Check this 2 minute video out done by Scott Edinger, founder of Edinger Consulting Group, on the Harvard Business Review website. He gives some great advice on how to conduct an “Informal 360 Interview” to gain honest feedback so that you can really get to the heart of who you are and share that with prospective employers.

Go NOW —->http://bit.ly/J2PPQQ

As you know, The Graduate Career Coach is always on the look out for resources, tools, and websites that will truly give YOU real-life, “real usable” information ~

I also believe that if someone out there has a brilliant idea and conveys an honest message to University Undergrad and Grad Students then it is my duty to share it with YOU!

Let me know your feedback – I would love to hear from you!

Happy Hunting,

Alison, “The” Graduate Career Coach

PS – These websites are not  affiliated with The Graduate Career Coach – I just think they are great websites!

Personal Branding – You must know WHO YOU are, so that you can convey to your future employer why they have to have YOU!

http://studentbranding.com/

http://kammiek.com/

Here are some great blogs from recruiting and hiring professionals that are getting the word out about what they really want!

http://getajob-tips-for-getting-hired.blogspot.com/

http://www.careerhubblog.com/

http://guerrillajobhunting.typepad.com/

http://www.talenthq.com/

Here is a great website to start your online video portfolio and connect with some amazing organizations nationwide!

http://www.readyforce.com

 

All of the interview questions boil down to these three questions suggested in this article —>

Top Executive Recruiters Agree There Are Only Three True Job Interview Questions by George Bradt, Contributor

http://linkd.in/wSJ2M4

I keep on top of the really good articles – you know, the ones that actually tell you the truth behind what the hiring manager or recruiter is thinking. This is a great one that I found on LinkedIn - http://bit.ly/w37alJ.

Have you created an online presence on LinkedIn? It is a great resource of information, as well as access to hiring managers, mentors, and networking connections. Need some help navigating? Let one of our Graduate Career Coaches help you make sense of LinkedIn. We can even help you get your profile noticed!

 

Finally!

Recruiters getting real! This is a great article on some the insider’s secrets to how you might ruin your chance of getting job.

**Once you read this article & you know you want to increase your chances – Reach out to The Graduate Career Coach today!

 

“Headhunters Reveal 11 Ways to Ruin Your Chances of Getting a Job”

Not only could these types of emails get you canned but could also prevent you from getting serious job offers later.

Here is the link: http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/08/04/10-emails-that-could-get-you-canned/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl7|sec1_lnk2|83912

Money is a top concern for college graduates. Most graduates average between $24,000-48,000 in student loan debt; not to mention, the costs of living, any travel, rent, taxes, etc. So worrying about money can make a college graduate feel desperate and frustrated.

Here are a few financial, low-cost-to-no-cost ideas to help support recent grads as they continue their job search after graduation.

1. Breathe! According to the June 2011 issue of Money magazine, “Employers expect to hire 19% more recent graduates this year than last [and] averaging salaries are up 6%, to %50,5000”.
2. Mint.com – A budgeting tool that allows you to upload transactions from a checking account and automatically track spending various categories like restaurants and shopping. It will alert you when a category nears the threshold you set for yourself. It is also available as a mobile app.
3. Gradmed.com – Until you land the perfect job, gradmed.com is a great resource to have medical insurance right now – its short-term, affordable, and based on your needs.
4. Ibrinfo.org – If you do accept a position that is lower-paying, just so you can pay the bills today, consider IBRinfo, an income-based repayment option which caps the monthly payment at 15% of your discretionary income.

It is tough out there! Just take it one step at a time and use all of the resources available to you so that you can truly concentrate on presenting your best self in the interview and on the job.

 

Graduating university students have reason to be optimistic graduating in 2011. The job market is slowly improving compared to the last five years with the highest percentages of unemployment.  About 40 % of graduating seniors usually will have found a job before graduation; however the job market is as competitive as ever. Even as the economy is slowly shifting towards the positive, graduating students still face many obstacles in obtaining employment.  So how are Universities preparing their students for the job market?

Pace University, located in New York City, NY, is ranked as one of the best universities to attend by US News in their 2011 Best Colleges edition. I recently had the opportunity to interview Ms. Maxine Sugarman, the Director of Career Services at Pace University for the Examiner.com. Ms. Maxine Sugarman, the Director of Career Services, shares how this career center has prepared their graduating seniors and graduate students to be interview-ready for potential employers.

Q: How does Pace University’s career center prepare your up-and-coming graduates for 2011’s competitive job market?

Ms. Sugarman: “We offer more opportunities for students to practice their interview techniques. We offer a ‘Mock Interview Day’ for volunteer recruiters to come to campus and individually interview our students. The recruiters and our career services team share constructive feedback with students and recommend Interview Workshops throughout the academic year. We also increased our efforts to provide video recordings of mock interview sessions between the student and interviewer. This provides students the ability to review the recorded session with their career counselor to focus on improving their delivery of interview answers [and body language]. We have also increased our partnerships with pre-professional student organizations to bring more recruiters on campus so that the students can network with recruiters at earlier stages in their college careers.”

Q: What are some important things graduating students should focus on in their job search?

Ms. Sugarman: “Analyze each job description and focus on selling yourself with the specific skills sets that each job description is requiring. Realize that one size does not fit all; meaning you have to customize each resume and cover letter sent out to the specific job. Learn how to brand yourself and how to network effectively. Our career center has created a LinkedIn mentoring program for business students to connect with Pace alumni who also majored in a business discipline. Networking is more critical than ever in order to uncover leads to job openings.”

Q: As the Director of a prestigious university, what are potential employers sharing with you of the type of graduates they are seeking to hire?

Ms. Sugarman: “Employers have always sought professionally prepared graduates. However, now more than ever employers want graduates who have excelled in the classroom and outside of the classroom. This means the graduate who has internships, extracurricular activities that promote leadership skills and/or has gained experience through volunteering will be a very attractive candidate to potential employers.”

For more information on Pace University, please go to www.pace.edu.

 

This is a powerful article, found on the Careers page for AOL.com. SEE BELOW!

Fact: Companies are hiring!

Fact: For each position, over 1,000 resumes are sent to apply for this position.

Fact: Your resume has 5 seconds to catch the eye of the recruiter or hiring manager.

Fact: This article, “Seven Ways to Keep Your Resume Out of the Trash” is a great resource!