In this economy, it’s important to do everything you can to get a recruiter to remember you. Going the extra mile could be the difference between getting a job offer and not getting one. An MBA and experience alone won’t impress recruiters, but by following these helpful tips, you could increase your chances of getting an interview.

Send a Follow-Up Note

Following up with a recruiter by sending them a note is an ideal way to get them to remember you. A handwritten note will make you stand out from other applicants, and remind the recruiter that you are available, interested, and thoughtful. It’s important to send a follow-up note in the right way. Be sure to let the recruiter know that you enjoyed speaking with them, and reiterate your interest in their company. Don’t talk about yourself too much, but do feel free to include some highlights relating to your education and work experience. Above all, mention that you hope to hear from them in the future, and include your contact information so they can easily get in touch with you.

Learn How to Tell a Compelling Story

When talking with recruiters, they’ll want to know more about you. They can find out the basics from your résumé, but what they really want to know is why. Why did you choose to go to a particular college? Why did you decide to major in History before going on to complete your MBA? Why did you decide to pursue an MBA after five years of experience in electrical engineering? Most of all, why do you want to work for their company? If you have an engaging story, one that is compelling and memorable, recruiters are more likely to remember you and want to speak with you again. Practice telling the story of how you got to where you are today with a friend or family member. It will make it much easier to tell your life story to a recruiter if you’ve told it dozens of times before to someone else.

It’s also important to be prepared to talk about why you want to work for their company. Recruiters are used to hearing MBA students give a short answer to why they want to work for their company. To really blow everyone else out of the water and make the recruiter remember you, have a more detailed answer prepared. For maximum effectiveness, make your answer about how your education and experience can benefit the company. You want to talk about how you can be an asset, but you don’t want to focus on how getting the job would benefit you personally. All of the focus should be on how hiring you would be beneficial for the company.

Show Them What You Can Do

A great way to get a recruiter to remember you is to prepare something that really shows what you can do. For example, if you’re an MBA student hoping to get a marketing job after graduation, you could prepare a brief presentation that highlights some ways you believe the company could increase sales. Whatever your field of interest, make a mock presentation and show it to the recruiter, then ask if you can email them a copy later.

Andy Anderson is a career counselor and writes for a site that outlines the best MBA programs, featuring extensive information and listings for the best online MBA programs available.

Many people are out of work, and they are looking for new jobs. With the slow economy, many people have been laid off due to a company having to downsize their expenses. Some of the companies thought this could save their company from going out of business completely; but this caused more people to start looking for new employment. Being unemployed is hard enough, but it is even harder trying to save on the gas used to hunt a job. But there are some tips that might help you conserve your gas usage while you look for that new job.

The first tip is to use your existing contacts and people you know. Inform them that you are now looking for employment, and if they know of any job openings to let you know. With the social media’s, we have more contacts than ever before; and the social medias can be used to our advantage. When you let people know you are looking for a job, you will have a chance to hear about a job opening sooner. By using this method, you can conserve your gas since you will only drive to job sites that are actually hiring.

A second method to conserve your gas is to prepare a resume that you can mail or fax to possible new employers. They will have the opportunity to review your resume, and then they can call you for an interview if they are interested in talking to you. This is another opportunity for you to conserve your gas; since you will only travel to them if they call you in for an interview.

A third method to save your gas usage is to look online for a job, and post your completed resume on some sites. But you will still need to apply for some of these jobs in person. There is several online job search engines that you can use to find a job in your area. These sites will allow you to post your resume, and the employers that are interested will be able to contact you by email or phone. This can narrow your travel time down and conserve your gas. You will only be going to employers that have shown an interest in you; you will not be making trips to every job you found online.

There will be a time that you will need to leave your house and actually go to the physical location of a business to look for a job. It is better to have a list of where to go to look for a job at before you leave home; this will make your driving more efficient and use less gas on the trip. Having a good road plan will ensure less gas usage. You will know exactly where you are going without making unnecessary turns and using more gas. It might not seem like very much saved, but every dollar you can save on gas adds up.

