Landing your first job right out of college is not easy. You have done the hard work to earn your degree, and unfortunately there is still a great deal of work to do to land a job. Here are some tips to help you along the way.

Be on Time

You should always plan to arrive at an interview early. Showing up before your scheduled time not only shows that you are a person with good time management, but communicates that you can be counted on and are reliable as well. By allowing yourself this extra time, you have allotted yourself a bit of insurance should you come upon some unforeseen circumstances that might have otherwise delayed you.

Dress to Impress

This is a simple concept that is so very important. When you walk through those doors into the interview, this is the first impression you are going to make on your new potential employers. If your shirt is wrinkled or you come in dressed very casually, you will give off the air of complacency or lack of enthusiasm. If you come in dressed professionally, you will show that you are taking the interview seriously, that you respect yourself and you deserve to be respected.

Triple Check Your Resume

This may seem like a no brainer, but more times than not people leave the editing process out. Whether they omit this important step due to being anxious or excited makes no difference, forgetting to take a careful look at the spelling and grammar on your resume could be the one thing standing between you and an interview.

Relate Your Experience

Don’t discount your volunteer work or projects you have completed for classes or other extracurricular organizations. By discussing these experiences in interviews, you can demonstrate your work ethic and commitment. Bring relevance to your experiences. Relate them to the work you are interviewing to do. Find ways to compare your past work with the work you are hoping to be able to do for the company you are interviewing for. Discussing the similarities of the jobs, past and future can possibly aid an interviewer in picturing you as the one to fill a certain position.

Ask Specific Questions

When the interviewer asks if you have any questions, ask good ones that show that you are interested in the position and have a solid knowledge of the company and what they are all about. Do your research about the company and then find ways to subtly show that you are in the know. Once you get the job, you can ask questions later to decide if you want to accept it.

Show Enthusiasm

No one wants to hire someone that is complacent. A good employee is one that is passionate and driven and has exciting new ideas. Find ways in your interview to demonstrate your passion and present yourself as an energetic innovative hard worker who is excited to get started.

Choose Your Words Carefully

When you are in an interview situation it is important to consider both the words you choose and your phrasing very carefully. You do not want to offend your interviewer in any way or present yourself in a less than flattering manner. By thinking before you speak, you can ensure that you show that you are an eloquent, educated candidate for the job who knows how to behave appropriately in the work place.

Know Specifics About Why You Are a Good Fit

Know the requirements of the job that you are applying for and the specific tasks you would be performing should you receive the position. With a greater understanding of what would be required of you in the position, you can show ways that you are qualified for the job by giving examples of past experiences that are relative. Don’t miss the opportunity to give specific examples of your own character traits and how they would benefit specific tasks.

Show Them Why They Should Like You

Engage the interviewer. Show that you are an interesting and dynamic individual. Always be considerate and never interrupt. You want to demonstrate in the interview that you are a good communicator and have good social skills. Remember, not only are you interviewing for a job, you are also potentially about to become a member of an already established community in the work place. Whether or not you will fit in is an important piece of the puzzle.

No One Owes You a Job, You Have to Earn It

Never approach an interview as if you are entitled to the position based on your education or past experience. It is an employer’s market these days and there are hundreds if not thousands of applicants for every job. You have to earn every opportunity. Do not expect for any position to be simply handed to you. Make it your goal to show the employers why they HAVE to choose you.

George Gallagher writes for education and financial publications. He is also a consultant to recent graduates looking for help understanding private student loan consolidation and other financial questions.

Job hunts are tiring and if they don’t bear results within the first few weeks, it’s natural for the motivation level to go down. The important thing to remember however is that getting discouraged will not help you to get a job. On the contrary, it will tamper with your self esteem and slow you down. No one gets selected for the first job they apply to so the key to getting a job is perseverance. Apart from having a strong will power, some changes in your daily job hunt routine can also do you a world of good when it comes to motivation. This post lists some of them. They are as follows:

Make a job hunt timetable

Before you begin the job hunt, get a day planner and decide time slots for everything. Schedule a couple of hours for applying to different companies, keep some time aside for calling them personally to express your interest in working with them and schedule breaks after every hour or so. A plan will help to to get some direction.

Surround yourself with people who motivate you

Motivation comes from the inside as well as from the people who surround you so make sure your friends and family give you constant encouragement. Avoid people who spread negative energy because what you need are positive pep talks.

Work with other job seekers

Join a group for job-seekers. It encourages all the members when they are down and such a group can also help you to stay aware of new vacancies. In fact, some groups even offer to help you with your cover letter and your resume so that will also benefit you.

Meet your friends

It’s quite normal to feel like blocking out everyone from your life and staying in a dark room especially if your friends are employed and thriving. That is not because you are jealous of them but solely because you want professional accomplishments as well. Don’t give in to this desire. Go out and meet your friends. Catch up with them for lunch, dinner or for a night out. In fact, friends can also refer you to employers so always be a part of the action.

