Low GPA Job Searching Alternatives

With the job market where it is, job searching is going to become more difficult and if you have a low GPA (<2.5) you might want to try these alternatives:

Alternative GPA

Your overall GPA may be low but you could report other statistical information that might be higher such as your Upper Division GPA or your Major Core Class GPA. Though this does not reflect your total GPA it may be worth a talking point with a recruiter if you find these alternative GPA's to be higher than your total. Just remember to state what kind of GPA you're reporting on your resume.

Going Back to School

If your alternative GPAs don't fair much better than your total GPA you might think about picking up some classes at a local Junior College to help bolster your GPA. Though this takes more of your time and effort you can use this as an opportunity to take classes you wish you had in college or even get a certification that could make you stand out more as a candidate.

Temp Agency

Companies who are cutting back still need certain positions to be filled on a temporary basis but do not want to invest in a full-time employee. These positions could be available to you through a temp agency and could possibly turn into a full-time position with that company assuming the timing is right and you meet their needs. Treat this is as a paid internship as you get to work at different companies while still getting on the job training though not all the company perks or beneifts.

Take a Step Down

Not being able to find a job in your major is very frustrating but when times get tough you may want to think about being flexible and taking a position one step below. However before you make a decision like this, verify with the employer that there is an opportunity for you to be able to move around and finally get to the position you want. I have heard many times of engineers taking lab technician positions being stuck and having too leave the company. They learned valuable information about the industry but felt they needed to apply what they learned in school.

A Great College Credit Card

As a followup to finding the right plastic, I ran into a great website that reviews every conceivable credit card out there. I have been searching for a website that does in-depth reviews for quite some time and have found this site to be very informative. So informative in fact that it even had reviewed a great credit card for college students. The Citi mtvU Platinum Select Visa card is a great card as it awards for paying on time and even GPA scores. I would recommend this card to any college student looking to apply for a credit card for the first time. You can find the review for this card via the link below;

Citi mtvU Platinum Select Visa Card Review [via AskMrCredit]

College Loans Drive Careers

Since the state of our national economy has been of great importance lately, I felt it was appropriate to post an interesting article in regards to how college loans are affecting the way students are choosing their career paths.

High student loan balances are a factor in post-college decisions. Recent grads report that:

• 40% took a job offer that offered higher pay, but less career satisfaction, in order to help pay off their student loans;
• 47% say that their student loans impacted their decision to pursue a particular career
• 88% said they had to make sacrifices in their budget because of their student loan payments; 23% sacrificed continuing education or graduate school

I find it unfortunate that students are being forced into choices about their careers based on financial reasons alone and not what their passion is. I would recommend anyone in this situation to read Kiplinger's guide on How To Pay Off Student Loans as not to force you to make certain career choices.

Recent College Grads Say Loans Driving Careers [via Austin Business Journal]

Student Blogger Roundup

Another week of great posts from Student Bloggers:

Sometimes when we study for an essay exam we forget the physical fitness required to write in those wonderful blue books.

Writing?!?! Like With Pen and Paper? [via Relatively Journalizing]

Got some free time in college and strapped for cash? This is a great list of ways to make some extra spending dough.

Business Ideas for College Students [via Surviving Joblessness]

Attending office hours are a great way to keep your grades up and rebound from recent test failures.

5 Reasons Why office Hours are Your new Best Friend [via Surviving College Life]

Completing a PhD dissertation is a huge accomplishment and always worth mentioning.

Dear Dissertation Diary [via Out of the Basement]

Last but not least is the Student Bloggers HP giveaway. There's nothing better than winning a package of great electronics.

HP Freshmen 15 Giveaway [via Student Bloggers]

Getting Good Sleep

Getting good rest is a vital part of being energized and focused every day to tackle studying, club activities, and any other errand you have to run. I ran into a great list of ways to get better sleep and I'm glad it pointed out the Power Nap method. The Power Nap is a great way to get a boost of energy without wasting too much time sleeping or money on energy drinks. I use this method whenever I feel sluggish but still have a lot of work ahead of me.

Top 10 Ways to Sleep Smarter and Better [via LifeHacker]

Staying Focused in Class

Let's face it, lectures are boring but paying attention is important towards doing well in any class. I have been guilty of nodding off, spacing out, and even skipping classes and I did horrible. When I finally realized that I needed to deal with my academic probation I knew that staying focused in class was vital part of being being successful in classes.

