Should You Reject A Rejection Letter?

Posted on August 31, 2009 by

Interesting post over at Guerrilla Job Hunting. The general idea is that it can pay off to reply to a rejection letter.

This is news to me. I have received plenty of rejection letters in my time but I have never responded to one in this manner.

Here’s the idea…

…write a gracious reply, thanking the company for their time and reaffirming [your] strong desire to work for them.

Seems to have worked for this person. But I would probably caution you against this technique. Companies usually send out rejection letters once they have an accepted offer in hand. I would guess that most successful candidates don’t turn down offers that they have already accepted (especially in this economy).

So while you might get lucky, your time would be better spent moving on to other open positions rather than following up on rejection letters.

Anyone disagree?

Link Love: Twitter And Your Job Search

Posted on August 30, 2009 by

Given Twitter’s incredible growth over the past year, it’s no surprise that everyone has some advice on how Twitter can be used to aid in your job search.

After reading hundreds of these types of articles and posts over the last several months, here are some of my favorites:

How To Use Twitter To Job Search: Simple advice from The Job Bored.

5 Times To Use Twitter While Your Manager’s Talking – Without Losing Your Job…: An amusing post about when you shouldn’t Tweet.

Career Gear: The TweetDeck, Your Job Search Dashboard: A guide for using TweetDeck in your job search.

Twitter To Find A Job: Forbes finally caught on and posted their own Twitter job hunting advice. The old media has arrived (better late than never).

30 Ways to Lose a Job on Twitter: One of my favorite articles from all of 2009. It’s a collection of Tweets that might get you fired. Ouch!

Tweeting for a job: A new grad’s guide to using Twitter to find a job.

Enjoy!

Gradversity Quick Tip #5: Tailoring

Posted on August 29, 2009 by

No recruiter likes to read a generic cover letter or resume. This type of “rookie move” does not make an employer believe that you understand the needs of the organization.

Take the time to tailor each resume and cover letter to the specific job and your success rate will go up.

How To Ensure Twitter Doesn’t Hurt Your Job Hunt

Posted on August 28, 2009 by

Fantastic post up on the 45 Things blog called Twitter Tips for Job Seekers. This article includes a list of excellent rules to follow if you plan on using Twitter as part of your job search.

Among the advice:

Sound smart. Use proper punctuation, grammar and spelling. Using all lower case and lots of text acronyms makes you look and sound like an eighth grader.

and…

Clean tweets, only. Don’t tweet – or retweet – anything profane, racist, sexist or anything you wouldn’t say to your grandmother.

and finally…

No whining. We all know the job market is tough and looking for work can be difficult. But employers want to get to know people who confront challenges and are energized by them. When you blame outside forces for your woes: “The economy sucks. My state sucks. My school sucks,” employers fear the bitching could extend to them if they employ you, so they move on.

All in all, this is a great article for any progressive job hunter to read. Check it out here.

Gradversity Quick Tip #4: Avoid Fragrances

Posted on August 27, 2009 by

You may love wearing the latest perfume or cologne, but doing so will likely hurt your chances of getting through the interview process. While there is always a chance that an interviewer will love your scent, these smells are a turn-off for many people.

Sadly, first impressions are often the ones that decisions are based on. Don’t allow your fragrance spoil an otherwise great first impression.

The Dangers Of Practice Interview Questions

Posted on August 26, 2009 by

I was reading the Cheezhead site recently and found an article called 100 Great Interview Questions. While the list did contain a large number of great questions, it also reminded me of why I think practice interview questions can be bad for your overall interview experience.

One of the things I used to do when preparing for an interview was to find lists of interview questions and rehearse the answers that I thought would best received by the interviewer. I would practice my responses over and over until:

I was perfectly happy with what I was going to say
I could recite the answers at will.

Then two things happened:

First, I had an interview where not one of the questions I had practiced were asked within the first twenty minutes.

Second, when a question did arrive that I had an answer to, I was too flustered from the previous unpracticed questions that I botched my planned response.

I realized right there that it was far more important to be able to think on your feet and provide relevant answers than memorize specific responses. Doing this also has the added benefit of allowing you to speak more naturally instead of in the canned monotone voice that often comes with memorized answers.

