Graduating Soon? Here are some Recommended Resources

By Monica O'Brien | Published: April 22, 2008

Image Source: ykmm85 via FlickR

As school winds down for the year, there is a lot of talk about recession and the prospective job market for graduating seniors. The economy is not the best, but luckily, there is a lot of great expert advice for students looking for jobs or struggling with the quarterlife crisis. I’ll be posting any opportunities or resources I come across in this thread. I encourage others to leave comments of any resources they find as well – I’ll be adding those comments into this post with a link to the recommender’s blog.

Lindsey Pollak is offering free advice to graduating seniors and free professional consulting to those who were planning on working for Bear Stearns and have now had their offers rescinded. She writes:

For any of the 250 undergraduate student with a rescinded job offer from Bear Stearns, I would be happy to provide you with a free 30-minute career counseling session by phone between now and September 1, 2008. For the first 10 students to respond to this offer, I will mail you a free copy of my book, Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World (HarperCollins, 2007).

Get the rest of the details at Lindsey’s blog.

sampleissue2.jpgGen Y personal branding expert Dan Schwabel will be releasing the fourth issue of Personal Branding Magazine on May 1st. For less than 10 bucks, you get 25 articles about personal branding for HR recruiting.Here are some of the highlights:

  • An interview with Robert McGovern, former CEO of CareerBuilder.com and current CEO of a new job board, JobFox, which focuses more on personal branding.
  • An interview with Pamela Slim, blogger and founder of the acclaimed Escape from Cubicle Nation
  • 10 Thought Leaders Speak About the Future of Recruitment – Founders, CEOs, and celebrity bloggers in the HR world answer the question “If you could change one thing about recruitment, what would it be?”
  • 20 Personal Branding Tips to Make Your Career Recession Proof from personal branding consultant Paul Copcutt
  • Two Sides of the Recruiting Story from recruiter Justin Orkin
  • plenty more, including articles from gen Y bloggers Tiffany Monhollon and Adam Salamon

Still not convinced? Download a free 9 page sample of the issue here. You can purchase the magazine here starting May 1st!

Alexandra Levit’s new book just came out – How’d You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them I got my hands on a copy of the book and plan to give it a full review; but right now I will say if you are looking for your dream job, this book is a great resource to find very cool jobs that are tailored to your personality type.

JT O’Donnell is relaunching her book Careerealism in conjunction with a new website described below:

Launching in late spring, Careerealism.com plans to become the on-line encyclopedia of career options for college grads and young professionals. The site will offer career insights from those in the trenches, fellow twentysomethings, who will relay first-hand what work is really like. Careerealism.com intends to help the more than 15 million individuals seeking degrees in America answer the big question after college, “Now what?” Subscribe today by e-mail and you’ll be invited to the on-line launch party where they will be giving away thousands of dollars in career coaching products and services.

I’m looking forward to JT’s website launch and I will be contributing my own career story to her website. Her book Careerealism will be available on May 1st, but advance purchasers will receive 20% off her Professional Strengths Assessment Package.

Kristen Fischer’s new book is out as well, smartly titled Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes: An After-College Guide to Life. She says,

“Life after college doesn’t have to be an all-out crisis—it is more so a time of change that can be very beneficial for young adults if they have an idea on what they’re facing.”

This book helps recent graduates:

  • Determine what career path will bring satisfaction
  • Select a job hunting strategy that gets results
  • Decide if graduate school will benefit their career
  • Prioritize work responsibilities with personal commitments
  • Cultivate better relationships with family and friends
  • Organize a living plan—at home or on their own
  • Manage their finances with the future in mind
  • Overcome stress, anxiety or depression

I haven’t read the book yet, but what I like most about it so far are the topics covered span much more than just getting a job. Looks like it will be a great resource for recent grads who feel a little clueless about the transition to adulthood.

Finally, the women at LifeBeforeNoon are doing a series of guest posts about graduation and advice on life afterwards. I am excited to be contributing to their Week of Wisdom, which will start sometime in May.

If you know of any other resources or opportunities for graduating seniors, please leave a comment!

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  • Thank you for this post! As a soon-to-be graduating graduate student, I'm in this huge flux of "Oh, I REALLY have to find a job, and relocate, and do this, and do this..." all in a very short span of time. I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts on "How'd You Score that Gig?" and "Ramen Noodles..." particularly, as they seem the most useful for this stressful time of life.
  • Thanks for the callout, Monica. Looking forward to the review!
  • Lindsey's idea is pretty genius.

    Good wrap up Monica. I expect nothing less.
  • Great website with lots of excellent info! I'm in Los Angeles and work with people in transitions throughout what I call LifeStages. While new grads (or Beginnings LifeStagers) are getting ready to step into the work force, those who have been working for a few years are also often in a state of disarray by their mid-to-late twenties when grad school may beckon or burn out sets in. I work young people and their parents as they deal with these times and challenges. I also work with those in their early to late 30's who feel like they've hit a Roadblock. Things haven't worked out as they hoped or expected, or their work life has shifted and changed due to choice made or 'foisted' on them. Those in the Authenticity LifeStage are ready to claim what's theirs by taking a leap to make what they want to come true come true. We harness their confidence and strengths, weed out the fear and set them on their path. The Wisdom LifeStage may be for the parents of the Beginning LifeStagers. Wisdom is the LifeStage when there's a 'need' to make a change and do something important or fascinating - before it's too late. I'm sharing this with you and your readers as my goal is to teach and reach as many people as possible. I know that I didn't know what to expect life in my life when I was a teenager and twenty-something and didn't have much help in knowing what to expect, oddly. We offer live programs in LA, resources and strategy coaching as well as teleclasses for people a phone call away. Love to see what you're doing here on your site! I'll send you a copy of my book when it's ready!
    Thanks ;D
    Daisy
  • Thanks for the shout out!!!
  • Monica - Thanks for spreading the word about my offer. I'm a big fan of Alex, Dan, Kristen and so many of the resources you've shared. I will add you to my blogroll ASAP!

    Thanks again and keep up the great work--

    Lindsey

    p.s. Do you have a copy of my book "Getting from College to Career"? I'd love to send you one if you'd like to read/review it. Send me your address and I'll mail you a copy (lindsey AT lindseypollak DOT COM)
  • I would also suggest learning a little bit about the oh-so-fun quarterlife crisis... good times.
  • I was just down at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and asked a group of about 80 graduating students who had jobs/plans lined up. Less than 20 raised their hands. I think your tips are great and need to be shared with as many graduating students as possible
  • Hi everyone, thanks for the comments. I'd be happy to review books for authors as long as they are relevant for Twenty Set readers. I must admit though that my book reviewing process is going slow right now. So if you are willing to wait a few weeks for a book review, I can send you my home address. Thanks again!
  • FYI, I'm moving my blog to http://www.ramenrentresumes.com so I'll keep you posted when the link updates!
  • Hey Monica thanks for the great resources, yeah, graduation is this Sat.day and hooding is this Friday. I had an interview today with some folks from the YMCA, they are looking for a leadership director. Anyhow, thanks for sharing!
  • Miguel, congrats on your job interview! From the looks of your blog it sounds like it will be a great fit for you. Good luck!
  • this are the main points to be covered in the blog
    * Determine what career path will bring satisfaction
    * Select a job hunting strategy that gets results
    * Decide if graduate school will benefit their career
    * Prioritize work responsibilities with personal commitments
    * Cultivate better relationships with family and friends
    * Organize a living plan—at home or on their own
    * Manage their finances with the future in mind
    * Overcome stress, anxiety or depression
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