I arrived on site, on the beach, on Feb. 23, to get the first look at how all our planning was coming together for both Burger Bash and BubbleQ. Both events were scheduled to take place in the same tent on back to back evenings. The tent used this year was completely different from the previous designs, and it was remarkable. On the schedule that day, signage was to be placed. We provided the Burger Bash chefs' booth locations to the sign company for them to place and hang the materials.

Feb. 24 was a longer day. Dry goods, equipment, etc. were dropped off to the site, specifically to the individual chef stations. Unfortunately, it rained, and complicated the process. But it got done.

Recent college grads are not aware that everyone is looking for a job. From high school students to older adults 50+ are searching for some kind of income opportunity. With this in mind, you have to strap yourself with street smarts and intelligent planning to secure entry level job interviews to show how valuable you are for an organization.

Pay Attention to Details

Working the job market can get a little hectic so it is vital to pay attention to details. For instance, do you have an idea of what level of income you need to survive? Can you work two jobs or one? These are questions that can create a different perspective in finding jobs in your town or nationwide. You may need a little imagination as well as some internet savvy to get in touch with prospective employers. Recent college students and graduates can speak with career counselors available at their college or university for leads on entry level positions. Listen to what your counselor has to say because it can be the difference between success and failure in your job search.

Improve Credit Score

Your credit score is a big difference between securing job interview and losing an opportunity. A few ways to help improve your credit score is through credit counseling, direct payment plans, and/or paying the outdated debts in full before your job search. Employers need have confidence in your abilities to pay on time, financial stability, and the respect to terms and conditions of a contract. Entry level positions for recent college students and graduates are lurking everywhere but you have to improve your credit score to surpass the competition.

Ask Friends for Referrals

Your friends can open doors you never thought would open. Entry level jobs for recent college students and grads are passed up if current employees know talented candidates. If your friends know hiring managers, it would help to ask for a direct reference. It is also important to make sure your friends are outstanding employees in their organizations or it may look bad for the referral from an unproductive buddy.

Stay Active In the Industry

Recent college students and graduates can enter their fields by joining a professional association, build alliances in corporate America, and make a statement in their industries. Finding your place in the workforce means managing your professional image, building experience, and creating a buzz to secure job interviews. Many people overlook the possibilities for recent college grads because of their lack of industry knowledge or professional experience; develop a strong position in your industry.

Securing an entry level job interview is the ultimate step towards getting a position in a great organization. What kind of job do you want? How can your reputation place you on the right track to success? Are you ready to present your abilities to prospective employers Never settle for less than your best to prospective employers, references, and opportunities to secure job interviews.

Return Home

Recent college grads want to live on their own, but today's reality can place dreams on hold. Realistic plans and actions are the only way to achieve security in a recession. Millions are unemployed across the nation while others are on the brink of layoffs. If you want to stay ahead of the competition and secure employment, sticking to home can help ease the stress of managing financial issues away from your family. There are many benefits in living home include being surrounded by loved ones, emotional and financial support, and the ability to grow within your means.

Work in Local Businesses

Finding employment in local business require you to create a job hunting plan, engaging in community service, enhance skill sets, applying for temp work, and/or starting a business. Your community is in need of your talents, skills, and abilities to rebuild structure during a recession. Why not dig deep into your knowledge to find where you can excel in your hometown? Local businesses need talented candidates as well as innovative thinkers to help build their businesses. If you start small, there is no telling where you could go in a few months time.

Scope Out Opportunities

Sometimes you have to start from scratch in order to build a successful job search. Entry level positions for recent college graduates can range from Account Managers, assistant positions, and more. You have to dig into your imagination to find suitable roles to play in a local business environment. The community in which you serve needs to know who you are, what you stand for, and why you want to be involved in operations.

Unlike larger firms, small business owners are typically close to their employees by some form of communication. Your job hunt should include learning about the business leaders, their history in the city or town, and current employment opportunities listed and unlisted. A great way to learn about entry level jobs for recent college students and graduates would be to introduce yourself by an in-person visit. Face value can start the connection then working alongside others in community service projects can help with breaking the ice of new found friendships.

Community Service Projects

Community service is an unconventional way of learning about your potential employers. There is only one thing to remember: focus on the project then on your own agenda. No one likes blatant advertising or networking during a community event. It is important to participate in service projects related to a heartfelt interest or others will read right through you. A lot of recent college graduates have met friends, built relationships with prospective employers, and received job offers from putting their passions to use in the community. If you want this kind of chance to happen, get away from your laptop and start searching for opportunities that can change your life as well as your community.

Start a Side Business

Personal services such as hair design, computer repair, tax preparation, and tutoring can get your name out into the community while building a strong reputation. There is a growing trend of recent college students starting businesses to keep extra money in their pockets and building a network of loyalty in their communities. You may find a relatively large market for the personal services you offer which can help you obtain leads, sales, and new opportunities all over your hometown. Think about what you can do that is worth someone's payment. If you think your fees are reasonable, approach a few prospects to see where it goes. Starting a side business is a great way to improve your experience in your field while earning a living while home.

Lindsey Vonn is the first American woman to win a gold medal in the Olympic downhill skiing.

A contender in Torino in 2006, Vonn suffered a terrible crash that sent her to the hospital. She left with pain arching through her legs and back but still competed in five events. She didn't win any medals in Torino, but the experience prepared her for Vancouver. Suffering a serious shin injury only weeks before the 2010 games, Vonn worked through the pain and roared down the mountain fast enough to win her the gold.

In your own career, you're bound to encounter some icy patches. Sometimes you'll be uncomfortable, your career will be inconvenient, you'll be tired, you'll be sick, you'll be sick and tired. But like Vonn, sometimes you have to ignore the pain and put up with the hardship in order to achieve your ultimate career goals. Quitting is easy; fighting through discomfort is a lot harder. But usually, it's worth it. Just ask Lindsey... Continue reading ...

