The truth of the matter is that you may need them later more than you can realize at the moment, so it’s better to leave with so much style that they really do want you to stay.  Even if you are exiting under the best of circumstances, there are things you can do that will create a great and lasting impression.

Plan your exit.  Even if it is 1 day from now, plan to tidy things up for the next person and organize your work so you leave an easy trail for others to follow.  Ideally, you will give a two-week notice which will allow you time to wrap up projects, turn things over to others and possibility train others to take over your tasks.  You will leave a more positive impression on your work peers if you aren’t dumping your work on them expecting them to decode what you’ve been doing.  They will complain about what they think looks like a confusing mess, even if you know it’s not.  That is not the legacy you want to have.

Put it in writing.  Make your quitting a professional letter so it leaves no question about your intent.  Sometimes when we speak to others about tough topics, our communication skills go out the door.  We can be vague, incomplete and confusing.  Your letter doesn’t need to go into detail about anything other than your last day of work and a sense of planning to turn over your work in a professional manner.  You are not obligated to detail out your reason for leaving, but you do need to be prepared to answer people’s questions about your reasons.  Have a brief and positive explanation prepared ahead of publishing your resignation letter so your response to those questions is consistent and believable.

Plan on gossip.  Most of us have a few people we confide in at work.  You can count on your real reasons to get out to be gossiped about.  Be very selective about who you complain to and tell ahead of time that you are leaving.  If you know your work friends have shared gossip before this, you can count on them doing it now.  If you want to control this level of gossip, wait until the very last minute to confide in your friends; and keep your reasons consistent with your public comments.

Clean your office.  No one likes to clean up someone else’s office debris.  Start soon to clear out your office so that by your last day you are down to only a few minor things to deal with.

Stay engaged.  Once you’ve made a decision to leave it’s hard to avoid becoming a “short timer”.  Short timers are notorious for all sorts of bad behavior.  The most notable is becoming completely complacent; and following that is leaving early, coming in late, long lunch hours and ongoing reminders that: “You’re outta here”.  Please be a professional until you leave.

Check back.  Even though you’ve left, call back in after a week or two to ensure those people who have picked up your work have a chance to get further insight and direction from you.  Don’t be afraid to call the boss to ask the same question.  Let them know you care about your work and are being a responsible professional.

How you leave a job is as important as how you start one.  When your work situation has been bad and you can’t wait to leave, you think returning for any reason won’t happen.  You never know what the future will bring. You may find that you need references, resources or even a job; and while right now it is hard to imagine going back to your place of business for any reason – you might need to.

Even if your work situation has been fine, your final days can be the thing that you may remembered for.  Make your exit positive, professional and leaving them wanting you to stay.

I had a chance to talk to a young man this weekend – one of hundreds who descended on Reno, Nevada to attend a leadership conference – about what it means to be encircled by people who care. And by caring I don’t mean about their work, their lives and their chosen path (as we often hear in what has become a far-too-common “me-me-me” speech)… this rockstar YoPro genuinely cared but about the work, lives and goals of others.

Clearly seen as a go-to guy by his peers, he spent several minutes talking with each person who walked up to him – and never once talked about himself. His goal, it became clear, was to help others achieve their goals.

Many times, I watched him stop a conversation with a “Wait, there’s someone you have to meet…” He would then write an email address or Twitter handle on the back of a journal, a flyer or a business card – anything with enough white space to scribble his message. With each and every person that approached him – and there were many – he wouldn’t stop until each conversation came to a productive conclusion and a grateful, well-deserved smile.

When he told me that in addition to his leadership role he held a full course load, worked two internships and had a decent personal life, I asked him how he managed to spend so much time networking and serving. His answer: that is my leadership role.

This is how he chooses to spend his time.

This infectious approach reminded me why we choose to be entrepreneurs, to make a difference and work god-awful hours. We could just settle on the 40-hour work week, do the bare minimum, play Wii or watch football even when sometimes we don’t give a crap about either team.

Instead… we spend our time connecting, motivating and innovating – and perhaps inspire others to do the same.

