Graduation days is slowing approaching so that means it’s time to start fine tuning that resume. We asked some industry professionals to give us a few resume mistakes that you should try to avoid at all costs.

Check them out after the jump!

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I didn’t go to an Ivy League school or graduate at the top of my class. I didn’t even come from a family rooted in my field (not all connections are from mommy and daddy). But somehow, right out of school I landed a job as a broker at one of the top investment banks on Wall Street.

So how did I do it, you ask? Bribery? Sneak attacks? No! I became a networking rock star.

Here’s how to do the same:

Begin with the network you already have.
Think about the people you already know: school alumni, your local bartender’s cousin, that pal from your summer waiter gig. Even if they are not working in your field of interest, don’t be afraid to politely ask them to put you in touch with people who are. Read More »

I didn’t go to an Ivy League school or graduate at the top of my class. Hell, I didn’t even come from a family rooted in my field (not all connections are from mommy and daddy). But somehow, right out of school I landed a job as a broker at one of the top investment banks on Wall Street.So how did I do it, you ask? Bribery? Sneak attacks? No! I became a networking rock star. Here’s how to do the same:

Begin with the network you already have.
Think about the people you already know: school alumni, your local bartender’s cousin, that pal from your summer waiter gig. Even if they are not working in your field of interest, don’t be afraid to politely ask them to put you in touch with people who are. Read More »

The writer of article is a year out of college. Within that time he has gotten shot down from some really good jobs and landed some even better ones. He has an incredible job right now that he fully realizes he in no way deserves and can only attribute to his solid interviewing approach. Learn from the underachiever who overachieved. Here, he gives five tips for nailing the interview for your dream job.

Personality: No matter how ridiculous your resume is or how fit you are for the job, you can crash and burn in an interview because you didn't come off personable. It is natural for people to like and pull for people they like, so smile and be friendly. Also, show your excitement for the position; jobs are not stupid blond girls - they won't want you more if you act too cool for them.

Practice Practice Practice: The absolute best thing you can do in preparation for a big interview is to go on a few 'practice interviews' beforehand. You’ll find out that 90% of the material you say in one interview can be used in any. So, set up a few interviews for jobs you know you don't want; get comfortable in the interview atmosphere, learn what kind of answers people are looking for, and make sure your sweat stains aren't too obvious in your interview suit.

Wait for Your Pitch: Look at the interview like you’re at bat in a baseball game. Don’t swing for the fences every question; answer each question completely and concisely, but don’t ramble just to sound smarter. Often after a long line of questions that you’ve probably already talked entirely too much about, you come across a question that you feel is perfect for you - one that you can answer better than any other - but you've already used up your 'A' material. Instead, be patient at the plate, know that longer answers don't mean better answers, and forget that baseball is a crappy excuse for a sport.

Language: Instead of 'When do I get raises/promotions?' try “What can I expect from my development within the company?” It shows them that
1) You're in it for the long run and you're serious about growing with the company and
2) You are professional. It may not seem important, but the way you speak is a direct reflection of you as a person and your level of education. So, don't start off an interview with a 'Hollerrr!' and opt instead for a 'Thank you very much for meeting with me.'

Know Your “Weakness”: When asked about weaknesses, most say something like “I’m a workaholic” or “I take work too seriously.' Myeh. Talk about something you had trouble with but have overcome: “In college I struggled to maintain a balance between school assignments and work at my job and both suffered. I began keeping a notebook of all my day-to-day tasks. I improved greatly and I'm now an excellent multitasker.” Answer their question while still making yourself look good. If instead they ask what your strength is, say the same thing sans the beginning part about you being a retard and not multitasking like every other normal candidate.

Of course, you should follow every interview up with a thank you note and several nights of intense personal prayer. But, if you follow these steps, the prayer may not be necessary.

Everyone knows that the hardest part in getting a job is scoring an interview, and the surefire path to scoring an interview is to have your dad make some calls. OOPS, we mean to have a stellar resume. But just because you haven't worked a day of your life (other than tossing that extremely love-worn couch off the balcony to make room for the keg), your resume doesn't have to be in 20-pt. type to fill a page.

Our resume doctor translates your hard-earned 'life experiences' into the hard-hitting, go-getting, attention-grabbing resume that will jump-start your career as the expert bull-shitter your mom had only dreamt you could be.

1. The biggie: NO EXPERIENCE
The Treatment: You can honestly say that you have never been terminated by an employer. Inexperience is where it's at for most college students, but that doesn't mean you haven't done anything for the past four (okay, five) years. Examples:
- Slept your way through most of your classes yet still managed to graduate? Proven successful track-record in multi-tasking and recognized achievement in time-management.
- Lived from couch-to-car when your housing ran out the last semester? Eager to take advantage of last-minute travel opportunities and available for employer-sanctioned relocation.
- Watched a movie and decided you wanted to do what the lead character does? Media research and virtual experience in desired field, including informational evaluations of desired career path.