Now I’m not trying to suggest that running through a mock interview or practicing the answers to common interview questions is bad. What I am trying to make you aware of is the fact that no matter how many practice interview questions you answer, you will never be able to prepare for every question you could possibly face. This means that practicing the art of answering a question is far more valuable than knowing the answer to a specific question.

So when you are preparing for your next interview, ask a friend to quiz you with unorthodox questions that aren’t on the “best interview question” lists. It may help your interview technique and improve your chances.

Hiring Binge At Facebook

Posted on August 24, 2009 by

What recession?

News hit recently that Facebook is planning to go on a hiring spree this year, scooping up unemployed or under-employed engineers as it looks to deepen its talent pool. According to CNET news:

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to increase the company’s head count by as much as 50 percent this year. The young founder said in an interview with Bloomberg that since there are a significant number of engineers and developers looking for work, Facebook–still flush with venture funding, and with revenues on the rise–can scoop them up.

Impressive. I guess I underestimated just how big Facebook really is…

Facebook has big expectations for this year’s revenue. Board member Marc Andreessen said the revenue for 2009 should reach $500 million; COO Sheryl Sandberg said it should grow 70 percent compared to 2008. Since Facebook’s financials aren’t public, we can’t be sure what the numbers for 2008 really were (Facebook’s own projections from January 2008. were at 300 – 350 million dollars).

I still find it baffling that Facebook can employ so many people. I’m even more astounded at its current and projected revenues (which are stellar for a company its age).

So what does this mean for your job hunt? If you are interested in technology and social networking, you may be able to land a spot at one of technology’s hottest companies.

But better still, nothing inspires creativity more than strong competition. Dozens of competitors (both large and small) will be gunning for a piece of the space that Facebook currently occupies. This means more jobs are likely on their way soon, a definite plus for anyone looking for a position with a tech startup.

Gradversity Quick Tip #3: Be Early

Posted on August 23, 2009 by

Always plan to show up to an interview at least 15 minutes early. Being early shows an employer that you are a punctual person and conveys the message that you take the interview process seriously. It also allows you some extra time in case you get held up for any reason (traffic, lost, etc).

Why is this important? Because showing up late to an interview, regardless of the excuse, will usually end your candidacy for the job. Always be early!

Gradversity Quick Tip #2: Smile

Posted on August 22, 2009 by

Just before you walk into an interview, be sure and remind yourself to smile. A smile is a great way to connect with a potential employer and it might just be what separates you from another, equally qualified candidate.

Don’t underestimate the power of a genuine smile. It just might win you the job.

Gradversity Quick Tip #1: Proofread

Posted on August 21, 2009 by

Spelling and grammar problems are the quickest way to derail your job applications. Ensure you proofread each cover letter and resume at least twice before you submit them to an employer. And, whenever possible, have a trusted friend or family member review them as well.

Err on the side of caution to ensure you don’t take yourself out of the running prematurely.

Don’t Be Lazy On LinkedIn

Posted on August 20, 2009 by

I was recently reading an article called LinkedIn – Is It Worth Being A Member? by the Job Search Ninja where he discusses ways that people can get the most out of their profile and networking opportunities. But as I was reading it, it occurred to me that the people he was referring to (the ones who complain that they don’t get anywhere by using LinkedIn) are likely going about it all wrong.

In fact, they are being lazy.

As human beings, we are always looking for short cuts and ways to get things done faster. However, some things are worth investing time in. Networking is one of those things.

I would argue that if you want to be successful when it comes to networking, you have to spend a lot of time doing it. There are no short cuts.

I think Todd (the Job Search Ninja), really hit the nail on the head in speaking about the importance of communicating with your LinkedIn network.

…this might sound pretty obvious, but it is no good just adding connections and then not communicating with your contacts. Remember, networking is about building relationships, and that requires regular communication.

This is excellent advice. You need to ensure that you have a relationship with each person in your network, not just a contact name to call on when you need a favor.

This article also has four other great tips for getting the most out of your time on LinkedIn. I suggest you take a look.

And the take away? Don’t Be Lazy On LinkedIn!

