Makie Wangoi is a recent Marketing graduate from Richmond: the American University in London and is currently on a month internship with Hire Space.

By Makie Wangoi

When sitting in a comfortable library, with protective books piled around you, getting a graduate job can seem like quite an easy task. This was the naïve me just a couple of months ago, however getting on a graduate career is much more challenging.

As a recent graduate, the cards were not decked in my favor, so with the low graduate-work transition rate I took the initiative to further understand and establish my footing through internship experiences, before launching myself into the shark tank of the real business world. Not that a lot of the blogs and posts on internships give one much hope for the jobs that are out there. It can be discouraging to read and hear about some of the crazy intern experiences that others have faced; like unpaid 40 hours mail room clerk or a personal profile commentator and picture tagger to your boss’ infinitely ‘interesting life’.

“Finally, in September, either Lady Luck was on my side or the stars were aligned right that day (hopefully a bit of all my hard work paid off too), I got an e-mail for an interview with Hire Space and I landed the job.”

Let’s face it, in this economy no one has it easy, so after several trying months where I just about ate and breathed job sites daily and checked for an opportunity that interested me. Finally, in September, either Lady Luck was on my side or the stars were aligned right that day (hopefully a bit of all my hard work paid off too), I got an e-mail for an interview with Hire Space and I landed the job.

On the first day at Hire Space, an innovative online start-up, like most I was skeptical. I’d heard the stories of young graduates being misled, being lured with excitement and ending up with tea making and making good friends with the photocopying machine. It was not as I expected, this was not one of those jobs.

From the beginning my manager (who happens to be the co-founder), took the time to help me get well acquainted with how the company databases and online accounts function, he then provided me with some coaching tips to sharpen my sales pitch and guidance with the best tools for marketing and SEO, which allowed me to make a real contribution that impacted the company. As an intern, I did not expect this high level responsibility, nevertheless, I was happy at the opportunity to further my experience of the ‘real’ working world.

“I am so grateful that I walked into such a dynamic work environment that was supportive, the team has been amazing and always open to my endless questions, and that has helped me develop skills in my areas of interest, from sales to marketing.”

With my time at Hire Space coming to an end, I can honestly say I have enjoyed the work I have been doing. I am so grateful that I walked into such a dynamic work environment that was supportive, the team has been amazing and always open to my endless questions, and that has helped me develop skills in my areas of interest, from sales to marketing. From day one, I assisted registered clients with their inquiries, made direct sales calls to new and prospective clients and marketed the company through social media networking.

I would seriously recommend investing time in an internship as a great learning opportunity to experience and pave your career path, however I think it is equally important to ensure that when choosing your internship you choose it with the right company, set out what you want to achieve and find the company and role that will let you do so. For me this was a start-up company, being in the position to incorporate a massive breadth of knowledge and contribute to the makings of a grass roots organization is far beyond the realms of what mega-corporations or gelato business could offer, and what’s more it is a vote of confidence for the aspiring passionate entrepreneur to take on the real world.

Class of 2013 – Get a head start and search for Internships that can open the doors to an amazing opportunity after graduation! Start searching.

You’re already investing in your future through internships and career tips, but we know the financial side of college is important too. As you research the different types of student loans available to finance your education, we wanted to share a new type of student loan from SoFi. This is a guest post from SoFi CEO Mike Cagney.

By Mike Cagney, SoFi CEO

Student loans aren’t fun, and they can be confusing. What frustrates us at SoFi is the dogma in the market that students should always exhaust their federal loan options before considering private loans. This can be very bad advice. While we agree that subsidized Direct and Perkins loans are clear no-brainers for students if you are eligible for them, things get more ambiguous with unsubsidized Direct loans and become down right murky with the egregiously burdensome PLUS loan.

To illustrate where the so-called experts fall down, I’m going to demonstrate why you should give back your PLUS loan and replace it with a SoFi student loan. I’m going to compare the loans across four key points: rate, origination fees, borrower protection and community. For illustration, I will assume you are a graduate student in your second of two years of school and you just borrowed $20K this Fall through a PLUS loan on a 15-year term. However, my reasoning will generally apply to any PLUS borrower, including parents, and at any stage in the loan maturity.

