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IN THIS ISSUE:

-Job Search Tip of the Week - "The Volunteer Intern Technique"
-Help Spread The Word!
-Job Search Links
-Free Job Search Book
-Sponsor: Free Career Analysis

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Contents

- Job Search Tip of the Week, by Brian Krueger, author of "College Grad Job Hunter," the #1 book for entry level job search:

"The Volunteer Intern Technique"

So what do you do if you missed the internship boat first time around? The Volunteer Intern Technique is a great technique for college students who are still lacking "real world" work experience. If you missed the opportunity to formally intern or gain work experience in your field during your earlier years of college, you still have a chance to get that experience, even up to (and after) graduation. In order to gain that experience, you may want to consider volunteering. Yes, volunteer. No pay. Gratis. Why? Because as a volunteer intern, you will be getting as much (and sometimes even more) than you are giving. While some of your friends may have been sharp enough to land a paying internship during the preceding years, if you are into your final year, your best choice is to give up some of your free time and volunteer. By volunteering, you have flexibility that might not otherwise be available to you. If you intern during the school year, you should try to put in at least eight hours per week (two mornings, two afternoons, two evenings or one weekend day per week is usually the minimum required for gaining the experience which can later be referenced). And by volunteering, you will have many more companies which be willing to take you on in exchange for gaining experience and further building your resume.

Most companies are very willing to take on volunteer interns. If you are unable to find volunteer work with a for-profit company, there are plenty of not-for-profit organizations (schools, government agencies, associations, community service groups, etc.) that would appreciate your offer of service. The key is getting into a position where you are not only doing work, but also working under someone else. Shadow them, learn from them, and use the internship as a period of training for your upcoming professional life.

The net result is twofold: first of all, it will provide you with a very valuable experience listing on your resume, one that will pay back monetarily many times the dollar amount that you "lost" by volunteering; second, you may have your potential future employer right in front of you. You are now on the inside--so if you are interested in working for the company after graduation, let them know! Even if they do not have something in that particular department, they will usually feel a debt of gratitude and may be willing to help you find other job possibilities within the company.

A recent grad used this technique to go from being a very average job seeker to one of the most sought after in his class. He had worked doing manual labor his entire college career until the second semester of his Senior year, when he signed on as a Networking Intern with the Telecommunications Department at the college. He worked there only three months, yet parlayed that experience into the resume experience he needed to compete for meaningful work. He got a job with a company who "wasn't hiring at the entry level" as its new Network Administrator. Remember, with his experience, he was no longer entry level. Pay doesn't matter. Experience does.

If you want to find a "freelance" project in the IT field, check out Geeks4Free, a new Web site that will connect you with established companies with volunteer IT projects available. In return, you get to show professional experience on your resume.

This technique can even be used after graduation to keep moving forward in gaining experience. You will not only avoid lapses of time in your resume, you will have real experience to show for the time you have invested.

No experience? This is a quick and simple solution to the problem. A small sacrifice now, even late in your college career, can pay handsome rewards for years to come.

Next newsletter: "The Special Project Technique"

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Contents

- Help Spread The Word!

Do you know of someone who can benefit from the information in this newsletter? Simply forward this e-mail to them and tell them to subscribe at http://www.CollegeGrad.com/newsletter. Thanks for spreading the good word!

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Contents

Job Search Links:

• Searching job postings:
  http://www.CollegeGrad.com/jobs
• Setting up a job alert:
  http://jobs.CollegeGrad.com/JS/Form/SearchForm.asp?alert=y
• Post your resume:
  http://jobs.CollegeGrad.com/JS/Form/SignUpForm.asp
• Update your posted resume:
  http://jobs.CollegeGrad.com/JS/Form/LoginForm.asp
• Creating your resume:
  http://www.CollegeGrad.com/resumes
• Quickstart resume templates:
  http://www.CollegeGrad.com/resumes/quickstart
• Creating your cover letter:
  http://www.CollegeGrad.com/coverletters
• Career information/exploration:
  http://www.CollegeGrad.com/careers
• Employer research:
  http://www.CollegeGrad.com/employers
• Top Entry Level Employers:
  http://www.CollegeGrad.com/topemployers
• Interviewing techniques:
  http://www.CollegeGrad.com/intv
• Salary info--how much are you worth?
  http://www.CollegeGrad.com/salaries
• Job offer negotiation:
  http://www.CollegeGrad.com/offer

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Contents

- Job Search Book Online

There are at least two other entry level Web sites that offer books on job searching, proclaming that they will tell you everything you need to know about entry level job search.

However, there is a very important point about these books they don't mention up front: they cost money.

At CollegeGrad.com, we give you two things they don't:

1. The #1 entry level job search book ("College Grad Job Hunter").
2. It's free.

It's that simple. So don't buy the hype. Read the real information you need for FREE:

http://www.CollegeGrad.com/book

Don't ever pay for books or reports or resources of lower quality when you can access the very best quality information for free.

P.S. Yes, you can buy "College Grad Job Hunter" in hardcopy format as well at Amazon.com for $15 (actually, 30% off that price), but the online version is better. Why? Because the version at Amazon.com (the 2003 edition) is being continually updated at CollegeGrad.com. So the most current version of the book is actually the online, free version.

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Contents

- Sponsor: Free Career Analysis

Searching for the right career? Get a FREE Career Analysis using the MAPP (Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential). This career analysis will show you the top 11-20 jobs with your greatest potential for success, including 5 free job matches:

http://www.CollegeGrad.com/careers/freecareeranalysis.shtml

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