When A Typo Is More Than A Typo

Posted on August 19, 2009 by

What a blunder!

Stephen Harper (the Canadian Prime Minister) recently took a trip to Iqaluit for a tour of Canada’s arctic regions. However, the trip has been overshadowed by a major response to a minor error.

The problem started with a news release which was to outline the Prime Minister’s itinerary for his 5-day trip. The problem?

The release repeatedly spelled the capital of Nunavut as Iqualuit – rather than Iqaluit, which means “many fish” in the Inuktitut language.

While the typo may not seem like a major issue, it appears that this particular misspelling has a different, less appropriate meaning:

“It means people with unwiped bums,” said Sandra Inutiq of the office of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut.

Yikes! Both a typographical and cultural faux pas!

That, boys and girls, is further proof that you need to proofread anything that you send out to employers.

Any questions?

The Importance of IRL (In Real Life)

Posted on August 18, 2009 by

I spent some time recently reading an article by Donald Asher called Why College Grads Still Can’t Get a Job. The thesis of his article is that most New Grads looking for Entry Level Jobs fail in their initial job search because they are unwilling to do anything but search online.

I think he makes an excellent point. Anyone who reads Gradversity on a regular basis is aware of how important it is to get out and network with people in person, or IRL (In Real Life) as Donald suggests. While LinkedIn and other such sites are excellent tools for maintaining a network, they do not replace the need for Old Fashioned Networking. This is why the concept of IRL is so important.

In Donald’s article, he cites a report by CareerXroads which explains how employers find external candidates to fill open positions (regardless of whether they are publicly posted or not). Here are the results:

27% – Employee Referrals
20% – Corporate Web Site
12% – Job Boards
8% – Direct Sourcing
4% – College Recruiting
3% – Print Advertising
3% – Search Engine Marketing
3% – Career Fairs / Open Houses
3% – Temp-to-Perm
3% – Employment Agencies
2% – Rehires
1% – Walk Ins
10% – All Others

Source: CareerXroads.com

While Mr. Asher’s article makes an interesting point about the importance of gaining an employee referral, I also know that it can be extremely difficult for a New Grad to gain one from someone they haven’t met.

Instead, I think that is is vital to point out that, even though 27% of hiring decisions are made based on employee referrals, that leaves a full 73% for all other methods. As you can see, the next three largest avenues that a company will persue are their Corporate Web Site, Independent Job Boards, and Direct Sourcing. These three methods make up a full 40% of all hiring decisions!

So what does this mean for you? While I agree with Donald that it is extremely important to focus on the “In Real Life” aspects of the networking and job search process, I don’t believe that focusing exclusively on employee referrals is the best way to go either.

My biggest problem with this is that if you begin networking solely for the purposes of obtaining a referral, you are going to come across as the type of person who is a one-sided networker. You will brand yourself as a leech who only uses people to achieve their own personal goals.

Instead, I would like to see you continue to expand your network using his IRL philosophy. Get out and meet people and develop relationships. And while you are doing this, ensure that the relationships are mutually beneficial. Only then can you use these relationships to get a foot in the door. No one wants to be used.

Don’t get me wrong, employee referrals are great, but you have to make sure that your networking goals are broad enough to help you achieve success quickly.

A Lesson From The Class Of 2009

Posted on August 17, 2009 by

CNNMoney posted an interesting story today called Class of 2009: Who’s Working, Who Isn’t:http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/news/0908/gallery.Class_of_2009_job_search/index.html. It is a cross-section of personal stories from this year’s graduating class. The 11 stories outline what this small subset of New Grads has been going through while looking for Entry Level Jobs.

While I probably don’t need to recap all of the stories for you (as you can read them yourself), I think it would be worthwhile to share some of the statistics:

Average Age: 24

Gender Split: 4 Men, 7 Women

Employment Numbers: 9 Employed, 2 Unemployed

Dream Job: Of the 9 that are employed, only 2 landed the job they wanted. The rest have a combination of part time jobs, unpaid internships, and zero salary positions

Payscale: 3 on salary*, 2 on hourly wage, 1 paid per personal training session, 1 paid by week (on a Fellowship).

