QwikSmarts™

Grads: Take Charge "It's like having CliffsNotes for life after college!"

"Fabulous! It's like having CliffsNotes for life after college!" After experiencing the jam-packed, fast-reading format of Grads: Take Charge of Your First Year After College!, that's what lots of people have to say about this exciting new book. There's no need to load up on a half-dozen career development books, three or four personal finance books, and then throw in a few more on "life skills."

All of these books (plus dozens of websites and newsletters) are summarized in Grads: Take Charge to save you time and speed new grads on their way to a smooth and successful transition into the 'real world' of work and independent living. It's super-easy to find exactly what you need, and the unique bulleted, action-item list format lets you 'get in, get out, and go do it' fast.

But don't just take our word for it:

"As a very recent college graduate, I've learned some great tactics on how to manage my money, jump-start my career, and begin my post-college life from this book. This is a great tool for any young professional and ithe real world advice outlined will save you time trying to learn it on your own. 'Take charge' should be a manual for every senior in college!"     -Jessica Zachar, Penn State '08

"...very powerful stuff! Every grad should have this book."    -mother of two college students

"Grads: Take Charge is a great resource and contains many useful tips that I only wish I knew a couple years back."    - Julie Ma, Univ. of Oregon '07

"I spent a solid year frustrated and crying after college; if only I’d had this book!”    - Lauren Herskovic, Managing Editor, CollegeCandy.com

Take a look at the Table of Contents and experience sample pages of the QwikSmarts™ qwik-reading format; you'll be amazed with what's covered in this exciting resource and how fast you can get the information you need!

Navigating life after college is hard enough; don't set youself up for a struggle. Get your copy today, before discounts run out!.Use coupon code GRAD25 to take 25% off your purchase right now!

More great tweeps for grads to follow

Grads, if you're not on Twitter yet, you're missing out on a boatload of great job hunt strategies, interview tips, job openings, valuable professional contacts, and lots more.

Last week I posted a list of must-follow tweeps for the Class of 2009. That was really just the tip of the iceberg. Here are more great folks to help you with your job search and on-the-job performance:

@sweetcareers
@jobhuntorg
@imageatwork
@jtodonnell
@careerdiva
@MeghanMBiro
@TalentCulture
@BeyondGrad
@ysnjen
@GradToGreat
@CareerU

If you're not following these folks (and me, too, of course! @RealSolutions22 and @Tips4Grads), you've already missed a few thousand posts of helpful career and job search tips. Start following, start learning...and start doing!

Get FREE Career Coaching with Tapestry One during June!

We're always on the lookout for great information and advice to pass along to new grads and this month we've got a real treat for you: a FREE one-on-one career coaching session with Laura Ann Henderson, CEO & Principal Consultant at Tapestry One Consulting.

When you grab your copy of Grads: Take Charge of Your First Year After College! (otherwise known as the "CliffsNotes" for life after college), you'll get personalized attention and your career questions answered by Ms. Henderson.

With 30 years of experience inside Corporate America, Laura is an expert on human resource recruitment and management.  She has spent the last 20 years in Staffing organizations. It is based on this knowledge that Laura has developed “Coaching You into Your Next Career."

The number of individuals competing for jobs is staggering.  Each person needs an edge to not only get their resume noticed, they also need to get themselves remembered. “Coaching You into Your Next Career” will provide you with the skills to successfully:

1.  Make the first contact

2.  Know what is meant by Business Casual?

3.  Become unforgettable: in a good way

4.  Avoid the wrong answer to the Illegal Questions

 5. The In-person Interview

For the month of June, you can select one of the above topics for a FREE one-on-one coaching session with Laura. This kind of offer doesn't come along every day, so get your copy of Grads: Take Charge and your personalized coaching session right now!

RU on Twitter? Tweeps all new grads should follow

Twitter is all the rage these days. It's a great place to keep on top of news, make new contacts, learn about job openings, and gather up great tips for your job search and life after college in general.

Here are some of the tweeps we follow and recomend you do, too.

