If you’re looking for slick job-hunting advice that doesn’t make you feel bad about yourself (you’re not doing enough, your resume is from 1998, no one is hiring, aaaahhhh!!!), I’m going to let you in on a little secret: There’s not much out there.

That’s why it was so refreshing to pick up Vicki Salemi’s “Big Career in the Big City: Land a Job and Get a Live in New York” (Jist Works, 2010). The author offers practical advice you haven’t read 1,000 times before; real tales of survival from the layoff trenches; and a ton of resources to get your job search in gear. The best part? She does all of this in an upbeat, encouraging tone, which helps motivate you rather than fuel your out-of-work funk.

Full disclosure: I’ve known Salemi since she wrote for our former print publication, CollegeBound Teen magazine. But because I know her, I can also tell you that she writes from experience and from the heart. After spending many years as a corporate recruiter for a huge firm, she herself became a layoff survivor, and had to reinvent and brand herself. All of her tips are those that she and other successful people profiled in the book have actually used. In other words, it works!

Among the gold nuggets of advice you’ll glean from her book include how to dress to standout (in a good way) for professional networking events, using Facebook and Twitter to increase job prospects, and there’s even sample thank-you notes for after the interview. If you’re looking for New York-specific tips, well, that’s your bonus material. Salemi touches on how to leverage the high cost of Manhattan living, dealing with big city culture shock, plus a fun quiz: “What’s Your NYC-ability?”

If you’re not on the hunt yourself, the book definitely makes a great graduation gift. Check it out.

-Dawn Papandrea

A recent National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) report found that 5.3 percent more new graduates will be hired this year than in 2009. But what NACE doesn’t mention is that new grads aren’t just competing with each other for work; they’re competing with record numbers of unemployed, experienced workers!

So how can you, the new college grad, land the job that everyone else wants? Career Coach Ford Myers, author of “Get the Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring” (John Wiley & Sons, 2009), lists the top 10 tools that all grads should have in their “Job Seekers’ Tool Kit.”

1. Accomplishment Stories
Myers recommends writing stories about five or six school- or work-related tasks of which you’re proud. It’s no secret that stories can be much more memorable and compelling than bullet points on a resume.

2. Positioning Statement
This has become known as the “15-second pitch” or “elevator speech,” listed by every career expert as a must-have job-search tool. Your “commercial” should highlight who you are, what you’ve done, and what you will do for an organization.

3. Professional Biography
Here’s your chance to get creative. Every detail of your bio must be true, but you have the opportunity to write the one-page career narrative in the third person. Don’t bother with false humility; sell yourself!

4. Target Company List
This is a two-part tool. First, brainstorm a wish list of adjectives to describe your ideal employer. Include such considerations as industry, location, size, culture, etc. Then do some research to find organizations that match your criteria, and create a list of 35 to 50 target companies.

5. Contact List
It’s time to hit up your Facebook friends and Twitter followers (are you following us, by the way?). According to Myers, about 80 percent of new career opportunities are secured through networking, so get ready to contact everyone you know – professionally and personally.

6. Professional/Academic References
Use your contact list to highlight professors or colleagues who would love to sing your praises, and ask for their approval to be listed as a job reference.

7. Letters of Recommendation
Now go even further to request recommendation letters from four or five colleagues or academic associates. Never underestimate the power of a personal letter from a career professional.

8. Networking Agenda
If you’ve ever planned your words before you got on the phone with a love interest, you’ll understand the value of creating a script for your networking discussions. Write out your statements and questions, and try to anticipate reactions in order to prepare appropriate responses.

9. Tracking System
Scribbling phone numbers on scraps of paper lends itself to disorganization and unproductivity in your job hunt. Keep a detailed record of all your job search activities (e.g., phone calls, e-mails, faxes, etc.) so you can regularly refer back to your notes and follow up with key contacts.

10. Resume
Of course, you still need to have a resume, and it needs to be amazing. Your one-to two-page synopsis should be well-written, carefully edited, and intuitively designed. All the other job-seeker tools won’t make up for the lack of this critical document.

Taking the time to gather these tools and utilize them effectively will demonstrate the dedication, professionalism, and creativity you need to get hired. Are you ready to beat the competition?

Comment up: What tools did you use to get your first job?

-Robyn Tellefsen

Things have gotten more complicated since the last time I was on the job hunt. With so many communication tools, social media platforms, and old-fashioned personalities to contend with, it’s hard for today’s new graduates and job seekers to know the best way to get in touch before, during, and after the job interview.

Should I call? Is snail mail a waste of time? Does anyone even have a fax machine anymore? Would it be creeper stalkerish of me to send an unsolicited message via LinkedIn, or to Tweet a potential job contact?

