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So you’ve got less than two months left of the school year and zero plans for a summer internship. Crap?

It may seem like it’s too late to find something fantastic to pad that resume, but there are still plenty of internships out there just waiting to be filled. You just need to find the one you want and then make sure you set yourself apart from the other internship hunters as the best person for the job.

With all that competition, scoring that coveted internship can be hard, but there are a few key things you can do to help. We sat down with Colleen Sabatino, Internship Coach over at Internships.com, to find out exactly what you need to be doing to land that dream summer internship. Keep these things in mind and you’ll be interning in no time.

Know What You’re Applying For:
“Most students don’t take the time to carefully review the internship description and requirements before submitting an application. If you spend time matching your education and experience with the requirements for the position, you’ll go a long way towards getting the internship.”

Tailor Your Cover Letter:
“Express your enthusiasm for the company & position and highlight the education and experience you bring that are a match for what the company is looking for in an intern. Use the company’s internship description and position requirements as a guide and try to include keywords that are company or industry related.”

And Keep It Simple:
“Your cover letter should highlight only those items that support your candidacy for the internship – don’t mention background/experience that the company isn’t seeking.”

Edit and Focus Your Resume:
“Include your educational and work history – start with whichever is the best match for the internship. For example, if you are applying for a marketing internship and you’re studying marketing in school but have never worked in marketing, start with your education and include courses that relate to the position. If you DO have work experience in marketing, then start with your experience and follow with your education.

Also, include any outside activities (volunteer, association, project, etc.) that support your background for the internship. In our previous example, if you’re a member of the American Marketing Association, include that – it supports your qualifications for the marketing internship.

Don’t include every project or assignment you’ve ever done at school and work. You want those items that match the company’s needs to stand out – keep the resume focused on those items.

Follow Up:
Prior to submitting your resume, do your research. Know the company’s industry, the products/services it provides, where it’s located, etc. If the listing you’re applying to doesn’t give a company contact, track one down! Call the company and ask for the name of the Human Resource Manager or the most likely hiring manager depending on the internship (e.g. Marketing Manager, Finance Manager, Sales Manager, etc.). Once you have a contact, take the initiative and use them as the first point of contact for follow up – if they aren’t the correct contact, chances are they can put you in touch with the appropriate contact.

For more internship tips and tricks, check out the Internship Coach on Internships.com. And if you’re still looking for a great opportunity for the summer, they’ve got over 20,000 to choose from!

Another week has passed and we’re all one more week closer to graduating. This simple fact may send some of you into a depressed-chasing-shots-with-pints-of-ice-cream-alone-in-your-bedroom sorta funk. But put down the ladle, take a deep breath, concentrate on the hotness of Taylor Lautner and relax.  (Usually that helps me anyways…)

As we leave our colleges we’re generally expected to do one of the following steps after graduation: get a job, go to grad school, or travel the world to find ourselves.

Most of us will fall into the first category: the job. Just saying the word makes me shudder. The only thing scarier than a 9-5 job to a soon-to-be-grad is actually getting one.

The job hunt can be intimidating, frustrating, and downright difficult. In today’s market, jobs are hard to come by and a degree from a top university no longer guarantees that you’ll instantly land your dream job or that you’ll even be the best candidate for it. But there are steps we can all take and advice we can all use that will better prepare us for the job hunt and make it seem a lot less intimidating.

Will you be getting this job hunt advice and tips from yours truly? No. Why not? Because I don’t have a job and things could get real awkward if you found out you were following the advice of a fellow unemployed senior. (Hint to all prospective employers: Hire me. Do it. I dare you!)

So instead, I’ve compiled a list of great resources about everything and anything the job hunt entails from people who’ve actually had real jobs and are professionals at more things than beer pong. Summarized with advice and points from powerhouse President of Hearst Magazines, Cathie Black, here are a list of tips and advice about resumes, cover letters, networking, interviewing and more! You’ll definitely want to bookmark this post for later!

