Like Spring Break trips, cell phones for kids and $4 lattes, taking the summer off after graduating from college seems like the thing to do. It must have something to do with all the pain and suffering one has to fight through nowadays on college campuses. Now that the summer is about over, young 22 and 23 year old are starting to search for that all-important first job. Here are some quick tips:

1. Sending out resumes to openings you see on the mega Job boards will get you zero interviews. That sounds like a generalization but try it.  It won’t work.

2.  Ask your parents, their friends, your friends’ parents and their friends for references and ideas.  It seems to me that the fastest way in the door is with a reference, preferably from a friend.  It almost always works.

3.  If you do get an interview, show up.  SHOW UP.  Too many times, we see people who just reek of I-don’t-really-want-a-job attitude.  It is so easy to be the one person who wants to work.

4.  Job hunting is a lot like work.  You can’t do it when you get around to it.  Approach it like it is YOUR job and you will be miles ahead.

5.  Interview for the jobs YOU DO NOT WANT.  This is absolutely a must do thing.  What it gives you is practice for the real interview for the real job you want.  Think of it as practice.