There are a few things that you should consider as you begin your job search that will give you a better understanding of the job market, such as:

• What is the employment environment in your area?
• Which industries are growing and which ones are stable?
• Which industries are in decline?
• What occupations are in high demand?
• What are the going wages for certain jobs?

Why Most Job Searches Fail?

The average job hunter thinks that job-hunting requires no preparation, just show up and interview for the job, what’s so difficult about that, right? Well, job hunting in itself is a job and it requires preparation, patience, determination, thinking out of the box and superior research skills among others. Just showing up unprepared will get you the interview, but not the job.

Alternative Ways to Get a Job

Networking – Job hunting is a full time job. To make this process a bit easier, you should let everyone know that you are looking for a job; this network of people should include your family, friends, school counselor, former professor and anyone else you can think of in your community that can help you with job leads.

The Internet – The internet is almost like a one stop shop for job hunters, but at the same time the internet should not be looked at as the only place to find work. If you didn’t find it on the internet that means that no jobs are available. The internet is very useful when it comes to doing research on jobs, companies, salaries, make contacts and network with people, post your resume and search for vacancies listed by employers.

Career counseling – At some point, after you have tried looking for a job but to no avail, you should seek the help of career counselors who can help you prepare for job interviews, resume preparation, interview preparation tips, and career guidance among others.

Books – Visit your neighborhood library and find books on how to write a winning resume, books on how to write cover letters, books on how to prepare for job interviews and check out the section for job vacancies while you’re there.

Self-inventory – Before you begin your job search and prepare your resume, do a thorough self-inventory of the transferrable skills that you have, then use this information to focus your search for work.

Newspaper – The Sunday edition of the newspaper usually prove most useful when looking for jobs. Go through the classified job section and search for your desired job, this can be time consuming process especially during this time of recession but usually newspapers are one of the effective mean to look for potential employer.

Temp agencies – Get the help from temporary employment agencies. Sometimes temp jobs can lead to permanent jobs, or at the very least you will have gain additional experience to add to your resume. Experienced candidates are always more marketable and valuable for employers.

Government jobs - Take advantage of the civil service exam for government jobs. You can visit them at http:/federaljobs.net/exam.htm. Government jobs are often considered as most coveted jobs because of the esteem and prestige they bring also there are many fringe benefits associated with such jobs.

Resume – Mail out resumes to potential employers, but try to keep a follow-up as well. Try to make your resume as effective and updated as possible. Your resume reflects your personality; make them as fool proof as possible. Typos spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, incomplete or false information are big NO; try to avoid them at all costs.

Cold calls – Call places that interest you or even visit these companies whether they advertise a vacancy or not. It is a good idea to visit potential employers; there are instances when big companies often don’t advertise for any openings available. Many companies offer job employment form to walk in candidates and call you when they have an opening. In-house hiring & word of mouth publicity is another quick way of landing a job.

Follow these basic job hunting tips to get you started on a successful job hunting journey.

Even though a college degree may not be the only safe path to professional and financial success or may not get you passed through your job interview right away, a college degree is still worth having. As a matter of fact, in some occupations having a degree is the only way to get the job. So won’t you say then, that there are more advantages to having a degree than not having one?

Advantages of a College Degree

Pursuing a college degree is both time consuming and costly, I would have to agree. But in the end, college graduates usually see a return in their hard work and financial investment. Most students who are pursuing a college degree usually set their sights on the long-term payoffs which include:

• Higher salaries
• Lower unemployment
• Greater promotion prospects
• Wider variety of career options
• Less likely to suffer from depression
• Quickly adapt to new tasks and technologies
• Easier to enter any of the fastest growing occupations

Job Outlook for College Graduates

According to statistics and projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), college graduates will continue to have bright prospects. Between 2002 and 2012, more than 14 million job openings are projected to be filed by workers who have bachelor’s or graduate degree and who are entering an occupation for the first time.

However, the career outlook of individuals with a degree will also depend on:

• The local job market
• The occupation you are trying to enter
• The economy
• Your level of experience
• Level of education attainment
• Field of study
• Employment growth
• The type of degree you have

Historically, education has paid off and the need for college graduates will continue to be in high demand in the workforce. More and more high school students will choose to go to college and earn a college degree simply because of the advantages of having a degree. With careful planning and research and selecting the right degree, is without a doubt well worth the investment. So, how worthy is your degree? I’d say it’s worth having one.