Another gas saving tip is to check your area for job fairs. A job fair will be in one location, and you will have opportunities to meet company representatives from the areas. The companies are looking for employees to represent their company. By attending a job fair, you will get to meet these representatives of these companies on a personal level; and all at one location. This will save you the gas of going to each individual company.

If you are unemployed, you will want to conserve all your money to pay your bills. Conserving the gas it takes to travel for job hunting is no different. Locating the best job can become expensive if you do not follow these tips. If you go out and just travel around with no idea of where to look or not care how much gas you use, then you will be broke before you find a job. Simple planning techniques are the solution to save gas while job hunting as well as using your contacts and online searches; you can save gas.

Marcie McDonald is an insurance consultant who writes for cheapestcarinsurance.org.uk and highly recommends checking online for car insurance comparison websites. This site even includes classic car insurance quotes.

Julia Child has become a household name among cooks in the United States and even throughout the world. Even beyond her death, her story and her impact on the culinary world continue to live on. While Ms.Child did not initially set out to become a world famous chef and household name, her career savvy and perseverance paid off by creating a career to which others can aspire to achieve.

Lesson #1 – Do Your Background Homework

Ms. Child is famous for her French cooking, but she did not know how to even speak French when she arrived in France with her husband in the 1940s. Determined to make her situation work, she invested the time and effort into learning the language of the culture that eventually became her passion. In order to advance your career, take classes, learn something new about your industry or technology.

Lesson #2 – Find Your Passion and Follow It

Ms. Child loved living in France. She also discovered that she loved French food. This passion and enthusiasm followed her throughout her entire career. Find out what you are passionate about and make it your life’s work. If it is sport fishing, find a way to integrate that into your work. Work should be something you enjoy and want to do, not something that is a dredge and to be avoided.

Lesson #3 – Keep Learning

Ms. Child did not start her career as a chef until she was well into her 30s. She was not only passionate about food, but she wanted to excel in being a chef. She took every class she could find and worked at it diligently until she had mastered whatever cooking technique or skill needed to succeed. Take the attitude that you never “arrive,” but instead are on an interesting and exciting journey.

Lesson #4 – Be Joyous

One of the things that set Ms. Child apart from chefs of her time was her enthusiasm and excitement about what she was doing. To watch her was to see her absolute joy and excitement about food, especially French food. Follow your joy and your passions and demonstrate and express your enthusiasm for your work.

Lesson #5 – Know that it Takes Hard Work

Being successful takes work. Ms. Child continued to be creative and find innovative solutions, even into her later years. She was willing to make the extra effort to not just pass her classes in culinary school, but wanted to be the top in her class. Do whatever it takes to reach your goals and achieve excellence in your field.

Lesson #6 – Acknowledge that You Make Mistakes and Keep Going

One of the things that Ms. Child did not waste time on was wallowing if she messed up and made a mistake. If something flopped, then it did not work and she moved on. She used failures as an opportunity to learn and moved forward. Know that you are human and will make mistakes. Use the lessons learned about what not to do and go forward, knowing you will do better next time.

Lesson #7 – Ask for Feedback

Ms. Child recognized that in her passion for French food, she was introducing something new to the American public at large. She frequently asked family and friends for feedback about what they liked and what they found easiest to make from her recipes and cookbooks. Be willing to hear what others have to say about your work and ideas.

Lesson #8 – Build on Your Foundation

Ms. Child was not satisfied to just be a cook. She wanted to be a chef, then she wanted to be a teacher. With each new skills, she developed a new set of goals and reached for them. Be willing to continue to develop your skills and build upon your foundation.

Lesson #9 – Be Willing to Test the Theory

Ms. Child quickly learned that food is a passion in France and an entire art unto itself. She became quite willing and wanted to test ideas and concept out, until she had absolute knowledge that they worked. Be willing to take a risk and challenge the status quo. You might be surprised and learn that just because something has always been done a certain way, does not mean it has to be done that way forever.

