1. There’s nothing worse than being pegged as a newb. If you’re a little wet behind the ears in this blog-eat-blog world, watch out for these 7 Practices That Make You Look Like a Rookie Blogger.
2. LinkedIn’s Visual Portfolio feature has been out there since May, but if you’re like me, you just got your hands on this juicy addition. You don’t have to be in a creative field to include some eye candy on your profile- just make sure to check out How To Showcase Your Portfolio Using LinkedIn’s “Professional Portfolio” Feature to make sure you’re on the right track.
   
3. Summer Interns, you may be getting ready to leave your positions but it’s never to late to learn How To Be The Best Intern Ever. These tips are your yellow brick road to employment.
4. Looking to perfect your resume? It’s not an easy task but Blue Sky Resumes intends to help us along in their 5 Days To A Killer Resume series. Step One: What’s Your Awesome Sauce?
5. Blogging can be a thankless endeavor. Without fame, fortune or, say, feedback, it can be a little tough to carry on. Check out 10 Ways To Promote Your Blog Effectively and keep blogging!

1. Calling all college students- you undoubtedly have enough on your plate without having to worry about how your college experiences affect the probability of you getting a job. But… it’s true. So give these 12 College Experiences Your Resume Needs a shot. (It’s as simple as joining a club)! 

2. Not sure about your career path? Or maybe you’re looking for a change. Here are the 10 Most In Demand Jobs and Skill Sets for 2013. It’s pays to be informed! (Literally).

3. Sometimes all your social media strategy needs is a little link to set you on the right track. Check out these 9 Key Elements Missing From Your Social Media Strategy. You don’t need to be a business for these to apply- remember, you’re marketing yourself.

4. If your internship experience is going downhill fast, there’s no need to waste your time. Read about How To Quit Your Internship The Right Way and open up the doors to a better opportunity without making waves.

5. Bloggers, you might think you’re doing a fabulous job churning out those posts but clicking the publish button without going through the proper editing process is an shamefully easy thing to do. Make sure you content is as HQ as you think it is by going through The Ultimate Editing Checklist.
   

1. You might be job-interview-phobic, but that doesn’t mean you should let ‘em see you sweat! Here are 5 Ways To Look Confident in an Interview (Even When You’re Freaking Out)
   
2. Afraid of appearing clueless at work? Don’t be. Or so say the experts! Check out The Career Fears You Must Get Over: Advice From 7 Executives for more tips. (You’ll breath easier!) 
3. Social media can easily overwhelm… if you let it. Find out How To Rock Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day and keep your head above the water (like a boss).
4. If your last internship ended up being nothing but a how-to for your boss’ coffee machine, don’t let it own your perspective on the experience. Here are 10 Steps To Handling a Negative Experience so you can ensure your next internship doesn’t let you down.
5. Your Me-Site goes a long way to representing yourself online. Don’t know how to start? Follow D2D’s very own Me-Site blog series to make sure you pick the right platform for you. Here’s the latest post: Top 5 Me-Site Makers, Part 2: About.me!

1. As a job seeker, there’s one thing you can be sure of: your employer will look into you. So why not return the favor? Find out how to Check Up On a Company’s Web Reputation to ensure there are no surprises in store for you!
   
2. The powers-that-be say that a student should have three internships under their belt before graduation. Skeptical? Find out Why Internships Are Worth It, infographic style.
3. If there’s anyone it never hurts to please, it’s a hiring manager! Find out How To Impress a Hiring Manager, courtesy of one of Target’s executive team leaders, Renee Bilotti.
4. Creative Resumes aren’t for everyone, but they’re certainly here to stay. If you don’t know where to start here are 4 Rules For Creating a Killer Infographic Resume to make sure you start off on the right foot.
5. If you’re looking to incorporate Instagram or Pinterest into your social media strategy, 1. About time, 2. 8 Data-Based Tips For Optimizing Your Content on Pinterest and Instagram.

But wait. Hold up. Those finals aren’t over yet, and neither is that job search!

4 months is plenty of time to gain some valuable experience to polish your resume with. What better way to do so than through the trusty summer internship? You can’t go wrong… unless you missed your deadlines. It happens. You’re a busy person! Before you decide to explore your options at the beach, check out 5 Ways To Gain Experience This Summer. A tanned volunteer with a personal branding campaign is far better than a tanned… nobody.

“Hi, my name is Maysoon Shafi and I’m a job hopper.”

Now, ideally, as a college student, job hopping isn’t as permanent a black mark as it may be for a true professional. An unpredictable, oft-changing schedule is a side effect of being a student and working long-term is a luxury not everyone has.

