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Talk to my assistant

So, does actually finding a new job entail hiring a small team of assistants? In a Wall Street Journal article, a graduate of Georgetown University's MBA program extols on the virtues of the services of a career coach. They can offer advice on how to nail the interview and keep a good attitude throughout the job hunt.

On her career blog, Alison Doyle advises job hunters to use resume writing and editing services. Given that hiring managers are getting hundreds of applications at a time, your resume needs to stand out for the right reasons and not because of typos or mistakes. If you are looking for help in refining your CV, you can get in touch with Lara Kordic (profiled on this blog) who runs the editing company, So Succint.

Class of 2009: Watchya gonna do?

This month was graduation time and the news was not so pleasant. Everyone keeps telling the same story: there are less jobs out there for graduates. The National Association of Colleges and Employers, based in Bethlehem, Pa., reported early in May that this year's crop of graduates are a bit worse off than the last. And most shockingly, more than half of graduates in 2007 were finding jobs as opposed to just 26 percent in 2008. The current downturn could even have an impact on future salaries for today's graduates--even 20 years down the road. It's grim, but not hopeless.

Looking for advice?

• Study engineering and accounting. They currently have the best success rates for finding a job after graduation.

• Think of transforming your resume by taking on an expertise in a trade. Or just reinvent yourself. The New York Times reported on a journalist who had worked for the Hartford Courant for over two decades. She left the job to study nursing and is now employed with a hospital.

• Stay in school no matter what. College graduates still have a much better chance of finding a job than those with a high school diploma. Unemployment levels for those who have not graduated from high school can be staggering. According to a Time magazine article, "[p]eople who did not graduate from high school at all have over a 15% chance of being among the jobless."

• Follow your own advice and have a little faith. After all, comedian and "Mind of Mencia" star Carlos Mencia dropped out of the electrical engineering program at Cal State University to pursue a career in comedy -- after performing just once at an open mike night.

Be hospitable

Do you like being social, hospitable and are usually the one in charge? If you are a natural leader who is interested in managing a business, you could be a good candidate for a hotel general manager. The Washington Post Express has done a great profile of Donte Johnson who came to that career by happenstance, and has become a young success! The article describes Johnson's average day.

There is a lot of hard work in managing a busy metropolitan hotel, with early mornings and late nights. But there are also the perks like getting to be a part of a lively hotel scene (good food and wine is never that far away) and appealing salary. Another upside to pursuing a career in hospitality is that the industry is expected to experience continued growth, according to the Department of Labor.

Not to mention the myriad things that happen in hotels: John and Yoko's Bed-In for Peace happened at the Hilton in Amsterdam, Michael Jackson dangled a baby from the Adlon Hotel in Berlin, there's the mythical Chelsea Hotel in New York City that was home to many an eccentric, adventurous, egotistical and creative type. And that's just what makes the news....