* Note: Of the three people on salary, one was a 42 year old woman who went back to school, only to be told she was overqualified after graduating. She took a 10k/year pay cut to get back into the workforce.

So why and I sharing this with you if it is mostly doom and gloom? Because buried in the middle of all of these stories was a quote that describes how one motivated graduate got the attention of multiple companies.

Brandon Frame took a very unique approach to his job search and it paid off big time. Here is his explanation of what he did to stand out from the crowd:

I got recommendation letters tailored to each job. The work paid off, because almost every company took the time to interview me — some even paid to fly me in.

The result? Five job offers.

You read that right. Five job offers.

I’m speechless. This is not only a great idea, but also an excellent way to get yourself noticed by a potential employer. It’s almost unheard of for a company to spend the money to fly Entry Level Job candidates around the country for interviews.

The morale of this story? You need to do everything in your power to impress employers. Just handing out resumes is no longer good enough. You have to go the extra mile to get noticed. If you are willing to do this, positive results await.

The Basis For Hiring Decisions

Posted on August 16, 2009 by

Was browsing around Punk Rock HR the other day and came across a post called Why Some People Get Hired. What is really interesting about this post is that it contains a list of reasons that a company will choose a particular candidate to hire.

Here is a short sampling:

We hire for cultural fit.
We hire for motivation.
We hire based on education.

This is an extremely important list. It provides an excellent barometer from which you can determine whether or not you will be deemed hirable by a specific company. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to tell which reasons are the most important to a specific employer. However, if you have been successful in your networking activities, you may be able to narrow down the list.

And while you can’t always achieve each of these (ex. internships / rotational program), you can definitely take steps to ensure that you meet company hiring requirements.

If I were looking for a job today, I would do my best to ensure that I was compatible with as many of these reasons as possible, at least those within my control.

You can see the list here.

More Resume Mistakes To Avoid

Posted on August 15, 2009 by

The 8 Hours.com blog recently posted their list of the most common resume blunders that job hunters make. Ten Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid is a reasonably comprehensive list of potential mistakes that you will want to check for prior to sending out your resume.

And while it hits on some of the most common problems (spelling, grammar, incorrect information, over-exaggeration, etc…), there is also some other advice that you don’t see on similar lists.

My favorite:

No personal branding: Why you? Differentiate yourself from the pack. Turned around a project, calmed down an irate customer, walked on water …. don’t be modest on your resume.

The key point here is not to be “modest on your resume”. Your resume is your first (and often only) chance to sell yourself to a potential employer. If you aren’t able to take the bull by the horns and convey a strong, powerful message on your resume, it is almost guaranteed to go unnoticed. And an unnoticed resume is an ineffective resume.

Either way, this is a great checklist to go over prior to sending out you next resume. Read it here.

The First Rule Of Networking

Posted on August 14, 2009 by

Networking, especially in this economy, is one of the best things that you can do for your career. There is no better way to get ahead when it comes to your job hunt.

Unfortunately, I have never been a great networker. I’ve often been shy in social situations and I’ve never been very good at making small talk.

One of the things that I have always struggled with is how to “start” networking. When you are looking for a job and you don’t have a network to rely on, it can be a very daunting task. Things only seem worse when all of the career experts tell you that you need to network in order to find a job.

So how to do you actually start networking? Simple. You only have to follow:

Gradversity’s First Rule Of Networking:

Meet People.

That’s it. That’s all I want you to do. Get out and meet people. Just go out and have real conversations with real people. The strongest networks are made between people that have a connection on a personal level. And there is no better way to establish this type of connection than to just talk to someone.

So how can you meet people? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Join a club
Volunteer
Attend a public company’s annual meeting
Go to a concert

There are a million different ways you can meet people. But if you don’t meet and talk to them, you will never be able to really develop your network, no matter how many contacts you have on LinkedIn.

So go out and put Gradversity’s First Rule Of Networking to work. What are you waiting for?

Quote Of The Day: Michael Jordan

Posted on August 13, 2009 by

A great quote from a basketball legend about the relationship between success and failure. An excellent analogy for your job hunt.