Rate

The interest rate on the PLUS loan is fixed at 7.9%. That’s more than what General Motors, US Airways, Morgan Stanley and the typical high yield (e.g., junk) bond pay. It’s more than the governments of Spain, Kazakhstan and Iraq pay. Do you think you’re a better credit than the government of Iraq? No offense to Iraq, but we do. That’s why our loan rates range from 5.99% fixed for refinancing to 6.49% fixed for students in school who are deferring payments until after graduation. You’d pay the government $4,563 more in interest than SoFi over the life of your $20K loan.

Advantage: SoFi

Origination Fees

Origination fees add insult to injury. Not only are you paying more than Iraq on your loan, you also have to pay 4% for the privilege of getting your money. So your $20K loan is actually $20.8K. That means your real interest rate (the annual percentage rate, or APR) is actually closer to 8.5%. Does it actually cost the government $800 to process your loan application and send you your money? With the government you never know, but it costs us a lot less. We don’t charge origination fees – or any fees for that matter.

Advantage: SoFi

Borrower Protection

Many of the experts in student loan space tout the borrower protection of federal loans. Things like income based repayment, economic hardship forbearance and forgiveness in death. Well, we have all those things, too. SoFi is a community based lending program, funded by alumni. None of these things are orthogonal to the spirit and intent of the community. You might be asking – what about loan forgiveness? Well, PLUS loans aren’t eligible for forgiveness for teaching. You can potentially get forgiveness after 10 years of public service – and 10 years of full payments. And remember that alumni community? They can potentially provide forgiveness on your loan if you are pursuing a career one or more of them are passionate about. It’s an innovative program we are piloting next year, and we’re putting $100K of our own money behind it.

Advantage: Tie

Community

Is a loan funded by alumni really any different than a loan funded by the government? Well, can the government provide career advice, mentorship or help you get a job? Does the government have any particular affinity for you? In general, the government is what we call a disinterested lender (however, stop paying your loan and they’ll take a lot of interest in you – the Department of Education says the collection rate on defaulted PLUS loans is 103.5%). SoFi brings together students and alumni of a school in a way to facilitate engagement and support.

Advantage: SoFi

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If you’ve made it through this blog and you’ve got a PLUS loan, you’re probably thinking how bad your loan sucks. So what should you do? If you’ve taken the loan in the last 120 days, apply for a SoFi loan, and if you get it, give your PLUS loan back. The government allows you to return the loan – and pay back any interest and origination fees – if you do it within 120 days of receiving your funds. We can walk you through step-by-step how to do it. If you’re a graduate or you’ve had a PLUS loan longer than 120 days, apply to refinance it with SoFi. You won’t recoup your origination fees, but you’ll be paying a lot less in interest, keeping most of your borrower protections and accessing the SoFi community.

Stop paying too much and getting too little. Come over to SoFi.

Amber Ellis a a recent graduate of Loyola University Maryland. She currently is an intern with MWW, one of the largest independent public relations firms. Read more about the MWW interns.

By Amber Ellis

As a recent graduate of Loyola University Maryland, I am well aware of the importance and difficulty of getting a job right out of college. When discussing our post-grad plans, I noticed that my friends weren’t all on the same path: some had entry-level jobs, some were doing their usual summer jobs for one more year and others were without a plan at all. And then there was me: I had an internship. Feeling somewhere between employed and unemployed, lost and found, I was unsure how I felt about being an intern. Would this just be a dead end road on my way to success?

When I arrived for my first day at MWW, a notorious public relations firm, I expected to learn the ins and outs of the copy machine and get acquainted with complicated coffee orders. What I ended up getting was an introduction to their extensive internship program, which not only allowed me to do real work that impacted the company, but also gave me the opportunity to work with my fellow interns on a mock pitch that would be presented to the company’s executives. This was much more intense than I had anticipated, but I gladly welcomed the opportunity to be introduced into the real world.

