College grads (and parents) I feel your pain. This is not the best year to hit the job market for the first time. On the other hand, unlike people who graduated during recessions in the 70s and 80s, you have one huge advantage: the internet. Never before has it been so easy to find information about the job search-- everything from "how to" advice to job boards and postings. In addition, just because some doors are closed at the moment, doesn't mean there aren't other opportunities. It's time to get creative in your thoughts and actions and gathering more information is always a great way to start.
Today's post is the first in a series of posts for college graduates and their parents, and is designed to help you discover the best blogs for career information and job leads. Up-to-date and written at the last minute, blogs provide a combination of opinion and information, both of which are helpful in a job search. Like everything else on the internet, blogs are everywhere. If you're a little overwhelmed by the sheer number, try the links below and see where they lead. One of the best features of blogs is that they often send you to other blogs and you're sure to find one that fits your style and needs.
Here are some of the best blogs I've discovered for recent grads and job seekers:
College Career Life Provides interesting articles particualry helpful for liberal arts students. Some recent blog topics include jobs for introverts and extroverts and how to pay for school after losing your job.
Under the pseudonym of Penelope Trunk, the Brazen Careerist founder writes a blog about her personal forays in into the job market as well as life in general. Very witty and enjoyable reading and you'll learn something at the same time. Two posts I particularly enjoyed were The New Post-College Prestige Job is Retail and Any Job Can Be a Good Job if You're Learning.
Career Alley's recent postings have focused on where the jobs are --- particularly for recent college graduates. They also provide lots of helpful links to the best job boards and other resources.
About.com offers a career planning blog that provides a variety posts ranging from the importance of how you look in the job search to career planning for tots (!).
Collegerecruiter.com has an interesting compendium of blogs written by career counselors, students and recent graduates who are job-seeking, graduate school admissions counselors, etc. It's sort of a one-stop shopping for blogs with too much variety of encapsulate in this small posting.
Quintessential Careers which I have recommended in earlier posts also has a blog focusing on the college grad job seeker. Recent posts include a review of a New York Times article on the job search with additional tips that go beyond the article and even a list of college career centers that use Twitter.
Not enough? Still searching for the best career blog? Check out this site from RiseSmart that rates the Top 100 Career Blogs.
Know any other great career blogs? Send your comments and I'll do a follow-up posting.
With college graduation just around the corner, my next few posts are going to focus on information, links, leads, ideas, and opportunities for newly graduating students and their parents. Don't get discouraged: for more ideas on making your degree work in the job market, check out my new book "You Majored in What? Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career" available April 30 at your local bookstore.
Image credit:
Cac.ophony:conversations in communication across the curriculum from Baruch College.
