My parents say I need to pound the pavement to find a job. What exactly does that mean? Where do I look?

I know that people say you shouldn't sit behind a computer screen when job hunting, but there are a lot of great jobs on the Internet. Go to university websites – that’s where I found my job! And don’t forget about Craigslist. But no matter where you search for your job, remember that you must keep interviewing. Even if you know that the job isn't exactly what you would like, interviewing for it is great practice and helps you build interviewing skills for the job that you really want.

I'm a photographer, so I started out working for the school magazine and school newspaper in college. I started interning for my city newspaper and shot weddings, products for catalogs, editorial, and various other markets until I found my "niche," which is travel photography and food photography. So I’d recommend that when you know what you want to do, find extracurricular activities that support it even if you can’t find the right job for it. It all counts as experience.

That's great, but I think it's a myth when people say that the company you intern with will hire you when you get out of school. I had three internships and none of them hired me after graduation. While they are good for experience and networking, I don't think they will land you a job.

I hate writing cover letters, but know I have to. What are some tips for making my letters the best they can be?

If you are answering an ad, make sure you read it in it's entirety. You may see that something they are looking for applies directly to your skill set and you can use it to your advantage when writing your cover letter. I was looking for a job as a television production assistant. I read an ad from a shopping network looking for production assistants. In addition to the usual and customary requirements -- like "someone who gets along with other people," "a self-starter," "someone motivated" -- I noticed they were looking for someone with nice hands for possible hand modeling. In my first paragraph, after mentioning my education and experience, I wrote, "And did I mention my beautiful olive-skinned silky-smooth hands?" I know this small attention to detail on their job description really made me stand out. I got a call to come in for an interview and was hired on the spot.

Less is more with resumes and cover letters. Don’t tell me everything about you. And don’t use big words to impress me. I look for honesty and enthusiasm; they’re hard to fake. Say things like, “I’m really good at this. I’m not good at this yet, but I’m dying to learn. I’m a quick learner and a quick study and I’m a hard worker and what I don’t know I can make up for in my desire to learn.”

On the resumes and covers letters, I like to make it clear that I could be an asset to them. They perk up when they hear the word “asset.” It shouldn’t be about what my salary is going to be or what can I get from them. It’s better to say, “My skills will enhance and improve the organization and culture here.” Especially a cover letter. You need to make the best possible impression. At the same time you want to make it clear that you’re asking, “What can I do for the organization?” They want to see that.