Honorary Degree Criteria

The golden question is “what qualifies a celebrity for an honorary degree?” Here, we will attempt to dispel the misunderstandings behind the selection of celebrities for honorary degrees. To qualify for selection for an honorary degree celebrities should:

• They show exemplary service in choice of service to society, locally or internationally
• Their core values have an affect on the society
• Their values reflect those of the university
• They show a willingness to accept the degree and have the capacity to be a reasonable commencement speaker

Honorary Degree Awardees

Over the years, we have seen many celebrities being awarded inspiring degrees. Some of these have come as a surprise, while others seemed to have taken too long for their recognition. Some of these celebrities include:

Oprah Winfrey: In May of 2009, Oprah Winfrey was honored with an Honorary Doctor of Human Letters Degree from Duke University. During her 25 min commencement speech, she mentioned one of the best ways of enhancing your life is by enhancing the lives of others. Oprah Winfrey is widely known for her many contributions to social development most notably her recently opened school for girls in South Africa. She also encouraged the 4,400 member audience to make wise decisions daily and stand in their own shoes with humility, compassion and courage.

Jon Bon Jovi: In 2001 the rock star and Grammy, Golden Globe and American Music Awards winner was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities Degree by Monmouth University, located in his home state of New Jersey. Although Jon Bon Jovi is known for his many onstage performances, little is known about his deliberate local focus of his charity work. By choice, he focuses on developing his local community by focusing on sports development, aids prevention and health care.

Yoko Ono: The famed wife of slain Beatles singer John Lennon was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Liverpool University in 2001 and a year later an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Bard College. Yoko Ono is widely known for her activities for the peace movement and human rights along with creation of the Strawberry Fields Memorial in Central Park.

Kermit the Frog: The iconic TV character was created in 1955. He was made popular by the TV program Sesame Street that is watched by millions of children worldwide in hundreds of different languages. In 1996, Kermit the Frog was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Amphibious Letters by Southampton College in New York. Funny enough, although being a puppet, Kermit the Frog was on hand to give a commencement speech.

Do you know of any other celebrity with honorary degree that we might have missed out? In that case don’t forget to share your list with us.

Twitter and Career Building

Are you wondering what twitter can do to build your career? May be you are even puzzled as to know what a social networking site has to do with career building? Well friends, twitter offers many feeds on a variety of topics ranging from education, career, health, spirituality, fashion, business to finance. These feeds offer the latest information on the topic that helps students to make use of the best opportunities.

Twitter Feeds on Career

Feeds are basically information on career and related issues. Twitter feeds cover inspirational and informative issues and also enable the students and freshers to get an idea about a working environment and its nature. It is a fact that there are a number of freshers who fear getting into the real working world. When it comes to career options and choosing them, update information on it is critical. You can try visiting the following career related feeds.

• @careerchatter
• @LinkedInExpert
• @EntryLevelJob
• @GradtoGreat
• @buddingup
• @resumeservice
• @rockthejob
• @sweetcareers
• @AlisonDoyle

These twitter feeds offer advices to freshers looking out for a job, no cost coaching and career related training, even jobs posting are available on these feeds, tips on finding the most desirable job, entry level jobs and their requirements, find job using technology and social networking.

Twitter feeds on career are very helpful as it enables students to experience the real world of working and its complications much before entering it, in a way preparing them for the worst to achieve the best. With time to time updation it has become the order of the day to follow various twitter feeds online. Information thus offered enables them get prepared for the best of career opportunities, building and shaping career choices.

Few Pros and Lots of Cons of using a Credit Card – The choice is yours!

PRO Most banking institutions will offer benefit points for transaction with a credit card. Under this system, students can retrieve these points through discounts at organizations affiliated with these banks. The rate of expenditure from using your credit card to fund your tuition would give students many bonus points and save them some money for other purchases.

CON However, these credit cards have very high interest rates and charges for membership that simply eats the superficial benefits advertised by these banks.

CON If students are not disciplined with their credit card monthly repayment and just focus on paying the minimal monthly installments, in a short time their interest rate will be through the roof and they will fall into default of their payments.

CON Credit card also encourage spending sprees among students. Because using plastic removes the feel of actually seeing your money leave your pocket, students tend to forget their limits when spending with credit cards.

CON There is no grace period in the payments of moneys used from a credit card. All interest and sums used must be paid monthly to avoid excessive interest and penalties.

CON The interest rates charged by credit card may fluctuate through its life cycle, as they are susceptible to market forces.

PRO Credit card loans can be discharged under bankruptcy protection laws.

CON Because credit cards are from private institutions, there are no voluntary work mechanisms in place that card help to reduce your credit card debt.

Lots of Pros and a Con of the Student Loan

PRO The student loan is the best option outside of self-financing for any individual seeking to advance their education. Student loans offer a safe, stable and secure mechanism through students can receive an education loan at comparatively low interest rates. This interest rate will remain the same throughout the entire life cycle of the loan.

PRO Student loans give students a six-month grace period after graduation before they are required to start repaying their student loans.

PRO If students default on their payments and are being harassed by collectors, they can apply to the state’s education board to seek a cease and desist order that prevents the collector from calling them. This does not remove the debt but removes the stress from these creditors.

CON Graduates are prohibited from discharging their student loan debt by declaring bankruptcy. This is because the student loan falls under social services offered by the government.

PRO After graduation, students can reduce their student loans through many mechanisms. This can be done by working with various non-profit or governmental organizations.