How to Survive and Prosper in a Tough Job Market

As college seniors prepare to graduate in the next few weeks, they will be facing one of the worst job markets in US history. A recent National Association of Colleges and Employers poll found that 22 percent of recruiters do not plan to hire any fresh graduates this spring, and 43.6 percent said they'll hire fewer graduates than they did last spring. About 174 businesses responded to the survey, including employers such as Santa Clara technology company Applied Materials Inc., Macy's department store, and brokerage firm Edward Jones. 

These four easy tips to help students survive, and even prosper, in a tough job market:

Clean up your Facebook and MySpace pages. Yes, it's fun to share your Spring Break photos with your friends while in school, but employers don't want any part of your keg stands. In fact, they will stop dealing with you immediately. So if your favorite movie is Pineapple Express or Half Baked, set your profile to private, or omit the reference completely. And if you think employers aren't on Facebook, think again. A recent study by CareerBuilder found that 22 percent of hiring managers check MySpace and 

Facebook to see if their prospective employees are drinking too much, doing drugs, trashing former employers, or letting out trade secrets on their profiles-that was up from 11 percent two years ago.

Make sure your resume looks good. It's unfortunate that our capabilities are often judged on a single piece of paper-but that's how it works. So take your time, research the best ways to present the information, and make sure the formatting is consistent. Highlight your accomplishments without stretching the truth, and ask someone you trust to take a look at it before you send it off. Be sure to check out these top 10 resume writing tips from the About.com Guide to Job Search.

Search for jobs in fields not as affected by the recession.

 There is almost no demand for a 22 year-old hedge fund manager. But there is an ever-increasing market for those looking to work in education and healthcare. According to the Department of Labor, education jobs will see a 14 percent increase by 2016, while healthcare positions will increase by 24% in the same timeframe. Your dreams of swapping credit derivates may be dashed, but there are plenty non-profits looking for energized young people to create policy that will help people stay in their homes.

Give graduate school an extra look. As unemployment rates continue to climb, there is no better way to take advantage of the faltering economy than by going back to school. Whether you are seeking to refresh current accreditations, develop new high-demand skills, or are even considering a new field of employment entirely-investing in yourself by pursuing a graduate degree can provide you with the skill sets and qualifications needed to land a job in this competitive environment. According to GMAC's 2008 MBA Alumni Perspectives Survey, 80 percent of MBAs in the workforce believe that they couldn't have obtained their first job without their degree. Another point of interest was that the Class of 2008 received an average of 2.7 job offers. This number may trend down as the economy suffers, but the survey overall confirms the value of an MBA, regardless of whether a grad receives one, two, or ten job offers.