Lesson #10 – Value Yourself

Ms. Child’s first efforts at introducing French cooking to the American public were not easy. In fact, they took many, many years. She understood intuitively that what she wanted to accomplish was of value and could be successful. Even if you are faced with challenges in achieving your goals or introducing new innovations, stay determined and keep trying. Eventually, you will get there.

Another valuable lesson is to manage your finances and cut down any unnecessary expenses whenever possible. An easy way to cut down expenses is to do an online quote comparison at Kanetix Canada to find the cheapest car insurance quote and save money.

No one needs to be told that these are challenging times in which to be searching for a job. What we do need to hear is that there is hope in finding new employment! Yes, despite the current slump companies ARE hiring, they are just doing so in lower numbers and are choosier about who they hire. But you can be one of those who beat the trend and land a job, if you remember to keep in mind some simple but all important tips that can get you that extra edge.

First of all, employers today are looking for workers who can begin making a contribution almost immediately. Therefore emphasize your skills that are immediately transferable to the job, the things which you can do that won’t require much training. It costs employers time and money to train people, so stress the areas where you are ready to contribute from day one!

Problem solving and analytic skills are always in high demand, so when talking about past employment or education during a job interview be sure to stress any occasions where you distinguished yourself in identifying and solving a problem. Also never underestimate the power of networking. Use online social network tools like LinkedIn or Facebook to stay in touch with old colleagues in your field or to meet new contacts. You just never know who knows what or who and how they can help you! And don’t be embarrassed to let people know you need employment, as no one can help you if they don’t know what you need.

Sometimes the best way to enter a job is through the back door. If the precise field in which you want to work is not hiring, consider taking a job in a similar or related field that may serve as a stepping stone to the work you really want to do. For example, someone who wants to work in writing might take a job selling advertising – for the paper they want to write for! Once you get your foot in the door you may be surprised how quickly and easily you can move around once your real talents become obvious. Also don’t rule out relocating. Moving can be a hassle, but if your dream job is just not anywhere to be found where you live, consider relocating to where it can be found. In your job search cast a wide net and be willing to move if you must!

Unfortunately, sometimes things reach a point where you just need a job that provides you with some means to survive. In that case, you may want to temporarily take a job that doesn’t take full advantage of your education and skills and just gives a paycheck to pay the bills. Recessions don’t last forever, so there will always be new opportunities to pick up your original career path. In the meantime there’s no shame in doing whatever you need to do in order to pay the bills.

Finally be sure to project a positive attitude no matter how you may really feel. No one wants to work with a person who brings them down. To get a job in today’s market someone has to take an interest in you, and it is up to you to create that interest.

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging in the insurance, business, and finance industries for three years. Nicole’s nephew in Houston asked her if she had any tips for finding a job. Nicole told him some tips to find a job in these hard times and also some ways to save money just in case. She also gave him some examples of what she did when she was out of college looking for a job. She also suggested that he should take some Houston gmat classes just in case he wanted to go to graduate school.

Today’s economy is on a downward slope, which is not news. Jobs are scarce and those in need of a job are not having the same luck they had 7 or 8 years ago. With companies pinching every penny they can, the positions that were almost guaranteed to be there are no longer available. That doesn’t mean there are absolutely no jobs out there, you just need to look in a different place. Here are a few tips on where to look, how companies are choosing employees, and how to tweak your resume to land the job you are applying for.

Where to look

It used to be so easy to find a job. In the morning you could open the newspaper to over 4 pages of job postings. Now you will be lucky to find a column of listings. Most companies are turning to other methods of advertising their open positions.

The internet is a source that many use because of the free postings. If you already know what company you would like to apply for you can usually find a job listing on their website. Visit the website and click the link that is usually titled “Careers” or “Jobs”. If they have any positions available they will be listed there.