Do I regret it? Not in the least. In fact, if you’re in college, I’d say go for it. My multiple work study positions allowed me to come to know my school extremely well and I developed an invaluable web of connections because of it. In fact, out of the six jobs I’ve held, I only ever applied to two. The remaining four were given to me as a result of the reputation I had developed as a good worker. So job hopping? Not so bad after all.

Check out a few other plus points in The Pros and Cons of Frequent Job Changes. Perhaps it’s time for a change of scenery….

Photo Credit: Some rights reserved by R’eyes

1. Check out a hilarious job interview scenario in Giving 100% Won’t Land You The Job.
2. Internships are great for experience, but here are 5 Reasons Why One Internship Isn’t Enough.
3. It can be hard keeping your brain in tip-top shape after college.  Keep Your Brain Sharp Post-Graduate and Pre-Job With These Activities.
4. Here are five articles revolving around resume’s from Monster.com’s Five For Friday: Resume Tips Edition.
5. There’s a lot of spring cleaning going on these days. Why not find out how to Spring Clean Your LinkedIn Profile while you’re at it?

There is a fine line between intern… and slave. If instead of that valuable marketing experience, you’re getting your supervisor’s venti, non-fat, no foam, no water, six pump, extra hot, chai tea latte, here are two life-saving tips for you: 

1. Quit
2. Invest in a virtual internship.

After all, when you’re miles away from your boss, so is Starbucks, the filing cabinet and that dusty monitor behind the water cooler where you spent your afternoons. As long as you meet your deadlines, a virtual internship will allow you to work when your heart desires, in the location and sweats of your choice. Of course, even these positions have their drawbacks. To find out if virtual internships are for you, check out  The Invisible Office: A Guide to Virtual Internships. It expounds the pros and cons of working remotely and how to apply if you decide that you want a little less latte and a little more work experience out of your position.

Photo Credit: Some rights reserved by Maks Karochkin

Paid internships are none too easy to come by. Most internships out there are unpaid!

So parents and college students face a dilemma: How do we make the choice between a paying job and an unpaid summer internship?

(For the record, this need not be an either/or decision: We at Degrees2Dreams have had many interns who also held down a job in the evenings or weekends to bring in some cash. You CAN do both.)

But before you decide, take a step back and think about this:

An unpaid internship seems extravagent. Students are trying to survive, and books and student loans aren’t going to pay for themselves. An internship may be a great opportunity, but a summer job scooping ice cream will put money in their pocket.

Fast forward a few years to your child’s graduation and a sudden, panicked job search. In this market, sending out a resumes that do not contain any relevant industry experience most likely won’t get you very far. There are thousands of recent grads out there competing for the job, and chances are they have at least one if not more relevant internships on their resume. Scooping ice cream won’t stand up.

The result is graduates without relevant job experience will continually be shot down time and again. So then what? What does the future hold?

You’ve paid thousands of dollars for a college degree – but the immediate future holds a job they could’ve gotten right of out high school.

Let’s rewind.

Your kid takes that unpaid summer internship and suffers through a chapter in life frequently known as being a “broke college student.”

Just because an internship isn’t paid, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to be gained. It’s important to remember that monetary value is not the only value one can obtain.

Education. “Real life” education. Industry relevant experience.

You’re willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for your kid to get an “education” but not allow them to work a few months and be paid in knowledge that could make a difference in their career plans?

Think of your kid’s resume as one of the most important keys to a successful future. And an good internship doing the kind of work they’re looking to do when they graduate is an invaluable asset. Even without pay, if the only thing they get out of the internship are relevant skills at a reputable company and some reputable names to add to their references on their resume, is it worth it?

Yes!

Internships not only confer skills but also provide a great opportunity to make a connections within a company. In today’s market, networking is the best way to stand out. When it comes time to make a new hire, companies tend to go with people they know. If a student has interned with the company and proven to be a great asset, the risk to the company shrinks – and the chance of being hired greatens.

Want proof?

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, “employers extended job offers to nearly 70% of their interns.” Employers also indicated that while 31% of their new employees came from their own internship programs, 62% had internship experience of some kind.

A recent study by the same organization (NACE) found that 42 percent of the seniors with internship experience who applied for a job received at least one job offer.

Convinced yet?

Now let’s fast forward.

Helping your college student prepare for their future and find a job in this market isn’t easy. There are a lot of questions you may have. But now you can sit down with your kid and ask “How do we make the choice between a paying job and an unpaid internship work for us and for you”?

I think the answer will be a no-brainer.

What experience has your child had with an unpaid internship? What tips can you share with us that we can pass along to other parents to help them decide between a paying job and an unpaid internship? Tell us, and we’ll make a list of the best ideas. We might even call you for an interview and feature you here on Degrees2Dreams. Or, would you like to write your own story about your experiences? Send a story pitch to me at Krista@degrees2dreams.com! We’d love to hear from you!