“Oh, so what are you going to be doing after graduation?”

It’s that time again. I’m getting this question at an  increasingly alarming rate. The last time this happened, I had my answer: grad school. Grad school was the perfect answer and people were perfectly content with it. Now that I’m completing graduate school apparently I’m supposed to have a plan. However, I feel like I’m at an even more awkward position then I was a year and a half ago.  At least then I was looking at entry-level positions I knew where I stood. Now I’m going to have a master’s degree. Does that make me overqualified? There are so many questions and so many different answers.

Do I write a cover letter? [Why, of course.  – It depends.] But do I use the body of the e-mail as my cover letter?[No, never. – Yes, when appropriate.] Should it be witty? [It should grab their attention. – Are you witty? – Keep the tone serious. ]Should I address the cover letter to someone specific? [Always. – If you can find the person who will be reading it.]What if HR refuses to give me that person’s name? [Stalk them (just kidding) – Sir or madam will do.] What if the companies’ systems only allow word docs. to be uploaded? [Mail it. – Call and ask for an alternate method.]   What happens to my awesome .pdf? [They can’t open .pdfs!!! Get over it!]  Is my resume creative (or too creative)? [Whoa, you went to far. – The design is beautiful.]Do my accomplishments and experience stand on its own? [I stopped reading after your name, sorry. – You’ve got a great array of internships.] What do you do if you meet the educational requirements but not the years of experience?  [I’ve seen too many different answers for this.]

I could go on and on.

I’m sure that so many other people have run into the same issues. There are so many differing opinions on the wonderful thing I call the interwebs, so where does the job hunter begin?

I’m putting out a call for career guides and job search resources.

Are there sites you frequently visit or refer to? People you follow on Twitter for job leads? I’d love to put together a comprehensive list and share it.