I’ve officially decided that the worst thing about graduating from college is the job search that immediately follows it, or immediately precedes it (because if you’re smart, you start before you actually finish classes). This is especially tough right now, because we’re competing with people who’ve recently been laid off in the tough economy.

I know from personal experience that the number of job seekers is up: my mother works in a copy shop, and she reports that they are printing and faxing an abnormally high number of résumés right now. Good news for the copy shop; bad news for me and the millions of other people graduating into this job climate.

And let’s face it, writing a résumé and cover letter are right up there in terms of the most confusing and stressful tasks. And not all of us have the interview skills of Will Smith, who seems to ace every interview by walking in and solving a Rubik’s Cube (he did this both in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Pursuit of Happyness!). Do we even know where to start?

The Basics

I got a crash course in résumé writing in 10th grade, which gave me the crappy skeleton-version of a résumé that landed me my first college job. I look back at that piece of paper now and recoil in horror. 12 point Times New Roman font? What monster is this? My résumé has come a long way since then.

Here are some resources that will ensure your first résumé is nowhere near as bad and ugly as mine was:

What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
Interestingly enough, this book doesn’t cover how to write a résumé, but it was one of the most useful tools I’ve used in the last year to do so. The one short chapter on résumés that’s in this book was way more helpful than my high school English teacher. But the real gems of this book? It’s hands-down the best guide on job-hunting that I’ve ever seen, and the information on how to survive the interview process is gold.

Rockport Institute: How To Write a Masterpiece of a Resume
There are a lot of web resources that claim to help you with the nitty-gritty of writing and formatting a résumé, but all the ones I’ve seen pale in comparison to this six-part guide. I used this website to rewrite my train-wreck résumé, and I refer back to it every time I want to add or update my résumé. It’s simply awesome.

Cover Letter Guide by Susan Ireland
Just when you thought you were all done with your résumé, you have to write a cover letter to go with it! Thank goodness for Susan Ireland and her free cover letter guide! Another resource that I turn to, time and time again.

Advanced Job Search Hacks

Maybe you fall into my category: you’ve got a résumé and this isn’t your first time writing a cover letter, but you know things could use some sprucing up. You’re looking for the edge: those little tweaks that will put your application on the top of the pile.

Squakfox’s How to Write a Resume (that gets job interviews) series
She’s worked both sides of the résumé game, and can tell you why yours sucks.

Advice from Trent Hamm at The Simple Dollar
I’ve been reading Trent’s site for over two years now, and he never fails to deliver great content on a variety of money topics. So it’s not surprising that he has some great posts on résumés and job hunting:
How to Construct a Killer Resume, From Start to Finish
Ten Tips For Writing a Resume That Will Get The Right Kind Of Attention
17 Essential Tips For Getting That Dream Job

Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist
I don’t agree with everything she has to say, but her blog is definitely worth exploring, especially while you’re on the prowl for a job. Try poking through the articles by category, such as the Resume category, the Finding a career category and obviously, the Job hunt category.

Are there even more résumé, cover letter, and job searching resources out there? Of course. And if I know the awesome people who comment on this site, they’ll leave a few suggestions. But try not to get too caught up in reading about job searches instead of actually searching. It’s easy to lose a day (or a week) of your time reading more than you need to instead of taking action.

This article marks the end of the “Graduating?” series here on PoorerThanYou.com. I hoped you’ve enjoyed this series and maybe learned a thing or two. Here are all the posts in the series:

• Start the Job Hunt
• Evaluate Benefits for Job Offers
• Calculate Your Tax Withholding
• Plan Your Attack on Federal Student Loans
• Repay Your Private Student Loans
• 7 Survival Skills Every College Graduate Should Know
• Make a Budget Without Hurting Yourself
• Top Ten Free Money Tips for Grads

To wrap things up, I want to give you access to some more great articles and resources about life after college. If you know of anything else on the web (or any books) feel free to leave a link in the comments!

The New Graduate’s Guide to Financial Freedom – JD Roth shares his words of wisdom for college grads, including establishing an emergency fund (natch), avoiding consumer debt, and looking way down the road at “retirement” (not so far off as you might think!).