@DanSchawbel
@thejobsguy
@AlisonDoyle
@Careerealism
@interviewcoach
@JobSavants
@Keppie_Careers
@ExperienceLive
@HeatherHuhman
@OnlineResume
@LeadDawg
@GregBarrette
@CareerEngineer
@SandhuCC
@RealSolutions22 and @Tips4Grads (that's us!)

Who else should the Class of 2009 follow on Twitter for great advice on careers, money matters, life in general?

Navigating life after college: online radio interview with ReclaimU

Want some great advice about navigating life after college? No time to read right now? Listen in to our interview with ReclaimU's Judy Davis while it's featured on their site for the next two weeks.

Scroll down to Bonus Material and get ready to take notes. We talked about how to prepare for entering the work world, get noticed in this tough job market, set the foundation for a secure financial future, and much more!

Gen Y: What your older co-workers & boss think of you (and how to over come it!)

As if graduating into the toughest job market in decades weren't difficult enough, the Class of 2009 is doing it with some unsavory labels attached to your generation. Learn what some of those labels are... and how to overcome them. New college graduates want to be taken seriously in the workplace. Find out how in this article.

Read the entire article here (on GradSpot.com)

Grads: Take Charge! It's 'Bootcamp in a Book' for Real Life!

Our newly-released book, Grads: Take Charge of Your First Year After College!, was recently dubbed a Real-Life 'Bootcamp in a Book.' It's also been called Cliff's Notes for All of Life. Well put!

Its 256 pages are jam-packed with over 140 topics covering careers to credit to cooking (and everything in-between!), making it the most comprehensive resource for new grads and the perfect graduation gift!

Our unique QwikSmarts™ format is ideal for the 'soundbite generation'—the savvy advice and valuable information are all presented in fast-reading bulleted lists so grads can 'get in, get out, and go do it'... fast!

Here's just a tiny sampling of what you'll find in Grads: Take Charge! This qwik list doesn't even scratch the surface of what you'll find in this incredible resource. Take a look at the entire Table of Contents to see what this book is really all about!

• Ten Steps to a New Job
• Finding and Working with Mentors
• Making Meaningful Online Connections
• Lining Up a Great List of References
• Evaluating and Negotiating Job Offers
• Hit the Ground Running on Your First Day
• Understanding Older Co-Workers & Bosses
• Making the Most of a Performance Evaluation or Review
• Asking for a Raise
• Leaving Your Job the Right Way
• Digging Yourself Out of Debt
• Understanding Income Taxes and Insurance
• Taking Charge of Your Safety and Your Health
• Setting Your Career and Life Goals
• Creating Your Legacy
• even cooking, laundry, and housecleaning!

No grad should be left to struggle on their own as they learn to navigate the real world. They need Grads: Take Charge! to guide them through this important (and scary) transition. Grab your copy now...and get an extra copy for a grad you care about!

Don't just take our word for it. See what the editors at CollegeCandy have to say about Grads: Take Charge!

Grads: Take Charge is getting 'blogged' to death!

Well, not exactly. But we'd sure like to be 'blogged to death'! We're here right at the height of college graduation season, and bloggers are spreading the word about our newly-released book, Grads: Take Charge. No other book or resource 'out there' covers as many topics about real life after college than this one. Recently it was called a Real-Life 'Bootcamp in a Book'—I like that!

Here are some of the blogs that have been 'talking up' about Grads: Take Charge lately:

College Candy
The Creative Career
Make More Cents
MsCareerGirl
Parker (Colorado) Christian Home Educators
IEMommy

Grads: Take Charge author, Kathryn Marion, also had several good interviews lately. Last week she was on Metro State Radio for about 30 minutes, LIVE! It was fun and apparently they liked it, too, because they've asked her to be a regular guest in an entire series of 30-minute shows. Now she'll have something in common with Rush Limbaugh...headphone hair!

Another great interview got recorded just yesterday for ReclaimU Radio. They'll be giving us the recording after it's edited, so it should be up and ready for listening soon.