How will you spend your time this week?

Guest Expert:

Mark Babbitt, a passionate supporter of Gen Y talent and CEO and Founder of YouTern, is a serial entrepreneur and mentor. Mark has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Mashable, Forbes and Under30CEO regarding internships, higher education’s role in preparing emerging talent for the workforce and career development. Recently, Mark was honored to be named to GenJuice’s list of “Top 100 Most Desirable Mentors”. You can contact Mark via email or on Twitter: @YouTernMark.

When a recruiter asks about your job search, they are trying to gauge what the likelihood is that the competition will snatch you up before they have a chance to.  A recruiter is always in the delicate position of balancing the personality and needs of the hiring manager with a candidate.  Their reputation as a recruiter that they can find the best talent depends on not just finding you but screening you for all of the factors that will make you a good fit for that hiring manager.  Their job is to do all of the leg work for the hiring manager and when they send you to a hiring manager, it’s because they think there is a great chance you will work for what the manager wants.

If they put you in front of a hiring manager and think that the competition is circling over head, time is of the essence.  This means the recruiter needs to advice the hiring manager that they not only need to move quickly to get you interviewed but potentially to also make a decision about making an offer immediately.  Sometimes a headhunter will want a hiring decision to be made following each candidate interviewed rather than to interview a number of candidates and then make a decision.  That process is particularly true if your skills and experience are in high demand.  The thinking is that if you would make an offer to this person, there is no point of seeing other candidates.  If the headhunter has done their job right to find you and screen you, then the interview could almost be a formality.

Your best approach to this type of question is to be honest but not provide much detail.  It does work in your favor for speed of decision making if the recruiter is moving quickly on getting you through the process.  You also are developing a relationship with them that you may want to last longer than this particular opening so you don’t want to mislead them.  The recruiter has a reputation at stake. If they send a candidate to a hiring manager that has unrevealed surprises which could upset the hiring process, the recruiter will have a long memory that won’t favor you.  You may want the recruiter to help you with similar openings in the future so your honesty without going overboard on detail will build trust.

​That’s why 20.4 million Americans are currently enrolled in some kind of degree-granting post-secondary institution.

It’s been made abundantly clear to us in recent years that a degree is not that golden ticket to lucrative employment.  It is not a guarantee you will be hired or that you will be retained, but it does help substantially. In a recent survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment amongst degree holders is 4.2%, that’s just under half the national unemployment rate, which lingers right around 8.5% at this time.

We understand that a degree might help you land a job. But, how? How can you use your degree(s) to land a job, or to develop your career path?

Check out these three practical tips to use your degree to land a job faster:

Get classy

A degree is earned after a student completes a regimented course load stipulated by a post-secondary institution. Sure?  You are told what classes you must take in order to earn your degree. Some classes are more valuable than others though, especially to employers, so show them off.

If you are in school, or recently graduated, then reflect on the pertinent classes you have taken and list them on your resume and cover letter. Mention them in your interview and networking conversations, and always make a point to build off of them as experience. Be able to tell a short story related to a class project or experience that demonstrates you not only took the class, but you understood it and you can apply your knowledge, even after the final exam.

So it’s all about the classes, right? No, not really.

Seek alumni

This is an age old networking tip that’s been around since the beginning of time. Some might have called it the good ol’ boy network. Whatever you call it, one of the best ways to land a job is to use your alumni connections.

​First, you have to make those connections though. Before the Internet, we might have kept in touch with athletics, fraternity or sorority, close friends, and maybe a professor or two. Networking took a tremendous amount of effort, which is why those alumni connections were so valuable. ​Today, through social media, you can find all your close friends, as well as find and introduce yourself to everyone who has ever attended a class at your alma mater.

​Don’t take the ease and convenience of connecting via social media for granted though. The value isn’t in having them listed among your 647 friends on Facebook, or hidden inside a rarely touched address book of 500+ connections on LinkedIn.  The value is in developing sincere and meaningful connections with people who share common interests and goals.