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

~ Michael Jordan

Enjoy!

Is The Job Interview a Good Selection Method?

Posted on August 12, 2009 by

The job interview is the most common form of selection and one that most people are familiar with. Until recently, the interview has had bad press. Compared to other selection techniques it has been viewed as unscientific and highly prone to the effects of biases and prejudices held by interviewers.

Some of the reasons why interviews were/are viewed in negative light are as follows:

They are prone to judgements. For example – interviewers’ rating can be influenced by physical attractiveness and non-verbal cues such as smiling, body posture and hand movements. There is evidence that women who wear masculine suits receive more favorable ratings

Some research indicates that negative information (even if irrelevant) is given for more importance that positive information during an interview, which can lead to a wrong decision

Many times interviews are conducted in an un-structured format, without proper/standard measurement and rating procedures

However, even during the time when many viewed interviews negatively, there were areas where they were considered valuable. For example, there was evidence that two aspects of the characteristics of the applicant – personal relations and good citizenship behaviors – could be evaluated particularly well with the interview. Personal relations is the ability to form and maintain effective relations with others in the organization. Good citizenship behavior refers to the individual’s willingness to make a positive contribution to the organization, often by doing things which are not part of their formal job description, in order to help those around them and the organization in general.

Partly as a result of such criticism, improvements have been made to the design of interviews and there is evidence that this has had a positive effect. Properly designed and carried out, the selection interview can play a valuable role in the selection process. For organizations, an effort must be made to design an interview process which is structured and measurable. A structured interview is highly organized and involves the interviewer asking a pre-determined set of questions in a set order. These questions should be designed to evaluate the extent to which the interviewee has the characteristics that are known to be critical for performance on the job. Answers should then be scored according to a set of clearly defined rules.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Silly Mistakes Kill Cover Letters

Posted on August 11, 2009 by

There’s some great information to be found in Don’t Kill Your Resume With Dumb Errors, which was posted recently on Secrets of the Job Hunt.

I’ve read the whole thing a couple of times, and of all of the advice, the following really rings true with me:

Set your materials aside for at least 24 hours.

It is vital to step away from your work after completing it, especially if you are proofreading it yourself. This will provide the distance you need to be totally objective when reviewing it.

Lots of other good advice here. See Don’t Kill Your Resume With Dumb Errors.

Lindsey Pollack’s LinkedIn Profile Advice

Posted on August 9, 2009 by

I am a big believer in LinkedIn. So when I read that Lindey Pollack (Author of Getting From College To Career) had posted an article called 5 Steps to a Fantastic LinkedIn Profile, I knew that it needed to be shared.

While the title is self explanatory, it does include some excellent advice that will improve the efficiency of your LinkedIn networking. And she should know. She’s a Campus Spokesperson for LinkedIn itself.

Of each of the five points, there is one that sticks out to me as particularly important:

Share your news frequently.

The best way to stay on other people’s radar screens is to update your status on LinkedIn (the box near the top of your profile) at least once a week. Tell people about events you are attending, major projects you’ve completed, professional books you are reading, successes you are celebrating or any other news that you would tell someone at a networking reception or on a quick catch-up phone call.

This is excellent advice that all job seekers can use, not just those looking for Entry Level Jobs.

I would encourage you to look at all of Lindsey’s advice and to take some time to explore her site. She has a wealth of knowledge to share and is an excellent resource for any New Grad trying to find an Entry Level Job.

Happy Birthday Mrs. Gradversity!

Posted on August 8, 2009 by

It’s Mrs. Gradversity’s birthday today!

Congrats and enjoy the day!

Health Care Sector Adds Jobs In July

Posted on August 7, 2009 by

It’s refreshing to see that there are finally some positive economic numbers coming out. Andrea Santiago posted an article today called Healthcare Adds 20,000 Jobs in July. The title basically gives you all that you need to know, but perhaps we are finally coming out of this recession!

Are these the “Green Shoots” that the pundits and economists keep talking about?

Keep your fingers crossed!

Crowd-Sourced Interview Tips

Posted on August 6, 2009 by

MSN Careers, a great source of generic job search advice, has a crowd-sourced article up filled with tricks on how you can improve your interview performance. Have You Tried These Interview Tips? contains the advice of many successful job seekers across a variety of industries.