Online bulletin boards and classifieds is another way to find available jobs. Most of these sites are free to use for both the employers and the job hunters. Sites such as Craigslist.org and Yahoo jobs are full of posts or open positions. You do have to use caution however. There are many scammers that use these services also. If the pay seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. Fast food cashiers won’t make $25 per hour. If they are asking for personal information such as social security numbers or bank account information, it is a scam. You will run into a lot of these but don’t give up. Weeding through the dirt can still find you gold.

Most companies nowadays don’t want to spend the resources to advertise and interview applicants. Therefore some of these companies will turn to employment agencies to do their dirty work. Companies such as Spherion, Aerotek, and Priority Staffing, are national companies handling many different clients. This is a great one stop shop for employment of all kinds. They usually handle a range of positions from landscaping to computer programming and accounting. By visiting their office or applying online they can match your next job based on your previous work. With their pay based on finding employees, they work to get you hired.

What they are looking for

When a company is looking to hire, they have specific categories they look at. Longevity is one factor most companies are starting to look at even closer than in the past. They want an employee that has held their previous jobs for at least a year or two. They look for the reasons you are currently unemployed. If you were fired they want to know why and what the steps of your dismissal were. If you quit, they want to know why and what steps were taken to avoid such a drastic measure. Be honest with them and explain the reasons. Even if it sounds bad they would rather know the truth upfront rather than hearing it when they contact your previous employers.

When applying for a new position the most important first impression of your professional life is your resume. Standards are constantly changing for the type of resumes companies would like to see. Be sure your resume is up to date, includes the company names, dates employed, and proper job function. Be honest on your resume and don’t claim to know something you don’t know. If you don’t know PowerPoint don’t claim you do, they may just have you using it.

If your resume contains a variety of different jobs, try to slim it down to jobs that closely relates to the position you are applying for. It is easier to explain gaps in employment by omitting a job than it is for the employer to try and find your relevant work history. Employers are more likely to read a one page, dedicated resume that is tweaked for the position that they are trying to fill than they are to read a 3 page list of every summer job, transition job, and odd job you did that has nothing to do with their company or needs.

The job market is rough right now. Each job posting, interview, and call back is a chance at a position to give you security and peace of mind. Treat each opportunity as a step towards a secure future and make the effort to land the job. The more care you put towards the hunt, the better the chance for success.

London resident Thomas Hathaway is a financial consultant and a content contributor for payday-loans.co.uk, a company providing money advances when you need them.

The job market is still tough out there, even for college graduates.

Some studies show an increase in employment for college graduates, but studies that take into account under-employment or “true unemployment” reveal the true problem to be persistent.

Only about half of college graduates are getting a job that requires a degree, fewer still are getting jobs that require their degree. Most recent college graduates are either unemployed, working a temporary job just to get by, or working part-time when they’d rather be working full time.
While a lot of young people’s time and talent out there is going unused, the more innovative ones have found other ways to use their energy and advance themselves.

Improving hire-ability

While many college graduates remain unemployed or under-employed, they continue to try and land better jobs. One way is by continually polishing their résumés to make them unique, professional, and impressive. A second way is by going to different career websites or temp offices to try and develop professional profiles and get hooked up with employers. A great way to develop a professional persona and do some networking is ResumeBucket.com. Of course, the prevalence of these career sites has greatly increased the amount of applicants for the average job.

Starting a company

The bravest and most risky thing that recent college graduates are doing is making their own startup companies. With success stories like Mark Zuckerberg out there, it is clear that anyone out there with good web skills and a brilliant vision is a potential billionaire. With no more-stable options to shoot for, many young people are shooting for the stars. The problem with this is that, of course, the vast majority of these brilliant ideas don’t “make it,” and their founders wind up in even worse financial situations than they started.

