BCO's Message to the Class of 2006

Dear Graduating Senior:

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Special 35th Anniversary Graduation IssueStop by your campus careers office to pick up your free copy now THE BLACK COLLEGIAN joins your friends, family and teachers in congratulating you for your momentous achievement. What you've just accomplished may not be the last, only, or greatest success you'll earn in your life. Yet, we know that attaining this goal was not easy.

As we wrote in the special After Katrina section in our Second Semester Super Issue, THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine was launched 35 years ago with the conviction that earning a higher education was among the most important, transformative and uplifting opportunities in a young person's life -- and the most challenging. This is as true today as it was for those young African Americans we set out to serve in 1970. You can be justifiably proud, and gratified – it's something no one can ever take away from you.

We also know that for a new grad, it can seem that you've hardly had a moment to breathe after earning your degree before the grind starts right up again. Whether you're going straight on to grad school or forging ahead into the job market, a whole host of new challenges and experiences, sometimes thrilling and sometimes scary, awaits you just around the corner. So, we have prepared this special graduation message to help you make the most of this site in your transition.

Keep It Fresh

We encourage you to POST or REFRESH your resume and contact info with us to highlight your recent degree and accomplishments, and stop back later to add any valuable summer experiences you have. By occasionally returning to update your resume, you ensure that your resume is well positioned to shine to potential employers. Furthermore, doing so also has a practical benefit: Keeping your resume "fresh" by modifying and saving it in a database boosts its prominence over other resumes in employers' resume searches!

"Graduate" to IMDiversity

We further invite you to "graduate" to our sister-site, IMDiversity.com, where you can create a second, free MY JOB TOOLS account to access the world of new, wider opportunities opening to you. While TBC has been committed to helping African American students strive for academic excellence and prepare for a career, IMDiversity.com is similarly open support diverse professionals moving forward throughout their careers, from entry-level to senior positions. If you've already used MY JOB TOOLS at BCO, you can hit the ground running at IMDiversity.com. Using our new FLASHPost shortcut, you can generally open an account, post a standard resume, and start finding and applying for job opportunities in minutes.

If you are interested in finding a summer opportunity but still don't have one, visit our annual Summer Gigs special, which lasts until mid-May. Even if you already have summer plans, this links to QuickSearch sections that make it easier to find Entry-level positions, as well as Internships with current deadlines for the fall and next year. Why not drop by and bookmark it for when you're done chilling out, bumming around Europe, working at your summer job or internship, and so forth? As Dr. Philip Gardner observed in our Second Semester edition, the indicators show that a "Strong Labor Market Greets '06 Grads," so be aggressive pursuing your career goals.

Thinking of Going On?

If you're considering Grad School, visit our Grad School Channel, where you can research different institutions nationwide who have expressed their interest in building a diverse student body, read good advice about advanced degrees, and learn about fellowships and other aid.

Visit Your Career Office...Again and Again

DON'T FORGET to make use of your campus Career Office while you can! We hope you already appreciate this rare and invaluable, free resource. Keep in mind that the Office will not only help you put your best foot forward while you're in school, but it is also an all-too-frequently underutilized resource for alumni as well. Before you leave campus, why not visit your counselor to find out about their alumni services, pick up the 35th Anniversary edition of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN, and perhaps ask them to help you polish your resume a last time before you post it? Alas, in the so-called "real-world," having a staff of professionals so dedicated to your success, generous with advice, and eager to provide free services to aid your advancement is a very, very rare luxury.

Keep it Coming

You can always continue to pick up THE BLACK COLLEGIAN at a local college campus. If you like, however, you can also keep it coming through a low-cost personal subscription conveniently shipped right to you. Although we don't sell subscriptions directly, you can get your personal subscription set up easily through Amazon.com.

Keep in Touch

Finally, we hope you'll continue to visit this site and keep in touch with us. In preparing our 35th Anniversary edition, we were gratified to hear from readers who "grew up with us," including some who found their first jobs through us decades ago and have gone on to fantastic professional careers with major employers in all kinds of sectors! If you find an opportunity through THE BLACK COLLEGIAN, we hope you'll let us know, as we'd like to be able to feature you in some way!

Again, congratulations on reaching this educational milestone. You have our very best wishes for your continued success in whatever you choose to do!

The Staff and Editors of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN and IMDiversity