Networking
1. Calling cards. Get them. Just because you don’t have a title to put on a business card doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one. These are vital for any and all networking opportunities.
2. Be aggressive. Introduce yourself to any potential contacts. Gaining contacts in your industries no matter how high or how low will help you in the long run. When you meet someone and have a conversation, make sure to give them your card and follow up with an email saying how much you enjoyed meeting them.

LOTUS&ASH Calling cards: This exquisite, intimate paper company by paper genius Ashling Loh-Doyle makes the best calling cards and stationery around. Her fine and warm touches can transform the personality of every client into the most classic yet eccentric paper products, whether that be greeting cards, calling cards, or stationery.

Cover Letter
1. Don’t forget the cover letter. Without one, it just says you’re lazy. Don’t know how to put one together? Take a gander at this handy guide or visit your school’s career development center. It’s there for a reason, people!
2. The best cover letters express three things: why you’re good at what you do, how you’ll help the company, and your enthusiasm for the job.
3. Close your cover letter by saying you’ll call them and then actually call them.

Resume
1. Keep it simple. One page, simple font, no crazy graphics, and keep it focused, including just the information that will show an employer your relevant skills and qualities.
2. Spell check. Spell check. Spell check.
3. Tailor your resume to the job you’re applying for. This is key! Have several versions of your resume, tailored to different types of job that will match your skills with the different employer’s needs.
4. Don’t exaggerate – and never lie. This could lead to disaster, especially in today’s world when we’re all Google-able.

Never written a resume? Try these resources on for size:
The Resume Handbook: This is the ultimate resume how-to guide stacked with tips, advice, and formats.
Career Perfect: These people make a business out of knowing how to get people jobs.

Landing and Preparing for an Interview
1. Be persistent. Show initiative and be aggressive. Don’t hound potential employers with tons of calls, but it is okay to call them and ask if the company is in its hiring process or whether there’s anything you can do to help move it along.
2. Do research on the company and the person interviewing you. Interviewers want to know that you want this job, not just any job. Show your interest by learning about the company so you can both ask and answer questions. Think about your ideals, what you want out of this job, and why you are simply the best for this position.
3. Explain all of your weaknesses as strengths. For example, when asked what your weakness is, say something like “I sometimes overwork myself” or “I spend too much time trying to perfect my work.”
4. Look great. Dress appropriately for the job you’re applying for. Even if most people dress casually in your industry (this is the case in advertising, marketing and journalism), dress up. Ladies, no cleavage. Look presentable and respectable.
5. Bring resume, cover letter, list of references, paper and pen.
6. Make sure you ask questions. Most employers at the end of the interview will ask if you have any questions. Have some things prepared. This is not the time to ask how much money you’ll be making but it is the time to ask questions about the company as a whole, where you will fit into the organization, and what all of your duties will be.
7. Be yourself. Actually though, be yourself. Be the best version of yourself. Obviously your behavior will be more refined as you’re in an interview, but still be yourself.
8. Follow up by sending a thank you note or letter. On nice stationery!

Want to brush up on those interview questions so you’re not blindsided? Here are a few of the more common things you’ll be asked in interviews.

But some people don’t agree and actually want to make unpaid internships illegal! Worried that many companies are illegally using students for free labor, many officials in Oregon, California and other states want to change the rules and require companies to pay their interns.

Honestly, this is something I never really thought of before.  In my eyes, the benefit of my unpaid internships has been the experience gained on my resume. I always just accepted that unpaid internships were something everyone had to have if they wanted to move up the ladder. Sure, it wasn’t ideal, but that’s just the way things were, and if you were learning something about your future career then it was all worth it.

But then I started thinking about all those bullsh*t internships out there. You know, the ones where you’re making copies, fetching coffee and answering phones. The ones that have literally nothing to do with your future career interests, but you take because you think it will still look good on your resume. Like an NYU intern at a Manhattan children’s film company who was assigned to the facilities department to wipe the doorknobs each day to prevent Swine Flu from spreading through the office. I don’t know what the job listing was, but I’m pretty sure that student didn’t plan on adding “door knob cleaner” to their resume. How did he benefit from that?

