Grad School Options
Funding Graduate School
Studying for the GMAT, LSAT, and GRE
Getting into law school and business school.

Chill Son, I Just Want to Hang Out.

You need some time to decompress and take stock. That's understandable—just make sure you give yourself a time limit. Next thing you know you're 32 and still asking mom if you can sleepover at your friend's new 6-bedroom house!

And If You Need to Know Everything...

...then See All of Our Survival Guides >

Also, consider grabbing a copy of our book, Gradspot.com's Guide to Life After College! (We couldn't help but add this plug.)

The Tao of Teaching: In Memoriam

thewize@gmail.com — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:57:19 -0400

Good Morning Taoists.

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Goodnight, what have you done with your life?

I would like to say that it is with heavy heart that I once again take up the fountain pen of my mind; I'd like to say that because it seems like an appropriately literary beginning to this sad story but it simply isn't true. It is with a peaceful and balanced heart and pensive mind that I return from my desert wanderings to the Tao. I say "sad story" but of course the opposite is also equally true - there is no one without the other and this is The Tao of Teaching.

My life has diversified greatly over the summer months and I have grown from strength to strength. Interestingly this second year here in Mexico is in many ways mirroring the first, however there is no doubting that it is an upward spiral. Friendships have deepened as my Spanish has improved, I have journeyed up river to new lands beyond the waterfall, and, after establishing a firm footing my musical life has taken off exponentially with new classes, new instruments and travel to new cities to share the joy. (I have even visited the outer reaches of patience at the hands of my broken laptop - which may go some ways to explaining the over-long absence of a "regular contributor" to Gradspot!)

One area that has hit rather a lull in proceedings also happens to be the reason that I am here in Mexico; it also happens to be the reason I am writing this today. I speak, of course, of teaching.

Times have been difficult at the school and to be honest there has been such a flurry of activity outside of the classroom that events inside have taken second place, until the last couple of weeks that is, when things have been brought back into sharp focus.

I received an e-mail from one of my classmates from the CELTA course I took to become a certified teacher. She is currently working in the same school in which we studied, and her correspondence brought with it the sad news that one of our tutors, Simon Dix, was very sick and had been admitted to a hospice.

I thought back to the fun we had and the lessons we learned in that Oxford classroom a lifetime ago; in fact I regularly think of Simon and the one lesson for which I was awarded an "S+" for adapting well to an unexpected situation (in a later essay I was to quote Bruce Lee: "be like water" - a philosophy that continues to serve me well).

I think now of the hospice, a place of peace, an end to the surgeries and treatments, a place where every breath is sweet because it may be one's last. No different of course to each and every one of us although we sometimes forget this as we go about our daily lives. I think of Simon's travels and how far his influence stretches and I put these two things together. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. Every single action we make effects the whole world, every word we utter, every thought - so make them positive, use them to build, for whether tomorrow or the next life shall come first we can never know.

Simon passed away last Friday.

I cannot claim to have known Simon very well at all; it was a mere month in which I was taught to teach but that month has had a profound effect on my life and I know that he will be sadly missed.

I am cheered, however, by the thought of his many, many students spread throughout the wide world to live and share the gifts that he gave - the English that opens up a new world of communication, understanding and friendship for so many people; the love of language; and the joy of new places and faces and cultures, hopes and dreams, lives and loves, and teaching.

I say thank you, to a man who taught me to teach.

Simon Dix, Rest In Peace

The Waiter Rule

jason.richards@gradspot.com — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:18:22 -0400

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, employers take manners and social-interaction into account during the hiring process, and when they're inviting you for a meal, it's not so much about the food; it's about the way you interact with other individuals. This is another shining example of during the interview process, any interaction with a potential employer is really an interview; you're always being tested. So bring you A-Game all the time. But if you won't take our word for it, will you take those of the leading CEO's? They tell all in this USA Today article, CEOs say how you treat a waiter can predict a lot about character.

Use the Inc. 500 for Job Hunting

Stuart — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:15:04 -0400

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, Inc. magazine just published their 2009 Inc. 500, a list of the 5000 (yes, even thought it was started as the 500 it now lists 5000) fastest growing small businesses in America. That looks like 5000 job opportunities to me.

2009 Inc. 5000 >

Why Unpaid Internships Are Hard to Find

sarah.collins@gradspot.com — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:01:38 -0400

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...which makes zero sense. Why wouldn't a company want a smart college student or grad, who's willing to work for free, to help them out?

In a few words: it's illegal. As Mark Cuban points out in, Want an Unpaid Intership So You Can Get Valuable Experience? - Screw You!, the US Government prohibits employers from hiring unpaid interns to produce work for them, unless, of course, that work can't be used by the company (yes, you read that correctly). So in other words, an unpaid intern can't help out on a pitch that lands a company new business, but using an example from the article, an unpaid intern can drive trains back and forth across a track all day as long as it's not transporting anything.