“I expected to learn the ins and outs of the copy machine and get acquainted with complicated coffee orders. What I ended up getting was an introduction to their extensive internship program…”

After being with MWW for nine weeks, I can honestly say that an internship was the perfect path for me to take. The real world doesn’t seem as daunting when you have an entire company that is willing to help you through the ups and downs that come with any major transition. As an intern, I was expected to take time to learn about the work I was doing, ask a lot of questions, and even, on occasion, make mistakes. In an effort not to take any situation for granted, I did my best to make connections with the new people I met and made sure that I was absorbing all of the information that was being thrown my way. I knew that the tools I was given at MWW would be invaluable when my time as an intern was up, and I would have to continue my journey into the unknown.

Luckily for me, the unknown can take a back seat for a little while. Just when I thought my time at MWW was coming to an end, my internship was extended for two more months. While a job is possible, a wealth of knowledge and experience is guaranteed, which is really what I am thankful for. I would recommend an internship for any post-grad who is looking for an invaluable learning experience or is feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders after graduation. MWW helped me turn the burden I was carrying into an unforgettable experience that I do not have to say goodbye to quite yet.

Class of 2012 grads – have you considered a fall internship? Start searching. Share your story below.

Lauren Bailey is a freelance blogger who loves writing about education, new technology, lifestyle and health. As an education writer, she works to research and provide information for those comparing the best online colleges and courses. You can contact her via email.

By Lauren Bailey

It’s no secret, college graduates have it pretty tough today. In many ways, it’s been discussed to the point of almost becoming cliché, but there are some real struggles in place for recent grads. With a seriously downtrodden economy, steady unemployment, a harshly competitive job market, and student debt higher than ever before, there’s good reason for concern. Recent college graduates are entering the “real world” and encountering a very hard time finding jobs for the most part. While at one time college graduates believed that obtaining that golden diploma was a guaranteed ticket to professional success and financial stability, today that simply isn’t the case and isn’t really believed to be the case. More and more often college graduates are facing long periods of unemployment without any real know how for dealing with it.

After spending close to a year after graduation either unemployed or pretty severely underemployed, I have found many positive ways to spend that time. In today’s job market, it’s all about selling your traits, skills, and experience in the right way. Use these few tips to help spruce up your unemployment and create a more marketable resume.

1. Interning

Unfortunately, in many cases today, paid internships have become almost as competitive as salaried positions. More and more young professionals are recognizing the potential internships have to offer. That being said, paid internships are not the end of the line. Unpaid internships can be a wonderful way to create a stronger portfolio as well. During your unemployment, along with your search for paid internships and paid positions, don’t rule out unpaid internships if the right one comes along. Interning at the right company, in the right field, or with the right people can make all the difference. Employers today are looking for candidates with “real world” professional experience and interning is one way to gain that as a newbie grad. Interning is a wonderful way to learn the professional aspects of the industry you’re really interested in, to meet influential people within your field of interest, and to hone in on the areas of the professional world you are really passionate about. Though unpaid is never the most enticing of lures, there’s a lot to gain from the right position.

2. Volunteering

Volunteering can also be an amazing way to gain professional experience and network within your field of interest. Unemployment can be a difficult thing to sell on a resume. By finding volunteer opportunities in the area of industry that you are truly interested in pursuing as a career, you can gain valuable experience. Try to find volunteer opportunities that directly pertain to the area of industry you are seeking work in. This can be a wonderful way to network with people in the field and build relationships with influential industry leaders. While volunteering is certainly about gaining that experience, it is almost more so about building your professional network. Networking has become one of the number one most important aspects of an individual’s job hunt. Many times, finding the position you are truly interested in and getting your foot in the door comes down to the people you know.