To help answer these and other job search conundrums, Rob Hellmann, vice president of The Five O’Clock Club, a career development agency, offers this tech-etiquette advice:

Snail-mail still rules for resumes. Surprised? Here’s why, according to Hellmann: Business people get too much email and spam these days to pick your message out of the pile. Plus, most people feel less guilty hitting “delete,” than throwing a letter into the trash. Plus, he adds: “Snail mail allows you to take advantage of paper quality, résumé design and appealing typefaces so that the package you are sending is more like a printed marketing piece than a quick solicitation.”

As someone who hates physically opening mail (as I suspect many people do nowadays), I say double-up your efforts. Send the hard copy, wait a couple of days, and then e-mail it along, too. Just don’t be like: “Hey, I sent my resume, why didn’t you call me yet?”

For following up, go with e-mail. You’ve sent your letter and resume, and hopefully, had a conversation in person or on the phone. Now it’s time to shoot over a “hey, remember me?” message.  That’s because e-mail is generally viewed as acceptable for communication after a meeting, says Hellmann. Of course, thank-you notes should still get the old-fashioned mailing treatment. (Even those with a mail aversion like me like opening those!)

When e-mailing, keep this tip in mind: “Spend just as much time crafting your e-mail as you would a traditional letter,” says Hellmann. But, don’t write a novel. “E-mails are often scanned or read quickly, and they are easily misinterpreted. Many readers pay less than 100 percent attention and seek the key words or phrases, so they miss a nuance or a key point.”

Be careful when using your phone to communicate. That goes for those of us hooked on Blackberrys, iPhones, and other smart phones. Here’s why: “The typical mobile message has at least two typos in it because it’s composed in a hurry, and in quick reaction to an inbound e-mail. And the tone tends to be terse or glib and subject to misinterpretation,” says Hellmann. Of course, using your cell for a regular call is bad news, too, since service isn’t always high quality. That’s why Hellmann advises to never use your cell to do a phone interview. “The interviewer could easily miss words, lose the tone of your voice or not hear your emphasis on a critical question. And you may not be able to communicate energy or enthusiasm without shouting.

LinkedIn is good, but it won’t do all the work for you. LinkedIn should definitely be on your list of job searching strategies, says Hellmann. However, he says: “For LinkedIn to work, someone has to contact you. Use these passive techniques and then get on with your real search.”

What do you think — good advice? Have you made any techno faux pas during your job hunt? Or, do you have a techno tip that works for you? Please share your thoughts below.

-Dawn Papandrea

The year isn’t over yet, but it’s already time to start thinking about  your summer plans. Just the other day, a junior in college was telling me she is looking at internships but hadn’t found many advertised.

She was considering using Twitter. Making connections on social networking sites such as Twitter can help as internships have been scarce in some fields. Hey, even Pizza Hut used Twitter this past summer to find a  Summer Twintern to tweet about the company.

I recently received an email from a former journalism student of mine at the University of Georgia seeking an intern in New York City. I mentioned it to a student in a class I was teaching and passed along an e-mail address as the contact info.

They began communicating via Twitter after my student saw in the internship coordinator’s e-mail signature that she had a Twitter account. She began following her on Twitter and replying to her comments, and she landed an interview for the position.

So how can you find opportunities on Twitter? Start with a search for your industry, the job you’re looking for, the city in which you want an internship and keywords such as internship, a company name, and titles such as human resources director. As you find relevant matches, start following them, as well as people who work for the company of interest.

Don’t hesitate to keep in touch with someone who hires interns via Twitter throughout the year. Reply to their comments with information about their industry. Lastly, add some internship Tweeps to your follow list like @internqueen and @internweb.

Best of luck with your search, and happy Tweeting!

-Lori Johnston

On average, new grads are making almost $50k right out of college — not too shabby in this down economy of ours, right? I know I certainly would have been thrilled with that kind of “first job” salary offer back when I graduated. Here are the deets…

NACE’s [National Association of Colleges and Employers] Summer 2009 Salary Survey report shows that the average starting salary offer for new college graduates now stands at $49,307. That’s off less than 1 percent from the average $49,693 that 2008 graduates posted last year at this time…

Seems like a good sign that things may be on the upswing. Of course, job openings may be a little harder to come by, which means that grads need to work slightly harder to edge out their competition.

Start with these tactics:

• Top 5 Tips for Job Seekers
• Social Network Your Way Into a Job
• How to Turn Your Internship Into a Job

Grads: We want to hear from you! Tell us about your job hunting experience, and if you’ve been happy with salary offers.

You recently graduated. You’re still unemployed. You continue the job hunt. Here’s what you need to know…

The Good >> The more schooling you have, the less likely you are to be unemployed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in May 2009 (the most recent month of reporting available), the national unemployment rate was 10 percent for adults over 25 years of age who only had a high school diploma, but just 7.7 percent for those with an associate degree, and 4.8 percent for those with a bachelor’s degree. In other words, your degree was worth all of the effort, even if you are having trouble finding a job at the moment.