Taking Notes

If you find yourself just nodding away when the professor is lecturing, I would recommend taking notes regardless if the notes are posted online. Writing notes forces you to pay attention to your professor and keeps you awake in class. Additionally, you may pick up on material that aren't on the posted lecture notes and could find itself into a midterm or final.

The Front is for Achievers

People say that the front of the class are for nerds but I say the front are for those that want to excel and pay attention in class. If you really want to catch some sleep in a class you'll find a group of companions in the back, trust me I've been there. Sitting in the front of the class puts the pressure on to stay awake. You don't want the professor spotting you sleeping so it'll be harder for you to not pay attention. This is an even more effective method with small class sizes.

Leave the Laptop at Home

With so many distractions on the internet how can you possibly stay attention in class. Just by browsing the endless lecture halls on campus you'll notice that most people that have their laptops with them during lecture are either surfing the web, IMing their friends, or playing solitaire. The pen and paper is your friend when it comes to note taking so leave the heavy laptop at home and save your back some trouble.

How do you focus in class?

Weekly Internship Posting

Paid Business Internship
Mountbatten Internship Programme - London, UK

Summer Internship Job
Department of State - Washington D.C.

Internship
American Diabetes Association - Austin, TX

Quality Internship
Abbot Labratories - Lake County, IL

Internship
A-Line Pictures - New York, New York

Student Blogger Roundup

Another week of great posts from Student Bloggers:

I have made the mistake of sleeping through a college midterm before and I must admit it was a traumatizing experience. My advice? Set a clock radio and your cell phone. It also nice to coordinate with other dorm mates to wake each other up if you have the same exam. I Slept Through a College Test - Now What Should I do?!? [via Surviving College Life]

There's not much time to stay healthy in a busy college student's schedule and so avoiding the Freshmen 15 can be difficult. Exercise on a Time-Crunched Schedule [via Student Body]

While we're on the health track. Stay Healthy This School Year (Really) [via Surviving College Life]

Everyone hates math at one level or another. But if youre aiming to seek a career in science or engineering you're going to have to face dealing with math no matter what. Math Test Strategies [via Student Hacks]

If you're moving in with roommates for the first time this year, please heed this advice, try with your best effort not to be a jerk. Uncomfortable living situations with your roommate can create a very bad college experience. Living With Others: Be the genuine article [via The University Blog]

Finding the Right Plastic

As a follow up to an article about some great credit cards, I was directed to a site that does a great job of selecting the right credit card for you based on information you provide such as how much you spend a month, your credit rating, and what you spend on. It provides a list of credit cards that work well with your situation. If you're looking to either get a credit card for the first time or add another to help your credit score this is a good place to start.

BillShrink [via Lifehacker]

Salary Research Tools

It is important to know what your salary will be when you're job hunting but sometimes knowing what a future salary can be is an important decision factor for some when it comes to choosing the right career path. Below is a guide to online search sites for salary information.

www.salary.com

Salary.com provides a good range of data for many types of job titles and positions based on a geographic region. Base salary information is free while a more personalized job profile requires a nominal fee. It is a good way to get a general average of what a starting salary could be.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm Occupational Outlook Handbook

The U.S. Depart of Labor provides detailed job information such as Nature of the Work, Employment, Job Outlook, and Earnings information. I would recommend this site to anyone doing career research and wanted more information on the different types of jobs they could have post college.

www.Payscale.com

Payscale is similar to Salary.com but provides a lot more data that can be used to compare such as education level, years of experience, and location. You do have to create an account before accessing information on the website.

New College Grads Face Frustrating Job Market

I agree this is an ominous title but that is the reality of the world currently. A recent article from the Seattle Times made some interesting points:

• Unemployment among 20 to 24 years old is sharply higher than for the national population
• Graduates looking to get into the financial-services industry are the most affected due to the sub prime-mortgage crisis
• The most desirable job candidates are those with engineering, information-technology, math and science degrees
• Health Care, accounting, and biotechnology markets are still strong
• Fewer than half of young college graduates receive any form of pension coverage as companies cut back
• Have a Plan B and C
• Tap into every resource you have, including your parents, to get as much experience as you can in college

During the last job market slow down in the early 2000's, I had a colleague that had graduated with an engineering degree but couldn't find a job in his field He ended up bouncing around jobs for 2 years such as being a bank teller and a substitute teacher until the job market got better. Learning to adapt and cope during a slow job market is now a necessary survival skill. I have provided a link to the article below.

