Now more than ever, it’s important to get the best bang for your buck. And there’s no question about it — when it comes to value, not every U.S. city is created equally. Why chase a great salary if your rent swallows most of it, unemployment is skyrocketing and you spend two hours a day just to get to and from ...

Just graduated college and can’t find a job? You’re not alone. You’ve probably heard about all the money President Obama has dumped into the economy, but chances are you haven’t seen it first hand. So, where are all the jobs? President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the Stimulus Plan) is expected to save or create 3.5 million jobs over ...

There are tons of ways to find out about part-time jobs that are available in your area. Here are just a few: Word-of-mouth Make connections with other high school students who have part-time jobs. Talk to them about their jobs and find out what types of businesses are hiring students. You can also make connections with adults who could possibly let ...

When Ashley Anderson graduated in December 2008 with a BA in marketing, she expected to send out a few resumes before she found a job in her field. But four months, 500 resumes, and countless interviews later, Ashley was happy to land the only job she could-- a customer service position with a computer software company. A far cry from the ...

Internships are one of the most important ways students gain experience and start to make contacts within their field. College students hold most of the available internships but more opportunities are now available for high school students looking to get valuable work experience. Why intern in high school? The idea of pursuing an internship probably doesn't cross most high school students' ...

You might think that if you have a good resume, you don't need a cover letter. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your cover letter supplements your resume. It focuses attention on your achievements and gets a prospective employer interested in you. Cover letters are especially important to new graduates. Through the cover letter, you can persuade an employer ...

For a recent graduate, finding the right career can be daunting. Job markets are in flux and one year can bring many jobs and the next far too few. Fortunately, there is one job sector that never seems to be filled: non-profit groups. Non-profits run the gamut from Amnesty International, the ACLU, to smaller, lesser-known groups which makeup the majority of ...

College academics are just one part of preparing for a future career. New grads need to offer something extra to prospective employers. That's where an internship comes in. An internship is an employment situation in which a student works (often for free) in order to gain hands-on experience. Internships offer valuable work experience, help you develop marketable skills and beef up ...

You've made it to the interview stage! But before you step through that door, make sure you know the basic steps of a successful job interview. Preparation Learn about the company and the position. Check their Web site, use online corporate directories such as Hoovers.com or Yahoo Finance, or request information from the company's public relations department. Your school's reference librarian ...

Whether it be your leadership skills, your ability to work with people or your creative talents, you need to use the right language to convey your credentials. Use active words like these to give your resume a powerful punch: Accelerated Accomplished Achieved Adapted Advised Administered Analyzed Approved Arranged Assembled Budgeted Built Calculated Completed Conceived Conducted Coordinated Created Delegated Delivered Demonstrated ...

Students interested in science and engineering careers have a healthy variety of options for a bright future. Science and engineering fields are among the best and fastest-growing in America, according to career-oriented surveys. Salary.com cites among the fastest-growing fields: software engineer, technical writer, medical scientist, physical scientist, engineer, physician/surgeon, landscape architect, biotechnology research scientist, biological scientist, environmental scientist, lab technologist, and ...

A good resume is vital. It's your calling card to a prospective employer - one that lays out your qualifications and hopefully gets you a job interview. Remember, most employers will spend less than five minutes reviewing your resume. Follow these guidelines to make sure your resume gets you noticed. Be sure to include these basics: Contact information: Full name, phone ...

If you're just graduating from college and would like to postpone your all-out job search until later this summer, more power to you. But how can you balance a well-deserved break with the solid job-search preparation you'll need to do? Think R and R: rest and research. In other words, do some digging, but keep it low-key. Here are four ways ...

If you've ever considered a career in engineering, you probably thrive on problem solving. That's good, because one of the first problems you'll need to tackle as you explore this broad field is figuring out what type of engineer you'd like to be. You may be aware of the most common engineering subspecialties, like civil engineering (the design of roads, bridges, ...

Just a few years ago a college degree in hand meant an entry-level job was virtually assured. Those days are gone-- right along with the idea of staying with one employer for 5 to 10 years. Here's why -- and what you can expect from this new reality we call the modern job market: Your Degree Is Helpful But Not a ...

Each year, the Vault Guide to Top Internships profiles internships across the country and determines which are most lucrative. The internships are then tiered from highest to lowest based on a variety of factors, such as substantive work, pay, perks, selectivity, and the "resume radiance" factor. Additionally, the Vault Guide provides the Top Ten Internships for each year. For the "best ...

How would you like to be an intern in the British parliament? Or teach English in Japan? With an international internship, you'll show employers that you have a knowledge of international business, as well as the ability to work in another culture. Programs That Send You Abroad To find an international internship, start with your school. Colleges and universities sponsor ...

Are you ready for a challenge outside the classroom? Do you want to see how work is really done in your field? It might be time to explore a research position. But you have to plan ahead to make sure the right opportunity comes your way. How can a research position help you? A research position broadens your scope - ...

When high school pals Alexandra Robbins, 25, and Abby Wilner, 25, got together over lunch several years ago to catch up on their lives after college, they were both ready to tell some glowing stories about how well they were doing. "At first, we both said we were having a great time," recalls Robbins, an English and American studies double major ...

Would you ever want to give up a healthy chunk of your salary? In effect, that's what you'll be doing if you disregard the various employee benefits you'll have access to in your first job. Many new college graduates simply don't understand their employers' benefits programs or their significance in real-dollar terms. "They underestimate the value of their benefits and don't ...