More from Get Rich Slowly:
Career Advice for the College Graduate
Life After School: Advice for New Graduates

The Hartford’s Playbook for Life [PDF] – One of the very best ebooks I’ve read: it covers everything from budgeting to apartment renting to retirement contributions. A fantastic read, and the basketball theme draws understandable analogies without being too “sports-y” for those of us that can’t make a free throw!

Banker Girl’s Advice for Fledging Financial Professionals actually applies to many professional fields – if you’re planning on climbing a corporate ladder, you should give this a read.

8 Frugal and Cost Cutting Tips for the Newly Independent is a fantastic set of tips – most of which, I never would have thought of! (Does the picture look familiar?)

Inexpensive Tips For A Greener Life After College – “green” doesn’t have to mean “expensive” – in fact, many things that are good for the environment are good for your wallet. Start your new life off with these tips, and you’ll be eco-friendly with money in the bank! Bonus: this article is part of another series of advice for new college grads, so be sure to check the bottom for links on finances, job interviews, furniture, and more!

Last, but far from least, Jim just released the New Graduate Money Guide on Wallet Hacks. This short guide is jam-packed with actionable personal finance tips – meaning stuff you can actually take a bite out of now and see some results!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series and the links in this wrap-up. Still have questions? The nice thing about this blog is that it lives on! Ask your question in the comments or send me an email – even if you just need someone to talk to as you shift to the next stage of your life.

Congratulations!
Photo by CarbonNYC

This article is part of a series called Graduating? which focuses on personal finance advice for fresh college grads. This particular article is a guest post written by Pamela Grundy.

Remember that scene in the movie “The Graduate” in which a bewildered Dustin Hoffman is poked in the chest by a martini-wielding know-it-all uncle who has just one word for him? Plastics! What I mean is, “Plastics!” is the word the obnoxious uncle has for Dustin Hoffman in that movie.

Just that one word.

OK, so you don’t remember that. Of course you don’t. “The Graduate” came out in 1967, and if you are just now graduating from high school, college, or even graduate school; chances are you weren’t even a gleam in your father’s eye in 1967. Probably you remember 1967 as the year your Mom’s hot Swedish masseuse Ilsa was born. So fine, forget it. Just never mind about any of that ancient history, what you need to be watching right now is your future, (with or without Ilse).

So, with that in mind, I’m going to give you way more than one crummy word of advice. No plastics for you. I’m giving you ten words here, and they’re all free:

10) Save. Almost certainly there are tons of things you need to buy right now, and even more thing s you want to buy. Don’t buy them yet. Save as much money as you can, while you can. If you can mooch off the folks while you wait for inspiration or a real job, save every drop you make from the temporary one you take while waiting for your ship to come in.

9) Work. If you don’t find an entry level professional job right away, take some kind of job. If you can’t get a paid job, volunteer for something you care about and work hard. Education is great, but in corporate America people are more interested in what you have done, not what you have learned. So start doing some things right away.

8 ) Write. You probably did more writing in school than you wanted to do, so now that you’re out, do some more! Set up your own website and blog, and make it all quite excellent, something your friends and family can read, but something you wouldn’t mind if a prospective employer read either. If you have an idiotic or offensive MySpace or FaceBook page, get rid of it and put up something that makes you sound less like Bart Simpson and more like Steve Jobs.

7) Freelance. Go to www.elance.com, www.guru.com, or www.odesk.com and bid on some freelance projects in web design, programming, artwork, writing, advertising, or sales. Then, when you get a project, do your very best on it and then bid all over again on another one. Pretty soon if you keep at it you will have enough material to create a…

6) Portfolio. Build one online then create a portable one to take on interviews. Touch up your resume to include all the fascinating things you’ve been doing since graduation, and make sure it looks visually compatible and terrific alongside your portfolio.