​Seek out alumni at the organizations to which you’re applying, and connect or reconnect with them. Networking with fellow alum is easier to some extent since you are already coming from a common educational background and maybe share some history with a professor or university tradition. Having a common past, may not guarantee a future job, but it can certainly help you to establish credibility and build trust early on.

​Tie in experience

A common issue many new grads face is the education vs. experience issue. They have the education, but no relevant experience – barring them from even the most basic entry-level positions.

If you have a degree, but lack real world work experience, then tie your life experiences in with your educational background. ​Great professors find ways to help you do this by introducing you to real-life projects to solve in a class. For example, maybe you were assigned a project team to conduct a comprehensive case study for a local engineering firm struggling to solve a chipset design problem for a mobile device.

​Whatever the experience in class, or laboratory, or group project, find a way to derive value from that experience that can be applied in the “real world.” If you have other work experience or took positions of leadership in notable organizations, connect your degree with the skills and tasks you developed in those roles and apply the experience to the real world job that you want.

So, in the end, it’s not really all about the classes. It’s just like everything else in life - living is about the journey, not the destination. Make your college experience and degree a valuable part of that journey. The things you learn and do, the places you go, and the people you meet are all very important experiences that develop you into who you are as a person and professional. That is how your degree can help get you hired.

​What do you think? What other tips would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Some pundit wrote that it takes seven conversations to solidify a networking connection. Though this number sounds arbitrary, the point is that one conversation with a person you tried hard to meet with will do no good, unless you take control of the new relationship and reach out as many times as it takes to get that person to join your network.

Why does it matter? Like any healthy relationship, you can be of mutual assistance to each other. During the course of your conversation, the public relations specialist indicated that there are no positions immediately available in the company; however:

1. He knows other people in the industry and can provide contact information;
2. The company is growing and there could be possibilities in the near future; or
3. The company is currently looking to fill a marketing communications writer position, but management needs to look internally before advertising.

What’s important is not letting any opportunities slip through your hands. Networking Guru Liz Lynch, Smart Networking, gives five ways to stay in touch with the people you’ve met and would like to keep in your network.

Initiate contact. The day after meeting someone and taking their business card, call her. The longer you wait, the less likely you’ll make the call or send an e-mail, which is Liz’s preferred method of initiating contact.

Jog their memory. I always think it’s great to mention something personal you discussed at a meeting the day beforehand. “It was great meeting you last night at the alumni mixer,” you write. “I’m the person who’s considering pursuing business management. By the way, I hope your daughter has a great game this weekend.”

Connect the dots. After the initial greeting you’ll get down to business. “I was impressed with your description of ABC Company’s corporate culture and standing in the marketplace. It sounds like a great place where I could help the company in the accounting department. I would like to talk more about interning there after I graduate with my MBA.”

Propose a no-barrier next step. Liz suggests a 15-minute phone call as opposed to meeting face-to-face. It seems like people are busier these days, so make the next conversation as easy as possible.

Make it a win-win. As the discussions progress, make sure you mention ways you can help your new contact. “That way,” Liz writes, “the other person will feel there will be something in it for them, and it won’t be about sitting through a one-sided sales pitch.”

MBA graduates and veteran workers let me end by quoting Liz Lynch one more time: “If you go to event after event collecting business cards but never taking the relationship beyond that, why waste time going at all?” The message is plain and simple; following up is one of the most important things you can do in your job search.

Bob McIntosh, CPRW, is a career trainer who leads more than 20 workshops on the career search. Jobseekers and staff look to him for advice on the job search. He has gained a reputation as the LinkedIn expert in and outside the career center. Bob’s greatest pleasure is helping people find rewarding careers in a competitive job market. Visit his blog at Things Career Related.

What is a community leader? It is important to understand what exemplifies a community leadership role to be able to set expectations of yourself. In order to be a community leader, you don’t have to have a title or run for office. Instead, you have to decide what part of the community you are interested in taking responsibility for and starting something to better that portion of the community. That portion can be a group of people, such as children with disabilities or even a landmark that you feel passionate about preserving. There are so many facets of community, it’s up to you where to decide to take part.