Re-thinking living situations

Social norms in the US seem to be changing. No longer are children moving out and getting their own place the moment they turn 18. The new generation is known as “the Peter Pan” generation for their resistance to “growing up.” It is increasingly prevalent for children to stay with their parents well into their 20s. As people need more and more education just to get a decent job, they become dependent on their parents for longer and longer. When students do finally get their degree, they are finding themselves under-employed and saddled with student debt, and they still can’t afford to get out of the nest.

Young people that don’t stay with their parents are instead living together with friends in larger and larger groups. With the limited income available, even to many college graduates, it just makes the best financial sense to split rent and utilities bills up as many ways as possible. Living in a large group is vastly more economically-viable than having a whole apartment for one person or one couple.

Charity Work

The millennial generation is notoriously civic-minded and notoriously under-employed. Naturally, young, underemployed college graduates are finding a lot of time to volunteer for charity. With the organizing power of the internet, charities are getting a lot more volunteers than they used to.
Charity work is also a wise move on college graduate’s part because it looks good on their résumé or Curriculum Vitae. An excellent record of service can often make the difference between candidates when competition for a job is tight.

Travel

Those graduates that can afford to are simply taking some time off of the job market to explore the world. This is a great opportunity for the graduate to get to know their self, and hopefully by the time they need to apply for a job, the market will be at least a little bit better.

Thomas Stone began a relationship with his present, primary employer, while he continues to freelance.  He currently works with employers, who now need applicant tracking software, as job-seekers need to apply for more and more jobs before expecting to get hired.

With summer internships coming to an end, interns are mulling over what they’ve learned from the experience and how it might apply to future employment. How interns view their internship experience usually varies depending on their immediate plans.

Those heading back to a college or university to finish undergraduate studies might feel the internship rejuvenated their interest in school to prepare them for the job market. Those beginning graduate school might think the internship acted as a stepping stool that gave them real-world experience before continuing their studies. Those looking for a job might be left thinking that they’re still unqualified for a “real” job because the tasks they performed through the internship weren’t substantial.

No matter your what your experience was as a summer intern or what your immediate plans are, rest assured that your internship taught you some valuable lessons. The following are three ways anybody can apply his or her internship experiences to future employment opportunities.

Evaluate whether you’d want to work in that market again.

Working as an intern often means completing insignificant tasks that seem unrelated to your ideal career. However, working in any professional environment gives you a firsthand look into the inner workings of its industry. Gaining an understanding of the work environment before you actually have to work there is unarguably beneficial.

For example, you can determine if you thrive in an office environment or if you get bored. You can see if you’re more productive when working in groups rather than on your own. So even if the tasks you completed while working as an intern weren’t substantial, you still walked away with a realistic sense of the the industry. This could help you decide whether you’d work in a similar work environment in the future.

Consider what you’re worth.

Some companies pay their interns well while others offer valuable experience that translates to college credit. Unfortunately, it seems that more and more companies find it acceptable to offer internships without any compensation whatsoever, which can have a number of downfalls for all involved. Whether you worked for free or were paid for your services, the experience should motivate you to think about how your skills and work effort might translate into pay. Think about how much money you would expect to make if you get an entry-level position in the industry you’re interested in. Then consider if it’s manageable for you.

Determine if further education could better prepare you for your ideal career.

Depending on the career you’re working toward, you might need further education to prepare you. Some companies look for highly educated applicants while others look for those who have real-world work experience. Some look for both, but as a young professional, you have to start somewhere. If you’re preparing to graduate with a bachelor’s degree and aren’t sure where to go next, consider finding an entry level job at a company within, or related to, your industry. It’s possible you could work your way up from there. The decision to continue, or go back to, school can be costly, so you want to be sure it’s in your best interest when in comes to your immediate job plans.

This article comes from Surety Bonds.com, an online surety bond producer that operates nationwide. Surety Bonds.com helps young entrepreneurs and other business owners get their new enterprises up-and-running as quickly as possible.

Creating a professional online presence can help you to form long lasting relationships which could eventually land you an ideal job. It is also now inevitable that a future employer will “Google” you prior to an interview to gather more information on who you are. For these reasons it is vital to ensure that your online presence is kept professional.

