Grads: TAKE CHARGE™!

Biz cards for the unemployed: what should they say?

If you're pounding the pavement looking for a job, then you already know that networking is the name of the game. So play with the right equipment: go armed with business cards. But what should they say if you aren't employed?

Read this article on EmploymentDigest and order 100 free cards online. Then get out there and network, network, network!

10 things the Class of 2010 must do right now

For the Class of 2010, the final round of final exams might be over, or nearly so, but that doesn't mean that it's time to party, party, party. This free Special Report from QwikSmarts® outlines 10 things you need to do right now (or at least within a month of graduation) to truly take charge of your future and set yourself up for success.

Take this super-fast five-question survey about what concerns you about landing your first job, then download the free Special Report: 10 Things the College Class of 2010 Must Do Right Now to Take Charge of Their Future (plus a few more to boost your bank account).

Resources to help improve your writing skills

Writing skills are often downplayed by new college graduates: "I wrote a ton of papers in school and got good grades; I don't need to do any better than that. Heck, I may never have to write again." That's exactly what the majority of grads think...to their detriment. For those of you who see the huge door that leaves open for good writers, no matter what your job or industry, here are some good sites to help you polish your skills and leap frog right over your competition:

10 tips from Suite101

10 quick tips from About.com

Grammar tips from Grammar Girl

Tips about punctuation, abbreviations, and more from Writer's Block.

#TripleTuesday Tweets: Focus your reading

Time will get more and more precious as you get deeper into your career and all the extras of life after college. You may thoroughly enjoy spending hours poking around on the web or through the newspaper or at the library, but you need to be sure that what you're spending your time on is providing you with true value. Take a look at your goals (you do have them written down, don't you?) and choose to spend time on reading that will help get you closer to them. Purely pleasure reading is fine for vacations or other times of total decompression, but while you're searching for a job or getting adjusted to one, your focus needs to be on it.

#TripleTuesday Tweets: Bookmark helpful websites

Just in case you don't already save bookmarks for the sites you visit that you've found helpful, now is the time to start. Organize them by topic to make them easier to find. When you enter the work world, you'll be busier than you ever thought possible, so a few minutes saved here and there will be valuable to you.

#TripleTuesday Tweets: Read the instructions

If you're like most people, when you get a new cell phone or software program, you probably don't bother reading the manuals. That's fine if you are the only person who will be impacted if you can't get the phone or software to work. But when you're new on the job and learning your employer's systems, don't just poke around and hope that you figure it out. Take time to read the manuals--even take them home to read at night, if you need extra time--so you can get yourself up and running (and productive) as fast as possible.

#TripleTuesday Tweets: Tweet interesting information

So you've heard that you need to 'be on' Twitter and that there's a way to tweet your way to a job. But how do you do that? The main rule to remember is to tweet interesting and/or helpful information. No one wants to know what you had for lunch and no one cares about your dog's latest grooming appointment. Show your followers what you know, what you're passionate about, what you're learning.

#TripleTuesday Tweets: Stretch your abilities

Resting on your laurels is never a smart career strategy, whether you're a fresh grad or a tenured professional. Giving your best and going the extra mile will always serve you well, no matter what type of job you have or what industry you're in. If you don't know how to stretch yourself in your current job, talk to your boss about finding (or even creating) opportunities.

#TripleTuesday Tweets: Volunteer to speak

Speaking or presenting to groups is an excellent way to broaden your professional network, polish a vital career skill, teach others what you know or what you're passionate about, and add impressive bullets to your resume. Ask your boss about opportunities to make presentations, see how you can help your favorite cause, and/or join a local Toastmasters group.

#TripleTuesday Tweets: Don't provide TMI

TMI (aka 'too  much information') is just as inappropriate when looking for a job as it is when describing your latest hangover, date, or surgery. When interviewing, you don't need to go into minute detail about why you were let go from a job or about your life. Don't hold back basic information, but they're not asking for your life's story here. Be discreet.