What makes me a leader? As a student, you have a wide scope of individuals to enlist to help your cause. Becoming a great leader means to take it upon yourself to lead or start a club that supports your cause and to get others involved in really creating an organization that can do more than just one person. That is how you become a leader!

How should I base my classes around my service to the community? If you form the club that will be in charge of designating times and places to meet, you can work with others in the club to find the best ways to balance your community work with your course work. Everyone in the club will face the same juggling act that you do. The difference is that you can set meeting times in the beginning as soon as you form the group to best suit your schedule. Then, as you advertise the club, other students can make sure that the designated time fits their schedule as well.

What if it is still a struggle to fit everything in? You can’t always have the schedule you need, so you may have to work some things around the schedule to be able to fit in your community leadership. There is nothing wrong with delegating. If you just can’t make it to an event that you have planned, then make sure that you have enlisted trustworthy people into your club that you can count on to get the task done. Sometimes, leadership means planning the projects, even if you may not be the person completing the project.

How can I use my community experience in my classes? You often have the freedom to choose what you want to base your course projects around, so why not be inspired by your work in the community to make a real difference? Often times, professors want to see what inspires you — and your best work comes through when you use your passions as the subject of a project. Community service also helps you become more well-rounded, which MBA admissions look for if you choose to continue your education past the undergraduate level. And, if you’re already a business student, getting involved in the community helps you apply your skills to do career exploration — so you don’t end up in a job that sounds good on paper, but isn’t in practice.

Your courses will fuel your ideas for helping in the community. You can even make that an exercise at each meeting by having the club members bring ideas to each meeting that they may have learned in the classroom. You may be taking economics classes that will help you figure out how to do a cost analysis of what it will take.

Community service often counts for credit if you are an undergraduate. There is a good chance that you will take some courses that are going to focus on doing something in the community, and you can see if your professors are open to working on your project as part of the classroom service activity. You should develop a Service Project Proposal to outline what you would like to do and ask for feedback from the professor and students so you can make sure everyone will be onboard.

When it all seems overwhelming, just remember to always keep an eye toward your future employment and life goals. Community service gives you real world reference to those classroom skills. It’s also a way of showing whether or not you’ve created impact, which not only separates you from your competition when your finally out of college, but also makes a difference in the world through your work, both paid and unpaid.

Sometimes it will be a juggling act, but it is better to look at it as a balance of life and work. Are you ready to start your balancing act?

HOW that is done is the real issue, of course – because the answer varies so much from person to person. However, there is one common factor among those who excel: demonstration of confidence vs. distribution of ego.

With genuine confidence, interns can impress with their personality and through sincere hustle. Others achieve this through work ethic and being coachable. Still more rise above the rest through initiative, by solving problems and contributing without being asked. They are willing to contribute unabashedly with everything they have, and in doing so, will readily learn from successes and mistakes.

In the best, confidence allows them to combine all of the above. Usually identified with an ‘S’ on their chest, I will go out of my way to make sure I acknowledge their potential, support their super powers – and become a champion of their career.

What holds back those who never rise to this level, however, seems to come down to one issue: ego.

With tons of passion and/or enthusiasm on display, ego and confidence can initially be confused. The difference is that ego keeps us from asking what we think may be a stupid question, or bouncing back from a mistake. Ego holds us back by creating insecurity… generating a fear of ridicule, perhaps, or of appearing weak; arrogance is often the over-compensation. The ego doesn’t want to be told it did something wrong. Without a doubt, it is inflated ego that keeps us from being curious and coachable.

And for all of us, here’s the lesson best learned quickly: discovering the difference between ego and confidence will have a significant impact on your career.

You, at some point, are going to be insecure. Undoubtedly, you are going to be wrong. Mistakes and you may become good friends. You WILL be judged. The person confident in their ability can leverage those less-than-comfortable moments – and be all the better for the experience.