And then there are those students who can’t afford unpaid internships. Even if they could gain hella experience in some awesome internship program, they might not be able to sacrifice a summer of making money to do it. How is it fair that they become less competitive candidates for future jobs just because someone else was lucky enough to have their parents footing the bill for the summer?

All those things considered, I can totally get on board with this whole “unpaid internships should be illegal” business. Well, that and the fact that I’d like to bring home a paycheck for the work I do. I mean, who in their right mind wouldn’t want to make money for working? Even my little cousins won’t do their chores without getting a little somethin’ somethin’ from their parents. But is this realistic? And what if it happens and companies who can’t afford paid interns just stop offering internships? How are the 83% of students who now seek them out all supposed to get them? Yeah, some internships are BS, but some actually do teach you something and internships are valuable for future employers who seek students with relevant experience.

What are we supposed to do when we can’t get that experience?

I’m all about being compensated for my work, but I also really value the unpaid internship opportunities that I’ve had. I’ve learned so much and I know they will help me when graduation hits and I’m dumped into the craptastic job market. Would college students really benefit if those opportunities didn’t exist?

I can’t believe that in less than 3 months I’ll be a college graduate.  I’ve tried avoiding it, but that failed. Somehow my mom wasn’t thrilled with the idea of me wanting to stay and party at the #1 party school no matter how much I tried to convince her that I wanted to open my mind to a new world of educational and enlightening wonders.

Yes, the thought of graduating still makes me nauseous (I’d prefer a tequila hangover any day) but these past few months have been a period of reflection for me; that amazing game-winning beer pong shot, the many “I did WHAT” stories, the intense study sessions for required classes that I’ll never need in my real life….

With the real world looming on the not-so-distant horizon, I realize that my time at Penn State has been legen…wait for it…DARY, but there’s still so much useful stuff I don’t know. So now I’m sitting here, up to my ears in job applications, wishing that maybe instead of forcing me to take Geology 101 (and spend major cashola on it), my school would have offered some more useful classes…

Basic Car Skills 101: This past summer I purchased my dream nightmare of a car: a VW Beetle!   I thought we were a match made in heaven, until she decided to go crazy on me.  That’s when I realized all I knew how to do was fill her up with gas.    A simple class that taught me how to change a flat, how to add fluids or oil, line it up on a car wash track, and even talk to mechanics so they don’t scam me for money because I’m a girl (trust me, they do!) would have been very helpful.

Cooking Outside the Kraft Box 202:  Although mac and cheese is one of my favorite foods, I wish I knew how to cook more complicated dishes.  Every time I try, I somehow manage to screw them  up. I once destroyed a pot trying to cook marinated chicken. Yeah, I’m the nightmare in the kitchen.  If I could just have some simple lessons and lots of one-on-one instruction, I might actually be allowed to try cooking a complicated dish, without fear in my roommate’s eyes.

Inside the World of Dating 350: Before coming to Penn State, I was convinced that during these 4 years I was going to meet the love of my life.  Instead, all I’ve met are the wrong guys. Lots of them. No matter how many times I’m convinced I’ve found the nice guy it never works out.  So just a simple class on guys with topics such as “Why guys flirt when they make it obvious they don’t like you”, “Signs he an a-hole”, or “It’s time to make a move”, would definitely save me a lot of my time and energy on the male species. CollegeCandy’s very own Dude could be the prof!

Job Hunting 100: College is intense. Your classes are hard and with each passing year require more time and effort. Yet your teachers still act as if you are only taking their class.  Then with what little free time you have left, you have extracurricular activities to attend to. Your days are so over-scheduled you barely have time to eat that Easy Mac. And then senior year rolls around and you gotta add job hunting to the mix. 24 hours isn’t enough for me to finish all my homework and activities, let alone work on that resume. But I have to if I don’t want to move back in with the parentals in 3 months. A class (or even a semester dedicated solely to the job hunt) would definitely make me more successful down the road. And that’s the point of college, right? To find a job?

It’s internship hunting season and, thanks to the economy, it’s more competitive than ever. That means it’s more important than ever to make a really good first impression. Being that I spent the past week alone sifting through over 100 applications for CollegeCandy’s summer internship positions, I know a thing or twelve about what makes a successful application.

If you want to spend your summer beefing up your resume, learning the ropes and, most likely, getting someone else’s coffee, take a few of these things into consideration:

Stand Out.
Most internship coordinators receive a lot of applications, making it incredibly difficult to remember every single one they looked at. If you want to be remembered, you gotta stand out.

Resume Do:
Move away from the traditional/boring resume format and try doing something a little different. (You can find ideas online.) I once received a resume that had a great pop of bright green on the top and a very simple green line down the left side. Three years later, I still remember that applicant.

Resume Don’t:
Say something stupid. My friend was recently reading through internship applications for a position at her advertising firm. Under “interests” one applicant listed: “Facebook creeping, collecting bar wrist bands, and beer pong.” Not only was she under 21, but she was completely unprofessional. Yes, she was trying to be creative and stand out, but this was clearly the wrong way to do it.

Cover Letter Do:
Writing cover letters is annoying, yes, but they are incredibly important. Don’t just copy and paste a generic cover letter and send it out to every job you are applying for. We aren’t stupid and it makes us feel like you really aren’t that serious about the position.  Take some time and think about the company, the job and the industry, and tailor your cover letter accordingly. Also, a little anecdote at the beginning can go a long way in getting someone’s attention.

Cover Letter Don’t:
Reiterate everything that we already saw on your resume. If we wanted a list of your accomplishments, well, we’ve already got that. Also, don’t send it without spellchecking first. Seems obvious, but I can’t tell you how many cover letters (for writing positions!) I’ve read with glaring errors.

Be Professional:
No matter the company culture, you must act and dress professionally. My advertising friend (again) recently interviewed a potential intern who showed up wearing jeans and Uggs. UGGS! While the ad industry may be more laid back than most when it comes to attire, it is totally unprofessional and disrespectful to show up in the same clothes you wore to class.

Prepare for the Interview:
Beyond just coming up with your biggest personal flaw and memorizing all the skills you’ve acquired from previous positions, spend a bit of time learning about the company and all of their accomplishments. This not only shows the interviewer that you are genuinely interested in the company, but can also be very flattering for them.  While most people won’t admit this, flattery often does go a long way.

Send a Thank You Note:
We don’t want anything sappy, cheesy or fake, but simply dropping a quick thank-you email a few days after an interview not only shows us respect, but also gets you back fresh in our minds. And after interviewing 6 other people since we spoke to you, that could be the difference between getting the coveted internship and ending up in the forgettable pile.

College. Sigh. It’s unlike any other time in your life. It has its own set of rules, its own unique circumstances. And it’s not always easy to navigate. Everyone needs a little guidance now and then (or always) so we’ve pulled together a variety of perspectives (the does-it-all girl, the party girl and Ms. Study Lounge) to weigh in on your life conundrums and give you the best advice we can.

Every week they’ll be tackling your questions about college. From classes to keggers to keggers before classes, they’ll do their best to respond and be your Pez dispenser of collegiate wisdom. Got questions? Unsure of a decision? Need to branch out? Just wanna chat it up with some really awesome chics?

Hit them up in the comments or shoot them an email with the subject “College Q&A”!

Question:
So, I don’t know if you’ll know the answer to this but I’m trying to figure out my plans for the rest of the semester and I’m not sure which will look better on my resume: getting really involved in a student organization or getting a job. I have no idea what I really want to do in my future yet, so it’s not like either of them would apply much to what I end up doing, so I don’t know if it’s more important to get involved in one or the other. Any thoughts?

GPA Girl:
It seems as if either one could be a good option, but I’d lean toward “job,” and here’s why. When you finally do get around to figuring out what you want to do and applying for full-time jobs after college, your prospective employers will look to your previous work experience and references to judge how you’re going to act in their companies. They might look at extracurriculars as well–in fact, I’m sure they probably will–but I personally don’t think they hold quite the same weight. Even if you become a leader in an extracurricular activity, there’s not really anybody there monitoring your progress, paying attention to when you show up, and evaluating the work you do according to rigorous standards. In short, nobody’s paying you to do it and there’s no one there who can prove how good you did it. A job will provide you with verifiable references and experience that you will be able to use in the future, no matter what career path you choose.

Also, I’m sure our resident Busy Bee will suggest this, but why not get involved with both activities? You may not be able to devote quite as much time as you like to the student org, but it could be really enriching and rewarding for you to do both things and enjoy both experiences. (Plus, it will prove your ability to multi-task and handle multiple responsibilities, which looks pretty great on a resume.)

Party Girl:
Having held down a full-time job with 18 credit hours for five semesters, I can tell you that the job will look way better on your resume, regardless of what you’re studying. Employers love the fact that you can handle so much responsibility at such a relatively young age. It shows that you’re ready to enter the work force as a competent and fully capable adult. And, focusing more on the now, having a job means making serious money. Having serious money means financial freedom from your parents. No longer will you have to beg for money for that new dress that you’ve been craving or that fifth of tequila which is absolutely necessary to celebrate…well, anything. Plus, if you’re working anywhere near campus, chances are you’ll be among fellow students, and who couldn’t use a couple more friends? Trust me, once you get your first paycheck, you won’t regret this decision.

Busy Bee:
Oooh, this is a toughie. It depends on which student organization and which job you want to get. Just keep in mind that even though you don’t know what you want to do with your future just yet, you still need to be involved with something that has meaning to you.

Work wise, don’t just grab a job a Burger King if you have no interest in food or the restaurant business. If you decide to get a job and you want it to look good on that resume, it needs to have some relevancy to your interests, hobbies, and passions. Let’s say you love animals – then try getting a job at a pet store or a local vet’s office. This will show future employers that you have strong passions and good focus. It will sound better to say, “I got a job at this pet store because I own 2 dogs and 3 fish and I love knowing that I can help others with my knowledge on animal care taking!” than to say, “I work at this fast food restaurant because I want money and I don’t know what else to do…” This goes for student orgs, too; don’t join something just because your friends are in it. Make sure to have some sort of justification for your membership to the club! Since you’re not getting paid for your time you have to spend it wisely, i.e. in the way that will most benefit you down the line.

When making your decision ask yourself this: Do you think that you will benefit more from joining this club and volunteering your time, or from working mandatory part-time hours getting paid? Whichever you choose, just know that you NEED to make the most of your experience. People don’t necessarily care about where or what it is that you have done, but rather, how you went about it and how you allowed yourself to benefit from it. Explore all possible options!

But there is!

Just because we can’t hit the mall or grab brunch with the girls doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to do at home. Think about it – we’re always running, doing, keeping busy, so maybe these gray days are actually a blessing in disguise. A chance to catch up on all those things we neglect when it’s not really effing icky outside. A chance to focus on ourselves instead of on classes, activities, drama, or parties.

If you’ve got some serious gray days comin’ your way (I’m talking to you, Midwest!), here are 8 ideas to pass the time and make your life a whole lot better.

1. Clean.
Yes, I’m serious. I know it doesn’t sound like fun, but I’m not talking about a full out the-president’s-coming-for-a-visit scrub; more of a quick organizational breeze. You’ll feel a whole lot better, at ease and productive if your personal space is clean and organized. Put all of your shoes away, gather all of those used cups and mugs and clean them, stack the magazines and books that have been lying all over your floor. Each tiny task adds up, you’ll see.

2. Lists!
Okay, I admit it, I’m a retentively-organized Virgo who just can’t seem to handle tasks if they’re not prelisted, probably color coded and definitely in priority order (sometimes I even need a first draft!). But I swear, lists really can make your life easier. Take some time and organize your life with some lists. Start big and figure out everything you’ve got coming this semester; simply writing it down will allow you to mentally tackle how and when you’re going to accomplish everything. Or make a more focused list of everything you’ve got coming this week. Or all the things you need to pick up at the grocery store. Lists work, so turn off MTV and take some time to organize your life. Even if you don’t get around to each task that day, at least you know you’ve got to get to it (and cross it off!) eventually.

3. Resume
Whether you have a steady job, never plan on getting a job or are currently looking, having an up-to-date resume can never hurt! Things are always changing and happening, so take some time and update that bad boy. Your resume is a key element in landing a job; the last thing you want to do is try and pull it together at the last minute. Take advantage of this extra time and make it perfect.

4. Read
Your first grade teacher didn’t waste their time teaching you how for no reason! You’ve got time so pick up  a book. We’ve got plenty of great recommendations here! If you want to challenge yourself, find the New York Times Best Sellers list and read one every week. A gray-day is the perfect time to start.

5. Cook
If you can follow directions, you can cook. There are some great websites that allow you to search recipes based on what you have in your kitchen already. I’ve discovered some of my favorite recipes by Googling “chicken broth, wilted spinach and parmesan cheese.” Just don’t Google and cook at the same time. Seriously, just ask my Mac about its slight teriakyi scent.

6. Watch movies!
Watching movies may be one of my favorite pastimes, but you can actually get something accomplished from watching some of those classics. Self-edification can certainly rise from watching some of history’s greatest cinematography. Make a “to-watch” list and knock ‘em off as each gray-day rolls around. Next time you’ll know who’s quoting what and you’ll know why I’m going to grow up to be really ridiculously good looking.

7. Sleep
You heard me right. While it doesn’t seem as productive as some of these other activities, sleep will benefit you in the future. Let’s be serious here – most of us don’t get anywhere near enough sleep on a daily basis, so take the time and take a catter. It’ll help you keep healthy, thin (I swear I read an article on it) and happy. What could be better?

8. Pamper yourself
Use a deep conditioner, give yourself a manicure, pluck those unruly eyebrows, or toss some soothing salts into the tub and take a nice, relaxing soak. Not only will you look better, you’ll feel relaxed, accomplished, confident and maybe even ready for some company later in the evening…

But I think the real trouble with New Year’s resolutions is that I always make one, grand, swooping promise to myself. Let’s get real; swearing off carbohydrates just isn’t feasible. I must have been a full bottle of champagne deep when I came up with that one. I think the best way to go about this whole “new year, new you” idea is to come up with a few smaller resolutions that will keep you in line but won’t have you binge eating bread at the dining hall two weeks later.

Want to make some improvements to your already rockin’ life in 2010? Here are a few suggestions to help you be all you can be in 2010:

5. “I will go to class and stay awake.” Temptation to stay in bed is great in the winter months. There are few things I dislike more than walking to my 8:15 a.m. class in the bitter cold. But a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. You’d be surprised how much information you absorb just by physically being in the classroom. Next year we can work our way up to actually participating. Baby steps, ladies. Baby steps.

4. “I will become more involved on campus.” I know it’s hard when you have a steady schedule of class, food, booze and sleep, but you’d be surprised how much your quality of life will improve once you put yourself out there. Joining a group is a great way to make new friends, build up your resume and become a generally more productive student on campus. And besides, you never know who you might meet (wink, wink.)

3. “I will remove Papa John’s from my phonebook.” This is my favorite resolution. You know it’s gotten bad when you say to your roommate, “I’m so excited to go out tonight just so we can come home and order pizza and breadsticks.” Swearing off 2 a.m. food runs will be hard, but it’s not impossible. And it’s one step in the right direction to a healthier you!

2. “I will swear off one-night stands.” It happens to the best of us. I understand, I really do. We all confuse “Mr. Right” with “Mr. Right Now and Maybe Again in the Morning” sometimes. But think of all of the things you can avoid if you succeed in this resolution. No more Walks of Shame, no more awkward run-ins at D-hall brunch the next morning and no more regret. What’s more promising than a year without regret?