3. Continuing Education

Educating yourself further during your unemployment can be a great solution for both sprucing up your resume and sprucing up your day-to-day life. One of the hardest aspects of unemployment is finding ways to occupy your time in a positive and worthwhile manner. Education can be a great solution. Now, I’m not suggesting that you run off to graduate school and incur more student debt. Rather, look into options like open courseware for free online or professional certifications. Open courseware opportunities are available through some of the most renowned and celebrated universities in the country. Find some courses you can take that can add to your resume and help with your job hunt. Taking profession specific courses is one worthwhile option, but you can also consider skill-based classes that might be useful in the working world. Things like math classes, computer programming, and statistics can be useful in a number of different professions and can help put you a mark above other job candidates.

What is your advice for recent grads who are looking to spruce up their unemployment period? Leave your tips below.

Joshua Waldman (@joshuawaldman), author of Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies, is recognized as one of the nations top authorities in Social Media Career Advancement. To learn Joshua’s secret strategies for shortening the job search and getting the right job right away, watch his exclusive video training.

By Joshua Waldman

When I graduated from Brown (2000), I was promised the world. I had just completed four years at one of the most expensive schools in the country. It stands to reason, I reasoned, that my career would be a reflection of the investment I had put into school. “The world is yours!” they seemed to say as they sent me my first financial aid bill.

Boy was I wrong!

After two layoffs in a row and then rebuilding myself from the ground up in 2009, I realized how dangerous this notion can be if left unquestioned.

That’s why I was almost brought to tears while reading a letter written by Lily Maestas, a career counselor at the University of California- Santa Barbara. “An Open Letter to the Class of 2011” begins with the five major differences between your life as a student and your life as a professional:

1. The year no longer starts in September. (she starts off gently!)
2. Your circle of friends is no longer handed to you; most of your co-workers will be so dissimilar to you that you will have to find friends outside of your daytime life.
3. You’re going to get paid crap. You won’t have a free health club, can’t eat out every day, and must spend lots of money on a new wardrobe. Yes, life is going to seem tough.
4. Your co-workers will probably not challenge your intellect. They’re not stupid or boring, they are just not paid to stimulate or challenge your mind with scholarly factoids, i.e. you will be bored.
5. Your first job will probably have nothing to do with your long-term career goals. Pressure from parents or to pay off your bills made you pick the first opportunity that came your way. You’ll probably leave it in 18 months and will want to leave it much sooner than that.

These points really resonate with me as well as others who have read it. They seem harsh, but life has never promised to be easy. Lily concludes her confrontation with the realities of post-college life with some advice. Here’s mine:

1. Don’t take this too hard. Everyone goes through it. You are in the process of defining your professional self. In my case, it took nine years!
2. Ask your elders for advice. Anyone who’s been out of college as long as I have can probably help you through the rough times.
3. Remember to celebrate what you’ve already accomplished. This is one I still struggle to incorporate in my life. Hey, after all, I went to Brown, one of the hardest colleges to get into. That should say something.
4. Find your guardian angels. No one wins alone. No wealthy person ever became a millionaire through just their own efforts (unless they won at poker). Find a mentor who will advocate for you when you need it.

The faster you can accept the realities of post-college life, the sooner you will find success in life.

If I had read this letter sooner, my life may have taken a very different tack. But even after struggling for 9 years to find my professional self, I still did it, and I consider myself successful. So the good news is that it’s never too late.

If there is just one piece of advice I would add to this letter it would be this. Your career isn’t going to fall in your lap just because you graduated school. If you know what you want, do whatever it takes to get there. If you don’t know, do whatever it takes to find clarity, even if that means trying something out for a while.

Recent grads, what do you think about the five major differences above? Do you agree, have you had the same experience? Let us know in the comments below!

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis is passionate about jobs. And it’s great that the Secretary of Labor is not only focused on the unemployment rate for those who have been in the workforce for years, but she’s also doing everything in her power to help the youth of America – our best and our brightest – succeed and land work opportunities.

Writing from The White House Blog today, Secretary Solis urged businesses, non-profits and governments to come together to provide employment opportunities for youth in the summer of 2012. Internships.com is highlighted in the article, and we’re proud to support The White House in this initiative.