It is the fact that the advice is coming directly from job seekers (who are able to share “what works”) that I like most about this piece.

Among the best advice:

…talk if as if you already have the job. Say ‘I will,” not ‘I would.’ ‘I can,’ not ‘I could.’ This will remove doubt instead of inject it. Bosses like someone confident and proactive.

and

The interview is not about the candidate, it’s about the job. No matter how great you are as a person or employee, the interviewer is trying to fill a position. Hence, talk about the job as much as possible. Ask what a perfect candidate would be like. Only occasionally talk about yourself and only to show how you suit their requirements.

Regardless of whether you are actively looking for work, planning to switch careers, or just enjoy reading interesting material, this article is worth a read.

Check it out here.

Write Personalized Cover Letters

Posted on August 5, 2009 by

Quint Careers has an interesting article up outlining why Cover Letter Success is All About Specifics. And I couldn’t agree more.

Normally when I talk about writing cover letters and resumes, I like to harp on the fact that you need to stand out from the crowd. This, in my opinion, is an absolute must.

But at a higher level, it is important to understand that beyond just standing out from the crowd, sending generalized cover letters is no longer an option. Enough intelligent people are writing personalized cover letters to ensure that your generalized one will be immediately ignored.

Make sure you take some time to explore this article on how to craft a personalized cover letter. It will go a long way towards helping to land an interview.

Can’t Find A Job? Sue Your School!

Posted on August 4, 2009 by

Now that I’ve had a chance to get over my initial shock, I think it’s time to weigh in on the story of Trina Thompson. Trina made headlines recently by suing her school, Monroe College in New York. And why is she suing her school? Simple. She says that the…

Office of Career Advancement did not help me with a full-time job placement. I am also suing them because of the stress I have been going through.

As such, she is suing for $70,000 (her tuition) as well as $2,000 “to compensate for the stress of her three-month job search”.

Wow…I’m speechless.

But there is more to this story. When I first read it, I thought that this was a student with fantastic marks, tons of extra-curriculars, and some excellent summer work experience. I thought she may have felt slighted by the fact that her stellar resume didn’t attract attention.

On the contrary.

As the CNN article so kindly points out:

As Thompson sees it, any reasonable employer would pounce on an applicant with her academic credentials, which include a 2.7 grade-point average and a solid attendance record. But Monroe’s career-services department has put forth insufficient effort to help her secure employment, she claims.

“They’re supposed to say, ‘I got this student, her attendance is good, her GPA is all right — can you interview this person?’ They’re not doing that,” she said.

Did I read that right? The only thing she can think of to sell her skills and abilities is a 2.7 GPA and a “solid attendance record”? So now we are giving out awards for attendance? Give me a break. Employers don’t “pounce” on these types of opportunities, then run as fast as they can in the opposite direction.

But wait, there’s more…

Her complaint adds, “The office of career advancement information technology counselor did not make sure their Monroe e-recruiting clients call their graduates that recently finished college for an interview to get a job placement. They have not tried hard enough to help me.”

So I need to get this straight. Not only does it seem like she’s got her head in the clouds about current recruiting practices, but it seems as though she is expecting that the school will call companies and request interviews for her? She must be completely delusional.

Here’s the part that really, really gets me. Trina, by suing her school, has just performed the most epic act of career suicide I have ever seen.

Want proof? Type Trina Thompson into Google (or click the link). At the time that this post was published, 7 of the top 10 results in Google were about this story. With this type of publicity (the extremely negative kind), no employer will ever hire her.

So what does she have to gain from all of this?

Approximately $72,000, if (and that is one BIG if) she wins her case.

What does she have to lose?

Lawyer fees
What is left of her seriously tarnished reputation.

My advice to Trina?

First, drop the lawsuit as fast as you can. Make a public statement admitting that this was a mistake and set out to repair what is left of your good name. You have already seriously handicapped your current job search and there is no sense doing any more damage than you already have.

Second, do some research. Take a good, hard look at your job search and find ways to improve it. Network, volunteer, cold call or even knock on doors.