New College Grads Face Frustrating Job Market [via Seattle Times]

Banking Basics

On top of all the things going on at college such as studying, clubs, and overall partying, you still need to manage your finances. I am sure that most students at this point don't stash their cash under the mattress at home but have an account open at some major banking instituation. What matters though is avoiding bank fees and getting the most bank for your buck. Below is a link to a great guide towards picking the right bank for you. I personally have a Washington Mutual Free Checking Account as well as a HSBC online savings account.

Best Student Checking and Savings Accounts [via Broke Grad Student]

Recycle Into Cash

An overlooked commodity by most college students is the cash value of recycling. Over a year of living on your own, parties, and social gatherings, a college student can accumulate hundreds of aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and glass bottles. At a conservative estimation of 5 cents per container you could end up with some extra cash at the end of the year to spend on anything you want. Let's do some simple math.

Assuming that the average college student consumes one caffeine drink every day you've already got 365 aluminum cans. Tack on containers accumulated from parties and get together you could end up with at least 500 containers which equates to about 26 dollars at the end of the year.

Obviously you won't make money back on the purchases of your beverage but 26 dollars can go a long way for a college student. I have provided a link to a recycling calculator below:

http://www.bottlesandcans.com/what_calculator.php

The Resume - Basics

Your resume, though just a piece of paper, is a representation of your current life experiences and an advertisement of your skills. Take the time and care to really concentrate on making your resume the best you absolutely can. Below is a guide towards the different areas of a resume.

Objective

This is typically a one sentence statement describing the job position you are seeking. It's role is to help a recruiter remember what you area seeking since they will be receiving hundreds of resumes. Here is an example of an objective statement:

"Seeking an internship position with a top advertisement firm to provide me exposure in printed advertisements"

Education

This is probably the easiest section of the resume. School, Major, and Expected date of graduation is the main information you need in this area. The tricky one is the GPA. If you have a GPA over a 3.0, I would definitely put it on there. For those of you, including myself, who do not have a stellar GPA, I would recommend keeping it off. Some companies require a minimum GPA for their internship positions and some don't. If the GPA is very important to the recruiter they will ask and you must be ready to have an explanation. From my personal experience, I have been able to get many interview spots without having to place my GPA on the resume and it never came up during the interview to be an issue with most companies.

Skills

This area can include just about anything that you feel is pertinent to your field of study. Computer programers should list all coding languages they have experience with while biochemistry majors should list all lab equipment and techniques they have experience with. Being fluent in a second or even third language is a major plus to have and should be listed on the resume as well. Generic skills that should be listed are things like Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

Classes

It may be warranted to list classes you have taken so the recruiter knows your level of knowledge in certain fields. I for one have always thought of this section as a filler to help create more volume in a resume. Most companies will assume your level of knowledge based on your class level and major. If you can avoid putting this section in your resume I would, but if you need a filler section, this is the best one to add.

Experience

This is the major meat of your resume as it contains your previous job positions and a description of your duties for each one. Make sure to list your job title, company, and duration of that job position. At this point of your career, it is ok to add any experiences from High School such as a summer job, club activities, or volunteering you had done. Under each job position, list three bullet points on what your responsibilities were.

Customize

Your resume should be customized for you. If you are in a leadership position through clubs on campus, create a leadership section and list out what you've done. Were you awarded a scholarship or honor? Create a section for that. If you feel that there is information about you that will catch the eye of a recruiter you should definitely include it. Here are some sections worth putting in your resume:

Leadership

Extracurricular Activities

Publications

Presentations

Awards/Honors

A Few More Pointers

Keep your resume to a page. You don't want to list out every detail of your experiences, just the main points. You want the recruiter to interested enough that they want to ask you the details at an interview. Most importantly, do NOT lie on your resume. This is grounds for immediate termination from your position. I have seen new senior hires terminated within days of their hiring because they have a false statement on their resume. There is no reason for you to list skills you do not have and create a level of expectation you can not meet. Remember, your resume is always a work in progress. As you continue to learn new skills, update your resume from time to time so that when a career fair is around the corner you'll be ready.

