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You just graduated from college. You're staring at your resume. You have nothing on it except for some pizza sauce. What do you do now?

Today's job market is tough. Thirty-five percent of hiring managers surveyed by CareerBuilder.com in March said they would not hire new college graduates in 2003. Of the 65 percent who did plan to employ new college graduates, 48 percent said they would hire less than ten.

The competition for these positions will be plentiful with the Digest of Education Statistics projecting 1,251,000 students will graduate with a bachelor's degree and 582,000 with an associate degree this year.

Gaining experience is key, especially in an overcrowded job market. For those college graduates who are looking to trade in their caps and gowns for business suits, on-the-job experience will increase marketability. In fact, a review of CareerBuilder.com's job postings found having just one year of experience ? paid or unpaid ? can increase the number of job opportunities available to college graduates tenfold. There were ten times more job postings requiring one year of experience than those only requiring a degree.

To build up resumes and explore different career paths, many college graduates ? as well as high school graduates ? are using CareerBuilder.com's free Skilled and Hourly product to apply for hot summer jobs and internships and longer term positions. It's quick and easy and it can open the door to new possibilities.

CareerBuilder.com's Skilled and Hourly Product

CareerBuilder.com's Skilled and Hourly product helps job seekers to apply for hourly jobs by indicating their work preferences, education and experience in up to five customized profiles. The profile categories include everything from Customer Service, Sales and Retail to Healthcare, Construction, and Transportation.

Once a job seeker completes a profile, it is stored in CareerBuilder.com's database. The job seeker can immediately review listings for available positions in the desired category and apply to companies directly. The job seeker can also sign up to have more job listings regularly emailed to a home or work address. In addition, employers can search the database to contact qualified candidates.

"What is great about our Skilled and Hourly product is it enables job seekers to quickly market themselves to thousands of potential employers," said Scott Brueggeman, vice president of Consumer Marketing for CareerBuilder. "It is the smarter way to find a job and get the work experience needed to differentiate yourself in a challenging job market ? whether you're interested in a summer or full-time position."

The profile creation process is simple and can be accessed online or via the phone at 888-808-jobs (5627). First choose up to five areas of interest from the 12 categories listed in the graphic to the right, which can be found at www.careerbuilder.com. Then follow four easy steps.

#1 Job Description
The first step is to pick the specific job titles you want in your selected category or categories. For example, you can choose from Medical Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Admitting Clerk, Nutritionist, Dental Front Office and other positions in Healthcare or from Sales Associate, Manager, Merchandise Displayer and other positions in Retail. You can also choose from Skilled Labor and Trade positions such as Machinist, Assembler, Painter, Drafter and more.

Next, enter your preferred wage per hour, work schedule (full-time, part-time, intern, seasonal or temp) and shifts (day, afternoon, night, weekend, rotating or after school). You can then enter how many miles you would like to work from home ? a feature that may come in handy if too many college road trips left your car in questionable condition and public transportation is necessary.

#2 Personal Profile
Step #2 is where you fill in your personal information such as name, email address, city location and work status. You can also assign a password to your profile so only you can edit your information and quickly access it when needed. But remember the password must be at least five letters in length, so popular campus words such as "dude" cannot be used. #3 Experience
Step #3 enables you to share your experience with the prospective employer ? whether it was a paid or unpaid position, a seasonal gig or internship. You can enter years of experience, number of jobs held, if you have managed anyone, education, number of languages spoken, certifications and accreditations and more. This step also allows you to paste your resume online ? without the pizza sauce. #4 Review & Submit
The final step is simply to proofread your profile to ensure accuracy. You also choose the option of allowing potential employers to view your profile in CareerBuilder.com's database or you can restrict access to your profile so only you can view it and use it to apply to different positions. Then click on the "Submit" button and view all the jobs available that meet your criteria. Choose your next adventure and put that diploma to work.