In January, President Obama announced the Summer Jobs+ initiative – calling on employers big and small to work with their communities to provide jobs, internships, mentoring opportunities or other life and work skills development for our young people. As a technology partner of the White House in this effort, we’re doing everything we can to create and provide more and more work summer job and internship opportunities for you guys – our future.

So keep searching, and know that not only do we have your back, but the White House does too! We’re in this together. Good luck in your internship search! Employers – you can post your opportunities for free, get started.

Lauren Suval recently graduated from Hofstra University and is an apsiring writer. In her spare time, you can find her enjoying the company of great friends, reading, or listening to Springsteen.

By Lauren Suval

It’s Christmas and relatives are eager to make small talk over turkey dinner. So what are you doing now? they’d ask. That’s the infamous question posed to the college graduate in the family who’s heard this line one too many times before. Did you get a job yet? Are travel plans secured? Is grad school in the future? In response, the said college graduate responds that they’re currently interning, without paid compensation. The Uncle’s brow may furrow, but he heard it right: the current course of action is, in fact, interning after graduation. With the economy down and the job market as competitive as ever, that response is certainly not so uncommon.

Jon Krampel, 24, graduated from the University of Hartford in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in communications, an emphasis in media and advertising, and has completed five internships since. Anna Solo, 22, recently graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with a degree in photojournalism, and has found an internship in the field she loves. Marina Charny, 22, a fresh graduate of Syracuse University, who studied English & textual studies/writing, has left a paid marketing position to pursue an unpaid internship at a literary agency.

“Internships help you build professional experience and that’s important because some companies won’t even talk to you unless you have some,” Susan Terry, director of the Center for Career Services at the University of Washington in Seattle told the Black Collegian.

“Internships are a good way to get experience doing what it is you want to do; it gets the kinks worked out before you go into the real world.”

According to an article posted on the Collegian’s site, Judy Rohde, owner of Career Development Services in Austin, Texas, proposes that internships are the gateways to jobs. “With an internship, you prove you have skills,” she said. “There’s only so much one can do with a resume after school, but with an internship on it, you look much stronger and more appealing to an employer. It shows you have a commitment to your field and that you’re willing to invest your time and effort to get ahead of the learning curve.”

“Internships are a good way to get experience doing what it is you want to do; it gets the kinks worked out before you go into the real world,” Solo said. As an unpaid intern at a film production company, Solo feels lucky that this opportunity came her way; she’s able to witness firsthand the process of documentary film-making. Although, as an intern, she does have to partake in typical mundane tasks, she characterizes her experience as “an internship of mutual respect.” “I do have to get milk or take out the garbage, but everyone does it.”

Solo notes how the issue of competency is another “pro” of the internship world as well. “They’re aware I don’t have so much experience. It’s good to know that I may not know production, but I don’t come across as incompetent.”

With regards to internships, Krampel believes that they not only help you learn what you want and what you don’t want to do, career-wise, but they help you learn more about yourself. After an internship at a music public relations firm, he realized that the office environment wasn’t for him, and he feels much more comfortable at his current internship, working with a booking agent at a music venue.

He advocates that the economy’s decline plays a pivotal role in why so many college graduates are interning instead of finding full-time employment. “Companies don’t want to hire; interns work for free… and you hope you get hired.”

According to The Intern Agency, internships are also gaining popularity in circles beyond post-college life. “With the current recession, even those who are unemployed have begun to take on internships as a way to get on the job training in fields where they’re hoping to begin a second career.”

Critics do suggest that time spent working without pay should be spent looking for a job. “This argument doesn’t take into account the reality that many of the unemployed are going in this direction because they have exhausted all other options in the field for which they are qualified,” the Agency stated.

There’s no doubt about it, internships seem to only be increasing in capacity. When Charny applied for her current position as an intern, she was told that previous internship experience on a resume is a plus.

“It seems like nowadays, you need to have an internship to get an internship to get a job,” she said. “Internships are a necessary evil; sometimes they work out for you and sometimes you have no future from them.”

It’s a gamble, however, many individuals are willing to take.

