The following information hit home with me, so I am passing it on….. Happy Holidays from CareerShift.

“For most college seniors returning home after final exams, this holiday season will be more about resumes and networking than laundry and mom’s cooking. This year’s graduating class will enter one of the tightest job markets in history, according to recent surveys of top companies. Compounding shrinking employment indicators is the fact that most college graduates lack the basic skills to compete for the jobs they want.

Research is telling us that over 85% of jobs landed are because of networking. Using CareerShift can open the world of networking up for any job seeker, however at last month’s Career Directors International Conference in Seattle, I was reminded that networking creates fear in most job seekers, as it doesn’t come naturally for most of us. I was fortunate enough to hear a presentation given by Kathy Condon, an Executive Coach, Author, Trainer and Speaker (www.kathycondon.info) , whose common sense approach to networking is worth sharing:

Just a quick update for you on CareerShift:

We tell job seekers to have an elevator speech ready at all times. What about the professional in charge of helping the job seeker? Having information ready to make a quick point or having a quick email topic to keep communication lines open is important for Career Services professionals, too. The following information is a succinct point for job seekers that is worthy of sharing:

To grab prospective employers’ attention, all of your communications with them—your resume, cover letters and elevator speeches—should emphasize how your skills and experience can help them address their specific business goals and challenges. Simply listing your past employers, your previous titles, the length of time you held each position and your responsibilities will not create enough interest for them to seek out a conversation with you.

“You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” – Mahatma Gandhi

As the new academic year unfolds, we all hope our returning students come armed to be prepared and organized to embark on the activities of the Fall recruiting season. At CareerShift , our mission is to help your college students conduct a pro-active job search in the easiest, most organized format, as possible.

I recently came across some interesting information regarding a well known tool, the Elevator Speech, that I want to share with you. The Elevator Speech is recognized as an exceptionally important element to the success of student communications in a variety of settings. Wide variation exists among experts as to the ideal length of this, however, it is usually a good idea that you create both short and long versions. Different situations, after all, may well call for diverse approaches.

“Brick walls are there for a purpose…the brick walls are there to stop people who don’t want it badly enough.”

Prof Randy Pausch, Carnegie Mellon University.

What are your student’s brick walls when it comes to the job search? Perhaps it is not having an easy to use web service that combines many resources in one place, such as CareerShift . This enables them to be organized and prepared to be the pro-active job seeker in time for their job search.

Want proof that it pays to get a jump on a job search? According to a report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), students who began their job search early were rewarded for their proactive efforts. At this time last year, NACE’s 2007 Graduating Student Survey—conducted March 1 through April 30, 2007—71 percent of responding students either planned to or already had begun to look for a full-time job after graduation. Among those reporting that they had actively begun searching for a job, 79 percent already had submitted an application. And, of those students who submitted a job application, 51.2 percent had already accepted an offer for the job they would begin after graduation.

The importance of making sure resumes have the right keywords embedded in them plays a key role in getting the employers attention. Many employers require resume...

An Important part of the job search process is for students to complete self assessment exercises to ‘Know thyself’. Using their marketable skills as search words will...

Informational interviewing is exactly what it sounds like — interviewing designed to yield the information you need to choose a career path, learn how to break in, and...

Remember to look up all of your old employers and co-workers. Job seekers can get so caught up in looking for positions at new employers that they neglect the co-workers...