Grads: TAKE CHARGE™!

Free personal branding workshops for job seekers

PwC just completed their Personal Branding Week which was full of high-value online workshops and exercises to lead college grads or job seekers of any age through the steps to create an impactful personal brand. The good news is that they're leaving the entire week's activities online so you can listen and work through the exercises at your convenience. If you hope to compete in today's tough job market but haven't taken the time to develop your brand, you need this!

Learn more about it here.

Follow #CollegeChat for valuable insights

If you find yourself spending time on Twitter, you may as well make the most of it. Do a search (search.twitter.com) to find the latest #CollegeChat conversation. June's topic was landing your first job and was a lively conversation about how to start your job search, find the job or internship you want, and how to stand out from the competition.

Read all the entries from this informative hour of chatting about the hunt for a first job.

This is NOT the career I ordered!

Whether you're wondering which career path to follow after graduation, or not enjoying the path you've already started down, a good way to learn about different careers and see how other people have made changes for the better, is through biographies, or profiles.

The newly released book, This is Not the Career I Ordered!, by veteran career counselor and overall Jill-of-All-Trades, Caroline Dowd-Higgins, is a collection of stories of career-changers which is sure to inspire and encourage you.

#TripleTuesday Tweets: Maximize informational interviews

The table are turned in Information-only interviews--you do the interviewing. They are invaluable to jobseekers in many ways:

• learn what you do (and do not) want to pursue as a career;
• make valuable contacts in a field you're interested in;
• gain confidence in interviewing;
• learn how to tweak your resume for the field or job you want to pursue;
• discover insights to help with your job search in a particular industry; and
• expand your network even further through referrals from those you interview.

Need some encouragement to get out there and set up some informational interviews? Read this information interview success story.

Are 20-somethings hard to work with? Nope!

For the first time in American history, four generations are working side-by-side in the workplace. Each generation has its own set of values, ideas and styles and these differences can lead to misunderstandings and, occasionally, conflict. But there are some simple steps that employees can take to....

Read the entire article on Forbes.

Found a job?10 steps to having a good first day

The first day on the job is huge. It’s the first impression you’ll make on your co-workers, your boss will be looking to see how you are settling in, and you will be trying to get a better feel for what you’ve gotten yourself into.Instead of...

Read the entire article on I Hate Your Job.

Also, 7 tips to prepare for the first day on your new job.

Make LinkedIn work in your job search

LinkedIn is the best place to start your online presence. Be sure that the information you provide there is appropriate, professional, and clean (no spelling or grammar mistakes here!).

Read more about using LinkedIn for your job search from the Virtual Job Coach.

You're competing with older job seekers: 10 new rules for the job hunt

You already know that the job market is tough. You're not only competing against your peers but against older, more experienced workers, too. They know that the rules of the job hunt have changed and they're using every tactic they can to snag the best jobs available. You need to know what they're up to and use the same strategies if you want to be competitive.

Read the entire article on Yahoo!Finance.

Be unconventional to get the job

Posting and mailing your resume all over cyberspace and your town may be the most popular job search tactics, but they're hardly the most effective. Sometimes you need to be a little unconventional to snag your dream job.

Read the article on NewGradLife.

Don't self-destruct when writing your resume

After working for a staffing and recruiting agency for nearly 6 years, I’ve seen my share of poorly written, badly formatted, and self-destructing resumes. Many jobseekers have shot themselves in the foot for making simple and basic mistakes. As I’m sure you’ve heard and read time and time again, your resume is a marketing tool to promote yourself. It’s evident to hiring managers how much time and effort you’ve invested in this critical piece and the results speak for themselves.

Read the entire article on EmploymentDigest.