College to Career In A Recession

MyFoxNY.com - With unemployment rates on the rise, the job market has become fierce – especially for college students and recent grads just starting out.

Eileen Cortez, a Family/Child Studies major at Montclair State University is keeping the faith when it comes to finding a job—post graduation. “I’m just going to hand in my resume, go to the interviews, and leave it in God’s hands,” she said.

But before she graduates, Lindsey Pollak, author of Getting From College to Career, has some useful tips to amp up her chances of landing a job. “If you’re busy with school, which is totally legitimate, the best way to accomplish things is to do a little bit every day. Make one phone call to a potential connection, send in three resumes each day, attend one networking event – one or two things a day will add up and keep your momentum going.”

Proof reading your resume instead of perusing facebook could make a difference. “I can’t tell you how many people lose a job just because of a typo," Lindsey said.

If you’re going to use an online job service like Monster or Career Builder, make sure your resume stands out. Lindsey advises, “Try to find out the name of the person hiring and go onto Linkedin.com and send them a very friendly note and say, ‘Hi, I saw the job posting and I’m really interested.”

Eileen said she plans on networking with potential employers. “I’m going to communicate with different people in hospitals and let them know I’m doing my internship and hoping to get a job out of it and see if they will let me try it out.”

If you need to beef up your resume quickly, find professional affiliations related to your major. “Volunteering for a young professionals committee is a nice way to show you’re stepping into that next phase of your career,” Lindsey said.

Most colleges and universities offer free career services to students and alumni which might help put you ahead of other applicants.

LindseyPollak.com

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