1. Keep Facebook Private

Unless you have always been a very sensible and clean living person it could be wise to keep your Facebook profile hidden to strangers. An unprofessional image could do as much to hinder your chances of obtaining a dream job as an excellent profile page can help. If you do make your Facebook profile page public be sure that only the basic information can be viewed. View your profile as another user to thoroughly check that nothing about you is shared which could ruin your job prospects. This includes photos and comments that friends may make.

2. Use all the Social Media Tools Available

Using the Internet and social media is really like any other form of marketing. The old adage “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” really does apply to social media marketing. All too often I hear people asking “which social media site do you use?” which is then followed by a discussion about which is best. As it takes a relatively short time to create yourself a social media there is no reason to only limit yourself to one or two platforms. So create a professional Facebook profile page, also set up accounts with LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and Ecademy. Take a little time to write a unique profile page and interact with a few people and groups. If you have friends and family who use these services connect with them to build your profile. Having more online profiles means that it is more likely that should someone search for your by name in Google one of the profiles that you have created are shown at the top of the search results, rather than a page created by a well meaning friend which displays photos from your stag party, which leads us to the next tip.

3. Create Your Own Professional Blog

If you can buy a domain consisting of your real name, whether it be a .com, ,info or .me , do so. Then you can create your own website or blog that provides search engine optimised information about you in a way that you have total control over. Many people dive head first into social media marketing without at first even considering building their own website – personal blogs were really the first form of the social web. One of the biggest advantages of having your own website is that you can then link all your social media activity back to your site. This can create a much more professional image of you. You can also store a copy of your CV in pdf format on your site so that it is available to prospect employers and headhunters. It is also a good idea to write an HTML version of your CV to share on your website so that your key skills should appear in the search engines.

4. Keep all Your Profiles up to Date

Once you have set up your profiles it is important to keep them all up to date. Visit them at least ones per week to see how is interacting with you and also to check that noting has been posted to your profile page without your permission. Also keep an eye on the email alerts so that if a potential contact visits your profile or attempts to make contact you reply promptly.

5. Become Active in Business Related Groups

Most social networking websites provide groups to allow like-minded people to interact more easily. Becoming an active member of a group can vastly increase your visibility online. Of course, the first rule applies here – keep language clean and keep it professional. Many networking sites have areas of general conversation and chit chat. Be careful of what you say in these areas and in which threads (discussions) you join in, and being spotted in a controversial group could easily tarnish your professional image. Success through social media can be rather hit and miss. Some people spend a lot of time working at it and make little progress whereas others may have great success at networking with others. It is something that you should only do when all other more traditional forms of marketing or job hunting have been exhausted. Remember, the biggest benefit of social media for so many people is simply that it is a free platform in which you can advertise yourself, so make the most of it without letting it take up too much of your time.

Peter Dickinson is a marketing consultant Training Site, CoursesPlus. Courses Plus provides up to date professional training courses for all business sectors across the UK.

The engineering field is a broad one, with skilled engineers having the chance to work on projects ranging from buildings to aerospace. There is a shortage of qualified engineers at the moment, so people who are willing to take the time to bring their training up to scratch have a good chance of doing well in the industry. There are plenty of people who have experience in one specific area – for example CNC machine work, or using a welding positioner and doing some stick welding, but true engineers are few and far between.

Engineering Career Options

There are many different branches of engineering, including:

1. Civil engineering: Civil engineers focus on improving the environment in which we live. They work on everything from bridges to tunnels, roads and railways. At the entry level, this involves a lot of hands-on work, so if you know your way around a welding positioner and how to use welding equipment, that’s a bonus.  More experienced engineers may move on to supervisory or even planning roles.
2. Structural engineering: This is a more specialist branch – these engineers tend to focus on one specific type of project, for example oil rigs, or bridges. They advise the construction teams on the best materials to use, and guide the construction process to ensure that the buildings are safe.
3. Geotechnical Engineering: These engineers assess construction grounds before work takes place. They analyse the data they’ve gathered, and make recommendations as to how the construction process should proceed.
4. Aerospace engineering: This is one of the more glamorous fields. If you’re interested in aircraft, then this is a great opportunity to do some exciting work.