Thanks for your insights, Lauren! You can email Lauren here. What do you think about internships after graduation? Let us know in the comments!

Antoine D. Moss, Ph.D. is a former intern for Congress, the FBI and NASA who recently turned his internship into a full-time job at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He also speaks publicly as a motivator and empowers students to become the CEO of their dreams across the country. Dr. Moss’s new book, Learn to Intern CEO Style, chronicles his internship experiences and strategies for turning ambition into reality.

By Antoine D. Moss

To get a job in 2011 you need to have the “Big Three”…
1) Have a college degree
2) Demonstrate through real-world experiences that you have the ability to add value by being innovative and multi-talented and
3) Have connections

The Secrets to Acquiring “The Big Three”

1)      Develop a plan – Each semester (or year) you should develop a specific career plan that will help you target your career goals while you are still a student—stick to your plan.

2)      Intern, intern, intern – Employers want students who have already gotten their hands dirty in the real-world. Therefore you must complete as many internships as you can. Be sure to develop a customized internship plan to achieve your goals while you are interning.

3)      Take advantage of your career services counselors – Acquaint yourself with your career services department. They will be very resourceful to you and will guide you with your career decisions and development.

4)      Build a powerful resume – Develop a resume that’s loaded with solid, substantive experience that highlights your skills, strengths, and student involvement. Be sure to edit to perfection!

5)      Achieve and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA – A high GPA conveys to employers that you took college seriously.

6)      Take a diverse set of classes – Employers want students who have a diverse set of skills and knowledge, so learn as much as you can.

7)      Become involved in student organizations – Stay involved in on-campus activities and acquire leadership positions because this will help you gain confidence and respect by your peers and employers.

8)      Volunteer regularly – Volunteering shows employers that you enjoy giving back and it will also help you hone your skills as well.

9)      Develop effective communication, vocabulary, and writing skills – Employers look for individuals who are very, very strong in these areas. From your interview and writing samples, recruiters will immediately know if you have these indispensible traits —they make a huge difference in the workforce! Be sure to take several writing and public speaking courses.

10)  Gain professional exposure – Gaining professional exposure helps you build your network of connections. You can quickly acquire professional exposure by attending networking and professional social activities. Conducting informational interviews are also effective. Get some business cards made and don’t be shy at handing them out!

11)  Social media presence – Clean up your social media profiles. Employers know that we are all human and love having fun, but convey that you like to have clean fun. Don’t post unprofessional comments and pictures because they can haunt you later in your job quest.

12)  Find a mentor – Having a mentor to help you navigate your career success is huge. Find a professional or professor who will be willing to offer you guidance as you develop yourself as a professional—you can even have a virtual mentor.

…and always remember that you are the CEO of your dreams!

Antoine has previously written for Eye of the Intern, read For Best Results, Customize Your Internship.

By Alex Braun

The U.S. added 117,000 jobs in July, ticking the unemployment rate down to 9.1 percent and adding an unexpected positive note to a brutal week of economic news. But other signals suggest the already-difficult job market may be on shaky ground.

One day after the ninth-largest selloff in the history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the July jobs report from the Department of Labor was somewhat positive. But some of those numbers may have been boosted artificially by 1.1. million discouraged workers — people who are not counted in the statistics because they have given up looking for work.

Souring the news was word that Standard & Poor’s, one of three major international credit rating agencies, had downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+ despite a last-minute congressional agreement to raise the debt ceiling — the first downgrade since the U.S. earned a perfect rating in 1917.

What does this news mean for college students about to enter the workforce? For one, the debt deal itself has cut into federal student loans,which will soon force students to start paying interest while they’re still in school. Though hiring has picked up from a year ago, it’s still not at a level that promises to bring down the unemployment rate — especially since a sizable amount of government jobs are expected to be slashed when the debt deal takes affect in the coming months. And lower credit ratings for the U.S. government could lead directly to higher interest rates, which would increase credit card fees, student loan payments and car loans.

Who or what is to blame for the nation’s employment woes? Voice your opinion in the comments.