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Job Hunter Newsletter
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Your Job Search Tool Kit

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Contents

Job Search Video

"IQ and EQ in Interviewing"

Do you know what your EQ is and why it matters? A good EQ is more valuable than a high IQ in the job search and to sell yourself as the right person for the position, you'll need to show your interviewer that you are capable in the core competencies that comprise the EQ. Learn what the EQ is and how to use it in our one-minute-video tip:

www.CollegeGrad.com/job-search-videos/IQ-and-EQ-in-interviewing.shtml

CollegeGrad.com features more than 60 job tips in one minute video format. Review them all at:

www.CollegeGrad.com/job-search-videos

Contents

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

"Your Job Search Tool Kit"

During the course of your job search, you will need to rely on a tool kit of items to assist you. Following are recommended items for you to purchase or borrow for the duration of your search:

  • Writing Portfolio — not the kind that artists carry around, but the 9" x 12" leather-bound or vinyl-bound type, such as those made by Stratford. You can usually pick up a quality vinyl-bound writing portfolio for $10 to $20 at any office supply store. You will use it for interviews and job fairs, both for carrying your resume and for taking notes.
  • Pen — whether at a job fair or in the course of your eventual interviews, the type of pen you use will send a message about who you are. Plastic pen, poor college student. Cross pen, prepared job seeker. Even if you truly are a poor college student, spend the $10–$15 to purchase an entry level ball-point and keep it reserved for interviewing situations. Function is fine, but form is always more impressive in this category.
  • Pocket Organizer — keep your Day-Timer or Franklin Planner or PDA with you at all times. You never know when you will need to record information for later retrieval. At slow points in your day, use your organizer to plan out your activities for the remainder of the day and week. It can also provide a gentle reminder for completing that term paper you have been putting off.
  • Briefcase — a briefcase will provide you with a mini-office from which to operate when you are at a job fair or a company-site interview. But before you go out to Kmart to buy a $30 vinyl briefcase special, consider the value of buying a professional leather briefcase. Many major office supply stores carry leather briefcases for around $60. Be aware also that the type of leather, although not greatly affecting the initial appearance, will have a large impact on the long-term appearance of your briefcase. Bonded leather is leather parts glued together, which is used in the cheapest—and lowest quality—leather briefcases. It would be much better to spend an extra $10 to $20 to buy either a split-leather (better) case or a top-grain leather (best) case. Buy quality. Remember, you will be using this briefcase well beyond graduation. Invest now in quality that will last you far into the future.

Following are optional items you may choose to add to your tool kit:

  • Job Portfolio — A job portfolio provides you with a visual and tangible way to represent your credentials, skills and achievements. "Port" means that a person's credentials are portable, transportable, convenient and manageable. "Folio" means a packaging of person's credentials through photographs, reproduced evidence, work samples, videos, audio, and other formats. A job portfolio is organized evidence of your work background, readiness for the job and specific job skills that make you qualified for the job for which you are applying. This is supporting evidence of why you are the best candidate for the job, so be sure to display the specific skills employers are seeking.
  • Computer — as discussed previously, a computer can benefit you in organizing your job search effort, although it is not a requirement. It can be used for tracking information, generating letters, posting and e-mailing your resume, and accessing Internet job sites. But don't go out to buy a computer just for your job search. You can always surf the Net from the computer lab, library, or Career Center. If you already have one, use it. If not, wait until the first (or second) paycheck arrives.
  • Wireless Phone — your mobile phone can be a lifesaver or a death sentence, depending on how you use it. While you previously used it primarily for casual calls, the emphasis in your job search will now switch to business calls. So make sure you clean up your outgoing voicemail message and always answer the phone as if there may be a potential employer on the other end of the line. If you are in a rush and not able to answer the call professionally, let it go to your voicemail. But make sure you return the call promptly. And you may want to consider a larger minutes plan with your wireless provider, since your job search will tend to increase your overall usage rate.

Next newsletter: "Network Intelligence Gathering"

Contents

Education Center

"Why Earning Your Master's Degree Makes Cents"

You know that continuing your education will improve your earning power, not to mention open new career doors, but is a master's degree really worth the investment? Research suggests it is. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a master's degree holder earns more than $10,000 more on average each year than one with a bachelor's degree alone, and nearly $500,000 over the course of his or her working life. Advanced education also improves your employment and advancement potential, opening up career doors you'd never imagined. What's more, online degree programs and flexible campus scheduling makes earning a degree while keeping your day job easier than ever before.

Find a Master's Program Today:

www.CollegeGrad.com/schools/masters.shtml

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!

Contents

Job Search Links:

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 is being continually updated at CollegeGrad.com. So the most current version of the book is actually the online, free version.

Disclaimer: please note that all of the links were active as of the newsletter publication, but some may become inactive over time.


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