If you know anyone graduating this year, or their parents, you owe it to them to tell them about Grads: Take Charge! The e-book edition is free this month (see the sign-up box above; ready for instant download!) and coupon code E-SPECIAL will give purchasers of the print book a discount. There's no better or more practical graduation gift...and it can even be signed it to the recipient. Everyone loves that! Order your copy today!

Listen to us on The Creative Career podcast

The author of Grads: Take Charge of Your First Year After College, Kathryn Marion, was recently interviewed by Millenial blogger, Allie Osmar of The Creative Career. Take a listen and enter to win a copy of Grads: Take Charge!

What advice do you have for the Class of 2009? Share and win!

Think back to your college graduation. You were filled with excitement about taking the next step to enter the 'real world'...but maybe a bit scared about all the new responsibilities which would be falling on your shoulders.

 Whether you’ve been out of school for a year, a decade, or what seems like a lifetime, you’ve undoubtedly said 'boy, if I had only known this back then.' You've discovered little ‘tricks’ and insightful tidbits while attending the School of Hard Knocks.

As the college Class of 2009 is preparing to step off the stage and into the working world, what advice do you have for them? Suggestions for figuring out what they want to do with their life? A sage bit of wisdom about handling money once a paycheck starts coming in? Maybe a tip about setting or achieving goals?

Now is the time, and this is the place, for you to pass on that valuable knowledge so you can help today’s grads sidestep the School of Hard Knocks!

Try to keep your advice short and sweet—just enough detail so busy grads can grab the tips they need and run with them. Any topic is fair game: job hunting, on-the-job performance, budgeting, choosing a career path, dealing with roommates, handling relationships, cooking for one, moving far from family, handling new household responsibilities, you name it…someone needs to know what you've already learned!

Enter your 40- to 60-word quotable tidbits of advice for next Fall's freshmen and you'll be eligible to win prizes like Starbucks giftcards, career development and personal finance books, consultations with life coaches to get you headed in the right direction for you, and more!

Think back to your college graduation. You were filled with excitement about taking the next step to enter the 'real world'...but maybe a bit scared about all the new responsibilities which would be falling on your shoulders.

 Whether you’ve been out of school for a year, a decade, or what seems like a lifetime, you’ve undoubtedly said 'boy, if I had only known this back then.' You've discovered little ‘tricks’ and insightful tidbits while attending the School of Hard Knocks.

As the college Class of 2009 is preparing to step off the stage and into the working world, what advice do you have for them? Suggestions for figuring out what they want to do with their life? A sage bit of wisdom about handling money once a paycheck starts coming in? Maybe a tip about setting or achieving goals?

Now is the time, and this is the place, for you to pass on that valuable knowledge so you can help today’s grads sidestep the School of Hard Knocks!

Try to keep your advice short and sweet—just enough detail so busy grads can grab the tips they need and run with them. Any topic is fair game: job hunting, on-the-job performance, budgeting, choosing a career path, dealing with roommates, handling relationships, cooking for one, moving far from family, handling new household responsibilities, you name it…someone needs to know what you've already learned!

Enter your 40- to 60-word quotable tidbits of advice for next Fall's freshmen and you'll be eligible to win prizes like Starbucks giftcards, career development and personal finance books, consultations with life coaches to get you headed in the right direction for you, and more!

Help us choose a title—win a free book!

Our book for new college grads is ready (or so we thought) and we've already begun work on the next book in the series, for incoming college freshmen. But when we got this image from our designer, showing both books, we saw an inconsistency.

Notice the words in green on the Freshmen cover. We don't have that on the Grads book. Because all the books in this series for students need to look the same, we're asking you to help us choose the title which will appear on the Grads book. Take a look at the sample images below and leave a comment to vote for your favorite.

When we select the winning title, we'll randomly choose two voters to receive free copies when they come hot off the press early next week. So give it some thought and let us know which title appeals to you and would make you pick up this book and read it. You may win yourself a copy and save yourself a lot of headaches during your first year out on your own!