The Bad >> Less people are hiring grads this year. The survey stats are in and, yes, 2009 grads are worse off than 2008 grads when it comes to getting hired, according to the Job Outlook 2009 Spring Update survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Employers reported that they expect to hire nearly 22 percent fewer graduates from the Class of 2009 than they hired last year. Not surprisingly, the 2009 NACE Graduating Student Survey indicated that 63 percent of college seniors were worried that the economy would hurt their chances of finding a full-time job. But really — aren’t all grads worried about landing that first job? Keep at it, and eventually, it’ll happen.

The Promising >> If you do get hired, your starting salary will probably be respectable. By respectable, we mean that it won’t be too far below salary expectations. According to the Spring 2009 issue of NACE’s Salary Survey, the overall average offer to 2009 bachelor’s degree graduates stands at $48,515 – down just 2.2 percent from the average of $49,624 posted in Spring 2008.

So now you know the deal. Are you facing a tougher job market than past graduating classes? Sure. But you’re still in better shape having earned your degree. The key is to keep your options opened, remain optimistic, and find ways to set yourself apart from the job applicant pool.

** Share your job hunt story… has it been hard to find a job? Leave a comment here, or message us on twitter: @collegesurfing.

These days it seems that all people are talking about are lay-offs and reduced hiring rates — so much so that they ignore an important factor in every industry: the retirement rate. While many professions may reduce the amount by which they hire on a yearly basis, the truth is that a fresh crop of employees is always necessary in order to takeover the jobs of workers who have reached retirement age.

It’s an economic factor that is sometimes overlooked, but many in the media are taking notice in light of a new report on the education industry. According to the report by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, a nonprofit research advocacy group, a third of the country’s 3.2 million teachers may be retiring during the course of the next four years.

Unfortunately, there’s another problem that adds to this anticipated teaching shortage: the high attrition rate that occurs amongst newly hired teachers. Research has shown that a third of all new teachers choose to leave the teaching world within five years of being hired. Combined this with the cushy retirement plans that many teachers enjoy and you get a high turnover rate.

There is, however, hope for the education industry in the form of a new generation of college graduates eager to get into the teaching game and reap the perks that the profession’s hours, work demands, job security, and health benefits offer. Of course, as with any other career, you should only consider it if it coincides with your passions and goals in life – otherwise, you’ll be amongst that one third of new teachers.

*The original NYTimes article for more stats and info on the matter.

– Genevieve M. Blaber

In the digital age, cover letters are as antiquated and unnecessary as thank-you notes.

WRONG! (Thank-you notes are important too, but that’s another post.)

It does show some extra effort when you submit a cover letter. After all, anyone can make a bazillion copies of their resume and fax ‘em out to every agency that may or may not be hiring. A customized cover letter, on the other hand, conveys your interest in a particular company and can push your resume to the top of the pile.

Don’t believe me? Check out this excerpt from a recent New York Times article:

Ms. Piotrowski recently had a job opening at her small company, Career Solutions Group, and she was dismayed when about a quarter of the 200 applicants did not send cover letters. Most were within five years of graduating from college, she said, reflecting a more informal mind-set among younger people.

So consider this a mini-course in how to make your cover letter work for you:

>> Get a name.
How hard is it to Google a company and get the decision maker’s name to put on your cover letter? The extra few minutes it takes to procure that info can save your resume from the recycling bin with all the other “To Whom It May Concerns.” Take it from Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate publisher of Quintessential Careers, who wrote: “The largest employer in Central Florida tosses cover letters in the circular file if they are not addressed to him personally.” Wow!

>> Keep it simple.
Three or four paragraphs should suffice. In your first paragraph, explain why you are writing. In the middle paragraph or two, highlight why you are a good candidate for the position, convey a clear story about your career, and detail what you can do to help the company reach its goals. Your closing paragraph should indicate how you will follow up on your submission.

>> Send it twice.
Submit your letter once in the body of your e-mail (with your resume attached), and then go double-duty by mailing a hard copy of your letter and resume. It’s a proven strategy for success:

Attach a handwritten note that says, “Second submission; I’m very interested,” Ms. Piotrowski said. “I’ve had clients double their rate of interviews simply from doing that,” she said.

With a little effort (and lot of proofreading), you can write a cover letter that dazzles potential employers and gets you an interview. Best of luck!

-Robyn Tellefsen

Corporate America is in a tailspin, and if you’re one of the unfortunate who is paying the price by losing your job, you’re certainly not alone. The unemployment rate is now at 7.2 percent –- the highest rate since January 1993, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yikes! What now? Just because you’re laid off doesn’t mean things are totally hopeless. If you act quickly and keenly — employing these 7 steps for starters — you may be back to work before you know it.

