You can bury your head in the sand and choose to ignore that these are uncertain times; or you can spend your summer making some positive changes and work toward stabilizing your future. It simply requires a determination to effect change and the necessary information to make the change. Depending on your status within the marketplace, your path to change should be catered to your individual circumstances.

Currently Employed

If you are currently employed, you should ask yourself this question: Am I secure in my current position? Most companies are looking for ways to cut costs, save money, and streamline their workforce. You can increase your value to your company by pursuing additional education related to your career or position. Studies have shown that employers value employees who make the decision to return to college or seek professional development while on the job and many times will reimburse the employee for the education.

Seeking Employment

There are 5.5 million Americans currently unemployed and the number of low income jobs in the United States has risen steadily over the past 30 years and now account for 41 percent of all jobs in this country. Being one of the unemployed means you are looking for ways to find a job and because of the high numbers may have to think outside the box when conducting a job search.

The old-fashioned ways of “beating the pavement”, searching the classifieds, and even posting your resume online may not be as effective. Job seekers are spending more and more time using social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and company websites) to search for job opportunities and networking. These tools can result in unearthing jobs that aren’t normally posted online or in the classifieds.

Recently Graduated

The media has been flooded with news about the recent pool of college graduates. Here’s the good news: the private sector is now hiring. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal:

Employers plan to hire 19% more new graduates this year than in 2010, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. That means students were more likely to have offers as they head toward graduation. Among college seniors who applied for positions, the survey said, 41% had an offer this year, up from 38% last year.

But the job market remains uneven. Most hiring is in the private sector, while openings in the public sector, such as teaching, remain scarce. And the influx of another crop of graduates is making things harder for graduates of recent years who are still trying to find positions in their desired fields.

Here’s the bad news: many graduates are without job prospects and forced to move back home. High student loan debt has also prompted many graduates to move home, even though they are employed, to save money and pay down their debt.

Graduation should be an exciting time, but the competitive job market has graduates from previous years also clamoring for the same jobs. If you have recently graduated and find yourself in this position, consider taking the following steps:

• Make sure your resume is current, readable, posted online, and provides employers with a snapshot of the kind of employee you will be
• Network in person and online using social media
• Consider an internship or job shadowing in your particular field of expertise
• Use every opportunity to communicate that you are job hunting
• Never forget that while you are job searching–your job hunt is your job

Still in College

If you are in college, you are in the perfect position to use your summer to boost your resume by adding internships and job experience. While doing this, you can also network with potential employers about hiring after graduation. Many internships or summer jobs often result in job offers after graduation. Since many college students spend hours using social media, use that time to tweak your LinkedIn profile, make connections on Twitter, and clean up your Facebook page.

Using summer to increase your job security, secure employment, or work toward future employment is an excellent way to spend your time. You will improve your quality of life and look toward future summer vacations with anticipation once you are employed and enjoying vacation as a valued job perk.

Or does it? Oh sure, you have to eat and provide a roof over your head, but even so you have to ask yourself are there occupations that are worse than facing the unemployment line? Well, that depends on your pain threshold for all things “icky” versus giving up just about every luxury you love. It’s a balancing act in which you have to determine the tipping point. To find that sweet spot you have to face the lowest of the low and then test your gag reflex against it. Therefore, I give four jobs that are (probably) not worth doing, even if you’re unemployed in a bad economy.

1. Janitor in an Adult Movie Theatre

Hey, someone has to sweep up (and I use that term loosely) after the patrons in a theatre that caters to the raciest of adult entertainment. Unfortunately, the aftermath of a movie in this case is not limited to some scattered popcorn or a stray Jujube. And that sticky stuff on the floor? Probably NOT Mountain Dew. According to the adult theatre owners that I interviewed for this article (who wish to remain nameless) rubber gloves, a facemask, and several bleach-based cleaning products are required to get the job done. Also, an ability to believe just about anything you see (or find later) helps.

Pay range: Between minimum wage and upwards of $15/hour for shift managers.
Education required: None

2. Cat Box Cleaner for Tiger Habitat at the Zoo

Believe it or not, felines are all the same, whether they’re small and domesticated or huge and wild. The one thing they all agree upon is that they will never do their business where they sleep, eat, or play. In fact, they tend to pick a spot (call it a feline bathroom, if you will) where they repeatedly relieve themselves in all manners – which can get rather messy.

Zoos that like to keep things clean bring in kitty litter with the hope that the tigers will use it. And guess what? They do. That’s where you come in. Professional cage cleaners “flush” the cat boxes in the tiger habitats multiple times a day. Instead of a traditional pooper scooper a wheelbarrow is the tool of choice. Need I say more?

Pay range: Zoology interns – nothing to minimum wage. Man on the street – minimum wage.
Education range: Biology, zoology, veterinarian majors, helpful, but not required.