That's not to say that you can't get an unpaid internship; you certainly can. Forget large corporations. Instead, focus on smaller ones, and startups even. Or find a family friend that might bend the rules for you. Some schools will even setup arrangements with organizations to incorporate the internship into a degree program (and thus it's no longer considered an unpaid internship but legal work experience). So just like everything else in today's job hunt, the more creative you are the better you'll be off.

Volunteering: If Companies Do It, So Should You

joan.mitchell@gradspot.com — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:12:29 -0400

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). As the article explains, "For a small business that has lost clients or seen revenue-generating projects dry up, performing free work is a way to keep employees engaged while cultivating new relationships."

So are you convinced yet? While the cynic could view a law firm or consultancy doing pro bono work as the ultimate sign of our troubled times, in which even the capitalists have to stoop to the level of philanthropy to survive, the pragmatist will see it as further evidence that volunteering really can be the key to your future success.

Virtual Seminars to Help Your Job-Hunt

Gradspot.com — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:07:22 -0400

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. Check out the options below:

Effective Networking Part 2/Art of the Follow-up

Find out how you can turn those great initial contacts into real, ongoing relationships!

* how to conduct informational interviews
* how to work with recruiters and HR
* how to maintain and deepen their network; and
* online v offline networking strategies.

Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EASTERN TIME
Presenter: Caroline Ceniza-Levine
Reserve at: http://tinyurl.com/sfs-082709

How The Hiring Process Really Works: An Insider's Guide to Getting The Job

Go behind the scenes and see what the recruiter sees during the job search

* learn the 8 steps of the hiring process from the employer’s perspective;
* see how to tailor your search to the employer’s point of view.

Date: Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM EASTERN TIME
Presenter: Caroline Ceniza-Levine
Reserve at: http://tinyurl.com/sfs-090809

10 Things to Think About Now Regarding Your On-Campus Job Search

Hear from the former head of campus recruiting for Citigroup, Pfizer and Merrill Lynch

* what steps to take as soon as you get on-campus;
* how to get on recruiters’ radar screens;
* biggest pet peeves and mistakes to avoid.

Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EASTERN TIME
Presenter: Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio
Reserve at: http://tinyurl.com/sfs-090909

Identify Your Ideal Job Targets

How can you get your dream job when you don’t know what it is?

* learn the 3 aspects of a well-defined job search target;
* learn strategies for translating what you like into what exists in the market;
* get strategies to move beyond analysis paralysis.

Date: Monday, September 14, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM EASTERN TIME
Presenter: Caroline Ceniza-Levine
Reserve at: http://tinyurl.com/sfs-091409

The Best and Worst Cities to Look for a Job

Gritz — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:53:53 -0400

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. (I guess the government sector really is booming!)

Not surprisingly, Detroit wallows at the bottom of the list, with 18 unemployed folks grappling for each listing. Hartford comes in at #7 (1 posting : 2 seekers), but as an ex-Hartford resident, I can't in good conscience recommend moving there!

Needless to say, follow up questions abound. Most notably, how many recent grads are legitimately counted amongst these "unemployed" and how many of these postings are even relevant to them? And how many people per job posting suffer from poverexia?

Still, if you're deciding where to move, it might be worth cross-referencing this list with Gradspot's Top 10 Cities for Recent Grads and going from there. It beats throwing darts at a map of the United States.

Best and Worst Cities to Look for a Job [via Techcrunch]

Tell Me Your Salary, and I'll Tell You Where You Went to School

dan.marley@gradspot.com — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:01:26 -0400

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!). And U.S. News & World Report blows our minds by ranking the top three colleges as...drum roll...Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.

College rankings have become something of a commodified farce over the years, but here's one methodology that's sure to pique some interest: Payscale.com lists how much each school's grads make after they graduate. In addition, it tells you what people in your major tend to do for work (and how much they earn) and what the most popular jobs are for grads from your alma mater.

No Sucker Left Behind author Marc Scheer would likely approve, though his first question would probably be, "How much debt did you accrue to go there?" Because at the end of the day, a college education is all about return on investment, people!

via MeFi

Small Businesses Sometimes Provide Better Job Opportunities

Stuart — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:20:50 -0400

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? Small businesses account for 95% of business in the U.S., and you can pick up many of the same skills and experiences working with small businesses as you can with large businesses. Smaller businesses tend to be less bureaucratic about hiring and they tend to have specific needs that out of the blue (whereas many corporations hav a very strict and regimented hiring schedule). The chances of cold-calling a small company and actually having them engage with you and ask you to come in for an interview are so much hire than wading through the endless departments of a big company.

The one drawback is that small businesses aren't always as easy to find as large businesses because they don't have the same budgets and many only have a local focus. However, a successful way to start finding them is to look into lists of top performing small businesses in any industry. You can usually find these lists from Google searches or even from small business magazines such as Inc..

So the next time you get waist deep into looking for jobs at large companies, consider turning to small ones.