Every year at this time, tons of retailers prepare for holiday shoppers by hiring seasonal workers. For the typical college student, getting a holiday job is also an annual occurence. So how do you find a prime holiday job? Here are some tips for a productive (and profitable) job search:

• Get your head in the game: Having the right attitude about job searching is a critical step towards finding and landing a good holiday job. Treat your job search like it was a job -- set aside a certain amount of time every day or every week towards doing the legwork, and stick to your schedule. This approach to job hunting will turn up more leads than you can imagine.
• Decide what you want: It may seem silly, but before you start looking you should decide what kind of job you want (or don't want). This will help you focus your efforts and target the right places to look. Don't go to the mall, for example, if you're looking for an office position. Do go to the mall, though, if you're a people person and want lots of contact with customers.
• Don't waste time: Most holiday positions are posted and filled within a couple of weeks. If you wait too long to get started, you'll be (literally) left out in the cold. Get started ASAP before all the best jobs are taken by your friends!
• Network your brains out: With apologies to job search boards like Monster and such, the vast majority of jobs are filled by somebody who knows somebody who's looking. Tell your family and friends (both on MySpace and in the 'real' world) what you're looking for, and find out if any of them are looking too. With all of those eyes peeled for your ideal job, it's bound to turn up soon.
• Look to your future: If you have an idea of what you want to be when you graduate, try to get a taste of that now. Holidays can be among the most stressful times of the year where you work, and if you can handle that then the rest of the year should be a breeze. At the very least, you can see whether your choice was a good one or that you need to reconsider your career path.
• Be positive: Walk into the establishment dressed appropriately and, with confidence, ask if they have anything available. Be prepared to fill out numerous applications, and don't get discouraged. Remember, your job search is a job in itself, and a job you hope to lose as quickly as possible. Enjoy yourself!

Bottom line, you'll need to knock on many doors before you find a position. In the end, your reward will be your paycheck, your experiences, and the satisfaction of a job well done. (The store discount isn't bad either...)

Mid-terms are over, US elections are over, Halloween is over. As winter approaches, it's time to start thinking about next semester. Sure, this semester has some life left in it yet, so don't lose sight of that. Still, you'd better start mapping out your spring and summer semesters to make sure you get the courses you want (or need).

Every year at this time, tons of retailers prepare for holiday shoppers by hiring seasonal workers. For the typical college student, getting a holiday job is also an annual occurence. So how do you find a prime holiday job? Here are some tips for a productive (and profitable) job search:

Many of you are thanking the "test gods" because you just found out that your final exam is a multiple choice with some true and false, but others are down in the dumps because they are having an essay exam. Don't fret -- Professor Cram is here to help you out, so let's look at how best to prepare for it.

Are you taking Chemistry this semester? If so, you'll benefit from this latest addition to our Cramlet family. It's a brief tutorial that describes the terminology involved and explains the different kinds of aqueous reactions.

This semester we transformed College-Cram.com into the free study resource that students have been clamoring for. In order to help keep it a free and growing resource, could you take a minute to fill out this survey to help us keep helping you? Thanks!

Dear Professor Cram:

I am taking a distance learning college algebra course, so I am left on my own to some extent to learn the material. I'm just beginning to work problems like: (5x²/6y²)³

The book I'm using doesn't give me an example of this type of problem. Where do I start?

Marilyn D., Lancaster, CA

Thank you for using College-Cram.com and for your Algebra question.

The best way to expand this rational expression is to recall that raising anything to the power of three means to multiply it by itself three times:

Dear Professor Cram:

I have a question about series circuits. There are 3 resistors, R1 is 10kohms/.5W and R2 is 3.3kohms/.250W and the third is unknown. If the circuit draws a current of 1.5mA from a 27V source, how do i calculate the ohmic value of the third resistor?

Nicholas, Mohawk College

Thank you for your question, Nicholas. Physics is not normally my forte, but I can certainly help you with this one. Our first step is to determine the power and resistance for the circuit as a whole:

Dear Professor Cram:

What is the solution to the system of equations: x = y and x = -y?

KG, US Navy

KG, thank you for this algebra question. The easiest way to solve this system of equations problem is by using the graphing method, as shown in the illustration: