An August 17, 2009 New York Times article talks about a disgruntled job seeker who paid the resume service firm ITS a whopping $8,250 and never got hired! ITS is just one of many resume firms making audacious claims that it can guarantee you a job. In reality, free resume help abounds if you know where to look. Whether you need to secure a paid internship or an entry-level job, you will need to sum up your career experience, aptitude and work ethic on just one piece of paper. Without a good resume, you won’t even have a chance to impress employers at a job interview.
“You have to be really good at discerning what they’re asking for in the job posting, and then give them back what they want,” explains Carrie Kahn from the ECC Workforce Development One Stop Center. This community college career center in Buffalo New York provides job counselors who work one-on-one with job seekers to customize resumes and cover letters. They can also search job and summer internship listings on computers, take workshops in resume writing and interview techniques, receive referrals to local employers and take GED classes, and all free of charge! “We’ve increased traffic, the number of customers by 56% from September through December of this year comparatively to last year,” Kahn admits, saying that more people are recognizing that they can get free help with resume writing within their own local community centers.
In addition to local community centers, individuals may be able to get free resume help at online social networking sites. Here, a number of pros help job hunters with resume writing and interviewing techniques, as well as letting people know about local job fairs. Websites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Myspace can be great ways to talk with professionals, view other peoples’ websites and receive insider hints about entry level jobs opening up or internship co op positions available. New sites like www.razume.com and www.resumesocial.com let job seekers publish their resumes and receive feedback from community reviewers.
With so many places to get free resume help, it seems crazy that people would pay thousands for nothing. Most times, all it takes is a trip down to your library to use the career resources there. Additionally, you can check Goodwill Industries programs, which include a Job Readiness Program, Job Placement Program and Online Learning Program (which includes resume writing assistance). Lastly, community colleges and local temp job agencies are in business to help job seekers just like you. Remember that it’s better to apply to many places and cast a wide net to avoid discouragement. You’re more likely to get an employer to bite that way, rather than if you had focused solely on one or two opportunities.
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Financial aid can make or break a student’s success in college. The thirst for knowledge and desire to apply oneself is only part of the battle. The other part, of course, is funding. Knowing where to look can make a big difference in receiving aid or not. The summer before college should be the busiest time in a student’s life, as he or she scours the internet in a mad scholarship search. No stone should be left unturned. While there may be limits on awards, there are no limits as to how many opportunities can be applied for, so it’s best to cast a wide net.
FAFSA is one of the most common types of student financial aid. According to the US Department of Education, nearly 70% of this financial aid comes from their programs, like the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. By filling out an application form, students can receive one of the following; Federal Stafford Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, Federal Direct Loans or Federal Perkins Loans. The awards of this program are based on demonstrated financial need. Students should apply for these loans well ahead of the semester. If approved, they will receive an award letter stating how much they’ll get and when. They then submit the check to their school office to cover tuition fees and dorm expenses and the rest of the money is returned to them in cash. For most loans, students will be expected to pay this money back gradually upon graduation.
The Department of Education also doles out financial aid money that does not need to be repaid. For instance, Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and Academic Competitiveness Grants are awarded to promising students or students in need, with no strings attached. As of 2010, the maximum allowance for a Federal Pell Grant is $5,350. The award depends upon financial need, cost of tuition and full-time or part-time status. The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant can range from $100 to $4,000 per year, depending upon when the student applies, their financial need and school policies. The Academic Competitiveness Grant varies from $750 to $1,300. There are a number of special requirements for this type of grant and it is always combined with the Federal Pell Grant program. Grants scholarships should be the first place students look for extra cash because they will not graduate in debt.
There are many methods of obtaining college loans, grants, fellowships and scholarships. The best way to begin is to visit the prospective school’s financial aid office, where they have a plethora of forms to fill out. Students may need the following documents to apply; student social security number, student’s W2 statements, student’s tax forms, student’s bank statements, parent’s 1040 bank statements and parent’s investment records. Sometimes students are allowed to apply as individuals, but if they’re claimed on their parent’s tax statements, they need to file as dependents and financial need is based upon the parents’ income. The process can be a real pain, but it’s helped millions of students realize their dreams of a college education.
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College financial assistance comes in many forms, such as college loans, state loans, federal loans, paid internships, work study programs, grants, fellowships, athletic scholarships, academic student scholarships and more. A student’s first recourse should be to find college scholarships and grants, which do not need to be repaid. Next, if further financial assistance is required, they can apply for a loan. Statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics report that 66% of students received some form of financial aid during the 2007/2008 school year, so the likelihood of getting approved is probable if one applies.
As you may know, colleges often have their own block of money set aside to attract the best and the brightest students. School-specific college scholarships are given to students who display academic excellence, are pursuing a certain major or who meet certain eligibility requirements. At the University of South Alabama, for instance, 3 fellowship scholarships in computer and information sciences will be given to female students each year. Montana State University wishes to attract more students into their aerospace program, so they offer 8 to 12 undergraduate grants scholarships annually. Albany State College awards 10 students a presidential college scholarship of $5,000, if they have high marks and maintain a GPA of 3.2 or higher. For more information on these scholarship opportunities, you will need to check with the schools to which you’re applying.
A college scholarship can also be given out by a private organization, some of which offer from $50 to $20,000 to aspiring students. A scholarship can come from a corporation who wants to attract new employees and support their community. Businesses like Best Buy, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Intel, Wegmans, Sunoco, Target, Dell, Toyota, General Motors and Sallie Mae offer awards to local students. A good place to start your scholarship search is with your own employer or your parents’ employers. The Chamber of Commerce will also have details on community players with scholarships for local students. Indirectly, students may also seek paid internship opportunities, which provide real world experience and training in exchange for a decent wage. The best fields for internships are accounting, hospitality, manufacturing, engineering, consulting, insurance and consumer goods. Some of these jobs pay as much as $25/hour and typically 80 to 100% of all interns are offered full-time jobs after their intern session is over.
Additionally, religious scholarships and grants may be given out to affiliates of a particular group. For instance, Catholics can check with the Catholic Aid Foundation or the Knights of Columbus for college scholarships. Baptists can check with the WMU Foundation or the American Baptist Financial Aid program. Episcopalians can try the ECF Fellowship Partners program or the Estelle Beaumont Ellison Scholarship Fund. Lutheran scholarships are available from the Lutheran Community Foundation or Scholarships for Lutheran Women. Presbyterian congregation members may find aid through the Lydia Scholarship Fund, National Presbyterian College Scholarship, Native American Education Grant or Samuel Robinson Scholarships. Methodists have the UMHEF Scholarships or the United Methodist Scholarship program. The Islamic Scholarship Fund covers Muslims, and the Barakat Foundation Grants are for Jewish students, who can seek financial aid through the Jewish Community Center, the JVS Jewish Community Scholarship or the Posen Foundation Program for the Study of Secular Jewish History and Cultures.
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Why are internships important, you may ask? Well, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, paid undergraduate interns made an average of $16.33 per hour. This, of course, depended upon their industry, year in school, degree level and geographic location, but some engineering seniors found internship opportunities that earned them $19.44 per hour, compared to $16.68 for sophomores. Many companies use internship programs to recruit full-time hires, says Marilyn Mackes, executive director of NACE.
There are many different kinds of internships for those who will work for free, but some wonder if the paying types have gone extinct. “We used to pay, but we’re not doing that anymore,” explained Tom Triozzi, senior VP of BellAtlantic. “We ask them to work for free for a great work experience.” In this economy, even the competition for unpaid student intern positions has become so fierce that the NY Times reported some students are actually paying for their unpaid internship positions! “It’s kind of crazy,” said David Gaston, director of the University of Kansas career center. “The demand for internships in the past 5, 10 years has opened up this huge market.” One student’s parents paid $8,000 to get him an unpaid internship at Ford Models this summer, which was an opportunity, his parents say, he wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
The company the parents used was called “University of Dreams” (www.summerinternships.com). For $5,000 to $10,000 a summer, students are guaranteed internships at places like the US Chamber of Commerce, Ford Models, Sirius Radio, Common Cause, C-Span, MWW Advertising Group, Hilton Barcelona, NBC, Dreamworks, Miramax, Paramount, Sony/BMG, GMAC Real Estate and US Weekly Magazine. According to their 2008 report, their latest batch of summer internships resulted in 47% of survey respondents saying they were offered a full-time job upon conclusion of the program.
Yet the news is not all gloomy, experts suggest. Target, for instance, has held onto their paid internship programs to help them find the best and the brightest workers. “We get a lot of great talent,” comments Target recruiter Victor Rota. “Seventy to eighty percent of them come back to work for us, so the return on the investment is there.” Additionally, the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that companies that do offer paid internships are increasing the hourly wage by 5% on average, which takes the national average to $17.13/hour.
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One of the biggest internet start-ups in recent years is the number of people offering to help job seekers polish their resumes. For a fee of anywhere from $10 to $200, you can have professionals read over, rewrite, edit and fix up your whole job seeking portfolio. The problem with this is that there are many places you can find free resume help. For instance, most communities have employment offices where you can get access to human resources professionals, paid for by your tax dollars.
Another free resume source is the online job boards like www.careerbuilder.com, www.monster.com, www.hotjobs.yahoo.com, www.vault.com and www.idealist.org. These one-stop-shops let you post your resume, receive feedback and search entry level jobs and advanced level jobs all in one portal. If you have time to read, then you will find that there is a treasure trove of information on these sites. If you’re interested in government jobs, you can find advice and job listings at www.usajobs.gov. Why pay for insider contacts when you can gain so much free advice online?
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From 2007-2008, 66% of all undergrads received some form of financial aid. On average, students received a total sum of $9,100 for the year. The most popular type of student aid (received by 52%) was grants, which averaged $4,900. The second most popular type (received by 38%) was college loans averaging $7,100 per student. Another 7% received work study jobs, which provided them with about $2,400 in wages; 4% received Parent PLUS loans taken out by their parents and awarding $10,800; and 2% were given VA benefits of $5,400.
Scholarships for college are another source of financial aid. Unlike student loans, this money does not need to be paid back. It is simply free money given to students based on academic achievement or excellence. Some are based on grades, but even average students can win scholarships if they excel in one particular subject, if they are star athletes, or if they have a track record of community service. One of the largest free databases to search is www.edu.fastweb.com, which has 1.5 million scholarships that dole out more than $3.4 billion in aid. Other free sites to look for free money include www.apps.collegeboard.com, www.scholarships.com, www.studentscholarshipsearch.com and www.collegenet.com/mach25/app.
A student internship can be seen as a form of financial aid in some cases. While nearly half of all internships are unpaid, certain career paths offer many paid internship opportunities. For instance, accounting firms like Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte & Touche pay over $20/hour for their student interns. Manufacturers like Raytheon, General Electric, Lockheed Martin and Boeing also pay over $15/hour, while providing students with valuable on-the-job training. Interns majoring in retail/consumer goods, hospitality, communications/technology, consulting/insurance and pharmaceutical fields can also find well-paying internships. For more information, check out www.bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/best_internships_07.
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