Grads: TAKE CHARGE™!

Does your resume pass the 3-second test?

Your resume has all of 3 seconds to make an impression. That’s just about enough time to read that very first sentence on your resume, usually referred to as the objective statement or summary statement. Yet these statements are often so poorly written as to cause an otherwise good resume to land in the “no” pile. There are 3 common mistakes I often see...

Read the entire article on VJournal here.

Exploring careers to find the best path

Not quite sure which career path to take? You're not alone! Explore options and opportunities in a variety of fields by perusing all the great links on this site: from Art to Health to Law to Teaching and more.

Start exploring now on GoSavant.

Creating a great first impression at networking & recruiting events

Are you headed out to a networking event tonight or maybe a recruiting event next week? It's never too early to start preparing to make a great first impression on a future potential employer. Realize that your first impression may have already been made, but here are tips to help you shine at these important job search events.

Read the entire article on Examiner.com here.

Top employers for the Class of 2009

With news of so many layoffs, where's a new grad to turn to find a great job with a great employer? Find out in this article from Business Week.

Read the entire article on Business Week here.

Is there an 'ideal' resume?

Some of the advice grads get about writing resumes is conflicting. So what's right, what's wrong, and what's best for you? There's no one-size-fits all strategy for writing a winning resume, but you can craft the best one for you.

Read the entire post on Career Rocketeer here.

Your credit score: will it haunt you or help you?

Getting a good grade point average in school is great, but after graduation, who really cares? Now, your credit score is another matter entirely. That score will stick with you for a lifetime and can mean the difference between getting the lowest rates available anywhere or shelling out thousands, even tens of thousands, more dollars than you really need to.

This site will not give you an official credit score, but to use it as a starting place to see if you need improvement is a good idea.

It's not just your resume, it's your whole image

In today's job market, you need a perfect-looking, perfect-reading, keyword-rich resume, but that's not enough to land anyone a job. With stiff competition, hiring managers are using a lot more than resumes to whittle down the candidates they'll seriously consider for a job opening. Be sure you pass the grade as well as your resume does.

Read the entire article on WSJ here.

Getting hired when everyone is firing

All we hear about these days are how many people are being laid off from companies large and small. This article was written for those of you looking for a job in financial services, but its advice is applicable to any job or industry, so take note.

Read the entire article on Careers Catalyst here.

Engineering grads pull down big salaries

Which new college graduates are faring best when it comes to salary in the current economy? According to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), engineers are pulling down the highest starting salaries.

Read the entire article on ResumeBear's blog here.

Save your time & the planet: get off those junk lists

As a busy young professional (or a busy job seeker), your time is precious now that you're out on your own. A lot of your are concerned about our planet, too, so here's a way to 'kill two birds with one stone.' Get off those mailing lists that stuff your mailbox full of printed garbage that you don't need (unless you're packing to move, of course). You've got better things to do with your time!

Read the entire article on FiveCentNickel here.