Think about this for a moment: Who do you respect most? Who do you want serving as your mentor? Who do you trust most in a team effort? Who makes the better leader? Who seems to enjoy the most success?

The confident? Or the ego?

Confidence comes from your core. Ego comes from your fear.

Choose to be confident.

Guest Expert:

Mark Babbitt, a passionate supporter of Gen Y talent and CEO and Founder of YouTern, is a serial entrepreneur and mentor. Mark has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Mashable, Forbes and Under30CEO regarding internships, higher education’s role in preparing emerging talent for the workforce and career development. Recently, Mark was honored to be named to GenJuice’s list of “Top 100 Most Desirable Mentors”. You can contact Mark via email or on Twitter: @YouTernMark.

The great thing about this situation is that you have people around you who see this person differently than you do. All is not lost. You could very likely change your reactions to the boss. The key to this situation is: change. Change can be a tough thing to do particularly when you’re convinced of all of the boss’s flaws and look for daily confirmation that you’re right. We get very invested in our attitudes about people. We think that the boss is the one who needs to change. The reason why it’s got to be you to change is because you are the only one in this equation that you can control.

Here are some tips for how you can change and improve how you view the boss:

1-Spend some time understanding the behavior the boss has that doesn’t work for you. This must be actual, observable actions the boss exhibits. All too often when we don’t like someone, we start attributing our beliefs about this person more than true behavior. Spending time getting down to something real is important to solving this problem.

2-Sit down with various people in your group to gain an understanding of what attributes they see in the boss. Ask enough questions so you can hear examples of what they see and how they see the positive qualities in the boss.

3-With a select handful of people you speak to about the bosses attributes, ask them about the observable behaviors that you now better understand. Don’t try to convince them that they shouldn’t like the boss but simply ask them if they see the same things that you do. You may find that these issues are not considered a big deal or that they are of minor concern compared to the positives they see. We all have “warts” so it could be that you are placing much more importance on the flaws than is necessary.

4-Most people tend to avoid a person they don’t like. This does nothing to help you improve your perspectives about this person. Spend time getting to know the boss and the attributes you have learned about from your peers. Often when we get to know a person better the flaws we once saw become minimized.

5- Check your reactions. You could be blowing things out of proportion and if that is true for this boss it could be how you react on many things. As a general rule there are very few things that warrant strong, negative feelings and if you have more than other people you know, you may need to seek help so you can put things in their proper proportion. Even if your reactions are mostly narrowed down to the boss, chances are still high that you are over reacting and need to counsel yourself to rethink what and how you react.

You may never turn into a fan of the boss. The clue that you can improve from where you are now is in the fact that your peers find value where you don’t. You can learn from your peers and do a great deal to improve your view of this person. You’re not compromising your values. You’re working at gaining insight that you may currently lack. It’s worth the effort because you spend a lot of your life around the boss and it will improve your outlook.

The other day during a résumé critique one of my customers told me how he had been networking. Something was in the works with a company as a result of him being proactive and knocking on the company’s door. Not literally; although, that’s a viable option. He had sent an approach letter to one of the directors at the company asking for an informational meeting, which then lead to further consideration.

Of course a phone call might have been quicker for my customer than sending a letter, but he felt sending an approach letter was right for him. (By the way, using LinkedIn’s Search Companies feature is a great way to find people at companies.)

For you MBA students and graduates who lean more toward introversion, an approach letter may also feel more comfortable than calling a director, VP, or an individual contributor. There’s more to an approach letter, though, than simply sending an e-mail telling the person that you’d like to get together with her to meet for a short meeting.

With the approach letter, first you’ll research the company so you can write intelligently about why you’d like to meet. You’ll write highly of the company, selling the company to the recipient of your letter. This will show your enthusiasm. It will also show you took the time to visit the company’s website, read articles in the newspaper, and used other methods to research the company. This is the first step you’ll take to impress the recipient.