There are other engineering options. Some are more hands-on than others. If you want to work with welding equipment, then you’ll need to do more than just get some hands on time with a welding positioner. There are certifications for each piece of welding equipment, and for varying degrees of precision and quality of weld. You will need to get the certification that is relevant to the type of engineering work you want to do.

While it’s possible to get an entry level job and work your way up, there are engineering degrees, and practical based qualifications that will give you a leg-up in the industry. If you’re serious about working in engineering, then take the time to contact the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Structural Engineers, the British Geotechnical Association, or another relevant body depending on the branch of engineering that you want to work in.

Engineering salaries for recent graduates are not astounding, but they are competitive when compared with earnings for recent graduates from other fields. Senior engineers earn more, and if you’re willing to work offshore or overseas, then that will also provide your earnings with a boost.

Engineering is a rewarding job that offers the opportunity to make a tangible change to the environment. It takes a long time to get qualified, but it is well worth it in the end.

This post was written by James Harper on behalf of Westermans, expert suppliers of welding equipment such as the welding positioner. James writes about business and industry related topics.

As a college graduate from the class of 2011, I can provide a firsthand account of how difficult it is to find a job straight out of college. Seniors spend an enormous amount of time preparing for interviews and researching the position to make sure the job is right for them. This involves spending a lot of time in resume preparation and researching the company you are interviewing with. When researching the company, if the position matches what you are looking for, you start getting really excited about the opportunity. You head to the interview dressed to impress and leave feeling confident you did a great job. A few weeks later, you receive the devastating email that they are pursuing a different candidate. It’s not easy brushing it off when you spend so much time preparing for the interview. Unfortunately for the class of 2011, this seems to be a never ending cycle.

It’s hard to stay motivated and think positively after repeated rejection during your final year of college. This is supposed to be a time for celebrating and preparing for the real world, but unfortunately most seniors don’t have that dream job to look forward to. Instead, there is a sense of urgency and anxiety. I was in a similar situation and went through the interviewing process a dozen times as I was searching for advertising and marketing jobs. I dedicated a lot of time into preparing for each interview and even had to re-schedule a handful of events and attend alternative lectures that were at inconvenient times. After the 5^th of 6^th rejection email, I started finding it harder and harder to get motivated for my job search.

While I was fortunate enough to land a marketing job that I love, a majority of my fellow friends and classmates are still waiting to receive an offer. While it’s hard to stay motivated, you need to focus on the positives. Look at how excited your friends are when they receive a job offer. It’s likely that they went out to the local bars and celebrated that night. It should be re-assuring to see that people are actually getting jobs and this will help reinforce that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Also, pay attention to how hard your roommates, friends, and classmates are working on their job search. Seeing how hard they are working should motivate you to try just as hard, if not harder, to prove to the recruiter that you are the right person for the position!

The last thing that helped motivate me the day of the interview was to listen to music that gets me pumped up. I usually listened to “Eye of the Tiger” on my iPod as I walked to the interview room. I’ll admit, I have felt pessimistic before an interview before, but this isn’t the attitude recruiters are looking for. They are looking for someone who is excited and energetic, so do what it takes to get you in that frame of mind. Keep in mind that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and all of your hard work will eventually result in a job offer. Get pumped and excited for your interviews and try to remain optimistic no matter what the situation is. Although it might seem tough now, all of your hard work will pay off when you land that dream job!

Adam Bruk is a graduate of the class of 2011 and now works as an SEO specialist in Indianapolis. When he isn’t researching trends in men’s sunglasses, you can find him helping friends with resume building and interviewing with hopes that they will also find their perfect job!