6 tips for success all college seniors/new grads should know

College seniors and recent graduates are in a very delicate, crucial and demanding time of their lives. During this time, there can be an overwhelming number of decisions to make, paths to choose from and obstacles to overcome.

Ever heard someone say, "I wish I knew then what I know now?" Well, it's time to walk away from the wishing well, and check out six pieces of advice that will help enlighten and improve your experience as a college senior or recent college graduate.

Cut the expense fat

Take an honest look at your expenses, and you are likely to find several areas where you can shave off a few dollars and still live to tell about it. A few unnecessary extras here and there can add up to a lot of cash, leaving you unable to accept lower-paying job opportunities with greater long term potential than a position that pays more now.

Marc Hyman, partner at Pacific West Investors Services based in Santa Barbara, Calif., provides a handy list of nonessential expenses that are potentially hurting your ability to jumpstart a successful career.

Expense: Large Car Payments

Tip: Buy a Kia or Hyundai instead of Toyota, etc.

Expense: Large rents

Tip: Rent or share a room first before you go out and get a large, expensive apartment.

Expense: Large cable bills

Tip: Drop HBO, Sports, Digital music. Perhaps drop cable all together and get Netflix and Hulu instead.

Expense: Gym Membership

Tip: Join a Y instead. It's usually much more affordable.

Expense: $100 cell phone plans

Tip: Get a $35-$50 cell phone plan. There are many reasonable options out there today for plans that include texting and data from carriers like Boost Mobile, Cricket and Virgin Mobile.

Expense: Daily Starbucks coffee

Tip: Get coffee at McDonald's. It's about half the price.

"I have interviewed and hired a large number of recent graduates, and I am always shocked by the large amount of expenses, beyond school loans, these grads are carrying," says Hyman. "Many new grads can shave at least $500 off their monthly living expenses. This increases [their] flexibility when a lower paying job with better prospects is available."

Monitor your ePersonality

Amanda Haddaway, author of, "Destination Real World: Success after Graduation," cautions, "Many students don't realize what's online about them, and some of this content may be questionable in an employer's eyes."

To keep your ePersonality from hurting your chances at gainful employment now or in the future, Haddaway suggests you follow four simple tips.

1.      Determine what's out there about you. Google your name and see what comes up, review your profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Try to remove any inappropriate or workplace-unfriendly content.

2.      Be honest. If you know there is unflattering content posted about you online and you've tried to remove it without success, be upfront with your recruiters or interviewers. Ensure that the interviewers know the information is not a true reflection of who you are and how you would perform as their employee.

3.      Going forward, be careful about what you post. Remember that anything posted in a public domain may remain public indefinitely and could be available to a prospective employer.

4.      Use free tools to continually monitor your online presence. If you set up a Google Alert on your name, you will receive an email each time your name shows up in a Google search. This way you can try and proactively do something about inappropriate content.

Go beyond the textbooks

Heather Huhman, founder and president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job seeker and employer focused organizations, says, "If you're still in school, now is the time to gain experience. Pick up an internship, volunteer in your field, and take on more leadership roles."

While an education is an invaluable asset, in order to succeed in today's market, you have to go beyond the textbooks whenever possible.

"A degree isn't going to be your golden ticket to gainful employment, worthwhile experience is."

Be honest, have integrity

Brooke Allen, founder of noshortageofwork.com, shares an interesting story.

"I was addressing a class of college seniors when someone asked, 'What do you look for in an employee?' I said, 'Integrity and the ability to do the work.' The class laughed and the student said, 'Do you mean to say that, in this day and age, anyone cares about integrity?'"

While it is relatively painless to find competent people who can do the work required for a position, it is much harder to find good people with integrity that you can count on, says Allen.

"If you want to stand out among the others, practice being the best possible person you can be; don't lie, say what you will do, then do what you say."

Emotional Intelligence

According to Tim Elmore, founder of Growing Leaders, an international non-profit organization focused on developing young leaders, emotional intelligence, or the ability to manage emotions, is the single thing that will determine a student's success after graduation more than any other factor.

"As students transition from backpack to briefcase, intelligence plays a smaller role than you may think. Success in school is made up of 75 percent intelligence (IQ) and 25 percent emotional intelligence (EQ). Success in the real world is just the opposite – 25 percent IQ and 75 percent EQ."

Learning to reduce stress quickly is a valuable EQ skill, says Elmore. "It allows you to stay balanced, focused, in control and in the moment, even in the most challenging situations."

Help out wherever possible

Successful people are those who work hard, and go above and beyond whenever possible. No one ever got promoted or built a successful career by doing the bare minimum.

Michelle Tillis Lederman, author of "The 11 Laws of Likability" and founder of Executive Essentials, a corporate training and coaching company based in New York, NY, suggests recent graduates build relationships at every level of the organization and always offer to help.

"Don't narrow your focus just to colleagues at your level," says Tillis. "Pursue the relationships that feel authentic to you to expand your resources, knowledge base and support network, and offer your help. If you don't have anything to do, find something. Build your brand as someone who pitches in."

Always maintain a positive attitude as well, suggests Tillis. While you can teach technical skills, you can't teach attitude. "Approach every situation openly, with a willingness to learn, and don't act as if anything is below you."