2. The norm: UN-RELATED EXPERIENCE
The Treatment: Even average, inconsequential experience can be transformed into 'attributes personified' and 'knowledge gained.' Examples:
- Bought crap at Goodwill and E-bayed all your possessions? Ability to create revenue and increase profit by recycling unused resources.
- Worked the graveyard shift at copy center to surf the web and do school projects all while getting paid? Willingness and dedication to devote time to advance career; exceptional time-management skills and effective use of available resources.
- That summer you went to Australia and shucked oysters at a tourist trap and got your friends a gig doing the same? International experience with customer service, employee recruitment and training

3. The extras: EXTRACURRICULARS and CHARITY
The Treatment: Your spare time is just that ' time to do whatever the HELL-o operator you want. But in the eyes of the unemployed, they become bonuses. Examples:
- Played online role-playing games? Extensive experience with experimental business practices and theory and with development of cutting-edge concepts to create and manage theoretical profit-generating business.
- Downloaded massive amounts of mp3s and porn from campus network? Studied cultural impact of music on current generation youth culture; extensive research aptitude in emerging technology and tracking changing online trends.
- Maintained a robust drug habit? Experience with suppliers and success at maintaining consistent inventory levels in differing demand environments and aggressive business practices; cultivated trustworthy business partnerships after extensive product evaluation.
- Donated plasma and sperm for money? Selfless time and donation to worthy causes to promote business partnership; devotion to development of first-aid resources.

4. Oh yeah: THAT COUCH THING
Just to prove that action words and synonyms really can make a difference. Example:
- That time you and your frat buddies tossed that disgusting couch off the balcony to make room for the keg? Innovation and leadership role in collaboration of 10-person team to conceptualize and enact split-second decision-making and resource evaluation.

Sources: 'The Dog Ate My Resume: Survival Tips for Life after College,' by Zack and Larry Arnstein; 'A Car, Some Cash, and a Place to Crash,' by Rebecca M. Knight.

My parents love to talk about the worth of a liberal arts education. You go to college, you take a wide range of classes, you work hard, you get somewhere. Simple as that. Sort of like that whole 'American Dream' thing. But does taking a bunch of different classes and working hard really equal post-graduate prosperity?

Other people, evidently, are asking the same thing. A big story in The New York Times recently cited, with grave horror, the decline in achievement among guys in relation to those up-and-coming girls. A lot of guys, though, suggested in their comments for the article: why bother?

Still, to this day, I wonder what the point of taking classes like Astronomy and 'Math in the Arts' (a real course at Connecticut College, when I went there) and Music Theory was. A perfect example of a useless class is the latter. I would definitely consider myself a musician. I played piano for six years, cello for 11 and have been playing guitar for 13. But one thing I have never excelled at is reading music. I hate it; it's very mathematical and concept-oriented, and I've never been good at those sorts of things. So I had to go through a hellish semester-long music theory class, which was taught with good intentions (by a nice guy, Professor Stoner'that was his name … no joke) but just bored (and at times, confused) me to tears. And I wasn't great at it, which I already knew. And all my friends were, like, 'Dude, what's the matter with you?' because all I ever talk about is music. What a waste of my time and my parents' money.

I'm left wondering why I put so much time and effort into that course. Was it to take on the challenge of something I wasn't good at? (No.) Was it to keep my GPA up? (Yes, in part.) Or was it because I was a helpless, hard-working automaton (who should've been getting drunk and stoned with my friends instead of memorizing the 'circle of fifths')? (Absolutely.) There are so many students out there that believe that if they put their heads down, work all day and all night and do little on the social front in college, they will surely achieve success in the post-grad job world. Maybe this is so, in some cases, but in most, it's a much different outcome. You need to be good at things like making copies, faxing and multitasking at most office jobs. At many employers, interaction with coworkers is paramount to getting things done'to actually working. If you're no good at interacting with people, you might as well kiss employment good-bye. It sounds funny, but there is worth to going to all those parties and drinking all that beer. Think of those parties as busy offices, where you're new and don't know anybody. Think of that hot girl or guy in the corner as your new cubicle mate. How do you introduce yourself without coming off like a complete asshole?

So I put this to you: This semester, spend a little more time nursing a beer than working on those nursing degrees. Go to as many parties as you can, without being 'that guy' or 'that girl' that shows up at every shindig and gets f–ked up drunk and says stupid things. Make a concerted effort to socialize but in the way I have mentioned. This is your life. Life is a bull. You need to grab that mother—-er by the horns, or you're going to be in for a long job-searching process. Take my advice: party like there's no tomorrow ' or there won't be one.