Next you’ll throw in some kudos about yourself. What makes it worth her while to meet with you? You gained some valuable skills when you interned at the medical device company in their marketing department. You’ll write about the accomplishments you had, like authoring some of their press releases. It would be naive for the recipient to believe you’re writing to simply meet with her over coffee—your goal is to get one step further in your quest for a job.

Don’t forget to indicate that you’ll call the recipient. Set a date and exact time. If the person picks up the phone or you have to leave a voice-mail, be ready to explain why you’d like to meet with her. You would like some information on a position you’re pursuing. You’d also like to share some knowledge of competitors or the industry.

What follows could be a networking meeting or maybe good timing on your part—there may actually be a job the company’s trying to fill, unbeknownst to other job seekers searching the Internet for advertised positions. This is precisely why you don’t want to simply send an e-mail without laying out your skills that make you ideal for a possible job in the company.

The only thing left to do is picking up the phone and asking the recipient if she received your letter. Following up is the last component of sending an approach letter. Even if talking on the phone terrifies the heck out of you, at least you have gotten in your message without having to deliver it cold. You’re compelling writing has wooed the recipient into wanting to know more about you.

In the next article, we’ll look at the importance of following up with your contacts.

Guest Expert:

Bob McIntosh, CPRW, is a career trainer who leads more than 20 workshops on the career search. Jobseekers and staff look to him for advice on the job search. He has gained a reputation as the LinkedIn expert in and outside the career center. Bob’s greatest pleasure is helping people find rewarding careers in a competitive job market. Visit his blog at Things Career Related.

Then the interview begins – and the questions asked seem to come out of the blue. Instead of nailing the interview, you’re left wondering what happened.

Maybe these scenarios sound familiar to you:

• The interviewer places all the emphasis on one minor aspect of the job – one that was not mentioned in the job description

• The hiring manager calls you in for an interview, asks you a few basic questions, and then asks you to take a timed test to assess your psychological profile or to gauge your literacy skills

• The interviewer throws completely off the wall questions at you, seemingly unrelated to the job at hand – or even reality – just to see how you think (Google is notorious for this. “Without using any of your five senses, how would you calculate the interior volume of a Japanese bullet train while submerged 3,000 feet below the Pacific Ocean, in a refrigerator?” Really?)

How should you handle unexpected situations like these?

Don’t Let Them See You Sweat!

Yes… stay calm. In situations where you’re asked unexpected or seemingly unrelated questions to the opportunity under consideration, listen closely to try and figure out the employer’s “pain point” behind the question.

All employers face problems and challenges. You want to be seen as part of the solution!

So think of ways to alleviate the problems by envisioning how someone would be a problem in the given situation and then convince the interviewer you are the exact opposite.

This is a Two-Way Conversation

During the interview, you are evaluating the company as much as they are evaluating you! Their performance is a clear indicator of how they might conduct themselves as employers and managers – a window into the corporate culture of the organization.  You likely know what you need based on your personality, the stage of your career and your goals for the opportunity you seek. So ask yourself: based on the interview… are you interested… in them?

You Are Not Responsible for the Quality of the Interview (or Interviewer)

If the interviewer is apparently incapable of asking relevant questions about how your background fits the opportunity – or if they have no interest in engaging in a meaningful conversation about the company and your potential role… then just go with the flow. Do your best to answer the questions at hand in a professional manner, even though it may be glaringly obvious the company and the position are not the right fit for you.

Why? Because even though the overall quality of the interview is not your responsibility, recruiters talk… and you don’t want to give them a reason to talk bad about you.

You can’t control how the interviewer conducts the interview or what type of questions get thrown at you. You can, however, control how you conduct yourself during the interview. Stay calm. Remember, you are also judging them – and it is not your obligation to take responsibility for their poor interviewing skills. Most important, learn as much as you can with each interview experience – good and bad.

Guest Expert:

Joe Gagliano, a founding member of YouTern and CMO, brings years of start-up management, strategic planning, marketing and market research experience to the team and his blog posts. Joe, who runs the learning center for interns, also brings a passion for start-ups, entrepreneurship and mentorship to the team.