This all goes back to the age old question: Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?  To get to the other side (of course).

The answer should have footnote added: “it’s just that some chicken’s do it better than others”.

The same goes in a career search.  Think about your last job search, or maybe you are currently involved in a new search, or maybe you know someone who is actively looking, or re you seeking a career after college?  Whatever the case, how is the search progressing?  How are you differentiating themselves from the competition?

Are you looking hard but only searching on the job boards and are not seeing much of anything?  Have you posted your resume but are only receiving calls and emails from “work at home” or insurance or financial positions?

This kind of talk calls for an intervention!

How are you able to maximize your search time and value if you are doing the bare minimum?  This is the time to create a strategy which will allow you to better target and focus on key positions.  Some ideas to consider and build upon:

1. Take a break from the job boards. You need to get somewhere that more people know you and are willing to talk with you outside of the job application blackhole.  I don’t care how strong of a resume you have, going into a pool of candidates is not your best avenue.
2. Hit Google and Bing. Take a few days to conduct research on your targeted industry(industries) and targeted position(s) within that industry(industries).  This will allow you to focus more on what you want to do and less on let me just get anything.
3. Find the “trusted” contacts in your network. Take some time to examine your network to see who you know in that industry or in a similar position to what you are targeting.  Reach out to them, take them to lunch, tell your story and ask for their story.  Get the insight on how to position yourself for this type of career.
4. Get on social media. Share your story with others.  Get on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and whatever else will help you target positions.  Connect with others.  Gain their insight.  Share your insight.  Let them know you are looking but… DON’T BE PUSHY!
5. Make cold calls and introduction emails. You need to put yourself out there and that means connecting with others.  Use these calls not to focus on YOU but to learn from others.  Ask questions, almost interview them to understand their career path and see what helpful tips you may learn from others in positions you are targeting.

Remember, the goal isn’t to knock down doors but instead to open doors.  Being pushy or rude will get you absolutely nowhere.  When you are nothing but polite, nice and greatly appreciative… you will get much further along your path.

Whomever you connect with in these activities, please Please PLEASE remember to send a thank you note (email) for their time and insight.

Now get your plan into place and make it happen!

Are you getting close to graduation?  Do you have any idea what career after college you would like?  There are some lucky college students who have it all figured out and know exactly what they want to do in their career.  Then there are others who think they know what to do after college (but will change later).  And there are those who have no idea what to do in their career after college.

For the lucky few that know exactly what career you are going to pursue, good for you and I wish you nothing but the best of luck after college.  For any others in either the “I think I know” or the “I have no idea” category, then I hope you find this a bit helpful.

Social media and social networking have opened the doors for you to get greater insight to almost any career you choose after college.  You are able to read blogs, review articles, connect with “friends” or follow others on any number of sites.  But here are a few actionable items that may help you better understand your choices for a career after college.

5 ways to become to become more hirable for your career after college

1. Use Twitter to follow people in industries you think you are interested in entering. Follow targeted people to expand and enhance your knowledge and contribute to the conversation.  Interaction can open doors!
2. Use LinkedIn to cold call and do a quick interview of people in companies or positions you find interesting. Find target companies and people within departments of interest to call and introduce yourself.  Do not make it a pressure call, explain your strong interest in the company and you wanted to gain insight as to what makes a great hire for the team.
3. Join Groups and Fan Pages on Facebook to expand your insight to a topic or career. Network, plain and simple.  The more people you connect with and share ideas with, the higher the chance that someone will begin to take an interest in you.
4. Read Wiki’s to see who subject matter experts are in a particular field and gain their knowledge. Add value to wiki’s which will help you to introduce yourself to other subject matter exerts.  Add value to important topics and you will also be able to find out those that are “experts” within the industry.
5. Read blogs on topics of interest. The more you read and find out who is also passionate about a particular topic will allow you to begin to leverage a wider network and reference new points of view in your conversations.

Then, after you have gained some insight to what it is you are either interested in or might be interested in after college, then you may begin to focus on the how of getting into that career.

I will elaborate on the “how” in my next post but hopefully this will provide you with some thoughts to stimulate your thinking on landing that career after college.

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Keith McIlvaine is a Social Media Strategist within HR and Recruiting for a Fortune 500 company.  When he is not focused on leveraging social media and networking, Keith is also a personal branding coach and social media mentor.  He is passionate about his family and is a major soccer fanatic.  The statements I have posted on this site are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

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Brand-Yourself.com is a platform to diagnose, manage and monitor your online reputation for career success. Did you know that 83% of employers use the web to research job applicants? If you’re ready to proactively control your Google results and get hired, rather than cut from the applicant pool, try us for free and start controlling how you’re perceived online. Go ahead. Take our tools for a spin.

While researching for this article I came across a lot of information about what to do once you’ve landed your first post college, professional job.  Great!  So what happens if you don’t have one of those?  In fact, what happens if you are not one of the graduating seniors with a 4.0, 3 solid summer internships, and a ton of volunteer hours?  What happens to the average student’s career after college?  It’s no secret that jobs are harder to find now, and especially difficult if you hadn’t decided exactly what career you want to pursue before you graduated.  This, however, is not a time to despair.  Jobs are still available if you know where to look and are willing to go a little bit outside of your comfort zone.

