We all know that Senior year has its positives but one thing that no one looks forward to is the search for a job after graduation. While the last several years have been awesome, it’s now time to come back to the real world to find the perfect job and, hopefully, career for you. Unfortunately, there are so many options and things to consider that it’s hard to know where to start. Fortunately, we at Drexel are here to help!

The Steinbright Career Development Center is hosting several workshops for graduating seniors and recent alumni who are looking for full-time positions. On September 20-22, the staff at the SCDC will host three workshops a day to discuss the strategies needed by, and resources available to, graduating Drexel students. We also strongly recommend that graduating Seniors utilize the SCDC’s Dragon Jobs site, and attend the Fall Career Fair on Wednesday, October 12 from 10am-3pm. For a full listing of available workshops, please visit the SCDC Calendar and Events page found at http://www.drexel.edu/scdc/events/index.html.

The Department of Labor Statistics recently published a guide to Careers in Wind Energy.  They provide a map of wind farms in the US, give an overview of a wind-farm project, and discuss the occupations within the wind power industry.  If you’re interested in going green with your career but aren’t really sure what your options are, check out this great guide to get you up to speed on the possibilities in the wind energy industry.

Are you in need of some summer housing options?  Need a place to stay while you complete A and B round interviews?  Make sure to look into Drexel’s Summer Intern Housing Program, which can provide you with short-term accommodations over the summer.

Sure, we’re all used to hearing about what questions to expect on an interview.  We even have books like More Best Answers to the 201 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions and The 250 Job Interview Questions You’ll Most Likely Be Asked and the Questions That Will Get You Hired! that address commonly asked questions in an interview setting.  But what about those totally off-the-wall questions that no reasonable person could ever expect, such as “If you were a brick in the wall, which brick would you be and why?”  I mean, how would YOU answer that question?  (Believe it or not, ladies and gentlemen, that is a REAL interview question asked by Nestle USA!).  Well, thankfully, the good folks at Glassdoor.com have compiled a list of the Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions of 2009.  Check it out!

I guess this would be a good time to introduce Glassdoor!  We recently established a partnership with Glassdoor that allows our library users to access company salaries, reviews, and interviews for over 70,000 employers, posted anonymously by employees.  If you find that you can’t access information on the website, please let me know at dl423@drexel.edu.  We have a username and password for the Drexel community that should give you access to everything.

Are you looking for jobs in the nonprofit sector, but are not sure which websites are the best?  Blue Avocado, a website for nonprofits, reviewed 33 nonprofit job sites and rated them based on different criteria.  See their post here; you can even download the entire directory as a PDF file!

And it’s soooo much better now!  Thank you, President Obama!

You’ll also notice that their student jobs section looks much nicer as well!  You can also search for additional opportunities for students, such as apprenticeships, cooperatives, fellowships, grants, internships, and scholarships.  So much easier to navigate!

If not, you may want to consider doing so!  It is one more avenue to pursue networking and job opportunities.

Check out 100 Useful Twitter Tools and Feeds for your ideas on how you can use Twitter for your job search!

OnlineUniversities.com has compiled a nice list of some of the major job sites out there, both general and industry-specific ones.  The categories include Education, Science & Engineering, Tech Careers, Creative Professionals, Finance & Accounting, Healthcare, Advertising & Marketing, Sales, Retail & Customer Service, Freelance, and Miscellaneous.  Check it out!

I’ve just ordered the second batch of books for the Careers Collection here @ Hagerty Library.  Here is what you have to look forward to:

• Graduate Admission Essays: Write your way into the graduate school of your choice- Great information on how to manage  your grad school applications, but of course with a heavy emphasis on writing that essay! Has tons of sample essays and even recommendation letters.
• Fashion Careers: The Complete Job Search Workbook- Co-written by Drexel’s very own Beth Phillips, a faculty member at Westphal, this a great workbook with interactive worksheets for your job search.
• College Board CLEP: Official Study Guide 2009- Did you know that you can receive college credit for learning outside of the classroom?  Drexel accepts CLEP exams and also serves as a CLEP test center.  Get more information here.
• Career Development in Bioengineering and Biotechnology- Are you a biomedical engineering major who would like to explore career options?  This book has a wealth of information, from information on more traditional career paths such as medical device technologies to alternative careers paths such as writing non-fiction books!
• Career Opportunities in Forensic Science- This book features 82 job profiles within the field of forensic science with descriptions, tips, etc. for each.  Who knew there were that many occupations within the field of forensic science!?
• The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to Land a Job that Makes a Difference- All you ever need to know about the nonprofit sector and how to land a job within it.  This book also features “spotlights” and Q&A’s with people in the field.
• The Everything Guide to Becoming an Event Planner- If you’re thinking of becoming an event planner, this is essential reading for you.  Learn how to get started and break into the business, but more importantly, learn the ins and outs of actually putting an event together.
• Becoming Leaders: A Practical Handbook for Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology- Learn what it takes to succeed as a woman in the male-dominated fields of engineering, science, and technology.  From job hunting to time management, this book outlines the kinds of issues women face as students, career women, faculty members, deans/heads, and managers in the fields of science and technology.
• The Rough Guide to Crete- Thinking of participating in the Cretan Scholars Program and doing your co-op abroad on the island of Crete?  Find out more about Crete with this travel guide.

New books have been added to our Careers Collection!!

• Wiley CPA Exam Review 2008-2009- Aspiring accountants, rejoice!!  This two volume set will prepare you for your CPA exam in no time.
• How to Write Winning Letters of Recommendation- If you’re struggling to eke out that letter of recommendation, this book is for you.  It offers guidelines and plenty of samples and templates for employment, college-related, and general recommendation letters; employment, college, character, and general reference letters; commendation letters; performance evaluation letters; and college admission essays.
• Opportunities in Petroleum Careers- Explore career opportunities within the petroleum industry.
• America’s Best Graduate Schools, 2009 Edition- U.S. News & World Reports has come out with their newest rankings for graduate schools!
• Careers in Travel, Tourism & Hospitality- Explore careers within the travel and hospitality industry.
• 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs- With the current economic landscape, it would be wise to use this book to begin planning your career.
• Interview Answers in a Flash- Practice your interviewing skills by using this book of more than 200 flash card-style questions!
• The Ultimate Interview Book- This book is great because it tells you the key questions to expect in an interview for your kind of job- whether it is a sales & marketing job, a management position, a creative job, or more.
• Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada- This book is the ultimate source for international students.  It tells you everything you should expect and need to know from the standpoint of an international student: from how to succeed in university to earn and manage your money.
• How to Pass Numerical Reasoning Tests- Many employers, especially overseas, will have potential employees take a numerical reasoning test to weed applicants how.  Use this step-by-step guide to learn all the basic skills you need!
• Escape the Mid-Career Doldrums- If you’re bored, burned out, retired, or just got fired, this book will help you get onto a new career track.
• Delaying the Real World- If starting a career immediately after graduation doesn’t appeal to you, why don’t you try traveling and trying to make the world a better place?  This book will tell you how.