It’s all about network expansion

When looking for a job, networking plays a crucial role. Attend networking parties because they are full of employers on the hunt for prospective employees. Such parties give ample opportunity to interact with employers and get information about new ventures along with the privilege of personal contact.

Break the monotony

Sitting in front of the computer everyday for hours can become very boring and monotonous. It also creates a sense of purposelessness. Getting a hobby or pursuing a certificate course while you look for a job will add some meaning to your mundane life and put an end to the monotony. That in turn will encourage you stay motivated during your job hunt.

Don’t spend all your time watching the news

Most of the people who are on the lookout for jobs spend a part of their free time watching television. Even though television is a good source of entertainment (due to the wide variety of social, cultural and political issues it follows and brings into notice), following the news channels like a hawk can be a source of discouragement for those who are unemployed because some segments also discuss the issue of unemployment and lack of job opportunities. Can someone without a job gain anything from knowing how widespread unemployment is getting?

Read motivational books

Motivational books can help those who feel discouraged during their job search and don’t have a lot of people who can give them some support. These books can provide the much required impetus to fuel a half hearted attempt at getting a job.

Get someone to guide you

A guide can give you a sense of direction by teaching you more effective ways to look for a job (clearly your ideas aren’t working) and help you to fix the loopholes in your job hunt process. A mentor will keep up the motivation level which is what you really need to get a job.

Get a gym membership or workout at home

People tend to become sedentary when they start looking for a job and eat frequently which is very unhealthy. Going to the gym or exercising at home will keep the body active and help you to combat stress. Thus, you will have an energized and clear mind everyday.

Make sure you eat healthy food

What you eat is very important especially if your mind and body are not otherwise engaged. The kind of food you eat can increase your stress level or decrease it. Eating a lot of green vegetables like spinach and lettuce will give you more energy to work hard whereas fatty food will only add to lethargy and stress.

Take a day off

Consider your job hunt to be a regular job. When you work in a company, you get a day off to relax and be lazy. The same should apply to your job hunt. Take a day off and spend it doing things that you enjoy.

Try to make your job hunt a habit

Once the job search becomes a careless effort, you will get used to the idea of applying for jobs on a daily basis and you will stop getting discouraged if the companies don’t respond. That’s an easier way to deal with it.

Don’t regret

Take everyday as it comes. Don’t look back and think about the mistakes you made previously. If you want to look back, try to learn something from your mistakes. Keep a positive outlook and look at the glass as ‘half full’ instead of ‘half empty’.

Set a goal for yourself everyday

The easy way to stay motivated is to set daily goals and accomplish them on an everyday basis. The lack of professional productivity is what gets people discouraged when they look for a job so try to be productive in your own way.

This post is written by Jason Gilbert. Check out 40+ easy jobs that pay well.

One of the most important pieces of career advice I can give is related to the eleventh hour; that moment just before things are taken out of your hand and you’re given the pink slip. There will come a time in everyone’s career where they’ll make a mistake that might put them on the precipice of losing their job; it’s only natural. What you do after the fact is the most important next step if you’re keen on keeping your job. A career advice centre might avoid talking about it, but spotting the signs you’re treading in the red is important in order to make the changes you need to bounce back from the mishap and keep your job. Career advice for UK employees is the same for most countries; you will be able to spot warning signs.

That Gut Feeling

The first tier of signs is when something just doesn’t quite feel right. You may just have that gut feeling, thoughts of anger or feeling treated unfairly; you may feel victimised which is apt since you may indeed become a victim. If you want to keep your job, career advice would suggest that if you’re feeling uneasy then you should understand why before it becomes the truth. If your boss ignores you for long periods of time before taking you aside to have a significant chat with you this is almost certainly a sign you should pull up your socks, keep your head down and improve your performance. One bitter sweet result of a situation like this is an office coach may be assigned to help you through your situation; in this case you know you’re in hot water but you can recognise that management value enough to make an effort. With true career advice and guidance that the coach will offer, you can make serious positive changes and have a witness speak on your behalf when you make the effort.

Time for a Career Change

There are other reasons you may feel your job is threatened; we’re adults, career advice for when this happens is only practical to consider. Times can be tough and companies do often need to downsize, but how can you know you’re in the path of this drawback. It may come in less subtle ways, like a reduction in title or responsibilities, someone could be given many of the tasks that you’re usually in charge of and the only explanation you have for it isn’t nearly as watertight as you would like; all of these are bad signs. Sometimes the signs are as subtle as rumours of downsizing coupled with sad, silent looks aimed in your direction; if these looks are coming from human resources employees then seek advice on a career change immediately and work on your resume. It’s a fact of life that few people remain at a single company or business for the entire duration of their lives and while it can be heartbreaking to lose a job, if you see it coming then it will lessen the blow. My career advice at this point would be to hold your head up high and learn as much about the situation as you can; it could lead to greener pastures and a brighter future.