3. Manhole Cover Technician

Remember the video game Frogger in the 1980s? The point was to get your frog across eight lanes of traffic without getting squished. Same idea holds for the person who repairs manhole covers. Seems these urban lids (which are typically located in the middle of busy streets) tend to get stuck and damaged more often than you would think, and therefore must repaired. The Public Works Department considerately puts up a couple of flimsy, plastic barricades around you as you toil, which of course would stop any speeding vehicle from crushing you like a bug. (By the way, Public Works is considered the most delusional department in city government.)

Pay range: $15 to $30 per hour, depending on experience and city.
Education required: None, however, trade school in welding, construction, or ironworks helps.

4. Accountant for The Mob

This job definitely pays the most, but it’s a position in which you get to screw up only once. Plus the possibility of some prison time looms on the horizon, but hey, what’s an unemployed business major to do? No matter which branch of the Mob you work for, they like their books neat and tidy, with an ability to change at a moment’s notice, if necessary. True, you sometimes have to do double duty by keeping two or more sets of books, but the bonuses at Christmas time more than make up for your year round efforts.

Being a master of disguise is also a plus (but not required), as it may help if you have to go into the witness protection program.

Pay range: $50 per hour to “The sky’s the limit.”
Education: Business or accounting major (and a minor in criminology or law helps).

So as you can see, just because you haven’t found a job yet, doesn’t mean you should be down in the dumps about it. There’s always somebody WITH A JOB who has it worse than you. Besides, at some point the economy will recover, and you’ll get a job that’s even better than the one that left you behind. In the mean time, keep patching that Aerobed® on your mom’s back porch and be happy you’re not cooking the books for The Godfather.
Can you think of a job that’s worse than being unemployed? Lay it on us. The funnier, the better. We’re always looking for a good laugh.

If the reader of your resume can’t decipher your strengths, you’re toast. So to keep your resume from ending up in the recycling bin here are five of the most anemic resume killing descriptions you should avoid.

1. Works well with others

Okay, this just sounds like you play in a sandbox all day. And yes, you could say, “Well, that’s the analogy; that you do play well in the sandbox with the other kids.” But by whose standards? For example, a co-dependent party animal who tries to fix everyone’s else’s problems and a timid introvert who thinks family style dining is overrated could both put “works well with others” on their resumes, but would both be right for the same job? (Probably not.)

Describe the experience or trait that makes you easy to work with. For example, don’t just say you were a project manager in your last job, but instead explain what that means. Did you have to resolve personel conflicts? Rearrange employee schedules? Were you well liked? Those are the specifics potential employers want to know.

2. Go-to person

As in what? Go to h-e-double-hocky-sticks? Saying you’re a go-to person just implies…well, it implies nothing, really, except that you’re probably good at working the fast food counter at the Galleria Food Court.

If what you’re trying to say is that you’re a problem solver, then say that. List exactly which problems you solved in your last job and how you did it. Did you offer help, or did others come to you because you’re known for coming up with creative solutions? This is your big opportunity to toot your own horn. Don’t waste it.

3. Cutting-edge

This is the worst unmeasurable BS term on the planet. With technology moving faster than the speed of light, companies are always looking for people who have cutting-edge expertise. They want somebody who knows how to fix things before they break. Saying you have cutting-edge knowledge sets the bar pretty high, so by gosh, if they hire you, you’d better have it.

Instead of risking any misunderstanding or embarrassment, again, be specific about what you know. List the classes or seminars you’ve taken and when. If an expert in your field mentored you, say that. If you taught, list where, when, and for how long. Give details that set you apart from all the others who supposedly have cutting-edge knowledge.

4. Assisted with

I always love it when a women says, “My husband assisted with the birth of our child.” Oh really? Did he grow a uterus and take turns with you during labor? “Assisted with” pretty much means the person who assisted just stood around and watched while everyone else did the work. Why would you want to cop to that on your resume?

Instead, explain how you helped a project come to fruition. For example, if you were a research assistant in grad school, don’t talk about “assisting the professor,” list your exact tasks and how it made the professor’s research a huge success. Present yourself as a co-worker rather than a sideline observer.

5. Team Player

Unless you’re signing up to play Little League who the heck cares? Team player? I thought I was hiring a bank manager! In the business world “team player” is one of those touchy-feely terms that evolved out of the 1980s when motivational retreats were all the rage in corporate America (back when companies could afford such luxuries).

If you’re trying to say you’re willing to compromise to get a job done, then give concrete examples on your resume. Granted, you can’t go into great detail, but if you provide a teaser the reader will probably want to hear more.

There are hundreds of resume killer terms floating out there, and unfortunately space prohibits me from listing them all. But suffice it to say using the terms above are sure to decrease your chances of getting an interview. So if you want your resume to stand out please, I beg you, stop describing yourself with such hazy expressions that the reader doesn’t know if you’re applying for a job or going undercover (that is, of course, unless you’re applying to the CIA).