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It’s great that you have already identified your skills and passions – it’s the first step toward identifying potential careers. And certainly from your description, a career in business makes sense.

It’s also important to look at forecasts of jobs/careers that are going to be in demand, but keep in mind that it’s more important to find a fit with a job and career path that matches your skills and interests.

So, I recommend talking with some recent alums about their jobs, talking with your professors, and visiting the career services office at your school. All three of these sources should give you some good ideas about careers.

And if you really do want to read about hot and growing career fields, you can look online to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/) – in the section titled “Tomorrow’s Jobs” -- or go to your library and read a book such as, The Unofficial Guide to Hot Careers.

Some Quintessential Careers resources that will be useful for you:
- Choosing a College Major: How to Chart Your Ideal Path
- Self-Assessment for New Grads and Entry-level Job-Seekers Is First Step to Career Plan.
- Identifying Your Passion's Building Blocks.

OK. Let me explain. If you are responding to job postings or online job ads that request part-time workers, then there is no need to even have it listed on your resume because employers will assume if you are applying for a part-time position that you are actually seeking part-time employment.

However, if you are sending out cover letter and resume packages to a variety of employers – what we refer to as the cold calling method – then you must say somewhere that you are looking for part-time rather than full-time employment. I have a personal preference for putting it only in your cover letter, but you could also add it your job objective section of your resume: “To contribute extensive experience, training, and skills in a part-time project-management position.”

Speaking of objectives on resumes, did you know a recent survey of hiring managers found that about 40 percent preferred resumes with job objectives on them? If you decide to include one on your resume, just be sure that it focuses on the contribution you can make to the potential employer rather than a self-serving one (which is more typical of the objectives I see).

I recommend that job-seekers use either (and sometimes both) a job objective or a qualifications summary; if done correctly, both of these sections serve as a short-cut for enticing hiring managers to make the decision to continue reading your resume. A warning, though: If done incorrectly, these sections could also stop your resume from being read.

Read: Should You Use a Career Objective on Your Resume?.

Also, review all the Resume Resources (including articles, tools, and tutorials) published on Quintessential Careers.

The preferred method – the method where you get the best information and the strongest possible connection with the person you are interviewing – is through face-to-face interviews. However, that should not stop any job-seeker who is relocating and wants to build a new network of contacts in a distant location. As you mention, job-seekers can also conduct informational interviews by phone or e-mail.

The best strategy for you is to contact the person and ask his/her preferred method of contact. A phone conversation will be more dynamic (and expensive), but you might actually get more detail by e-mail. Sending a list of questions – only AFTER the person agrees to the informational interview – is acceptable, but remember to keep the list fairly short. Most people are willing to take the time to help out job-seekers, but not if it looks like it will take a huge chunk of their time.

Finally, ALWAYS remember to thank each person you interview.

Learn more here with the Informational Interviewing Tutorial, published on Quintessential Careers.

Most college students should leave college with two types of experience: actual work experience gained through internships and part-time jobs and practical experience gained through class projects and papers.

When writing their resume, most students don’t have too hard a time describing work experience, but one of the most common errors I see is that students often discount those class projects.

As the application states, the company is looking for your key achievements/accomplishments to date. If you have previous work experiences, list those along with their outcomes. But don’t forget about those class projects.

For example, in the B-School at Stetson, many major courses require completing a project, often with a real client. For example, in a marketing research class, students might work with a local business in uncovering a problem and suggesting solutions.

When describing those student experiences, remember the same rules that apply to describing your work experiences: always try to quantify your descriptions, focus on outcomes and project objectives.

A sample explanation of a student project:
Market Research Project for DeLand Electronics
   Developed detailed SWOT Analysis
   Assisted in writing survey questionnaire
   Managed survey mail-out to 1,000 residents
   Compiled strategic solutions based on survey results

For more information, consider reading this article on Quintessential Careers: For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.

Dr. Randall S. Hansen is currently Webmaster of Quintessential Careers.

Dr. Hansen is an associate professor of marketing at the School of Business Administration, Stetson University. He has been a published career expert for the last 10 years and an employer and consultant with hiring/firing decisions for the past 15 years.

Through his experience as a professor of marketing, Dr. Hansen uses proven marketing techniques and applies them to job-hunting. He is currently working on such a book. Some of his work can be seen at his personal Web site.

He and Katharine Hansen co-wrote the very successful job-hunting book, Dynamic Cover Letters, published by Ten Speed Press. You can order copies from Barnes and Noble of this cover letter bible. He is also author of several career-related magazine and journal articles.

Finally, Dr. Hansen has been an employer and has firsthand experience in the hiring process. He also stays active in the field by reading magazine and journal articles and by talking with employers on a regular basis.