Real World 101 for Soon-to-Be Grads

College graduation is nearly upon us once again, and many seniors have felt paralyzed by the still struggling job market.  Kristen Fischer, author of Ramen, Rent, Resumes has these tips for members of the Class of 2010 and members of the Class of 2011 who are wisely planning ahead:

Think about what you want to do.

Put some thought into the direction you want to take, after all, you may not want to enter the field you just spent four years studying.

Start your resume.

While you are on campus and have the resources, get tips for writing a resume. Compiling a resume is often overwhelming for soon-to-be grads because they feel like there’s nothing to fill up an entire page, but if you really assess your skill set and look at the latest resume-writing trends, you can come up with a powerful document.

Start looking for a job—yesterday.

Even thinking about what you want to do and where you want to live—and arranging for those things—is smart planning. Start browsing websites, setting up accounts on sites like LinkedIn and Monster.com.

Practice interviewing.

If you aced your public speaking class and excel at debates, start developing answers to common interview questions and practice a mock interview with a friend.

Enjoy your last days in college.

Spend extra time with friends, sleep in, stay out late, hit up a crazy party, or enjoy campus activities. Look to the future as a professional but don’t forget to enjoy your college days.

I give advice for college grads pretty often, but it's nice to have a fresh perspective now and then.  Thanks, Kristen!

Comments

[Emily Jasper]

These tips are great, especially the one about enjoying your last days. I know I spend my last days driving 4 hours to DC, unloading belongings, then driving back. I did that four times during exams. My job started in less than a week, so while friends were out lunching or doing early happy hours, I had already begun thinking about my corporate life. While that is exciting in itself, there's going to be 40-50 years of that ahead. Enjoy college until the end.

[Richard Hemby]

Hi Alexandra,

I'm a writer for OnlineCollegeGuru and I'm emailing you about 2 career articles I recently put together: 9

safest entry-level military careers and 11 jobs for slackers. I think your readers might find one or both

articles interesting.

Could you take a look and if you like it, give them a plug on your blog?

Here's the 2 articles:

http://www.onlinecollegeguru.com/blog/career/9-safest-entry-level-military-careers/
http://www.onlinecollegeguru.com/blog/career/11-jobs-for-slackers/

PS, I couldn't find your email/contact form, so I'm leaving you this comment. Feel free to delete this after

you read it.

Cheers,

Richard

[Wise Step]

This reminds me of my good old college days wherein i just did what all you mentioned in your post ..Preparing Resume, Interview Practicing, Fun @college :)

[DC Jobs]

I like the idea of getting the most out of your college experience. If you spend some time each day planning for the future, then you don't need spend the day worrying about what is to come and you can enjoy the opportunities the day presents.

[Kristen]

Thanks, Alex!

[Su Doyle]

Great NRR OnPoint show yesterday on the dire job mkt for 2010 grads -- a real eye-opener. One of the key advantages that new grads have is zero fear of social media (compared to many corporations, who would love to have a new grad bring their mktg dept up to speed). I set up a new hashtag on Twitter: #2010mentor to see if a few of us "pre-2010" grads can help new grads. Sign me up for marketing!

[Alexandra Levit]

@Su: Fantastic idea, let us know how it's working on on Twitter. Glad you liked the NPR show as well!

@Kristen: You're welcome, thank YOU!

@DC: This is a great, measured and reasonable approach. Fabulous advice as usual.

@Wise: Sometimes I wish I was back in college, and some days, not so much. :)

@Richard: Please send them to me via Twitter (@alevit). Thanks!

@Emily: That's okay, I did the same thing. I think it's natural for ambitious grads to want to get moving. But hopefully a reality check from those of us in the trenches will help them relax a little!

@Richard:

@Emily:

[Tim]

Great post as always;)

[Jack R.]

The Military Aways Has Jobs.