Salaries for recent college grads continue to rise according to a recent survey by NACE. Starting salaries for financial, technology, and engineering positions range from the high 40s to close to $60K. Entry level salaries in government and the social sciences are on the rise as well, ranging from the low to mid 30s.

Here at Cheap and Quick Resume we see a lot of resume templates. Using a template is the fastest way NOT to get your resume noticed. Here are a few reasons why we hate templates.

1. Too Generic. Thousands of job seekers use templates to create resumes every day. That means that your resume looks like everyone else’s. Ho hum!
2. Difficult to Read. Many templates format the candidate’s contact information using a font under 10 points. Unless you expect a hiring manager to whip out a magnifying glass to figure out how to contact you, don’t use a template.
3. Too Much Wasted Space. We usually see templates that place category headings on the left and information on the candidate on the right. If you have more than a few things to say, it’s going to be challenging to fit all the information in that tiny area. Every spot on the resume is like valuable real estate. Use the space wisely!
4. Irrelevant Information. Often templates have a section for “Hobbies” The information most candidates include in this section is irrelevant at best and in the worst case scenarios innappropriate or just plain wierd. Don’t leave the reader thinking “Did I really need to know that this candidate reads tarot cards and belly dances?” Stick with relevant information that rounds out your candidacy, such as your affiliation with a professional or volunteer organization.

Over on the Evil HR Lady blog, there is a post that discusses how being chronically late can hurt a career and she references a recent article on the subject from The New York Times. One situation where being late will definitely hurt your career is the job interview. When you arrive late for an interview you enter the conversation with a strike against you and it will be difficult to recover ground after that. If you are interviewing in a part of town that you are not familiar with or do not commute to regularly, do a test run to the location the day before your scheduled appointment. Check out the building and the security procedures and if they are somewhat elaborate, factor that into the amount of time you will need to reach the actual office where the interview will take place.

Check out Fortune Magazine’s list of the 20 Top Employers for Recent College Grads. Top employers include Lehman Brothers, EA, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Microsoft, Hyatt, Citigroup, Intel, Sprint Nextel, and Loreal.

Want to get the inside scoop on what it’s like to interview at Microsoft? Check out this post from a recent new hire.

Next time you are listening to your iPod to pass the time on the bus or the train, consider working on your job search simultaneously by listening to podcasts on job opportunities or interviews with various career professionals. Jobs in Pods and CollegeRecruiter.com offer some great resources.