As a recent college graduate, you're probably not a stranger to competition. College acceptance, scholarships, internships and leadership positions within student organizations can all be significantly challenging to attain with dozens, hundreds or even thousands of students vying for the same spots. The job market, however, is a different kind of race, and probably one of the most competitive environments a recent graduate has ever faced.

While you might not have years of experience, tightly specialized skills or industry expertise right out of college, you still have a great deal to offer. There are many effective ways to impress an employer, stand out from the crowd and make the cut.

Here are six ways to set yourself apart, make an impression and secure the offer letter despite a highly competitive job market.

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare

One of the most important pieces of interview advice is to prepare. There's a good reason for that. It is sai.......

While the economy might be slowly loosening its grip on our pockets, the job market is still intensely competitive. Graduating from college and stepping out from behind the comforting walls of higher education can be daunting. Many graduates assume they'll have to settle in order to land their first job. They'll need to sell their souls by accepting a job they hate, at a company they don't believe in, working for people they don't respect. If not, they'll remain unemployed.

Believe it or not, you can get a job that you enjoy and find fulfilling. Here are five ways to sell yourself in the job market as a new graduate while still keeping a firm grasp on your values and career goals.  

1. Tapping your alumni network

Networking is often the cornerstone of any career advice you receive. While your skills, personality and effectiveness will ultimately decide your career fate, building relationships with individuals who might already work in the industry y.......

It's not uncommon for a college student, upon graduation, to think, "What now?" For the lucky ones who have jobs right out of the gate, the working world can be overwhelming, especially when projects are hurled at them at an unrelenting speed, with little to no direction.

Bing: How to get credit for your work

Whether you're job-searching post-graduation or you've just started working, you're allowed to ask for help. While you may think it should be obvious .......

Internships. They're the buzz on college campuses everywhere. From freshman year to the graduation stage, students are constantly reminded how important it is to get "real world" experience under their belts before they hit the big post-grad job search. Companies hiring recent graduates are always going to have a preference for those who have taken the time and initiative to complete one, two or more internships, gain skills, make connections and bring more to the table than a diploma.

But what if you are not sure what field you want to go into? What if you fall into the general studies or liberal arts category? Maybe you're working towards a degree in finance or marketing, but you're not sure you want to go into that line of work. What do you do then? Will interning in marketing, finance or another field set your career path in stone and ultimately lead you to feel stuck in a field you're not sure you want to pursue?

Internships and career pathing can be tricky busine.......

What do college students need to consider when creating their plan? To help, we spoke with Stephen Jones, who as the associate dean of Villanova University's college of engineering .......

College seniors and recent graduates are in a very delicate, crucial and demanding time of their lives. During this time, there can be an overwhelming number of decisions to make, paths to choose from and obstacles to overcome.

Ever heard someone say, "I wish I knew then what I know now?" Well, it's time to walk away from the wishing well, and check out six pieces of advice that will help enlighten and improve your experience as a college senior or recent college graduate.

Cut the expense fat

Take an honest look at your expenses, and you are likely to find several areas where you can shave off a few dollars and still live to tell about it. A few unnecessary extras here and there can add up to a lot of cash, leaving you unable to accept lower-paying job opportunities with greater long term potential than a position that pays more now.

Marc Hyman, partner at Pacific West Investors Services based in Santa Barbara, Calif., provides a handy list of .......

You did it. Four years of college went by in a haze of parties, new experiences and hopefully at least a few dozen textbooks. Now it's time to go out into the world and get a job. Should be easy, right? You've done your part and someone out there owes you a job. Wrong.

Companies are looking for qualified candidates that will bring something to the table and help their businesses move forward. Beyond a college degree, you will need to show prior experience, concrete skills, emotional intelligence, tenacity and a myriad of other factors.

Here are three tips to help you navigate the thin line between qualified and entitled, and honestly evaluate your skills as a recent graduate or entry level worker.

Evaluating your personal brand

Jaime Radow, owner and certified life coach at XYZ Life Coaching, LLC in Scottsdale, Ariz., poses a set of five questions that can help recent graduates and entry-level workers take the first important step in any job.......

Do's and Don'ts of Internships

By Larry Buhl

It sounds like a Catch-22: it's hard to land a job without having done the job.  Internships are not only a crucial way to bridge that experience gap, they've become an expectation for many companies. In fact the National Association of Colleges and Employers says employers in a recent survey reported 39.1 percent of their entry-level hires from the Class of 2010 came from their own internship programs. And of these companies' interns, 58 percent were hired into full-time jobs. 

Experts offer some tips on how to find and land the right internships and how to make sure it will be a foot in the door and not unpaid grunt work. 

 Read th.......