Redsprouts will continue working on more resume articles that deal with the best way to format and how to add some punch to any resume. Stay Tuned.

Weekly Internship Posting

As a follow up to a posting made last week about applying for summer internships earlier, Red Sprouts will be posting summer internships on a weekly basis.

Fox Sports/IGN Mobile Intern (Unpaid)

Intern Program - Los Angeles, CA

Photobucket Marketing Intern (UNPAID)

Intern Program - San Francisco, CA

Software Intern

HP - Roseville, CA

Intern

Allstate - Northbrook, IL

Events/Trade Marketing Intern (PAID)

Intern Program - New York, NY

Time Management

Let's face it, studying with all the distractions that are on going at college can quickly become a waste of time. This is where time management can help you organize your day better and forecast your schedule better for the rest of the month.

Time to Succeed

Typically, to be successful in a class, you will need to study 3 hours for every unit of a course ever week. At an average of 18 units of classes, that is 54 hours of studying every week. With 168 hours between Monday and Sunday, studying will end up taking 30% of your time during the week. This is of course an extreme case but this should make you realize how much time you need to commit too studying on a weekly basis to be successful.

Planning Your Day

With so many hours in a day, it is important to take the time and figure out your schedule every week. If you studied everyday, its about 8 hours a day of studying and if you take out time to sleep, eat, and go to classes, you'll end up with anywhere between 5 and 10 hours depending on how much you sleep of course. This still leaves plenty of time to do extra curricular activities and goof off. Using programs such as Google Calendar, you can map out your day and view it in a week or even month format. Here is a sample:

You Can't Do it All

In the best case scenario you can do it all in college but realistically, you'll have to remember to say no. The best way to know when to say no is by prioritizing your day. Got a midterm quickly approaching but have some club activities coming up? It is probably realistic to skip out on club activities if you need additional time to study.

How do you manage your time to study?

Who Will You Be This Summer?

It may seem early to be asking what you'll be doing this upcoming summer but based on an article written by the NY Times, it doesn't seem early enough. This article was written earlier this year in January and had a very bold statement: "If you haven't applied for your [internship] yet, you are late" . I am hoping that posting this article in advance will remind prospective interview candidates that application season is fast approaching. Some interesting points made in the article:

• Recruitment for the top 10% of internships start 10 months in advance
• Competition for summer internships is getting higher every year, Google received 5,000 applications for fewer than 1,000 positions
• Having completed a summer internship before graduation is now a necessity
• Using your network (ie. parents, family friends, relatives) is an acceptable way of trying to get any job experience

This article is worth a read to understand how competitive it has become to get an internship. Moral of the story, keep your grades, get experience in school, and start applying early.

Who Will You Be This Summer? [via NY Times]

Student Bloggers Roundup - Back to School

As a new tradition, Red Sprouts will be providing a list of weekly posts from Student Bloggers. Student Bloggers is a great site that lists interesting articles from a variety of bloggers that are currently in school. Back to School is a fitting theme for starting this weekly roundup. Enjoy!

If you're living off campus in an apartment, one of the most important steps towards getting as much of your security deposit back is the Apartment Walkthrough. I have found that land lords will ding you wherever they can so take the walkthrough seriously and mark down everything you see even if it looks like a minor scratch on the wall. School is Hard has a great listing of different items to look at during your walkthrough. What to Look for During an Apartment Walkthrough [via School is Hard]

Starting a new school year is just the same as starting a complete new year and making resolutions is an important part of setting goals. Not Just Surviving has a great list of academic resolutions for the year. School Year Resolutions [via Not Just Surviving]

I have to admit that I don't have the best library etiquette but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have them. Library Etiquette [via Sua Sponte]

Everyone doesn't like brown nosers but having a healthy relationship with a professor is vital, especially if you're looking for letters of recommendation. Building thatImportant Relationship [via University Scholar]

For those student veterans who are looking at a tough senior and know that caffeine will be a major part of their diet, here is a great guide to optomize its effect. Optimize Caffeine Consumption [via Pharmacy Kid]

Dealing With a Low GPA

Having a low GPA in college is a harsh reality some students have to face and creates a frustrating experience, especially when you're looking to get hired. As a junior, I had a 2.5 GPA and decided to attend my first career fair. I had created a very bare boned resume that included only high school experience along with a part time job. Suffice to say, it was a very disappointing experience. All of the top hiring companies at the career fair had a minimum GPA requirement and if you were brave enough to talk to a recruiter anyways it was always the first topic of discussion. It was very defeating to know that your resume would end up on the "trash" pile and realizing your future was looking bleak.