Here are six tips to help you get a career after college:

1. Broaden your focus. If you happen to be one of the lucky individuals who knows exactly what career you want to pursue, but are unable to break into it at the moment then don’t be afraid to take a job in a different field for a while.  If you studied business marketing, but really enjoy going to the theater then volunteer doing promotions  or fundraisers for one.  If you enjoy being outside, apply for jobs or internships in the national parks.
2. Don’t be discouraged by low paying jobs. Choosing a job now does not mean that is what you’ll be doing for the rest of your life or even longer than a year or two.  If it’s in a field you find (or think you’ll find) interesting then go for it.  The worst that can happen is that you discover that you don’t want to work in that field anymore, and well, that’s something you didn’t know before you started.
3. Be willing to re-locate. This is a scary thing for many people, but being willing to move for a job does not mean that you have to go overseas.  If, however, you give an employer the idea that you must stay in a certain city, you may be missing a great opportunity.  For example, if your family is from Austin, TX, and you are the small town, family-oriented type who wants a job near family, don’t rule out working in cities like Dallas or Houston.  The jobs there are more abundant and it’s not a very long drive to mom and dad’s house.
4. Look for jobs in other countries. Certainly, the US job situation has affected other countries as well, but it is sometimes easier to get a job overseas.  One good example is teaching abroad.  Places such as Mexico, Russia, the Czech Republic, China, and Japan have a great need for certified (classes to become a certified TESOL teacher range in length from a weekend to several months) English teachers. Teaching abroad would be a unique experience on your resume that will help later in your US job search.
5. Network! This doesn’t mean that you must attend a lot of fancy balls or benefits.  Simply talk to people you meet – you never know when or where you may meet someone that will be able to help you later.  Going to local job fairs and career fairs are a good idea too, but it’s harder to stand out because of the high volume of job applicants.
6. Take a temporary job. If your current resume is a long list of dead end jobs, or you have no work experience then consider going to a temp agency.  You can apply for jobs in a field that interests you in order to get related field experience.  It’s also a great way to decide whether the industry you thought you wanted to work in is really a good fit for you.

Remember that it’s not at all uncommon for people to have more than one career in their lifetimes.  In fact, some studies suggest that Americans will have worked in an average of 5 different careers by retirement age.  This chance to travel and be adventurous will probably not come again as the increasing demands of life limit your options (spouse, kid, solid job with upward mobility, etc) so use the hiring hiatus to your advantage and get paid to do something you love when you find your career after college.

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Bethany Stringer is a graduate of Texas A&M University (class of ‘08) and has her B.A. in English Literature with minors in History and Psychology.  Writing her first story at the age of 5 (with help from Mom), Bethany still enjoys writing and researching about everything from business and history to travel and fiction.  Enamored with languages, she plans to teach English in Russia in 2010 as a CELTA certified teacher.  She owned her own business working horses when she was 17, and still loves riding her horse Romeo.  Always appreciating a challenge, she loves sea kayaking and prefers Rachmaninov to Bach.

As students are eager to begin a successful career after college, it is very essential they know how to interact with coworkers in their work environment. According to Susan Solovic, co-founder and CEO of SBTV, and author of three books, “It’s a social environment as well as a work environment. However, you must remember: While you can be friendly and develop a good rapport, business is business and friendship is friendship.” That is to say, socializing with coworkers is all well and good, however, there are certain topics that are not appropriate for discussion in a work environment.

To help maintain a steady and successful career after college, here are some things you should never say or converse in the workplace:

1. “That’s not my job.”

It is only inevitable that you will be asked to perform tasks that are not necessarily part of your job. If someone asks for your assistance, take it as an act of commending. They obviously esteem your skills and trust that your input will be beneficial in completing the task. Not only will this help you to enhance other skills, but it will also earn you respect from other workers. After all, you never know when you might need help from your colleagues. Plus, your boss will admire and appreciate your willingness to exceed the bare limit.

2. “Sure, I’ll help you with that.” (With a phony smile stuck on your face.)

Do not offer your help to someone and then complain about it later. Your help is as good as no help if you take on a task, but don’t really want to. Moreover, don’t tell someone you’re going to help them if you really do not have intentions on doing so. You’ll earn a reputation as someone who is unreliable. Your coworkers depend on you, so your decision to not follow through affects their work performance as well.

3. “I’ve never gotten a raise, EVER.”

Increased salary is usually based on efficiency. Asking your boss for a raise based on how long you have been working there is only telling them you want more money – not that you deserve it. Instead, evidence your desired raise is hard-earned.

4. “I’m so sick of working here.”

Endless whining about your workload, levels of stress, or even the company, will quickly make you the person nobody wants to be around. Certainly you will not be wanted there if people see that you don’t want to be there. If you don’t concur with company policies and procedures, address it with your boss or just move on. This is why it is extremely important to make sure a career is really fit for you before you begin working.

5. “I got so wasted last night.”

Whatever you do outside of work is your own business. Sure, it’s perfectly fine to have fun, but do not brag about your drunken escapades to your boss. Your boss may or may not be impressed due to the fact that you’ve showed up to work despite still suffering from a horrendous hangover. However, it certainly means nothing if you spend precious time reminiscing about your activities, rather than doing your job. More importantly, sharing such information will make you look unethical and unreliable.

6. “I don’t have time for that.”

If your boss asks you to do something, it most likely isn’t an option. If your main concern is not being able to complete the task on time, it is very important you’re honest and tell this to your boss. Explain your busy schedule, and how if given the opportunity to rearrange some projects, you can accommodate for the request.

Melissa will be a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Fall 2009. She is studying English with a minor in Journalism and will be the News Editor for her college’s school newspaper entitled The Thomas for her final year in college. Additionally, Melissa intends to study all different aspects in the field of writing, from editing, print journalism, blogging, magazine writing, editorials, obituaries, memoirs, novels, etc.