Finally, put in the effort that ever other New Grad is having to put in. No one, especially in this economy, is going to hand you a job on a silver platter. Even in good times, people have to work to get jobs. They don’t expect their career center to do all the work.

I’m a firm believer in people’s ability to overcome bad situations (even self inflicted ones). I honestly hope that Trina eventually finds the job she wants, but I also hope that she takes something away from this whole experience.

And finally, a note to her lawyer (who may or may not have convinced her that this was a good idea)…shame on you.

Claim Your Name

Posted on August 3, 2009 by

A short time ago I decided that it was time to get serious about my online presence. After a little thought, I figured that a good start would be to claim my name (Trevor Wilson) as a web domain.

I started my search with trevorwilson.com. This seemed to be the most logical choice. However, to my surprise, it was already taken (I was a little naive).

So I thought to myself, no problem, I’ll just pick up my domain with one of the “lesser” domain suffixes. So I tried trevorwilson.net. To my surprise, it was gone too.

trevorwilson.org? Gone.

trevorwilson.info? Gone.

trevorwilson.biz? Gone as well.

That’s when it struck me. I had lost out on my own name. Apparently, there is another Trevor Wilson in San Francisco who was much quicker than I was (though admittedly, I arrived late on the scene). He managed to scoop up all of best domain extensions for our name.

That being said, I did still manage to pick up www.trevorwilson.ca (which is a good compromise as I’m Canadian and .ca domains are reasonably popular here).

But the fact that I did not get one of the best top level domains really hurt. This is obviously a lost opportunity on my part (and the reason for this post).

However, it doesn’t have to be that way for you. If you have a few extra bucks kicking around (which I know is a stretch in this economy), try to claim your name. Even if you don’t immediately use it, at least you can forward it to something useful (your LinkedIn profile, your Facebook page, another blog, etc). Ultimately, I’m hoping to use trevorwilson.ca for an online resume, but for the time being, it is directed back to the Gradversity Home Page.

Note: If you are looking for a great host for your domain name, check out Lunarpages.

But claiming your name doesn’t end with domain names. Your favorite social networks are a prime location to grab your name. Twitter, MySpace, and even Facebook are great places to start securing your online brand.

Securing the rights to your own name (either through domains, social networks, or other means) ensures that you have control over what is posted about you on the web. This gives you an opportunity to show employers exactly what they want to see when they do their research. It also allows you to produce content that gets you noticed by those same employers.

You name is an invaluable tool. Claim your name and use it wisely. It just might make the difference in landing the job you really want.

Making An Entry Level Salary Work

Posted on August 2, 2009 by

Even though finding an Entry Level Job is often “the hard part”, it’s not the only challenge that you will face. It can also be very challenging to get by once you’ve found one.

Truth be told, I’m a bit of a personal finance junkie. While I am still paying down my student loans (and will be for the next several years), I do my best to avoid any kind of consumer debt. The thought of running up large credit card balances scares me.

That being said, I know first hand how difficult it can be to get by on an Entry Level salary. It was a big shock when I landed my first job offer, only to be surprised at how small the offer was. But I wasn’t alone. Many of my classmates and friends ran into the same problem. Often, your first job pays you barely enough to live on (or in some cases less, depending on your current lifestyle).

So when I read Stretching An Entry Level Salary As Much As Possible (from The Sun’s Financial Diary), I thought it would be worthwhile to share some of their tips.

Most of the article has to do with how you can modify your lifestyle to suit your income. One of the best pieces of advice has to do with how you can reduce your housing costs:

Rent a smaller unit. Rent an apartment unit that is fairly small but closer to work. Once you graduate from college and starting working as a young professional, rent will probably become your largest monthly overhead expense.

This is great advice. You can even take it a step further and find a roommate. This is a great way to cut down on one of your biggest expenses.

Hopefully, when you land your Entry Level Job, it will exceed your salary expectations. But just in case it doesn’t, give Stretching An Entry Level Salary As Much As Possible a read.

Overcoming "Grad-Versity"
Entry Level Job Advice for Recent Graduates

Monthly Archives: August 2009