At College – U. Got It?, we’re always on the lookout for guest bloggers. This week we asked Vincent Mackey, an administrative assistant for The CollegeBound Network, to share his tips on job hunting and interviewing!

It’s a recession and a lot of people are losing their jobs. Unfortunately for budding college graduates, this means that the job market is now incredibly competitive. Here are a few pointers that I use to land a job that I want:

• Define a focus:

The absolute most important point to remember is also the simplest: know what kind of job you want. If you can’t figure this out, then it would be impossible to move on to the next step. Many people set up their resume to be broad so they may apply to many different types of jobs at once. That’s not smart. A future employer wants to see that you know what you want, that you are completely willing to work for them.

• Gear up your resume:

Once you have established what kind of job you want, get to writing your resume. Always begin with a “goal statement” — a sentence or two outlining what kind of job you are looking for — and collect all of the information you need before writing your resume. Take a look at your past jobs and schools and base your resume on your strengths, or what you have the most of (for example, if you have more schooling than job experience, start your resume with the “Education” section). If you’re a complete novice at writing a resume, try using the Microsoft Word® “Resume Wizard” option.

• Where and how to apply:

The internet is an excellent means of sending your resume in quantity, but your local newspaper’s “help wanted” ads hold higher quality jobs. Try both out. It doesn’t hurt to have your name out in as many places as possible. Before you start sending, you may want to write a cover letter: a basic letter format that outlines exactly what you want — you can think of it as the extended “goal statement” of your resume. Sites such as Monster.com and Craigslist are helpful in getting a lot of resumes out. Follow up the next week with thank you letters to your contacts.

• Pre-interview:

So you finally landed an interview date, but you’ve never been interviewed before? Take advantage of the days before your interview to really impress your potential future boss. Always research the company you are interviewing for. This will make it easier to have questions the day of and to understand what you are getting into. Review potential questions in your head and try to really work on quick answers. An important tip to remember is to always turn a negative question into a positive (e.g., if they ask you what your weakness is, mention how you will improve on your weakness).

• Interview:

Your appearance is very important for this part. Just use your head and follow common sense: don’t pack on the cologne/perfume, guys should be sure to shave and girls shouldn’t over-apply their makeup. You can never be too dressed up for an interview, but keep it tasteful. You’re going to a job interview, not a club, so dress in business-minded attire. You’ve prepared for everything up until this point, so all you can do is compose yourself and be confident. Do this and you will land the job guaranteed.

– Vincent Mackey