In today’s job climate, it can take applying to over 50 or more jobs before you land one interview. With such a drastic shortage of jobs, it’s very important to make the most of each and every interview opportunity you might receive.

There are so many people out of work that an interview is really your only chance to stand out, make a great first impression, and highlight your skills. Below are some tips to do just that, and hopefully land your dream job.

Know your resume: Make sure your resume is tailored to match the job description you’re applying for and you know it inside and out. The interviewer will likely ask you questions based directly on what your resume says, so it would be in your best interest to be ready to discuss anything on it.

Be honest: Answer every question honestly. If you’re unsure of an answer or don’t have direct experience in an area the interviewer is asking about, say so. If you are unsure about a question, make a point to mention that you are willing to learn or be trained in that particular area. It will go over much better than lying and being found out later in the interview. Read the rest of this entry »

Avoid these reds flags to improve your chance at an interview and getting hired. Hillary Chura of CBS MoneyWatch.com reports that it takes less than a minute for a recruiter to plow through six resumes.

1. Don’t apply for a job you aren’t qualified for

There are entry-level jobs that expect to train new hires, but if you’re a photography student, don’t apply for a job as a tax specialist. It wastes everybody’s time–not only yours but also your potential employers. Instead, invest more time in writing a super cover letter for a position for which you’re qualified.

2. Don’t make your mission statement about you

Lofty mission statements about how a job will serve your life goals are not particularly interesting to employers. They want to know how you will serve their needs. Write an “objectives statement that shows you understand the position you’re applying for by highlighting the skills your employer is seeking.” Read the rest of this entry »

A job is one of those love/hate things about summer break. You love it because it puts some extra spending money in your pocket, but you are supposed to hate it – on principle if nothing else – because it takes away from your time to be lazy and do whatever you want. However, you could actually find a fun summer job. Then maybe the love/hate relationship could become a love/tolerate or even a love/like one. That doesn’t sound too shabby to me!

If you already have a summer job and absolutely hate it, or if you haven’t found one yet, here are some nice alternatives to normal summer jobs.

1. Forget babysitting. Be a house-sitter or pet-sitter. Many families take their annual vacation during summer break. As a result, they are left in a bind: Who will take care of Fido and water the plants? Well, that could be you. The difficulty of the job depends on the house or the pet, but the good news is that even if it is ridiculously hard, you only have to do it for a few weeks, at most. The good news is that most people are willing to pay quite a nice rate for this service because you are taking care of things that are very important to them. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite the high turn-over rate, the The New York Times reports that being hired by Teach for America is more competitive than ever. A record 46,359 applicants bid for only 4,500 positions nationwide, a 32 percent increase since 2009. Eighteen percent of the graduating class of Harvard applied for the program.

Will Cullen, who was accepted to Teach for America after graduating from Villanova, reported that a friend who was not hired instead will be a Fullbright scholar. Some students are not even trying to apply for the year following graduation, but instead try to gain related experience to boost their resumes. Read the rest of this entry »

Internships are a critical part of the college experience for most students. You are supposed to learn what your “big kid job” will be like after college by interning at a company in your field and gaining invaluable first-hand experience.

Unfortunately, not all internships actually offer students this experience. When I interned at an advertising agency, I ended up mailing letters and buying coffee all day, every day. Not an ideal learning experience. I wish that I had known about IntershipRatings.com when I applied for my internship because then I might have found a better internship.

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Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum

Maybe going on Starbucks runs and scheduling appointments isn’t your thing. So for those of you who are looking for a unique internship that’s more than just paper pushing, check out some of the following crazy internships available:

Ripley’s Believe It or Not: Maybe one of the wackiest museums on the planet, Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum is in search of interns who possess qualities, such as being weird or liking to have fun. If you’re into artifacts such as shrunken heads or a lock of Elvis’ hair, maybe this is the internship for you.

The Vatican: Communications students at Villanova University in Pennsylvania may get a chance to work close to the pope. The school lets communications majors intern for the Vatican by working on the website, helping with public relations surrounding papal celebrations and writing for the Catholic News Service.

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For the many college seniors who are graduating soon and want to relocate, Atlanta is the best bet.

According to a report by Apartments.com and CareerRookie.com, Atlanta is the best place for recent college graduates to live. The study determined its results, which are very different from Best-Performing Cities 2009’s results, based on cities with the highest percentage of young adults ages 20-24 years of age, the number of jobs that require less than one year of experience, and the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment.

The average rent in Atlanta is only $724 a month; not too shabby.

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Society says that earning a degree is an investment into your future. But have you ever figured out the math on how much you actually profit from your degree?

After paying thousands of dollars over the course of three to five years, these majors result in a list of the worst paying jobs according to a study released by Payscale.

10. Drama: Starting annual salary: $35,600; mid-career annual salary: $56,600. However, you can always make it big and become a multi-millionaire actor or director.

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Image vie Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau

The job market is still a dismal place for college graduates. True, the unemployment rate has not risen past ten percent yet, but that is partly because many people have given up on their job hunt, causing the labor force to shrink. According to Business Week, the labor force decreased by almost 700,000 people  in December 2010. If it had not, the unemployment rate was expected to be 10.4 percent.

What can college grads do to find a job in this tough market? Part of the equation could be moving to a city that is actually hiring people and creating new jobs. What makes these cities the top cities to find a job in 2010?

There are certain locations that have advantages in terms of lower costs, improved access to talent, certain key industry resources, and other factors that help to drive things,” said Kevin Klowden, co-author of the Best-Performing Cities 2009 report.

So where should you move to up your chances of finding a job? Interestingly enough, four of the top ten are in Texas. But if slipping on your cowboy boots every day doesn’t appeal to you, check out the other six options.

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According to a recent article by The New York Times, students who are majoring in the humanities such as language arts and literature, are facing one of the toughest job markets in recent decades.

The Modern Language Association (MLA) reports that faculty positions will decline 37 percent, the biggest drop since the group began tracking its job listings 35 years ago. The MLA is the largest group of language and literature scholars and professors in the world.

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