Moms seem to have the magical ability to do fifty things at once while remaining calm and keeping a smile on their face. The truth is, Moms are under a lot of stress. Moms going to college are under even more stress. Mothers continuing an education set a good example for their children, and for other working Moms who think they are stuck in a dead end job. This Mother’s Day, show your graduating Mom how proud of her you are with a gift she can use in her new career.
- Mentor
- Resort or Spa
- Gift Certificate
- Professional Resume Writer
- Donation
- Framed Diploma
- Gift Basket
- Engraving
- Handmade Gift
A mentor. A job mentor is a specialist that works one on one with their clients to help them reach their career goals. Mentors teach interview techniques, resume critiquing, and other basics necessary for landing a job in today’s tough market. A mentor also acts like a coach: pushing their job seeker to work harder and harder, and then cheering them on when they land a job.
A weekend away at a resort spa. Show Mom you recognize how hard she has been working by giving her a break. Pick a spa that offers massage, facials, and total pampering. When you book the room, see if you can arrange to pay for your Mom’s food and drink bills. Resist all temptation to call her up while she is catching up on some much needed rest.
A gift certificate for clothing and makeup. Graduating Moms need career wardrobes. A good basic wardrobe will include pants, jackets, shirts (and maybe skirts). Also included are shoes, makeup and accessories. Don’t make the mistake of trying to buy your Mom’s clothing yourself. Instead, buy a certificate to her favorite department store or mall.
A gift certificate to her favorite office supply store. Again, the rule is to not attempt to pick out these items yourself. It is more fun for Mom to go shopping for her own things, and you don’t have to worry about her not liking what you brought her.
A professional resume writer. Your Mom will now be in the market for a new job. In today’s tough job market, graduating Mom’s need all the help they can get. A professionally written resume will give your Mom that much needed edge over the competition.
A donation to her favorite charity. Show your Mom how much you respect her values by giving a donation to her favorite charity (in her name, of course). Not sure about what charity to give to? You can also make a donation to her college or university.
Have her diploma professionally framed. A framed diploma will allow your Mom to show off her accomplishments in an elegant manner. Professional framers are not hard to find. Look in your phone book. Most large hobby stores also have professional framing services.
A gift basket filled with necessities. This can include almost anything: makeup, pens, address book, perfume, toiletries, photos.
Something engraved. Give her a gift of silver or gold that has been engraved. The engraving can be a message of well wishes, the year she graduated, etc. What you have engraved can be a piece of jewelry, a photo frame, or an ornament of some type.
Short on cash? Give her something handmade. Mom’s tend to be sentimental and a homemade gift is guaranteed to please. Homemade gifts can be simple or extravagant. If your Mom like’s flowers you can simply plant her a garden. Finished photo albums are always popular. Other ideas: a flowered wreath, jewelry, or hand stitched clothing.
Get a diploma online!
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There was a time that college graduates spiffed up their resumes, printed them out, and searched the local papers for job opportunities. Then Monster.com came along and resume submission became easier as graduates applied for jobs online. Recently, the popularity of social media has added another layer to the graduate job search. Graduates need as many tools in their job search arsenal as are available to position themselves in today’s competitive job market.
Facebook is another of those tools. Facebook has more than 300 million active users which translates to a huge audience of potential employers and networking connections. Since many businesses who recognize Facebook’s power have already created a presence on Facebook, you can make key connections with the company; not to mention recruiters are scouring social media sites for potential employees. However, recognizing Facebook’s part in the job search is just the beginning. As with any job search tool, you must familiarize yourself with its use.
Clean up your profile
Look at your pictures, comments and posts. If you have been using Facebook as a personal page, these things don’t matter; but if you begin to use it as a professional job search page, they matter a great deal. Be smart and remember that the web never forgets. Before you make a post, ask yourself whether or not that post would position you as a eligible job candidate or disqualify you as someone who is employable.
Work on your profile
Find a professional looking photo for your image and use it. Remember that your profile will in a sense, become your resume. If you’re using Facebook for the job search, make sure your profile is complete, highlighting your assets, your job and/or work experience, a blog if you have one, your LinkedIn connection page, and your Twitter account.