1. “I will realize that shotgunning beer is not a marketable skill.” Your parents may tell you this all the time, but there IS life after college. It may seem like one big party now, but being the beer pong champion will only take you so far in life before you realize you’re a broke post-grad looking down the barrel of unemployment. That sad and unfortunate image alone should be enough to inspire you to start your summer internship research now! The opportunities you make for yourself in 2010 will make graduation day and the years to follow just a little less daunting.

Job Wanted.

When we all entered our senior year of high school, the question on everyone’s mind was where they’d be going to college. We worked our asses off to get decent SAT scores and spent every weekend for months writing essays about why we were more wonderful than the thousands of other students applying for the same coveted place on campus.

Four years and a degree later, I now find myself asking a different question: I did all of this for what, exactly?

Of course, I’ve had the time of my life in college. The parties, the late night gossip fests with my roommate, the 4 a.m. diner visits – all of it was totally worth memorizing SAT vocab words and relearning geometry. But when it’s all said and done (which in my case is way too close for comfort), with $120,000 down the hole, what does my little graduation certificate get me exactly?

Apparently, not much.

As news of the drop in the unemployment rate circulated last last month I felt my heart skip a beat. “Thank God! I won’t be spending the next four years in my parent’s basement mailing my resume to every company in the country.” But I spoke to soon. The truth is, while the unemployment rate is, in fact, down, the unemployment rate of recent grads is up.

According to Don Lee at the Los Angeles Times, “For 20- to 24-year-olds, the jobless rate rose four-tenths of a percent to 16% in November.” It doesn’t seem like much, but that is not good for us seniors. “The unemployment figure for college graduates in that age group was 10.6% in the third quarter — the highest since early 1983 and more than double the rate for older college-educated workers.”

Apparently an undergraduate degree isn’t worth much anymore, since now we are also competing for jobs with adults who have lost their’s due to the recession, and they are packing a whole lot more work experience on their resume than we are.

I’ll give you a moment to cry.

And now I’ll give you 5 things you can do right now to set yourself apart from the millions of other job-hunters out there so you can beat the odds and not take your place on your parents’ couch come May:

1. Network!!
Lisa Quast, President and Founder of Career Woman, Inc. says, “Networking is a great way to get to know people who could potentially help with your job search.  Research local associations and groups you can either join or attend individual meetings so you can expand your circle of friends and make new allies.”

2. Plan Ahead
This means more than tweaking your resume every semester. Take some time now to really consider what you want to do after graduation and work towards that goal. It looks much more appealing to the people hiring to see that you were focused and built up your experience in that specific field than to see a resume spanning from marketing internships to the pre-med fraternity and everything in between.

3. Build Relationships
Dr. Debi Yohn, author of, “Parenting College Students: 27 Winning Strategies for Success” urges the importance of teamwork to employers. “Employers are hiring more than a degree.  They are hiring a complete person.  With the competition in the job market, an employer will be attracted to a person that is multi faceted, interesting and can show that they can get along with people. Being successfully involved in outside activities or teams can be an indication of future success.”

4. Be Prepared
When it comes time to interview, preparation is about more than picking out the right outfit or practicing in front of a mirror. There is a lot to learn and in order to stand out, you must internalize it all. According to JR Rodrigues, a hiring manager with 25 years of experience, the biggest issue with recent college grads is their “lack of preparation and general lackadaisical attitude.” He recommends setting yourself apart by “coming to an interview prepared and then carefully follow[ing] through with the entire hiring process.” That means researching the company, knowing your answers and doing the important follow-up after the fact.

5. Get Experience
This goes without saying, but get out there and do something now. Get an internship, get a job, just do something that proves you’ve got the skills (even basic office skills are important!) to handle a real job and you can do more than regurgitate information on a written exam. Grades are important. Leadership is important. But when you’re competing with a lot of people (many with years of experience under their belts), experience and knowledge are the most important.