When college graduates head off to the corporate world, they are often disillusioned by the tedious work their new job entails. Often young entry-level employees find that they need to work extra hard to prove themselves, and move up the corporate ladder. This move doesn’t happen fast – or at all in some cases. Instead of spinning your wheels, use some of the following tips to move ahead in the game.

Quintcareers recently pulished it’s Six Tips to Help Win at the Business World’s Game

Develop a marketable corporate persona: Think of yourself as a publicist with the task of promoting you. Learn to capitalize on your skills, succinctly assert your achievements, and project a corporate persona — or your most mature, professional, and competent face.

Establish profitable relationships: Business networking is a valuable tool to gain information, increase your visibility in your field and make connections that will help you move forward in your career. Seek out new contacts and potential mentors whom you like and admire and whose interests you share. On the home front, don’t expect your boss to figure out what you’re all about. Determine her priorities, find out what she wants from you, and brainstorm ways to surpass her expectations.

Master transferable skills such as goal setting, effective communication, and time management: You might not know exactly what you want to do with your life, but transferable skills will serve you well no matter what future path you decide to pursue. Make your time count now by working with your boss to set specific, reasonable, and attainable goals for your present position that will help you advance to the next level.

Stay motivated despite trying circumstances: There’s no doubt that the business world can be frustrating, but remember that you can choose your response to your environment. If you make a conscious decision to begin each day with a positive outlook, negative conditions at work can’t take that away from you. Aim to increase your self-awareness so you can better understand your emotional hot buttons.

Get people to cooperate: Always keep in mind that other people don’t care what you want — they want to know what’s in it for them. By approaching negotiations with an attitude that allows both parties to win, you’ll be more effective at eliciting cooperation and ultimately getting what you want.

Be proactive about your career growth: Approach your performance review strategically by soliciting feedback on your progress, identifying new goals and growth opportunities and hammering out a long-term promotion plan. When asking your boss for a raise, be prepared with a list of contributions that have positively impacted the bottom line.

So before you give up on climbing the corporate ladder, use these tips to move up in the corporate world. By following some simple tips, you can make the best use of your college degree in your corporate job.

So you have earned your degree and graduated. Now what? You can spend the summer enjoying some time off, or you can proactively start looking for a job. A recent post offered some tips on why to stay on top of your job search during the summer.
Since we were in school, summer has been associated with vacations, lazy days and a small break from life. Because of this association, people often forget that’s not how it works in the real world.
While workers do take vacations during the summer months, most people are only allowed a few weeks of vacation time. The rest of the summer is business as usual, as employers gear up for the busy fall and winter.
“If a company has … | Read the rest of this entry »

Job-hunting is part of the career process that takes a little hard work and persistence. After you have interviewed and have gotten offers, how do you decide which of the job offers to take. Do you take the first thing offered to you? – Or do you hold out and wait for the job you really want?
Last year during his job search, information-technology consultant George Cresto found himself in the fortunate position of having two companies express interest in him. There was just one problem: His second choice offered him a job first, while the other firm had yet to make a decision.
And more job seekers could face this dilemma if the job market continues to improve. Juggling two potential employers can be a … | Read the rest of this entry »

Did you get started in a career that didn’t turn out as you had planned? This happens to many intelligent people who worked towards a career that they later found out they did not like or were not suited for. Instead of being stuck in a job you don’t like or can’t do well, you should take the leap and switch careers. This might sound like a scary idea, but with a little faith and guidance you should be able to find a more suitable career.
CareerJournal.com has a few suggestions on changing careers:
Reading a field’s publications and blogs can clue you in on big issues and industry parlance. They may also contain listings for jobs that aren’t widely publicized.
You might join an … | Read the rest of this entry »

So you have earned your college degree and are ready to dive in to a corporate job. Did you know that your eligibility for a particular job might hinge on more than just the interview?
Pre-employment testing is on the rise. In the past five years, 60% of companies have increased their use of workplace-behavior assessments, according to a survey of more than 500 human-resources professionals at U.S. companies from Spherion Corp., a staffing firm based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Here’s what job candidates should know about pre-employment testing:
Senior executives are not exempt. In fact, the higher you aspire to climb the corporate ladder, the more likely you are to be evaluated on how well you might fit in personality-wise, says … | Read the rest of this entry »

Are you interested in a career in Healthcare? Healthcare professionals are in high demand and there are many great opportunities. Here are some of the top healthcare jobs and salaries according to US News.
Not surprisingly, nine of the 25(top) careers in the U.S. News list are in healthcare. Physician is one, although the lengthy training and thicket of regulations governing medicine are dimming the allure. Other healthcare jobs require far less training, have better hours, and offer the same satisfaction that comes from caregiving. Optometrists, for instance, typically work predictable hours, and they regularly watch patients walk out the door in better shape than when they came in. Physician assistants are rapidly replacing doctors as primary-care providers, and they earn healthy salaries with far less … | Read the rest of this entry »

Some things are not as they seem. When it comes to earning your degree, make sure you know what is in store for you. Some jobs require long hours, tedious tasks or battles in bureaucracy. This might cause some jobs to lose their luster after a bit. US News reports on some overrated careers:
It looks glamorous on TV. Or you’ve got an uncle who does it and seems to like it. Or you heard you could earn a lot of money at it, without much extra training. People pick careers for a lot of reasons—including some bad ones. So in addition to identifying the Best Careers for 2007, U.S. News has also highlighted 10 occupations with a mystique that exceeds reality. This list is … | Read the rest of this entry »

Wondering where the big new job markets are? Some cities might surprise you..
NEW YORK (AP) — College graduates seeking a job should heed an ancient piece of advice and “go west,” according to a Chicago outplacement firm.
Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said in a new report that job growth is fastest in Midwestern, Mountain West and Southern cities, with New Orleans, Jacksonville, N.C. and Dubuque, Iowa at the top of its list.
Rounding out the list are Greenville, N.C.; Iowa City, Iowa; Lawrence, Kan.; Boise, Idaho; Salt Lake City, Utah; Phoenix, Ariz.; Austin, Texas; and Boulder, Colo.
Six of the 11 cities on the list have populations under 100,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Phoenix is the largest of those cities, with an estimated population … | Read the rest of this entry »

Many college undergraduates today already have an idea about what kind of company they want to work for when they graduate. Some even have specific companies in mind before graduation. What make certain places more desireable? Company culture, stock option, salary, etc.
Business Week profiles some of the top 25 companies to work for.
Where is the best place to start your career? The answer, of course, depends in part on your goals, personality, and ambitions. Yet there’s an elite group of organizations that consistently prove to be the most desirable destinations for young people coming out of college. They vary widely, from the investment bank Goldman Sachs to the Peace Corps.
This year, Google nudged out Walt Disney to claim the title of most desirable … | Read the rest of this entry »