1.    Mourn your loss.
As anxious as you may be about all that lies ahead, stop and take a breath. Losing your job can feel like losing a friend, family member, or lover. You have the right to be hurt, sad, angry, and everything in between. Don’t deny the place your job had in your life. Acknowledge it, and then move on.

2.    Get your social network on.
If you haven’t had time to investigate the online social networking scene, now is your chance. Hit up LinkedIn, Twitter (follow us: @collegesurfing), and Facebook, and let the world know you’re back on the market. Start a professional blog. You’d be amazed how fast opportunities open up via cyber connections.

3.    Hit the gym.
If ever there was a time you needed the endorphin rush that comes with exercise, that time is now. Laying on the couch can make you paunchy, pessimistic, and pokey -– none of which will motivate you to make critical career moves.

4.    Take a class.
Use unemployment to your advantage by taking a class to update your skills. You might want to pursue a computer certification, or even a communications course. Then, when you’re ready to dive back into the workforce, you’ll be even better qualified than when you left.

5.    Volunteer.
Volunteering is a fantastic way to fill your newfound free time. It can take your mind off your own concerns for a while and focus your attention on the people around you. Plus, volunteering may also provide an inroad to a new job — remember, it’s all about networking and making new connections.

6.    Change careers.
Why not try your hand at something that’s always interested you? Sign up for a class or two in a new field and find out if you have what it takes to make a go of a new career. To increase your odds of finding a job fast, consider getting into a high-growth industry like IT or health care.

7.    Work for yourself.
I have a super-talented friend who used her layoff from a graphic design job as motivation to start her own event design business. It wasn’t an easy transition to make, but she has been steadily building her brand and her client base. The result? She’s able to do what she loves on her own terms.

As for all my hard working readers who are plugging away everyday, remember no job is layoff proof. Now is a good time to start socking away some emergency fund money just in case, get back in touch with your networks, update your resume, and work extra hard on the job.

As hard as it may be to see when you’re going through it, a layoff could often be an opportunity in disguise.

-Robyn Tellefsen

Readers, any other layoff surivor tips to share? Shout ‘em out in the comments section!

With all of the unemployment statistics out there, there’s a good possibility that you’re reading this in fear of losing your job, or not being able to find one once you finish school. There’s an even greater possibility that one of your parents or older relatives was laid off or took a buyout. What you don’t often hear about, though, is that for the younger workforce, the climate isn’t necessarily as bad as news reports would have you believe, as recently pointed out by fellow blogger, the Brazen Careerist herself, Penelope Trunk:

What I’m saying is that young people shouldn’t be thrown by the bad news that old people are pushing. Things are not that bad if you’re beginning your career. Think big, ask a lot of the world, demand respect and fun and a high learning curve.

In other words, stay positive — your future looks bright! That’s because, as the boomers are offered packages to opt out, or simply asked to leave, many companies are turning to new grads to fill those slots at a cheaper salary than they were paying their longtime loyal employees. Of course, it seems an unfair way to land a job, but it’s the inevitable circle of life these days, so you might as well take advantage of it. Some things to keep in mind…

Companies are still hiring, it’s true: Employers say they will hire about as many new college graduates from the Class of 2009 as they did from the Class of 2008, but plan to keep a watchful eye on those hiring needs, so they can shift gears if necessary, according to the Job Outlook 2009 survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). In such an environment, says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director, “students need to use all the resources available to them to conduct a successful job search, starting with the campus career center.”

Think inside and outside the box. In this case, the box is referring to your computer. You need to diversify the way you market yourself, whether it’s online at job boards, or at social network sites like Twitter (follow us: @collegesurfing), or LinkedIn; or offline at campus recruitment opportunities, job fairs, networking events in your field, or spreading the word to friends. The more you get the word out, the more potential jobs you’ll hear about.

Big opportunities have less to do with salary than you think. I haven’t heard much about students landing six figures and signing bonuses out of college, have you? In other words, keep your expectations down to Earth, and the job offers will come. The most important thing to think about is what a prospective job can do for you beyond your paycheck. Will it get you close to a mentor in the field that you can learn from? Does it serve as a jumping off point to something else you’d like to do down the line? Is it your dream company, and you don’t care how low on the totem pole you start?

Consider both short- and long-term. Despite the last point, money does of course count — let’s be real. The idea is not to think so much about the starting salary offered, that you overlook what that salary has the potential to become over the course of time. Would you rather start off making $35K knowing that the next level up makes $40K and takes a couple of years to reach, or will you take $30K with the promise of a performance review every six months and a better benefits/vacation package? The point is, listen carefully to all offers and then make your decision based on the big picture.

Feeling a little better? I hope you do.

What are your biggest fears about the job market?