Use Facebook applications
There are a number of Facebook applications targeted to job seekers. Take advantage of those tools and add them to your Facebook strategy.
Consider using Facebook ads
Many job seekers have spent money on a resume service, paid for a recruiter or headhunter, or subscribed to a targeted job search site. Why not consider using Facebook ads? Facebook allows you to target ads specifically and they are not that expensive. Landing a job is all about standing out in the applicant pool. Consider targeting a specific company with a very specific ad. This technique will at the very least start a conversation and allow you to make some key networking contacts.
Use the Marketplace
This is not a widely used tool, but deserves your attention. Marketplace has a section that lists available jobs and allows you to connect directly with the person responsible for the posting.
Search, engage and network
Use Facebook’s search tool to find people, pages, groups and links allowing you to engage key people and make those valuable connections. It’s all about building relationships that will help you find the right job. Read posts, comment and use the link capabilities to post articles and videos related to your field of expertise. Start conversations that move your feed up to the top of news feeds by incurring multiple “likes” and comments. Being at the top translates into being read and recognized. Get that word out that you are experienced and available.
As with any social media job searching tool, the key word is “social”. In order for these tools to be effective, you must engage with your audience and network with employers and recruiters. If you follow that rule, snagging that job after graduation should be a piece of cake!
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If you’re a college student, you’ve probably heard the buzz about Twitter. Many people, even upcoming graduates, might find Twitter to be more of a “post your thoughts” social tool, akin to text messaging. But in reality, Twitter can be a valuable job assist tool for every college graduate, especially in such a competitive marketplace. As a smart and savvy graduate, you should optimize social media to your advantage; and if you haven’t taken the Twitter plunge yet, there’s no time like the present to dive into this vast world of possibility.
Twitter doesn’t release user numbers, but most public estimates put the user base at around four million to five million, with about 30% or more being very new or limited users. That’s quite a formidable group for job seekers to tap into. Wise graduates will do well to follow the following steps and add Twitter to their job hunting arsenal.
- Create a Twitter account
- Work on your follower list
- Get the word out that you are job hunting
- Make use of the Twitter job resources
- Communicate your expertise
Since you will be using this account for a professional job search, you need to brand yourself as a professional. Use your name as a Twitter handle (i.e. JaneSmith, JohnSmith) and take the time to create a professional profile that will attract other professionals in your target market. If you don’t have a blog or website, you can connect it to your LinkedIn profile. Use key words in your profile that will communicate your education and/or job experience (i.e. effective social media marketer, background in internet marketing, experience in global marketplace). Use a professional looking avatar, usually a picture, and create a background that communicates your career background, education and experience.
As with any job search, it’s often not “what you know”, but “who you know” that helps you get your foot in the door. Job recruiters are now using Twitter to look for potential job applicants. Do some searches looking for the companies you are interested in working for using LinkedIn or Google and search for their Twitter username. Follow them and read their feeds; they often post information related to current job openings. Increase your list of followers daily and they will begin to follow you back.
Once you have established a strong follow list and are following some recruiters, begin to get the word out that you are searching for a job. Use the 140 characters to craft a simple job statement, including the type of job you are interested in and the type of company or industry that most interests you.
You can do a search for “jobs” or “marketing”, but the most effective way to use Twitter for your post-graduation job search is to use some applications that have been created to help employers and job seekers. One of these tools is @Microjobs: employers use the service and their jobs are automatically tweeted to their network of followers. Another resource is TweetMyJobs. Follow the #TweetMyJobs hashtag for up-to-the-minute job postings. There are a variety of Twitter accounts specifically created to provide job listings by field, company, region, and more. You can also sign up on Twitter for mobile alerts from these accounts ensuring that you are among the first to be notified of specific job openings.
Use Twitter to communicate your knowledge and expertise within your specific field. You can use “what’s happening” area in your profile to post articles related to the job segments you are searching in. You can offer advise and answer questions related to specific industries. Both of these tactics will attract the interest of recruiters and possibly company executives who are on Twitter as well. Additionally, by communicating regularly pertinent information, Google is now ranking tweets in their searches. This adds to your credibility in your field.
Have you used Twitter to find a job? Leave a comment here and tell us about your experience.
Earn your master’s degree while working full time.
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