Eugene Calvini is a writer and office consultant; with a quick office search his successes are apparent including executive suites Raleigh and many other examples scattered across Europe.

We all know job hunting is no walk in the park. It’s not fun, or easy, especially when it comes to finding the perfect job.  So how then do you find the right job for you without the endless frustrations that always come along with finding the job you want?  A few steps can be taken to make sure you find it.

Shop Around

Far too often job hunters get stuck in the rut of scouring job hunting sites for a perfect position only to find traveling sales and other cookie cutter positions available.  Shopping around means just that, and around doesn’t just mean job listing sites.  If you’re looking for jobs in a specific industry and location, try looking at website for the actual companies you want to work for.  Also, you may look for prominent industry leaders in the news.  Finding companies looking to hire isn’t solely dependent on job listing mega sites.  Often the position you’re looking for is right on your potential employers site.  Make the most of it and pool your resources.  Be creative and truly shop around, don’t just take the easy way out that leads to not finding a job.

Think Outside the Box

It’s no surprise when we hear job hunters frustrated with not being able to find a job.  What does surprise us is the lack of flexibility many job hunters have in finding a new position elsewhere.  Just because you have engineering experience doesn’t mean you can’t be appealing to an industry outside of the one you worked in prior.  Employers like people with flexibility and unique talents.  We often encounter military personnel transitioning to civilian life and see a variety of flexible options for their career move far from their prior experience.  Be realistic with your talents and think outside the box on potential future jobs.

Talk to a Recruiter

Recruiters can be one of the biggest assets to your job hunting, especially for executive positions or technical occupations.  Recruiters often have access to direct listings from employers and have an unbiased view of your credentials.  Also, they can likely point you in the direction of more likely leads and assist in helping you tweak your resume to suit the needs of employers they are coming across.  Because their exposed to so many industries and potential candidates they may know an avenue of employment that you’ve never considered.

When looking for a job it’s important to find one that’s right for you.  What you might not know is your dream job is a position you may not be aware of.  Doing some solid job shopping, creatively assessing your skills and utilizing tools and help that exists can help you find your dream job.  Make the most of what at your fingertips and see what can happen.

DefensePlacements is a job recruitment company that works with human resources departments to connect talented individuals with open positions in the manufacturing, defense, security and private equity industries.

Quitting your job is always going to be a bit scary, so you might as well try and have some fun in the process. Here are four imaginative suggestions for signing off in style!

Use The Emergency Slide

This is only really an option if you’re a flight attendant or pilot. It might sound made up but it’s exactly how Steven Slater terminated his employment with the American airline JetBlue.

While a flight was boarding in Pittsburgh one of the passengers said something to rumble Steven. After nearly 30 years of being insulted by rude customers he finally lost it. He took to the intercom, swore, grabbed a beer and deployed the emergency slide.

Unfortunately he was arrested shortly afterwards but there’s no denying that what Steven did was pretty cool.

By Sending A Gift

Sending a gift to a boss whose been taking you for granted for years is particularly satisfying as you’ll get to watch their facial expression turn from excitement to one of anger and disappointment. That sounds a bit mean, but if they’ve been treating you badly it’s nothing more than they deserve.

Obviously for this to work your gift has got to be funny whilst ramming home the point that you’ve quit your job. You don’t want to leave any loose ends. You could send a cake with decorated with your resignation, but your former colleagues might enjoy eating it a bit too much. Maybe a message carved from some mouldy cheese would work a bit better.

With a Pie Chart

Now ordinarily pie charts aren’t funny but when they’re detailing the reasons for your resignation they certainly can be. A pie chart lets you break all your reasons for leaving into a percentage. So Clive will know that his inappropriate antics at last year’s Christmas party make up 25% of your overall decision to quit, and Janet’s macaroon stealing can be attributed 7% of the blame.

It could be fun to whip your chart out at the end of a presentation you’ve been asked to do as it guarantees an audience for your moment of triumph. Actually it’s probably a better idea do it at the start of the presentation, that way you can get home a little early.

Write A Book

This is quite a commitment but at least it will give you enough time to decide whether you really want to quit. Writing a book is a particularly great way to resign if you’ve got a lot of bad things to say, as you’ll need a lot of material to fill all those pages.

The great Ernest Hemingway managed to terminate his contract with Boni and Liveright, an American publisher, by writing a novel. He was tied into a three book contract but if one of the first two was to be rejected it could be terminated. He wrote his novel ‘The Torrents of Spring’ in just 10 days knowing that it was far to risque to get published.

If it was good enough for Ernest it’s good enough for you. Happy writing!

Andy Dawson loves to read and write about funny things. He does a lot of work for Find Me A Gift, the funny gifts retailer based in the UK.