New Grad Life is the only blog solely dedicated to providing free resources to recent college graduates or soon-to-be grads for topics such as job hunting, resume/interview help, networking tips, money management, and more.

Jonathan Michaeli, who is a strong supporter of video resumes - he has one of his own - made a good point, in an exchange with a commenter on his blog, that might appeal to those who dissent for EEO reasons.

Kristen: Sorry, I totally disagree that a true video *resume* will ever be the wave of the near future. A digital portfolio is a whole different animal and absolutely should be part of any professional's business documentation, especially if they are in the media or technology space. I'm a senior technical recruiter that uses social media prolifically in my candidate generation strategies, but I will *not* open a video resume. It opens up my firm to a nasty can of discrimination worms, and with recent EEOC rulings in the last two years putting even more stringent auditable-process requirements in place for HR and recruiting organizations, video resume adoption by the HR community is an uphill battle.

Jonathan: Kristen,

As for your legal argument, I am very confused. Recruiters like you are already proactively screening candidates based on their photos, social media profiles, and other activities on the web. In other words, you are "pulling" this information behind the scenes. With a video resume, a candidate is knowingly submitting it or making it available (i.e. "pushing" it to you), which in my view is a form of "opt in." Wouldn't it be much harder to file a discrimination lawsuit in the latter case?

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you should know by now that an interview isn't over until you've sent a thank-you note to everyone that you interviewed with that day. It's critical in terms of showing your potential employer that you actually care about the job, that you are capable of expressing the basic human emotion of gratitude, and that you are generally on top of your game. I guarantee that, all else being equal, or even if you are slightly better than your competition, if you fail to write a thank-you note and they do write one, they will get the offer.

With that in mind, the content and style of your note can make a difference as well. So, to give you all some direction, I've chosen 5 sample thank-you letters which each highlight a key point. Without further ado:

1. The Targeted Letter, QuintCareers.com

This letter addresses a specific point, in this case the fit of the interviewee in the organization. A letter like this may be particularly useful if the interviewer stressed the importance of something like fit, or if you felt it may have come across as a weakness of yours during the interview. It is relatively formal with the full business letter heading, but this is okay. I also really like how the writer re-mentions the name of the interviewer in the closing paragraph. It adds a nice personal touch to an otherwise formal letter. And people like to hear/read their own names, makes them feel powerful.

On Sunday, as I walked off of the beach for the last time, I had goosebumps and bittersweet feelings. It felt amazing that it was all over and everything we had set out to accomplish was successfully completed. However, it was also a sad moment thinking that this would be the last time I walked off the site of the Festival.

I had grown quite attached to the position and the students who worked the festival - with some I had even formed great friendships.

The four-day festival was an amazing experience. From day one we hit the ground running as I, along with my team, registered students at all of the events. I mainly worked at the Grand Tasting Village, Burger Bash and BubbleQ events - the ones directly on the beach.

College is a time of extreme freedom but, let's face it, not everything about college screams unfettered space. Students don't usually have a lot of extra money and that means that their personal space is limited. In fact, the average college student has bunked down in a dorm room. According to the 2000 census, about 2 million students were crashing in dormitories or residence halls. The 2010 census is not yet complete, but expect to see those numbers balloon with an increase of college attendance coupled with a recession keeping people out of the labor market and in school.

As we all know, dorms are crowded, often messy places. They teach us that sometimes it really is time to do that laundry and take out the garbage. Sure, your mom isn't nagging you, but your roommate sure is. Dorms force us into close confines with strangers, they teach us to adapt to new environments and to interact with myriad personalities in tight quarters. Proper dorm etiquette will prepare you for your first real job where you will spend most of your time in small spaces with a variety of people. Whether you are in a very collegiate start-up environment or a corporate cube-farm, your dorm room will have prepared you to share limited resources like: bathrooms, refrigerators, and common areas with people that you didn't necessarily choose yourself.

2. Drinking

Like in college, the modern professional is presented with plenty of opportunities to have a few pints, pitchers, or cocktails after work. Unlike your fraternity pledge master however, your work supervisor will find it much less entertaining if you show up for the job late, hung-over, or generally unproductive. Sure, you could order that last call drink on a Wednesday night... but Thursday morning will come awfully fast and you won't have the option of just skipping this class. Save big nights for the weekend, and definitely avoid keg stands at all company parties - even if your inverted shot gunning skills are the pride of Iowa. Continue reading ...

New Grad Life is the only blog solely dedicated to providing free resources to recent college graduates or soon-to-be grads for topics such as job hunting, resume/interview help, networking tips, money management, and more.

For many, LinkedIn causes confusion - what is it, exactly? Is it a virtual Rolodex, a place to showcase one's resume, or is it a social network? My answer - yes, yes, and yes. Here are 7 tips and tricks to greatly improve your LinkedIn experience and make it a site you want to visit every single day.

1. Expand Your Network

With a limited number of connections, LinkedIn is going to be pretty darn boring for you. There will be few updates for you to see, and virtually nobody will read your status changes. So, how do you expand your network to include relevant connections? Send the invitations yourself! Don't be shy about it, either. I say go for the gusto, invite the CEO of your company to connect, invite the awesome presenter that enthralled you at the latest conference, invite anyone that you either know well or want to know better.

But, when you do send the invite, follow these tips for how to properly construct the invitation.

2. Be Creative With Your Headline

Most tend to assume that a LinkedIn headline should include only your precise job title. Why? The LinkedIn police aren't going to hunt you down for adding a bit of creative flair to your profile.