5) Network. Drop your name and stories of your interesting post-graduate life everywhere, and when someone responds by mentioning so-and-so who is soooo very into the same exact thing, get so-and-so’s number and an introduction from that person you just met and follow up by calling and asking if you can have a few minutes of time to ask for some advice. Everybody likes to be asked for advice. You’ll meet some new people and you might even find a job. If you get good at this, you’ll need some…

4) Business Cards. You should have a good idea of what makes you cool by now, so blow $50 on some incredible cards that announce to the world who you are, where your web-site is, and how you can be reached by e-mail, phone, or cell. Don’t be too flippant but do be classy and creative.

3) Read. Graphic novels are great, but pick up a New York Times once in awhile and subscribe to something your parents read like The Atlantic or The New Yorker so you will have conversational material to use when surrounded by grownups.

2) Cook. I mean cook real food, not Kraft macaroni and cheese and ramen noodles with peanut butter. If you are a guy, this skill is one of only two will you need to meet great, gorgeous girls, so learn at least four or five fabulous impressive dishes that will make any girl think you are Uber-Euro-Man. If you are already a great, gorgeous girl, do not underestimate the power of food. You know the old joke about how to make a man happy? It’s true! Show up naked. Bring food.

1) Get a Great Dog. Listen, life is hard, and it is going to make you cry, a lot. You will sometimes be broke for no good reason. You will be rejected when you deserved better, you will be treated unfairly, you will even be lonely once in awhile. A dog will get you through all of this, and more. A fabulous dog will make sure you get your exercise and never eat alone. Oh, and remember those two things guaranteed to get you great, gorgeous girls? A dog is the other thing (besides cooking).

Take your dog for a walk in the park. Dress nicely. Be clean. Be confident. Make sure you have the makings of a great meal at home for the great girl (guy) you will meet while walking your adorable dog. Carry some of your cards in your shirt pocket. Smile.

Life can be hard, yes it can. Living well, however, is easy!

And one more thing: Congratulations!

This is a guest post by Pamela Grundy, writer for Personal FInance Analyst. Personal Finance Analyst is an online community of bloggers dedicated to taking the mystery out of money and helping you to live a happier, more successful life with the money you have.

This article is part of a series called Graduating? which focuses on personal finance advice for fresh college grads. This particular article is a guest post written by Jonathan of Master Your Card.

So you finally finished college, eh? Nice one! Welcome to the real world™. The following tips should help to reduce the culture shock a little…

– Get serious about Personal Finance. Paying your bills on time and learning to live on a budget won’t ruin your non-conformist image, trust me. On the other hand, there’s nothing particularly ‘alternative’ about getting your electricity cut off and having to subsist on uncooked ramen noodles until your parents bail you out.

– Keep in touch with your college buddies. Remember that girl you threw up on at the kegger? She’s going to help you land an awesome job some day – but only if you drop her a line once in a while. Remember, it’s not what you know — it’s who you know. Note: This is not an excuse to spend 17 hours a day trawling Facebook.

– Pay off the plastic. College is a time for experimentation, and it’s only natural that you tried some pretty shady things — like charging things to your credit card. But that period of your life is over now. It’s time to put all that stuff behind you and start paying off your high interest revolving debts as quickly as possible.

– Start planning for the future. One of the strange things about college is that despite all the newfound freedom, to a large extent your goals are set out for you. Study for your English test. Start working on that marketing paper. The real world™, on the other hand, is a little less linear, and to some extent you’ll need to find your own way through. As liberating as living day-to-day might sound, having a 5 or 10 year plan in place will provide you with far more freedom in the long-term.

– Don’t start spending what you don’t have. Just because you’ve started climbing the corporate ladder and are (hopefully) on your way to earning the big bucks, don’t start spending like you’ve already reached the top. Base any purchases you make on what you earn today, not on what you think you’ll be earning 12 months from now.

– Be prepared to work with morons. On occasion, you are going to have to take orders from an idiot (and pretend to like it). In addition, you’re almost certain to be in close proximity with at least one or two people who give you homicidal tendencies. Remember the big picture, and don’t let the petty stuff get you down.
– And lastly (but most importantly): Don’t let your dreams die. They say experience kills idealism. They’re full of it. The real world will only break your spirit if you let it. Don’t let life’s trials and tribulations turn you into a cynic. After all, the sweet is only as sweet as the sour.

Jonathan writes about the tricky world of credit cards at Master Your Card.