So how did I overcome a low GPA?

Study Habits

If you're serious about your career, then getting that GPA up should be a number one priority. Reevaluate your current study habits since they're most likely not working for you. I have to admit that I did not take studying so seriously during the first half of my college career and I paid for it with my GPA. I began changing my study habits until I found a method that was effective for me. By graduation I was able to raise my GPA to a 2.8 and even though it's still below the highly regarded 3.0 standard, it was a much better position to be in. If an interviewer is very interested in your GPA an improvement can only be positive.

Gaining Experience

I came away from the career fair knowing that I didn't have enough experience on my resume and felt that I had an opportunity to improve in this area. One of options to gain experience while in school, was to help a professor with academic research. It was a good way to expose me more to my major and work closely with a professor. Adding this research experience provided a very positive boost for my resume and created a spring board for conversations with recruiters at following career fairs. This opens more doors and shows that you're being active in pursuing relevant experience in your major.

Networking

Joining professional societies and school organizations provides a lot of unique opportunities to interact with industry. Building a relationship with someone from industry allows you too learn more about the business as well as gaining inside information on hiring needs of the company. A recommendation from someone currently working at the company will give you the leg up and provide an opportunity you may not be able to get through applying alone.

Determination

Giving into defeat is never an option in the real world and shouldn't be an option for you either. Though there will be plenty of blood, sweat, and tears; the rewards are well worth it.

Back to School Tools

If you are a tech savvy student, there is a plethora of tools out there that can make things such as note taking and study planning much easier. As much as I feel technology can aid in your study habits, it can be quite a distraction as well so make sure to evaluate each tool to see if it's right for you.

Back to School Power Tools for the Savvy Student [via LifeHacker]

Are You a Leader?

I attended a career workshop on campus where someone was invited to talk about leadership and management in the working world. It has been some time since I have read through my notes but every statement he made during that workshop made absolute sense. Below is a listing of what he called "Signs of Management":

Interest in Building an Organization

This sounds like I'm talking about building a business but this statement applies to any aspect of your career. This can refer to you building a club on campus and staking out a leadership role to be able to make an impact. For me, in the working world, this means to building a specialized group of team members that are geared towards solving unique project problems. Any good manager should show interest in building either a team, organization, or practice into something more and feel a sense of accomplishment.

Organization

Any good manager needs to know how to organize and I for one can attest to that. When you're managing multiple project, a million things can go on at once and you need to be very organized to be able to stay on top of everything. Currently, I am continuously updating time lines and budgets to ensure that my projects are meeting their targets. These skills came from being in a demanding curriculum while in college. Multiple homework assignments, midterms, and extracurricular requirements forced me to be organized and obtain good time management skills.

Strategic Thinker

In the end, its all about the big picture. A good manager can step back away from the details and look at the whole to ensure that what they're building is meeting existing goals. This is a skill that is hard to obtain while still in college but everyone can always step back and look at the big picture. Maybe you're working on a class project with other students and have been working out the details for a long time. Take a step back and evaluate how the project as a whole is performing. You may be working on one part of the project and your classmate is working on another but when you come together to write the final report and you finally realize that nothing agrees and you've wasted time and effort. You don't want to be in a situation where the details look great but the pieces don't come together.

Like to See Each Others Succeed

This was something that was not obvious to me when I was in college but experience has shown me that if the people you manage succeed you'll succeed. How does this apply in college? If you're running a club on campus and have spent the time and effort to build it, you'll need someone else to run the show when you've graduated. This passage of knowledge and mentorship is an important part of maintaining the life of any organization or business. I always make sure that I teach what I know to my team members so that they can learn to take on projects of their own. This allows me continued advancement as there are others trained to replace me.

Leadership is an important skill to develop because let's face it, the only way to advance your career is to be in a management position.