Alexandra Levit

College graduates who got used to wearing flip-flops and pajama pants to school are going to have to spruce up their look a bit if they’re going to head out on the job-search trail.

Not only are flops out during a job interview, but don’t even think about donning scoffed up dress shoes, urged Alexandra Levit, a Gen Y career expert and author of "They Don't Teach Corporate in College" and "How'd You Score That Gig?"

Levit was on hand to answer questions from readers Wednesday during a live chat on job-hunting for recent grads.

One reader named Shawn asked her:

How should you dress for an interview?

Her reply:

You should wear a well-tailored suit in black or navy blue, non-scuffed up dress shoes, and a clean, not-too-busy tie. Make sure you are clean-shaven and carry a nice, leather portfolio or briefcase. Even if the employees aren't this dressed up, I guarantee that no one will fault you in an interview situation.

She also offered advice for the female grads out there:

For all of the women out there, same advice regarding the suit, although you can choose a pantsuit or a skirt suit. If you go with the skirt suit, I still think you should wear pantyhose (though some experts might disagree). Heels are nice, but don't go too high, as you don't want to trip or look wobbly. Go easy on the makeup and perfume, and wear tasteful jewelry in silver or gold.

And on the perpetual question of whether to pantyhose or not; or what color to wear when you opt to put on nylons, she said, “I think either black or nude are fine.”

On the pantyhose debate, she sided with hose-wearing advocates “because you don't know how conservative the company is. It's best to err on the side of caution. You want to look professional and put-together without drawing too much attention to the way you are dressed. The more seamlessly you fit it, the better.”

Other topics Levit tackled included everything from how much you should expect to make at your first gig and whether taking time off from the career job search to take a summer job, maybe at the beach, is a good idea.

Here’s the entire Q&A with Levit:

Join us next week for another live web chat on Today.

AP

Sure. Celebrate now. Because tomorrow you have to find a real job.

Nearly 2 million college graduates will be heading out into the tough job market this spring, and even though job opportunities are growing, the last thing grads need is to make dumb mistakes.

Many employers are eager to hire newly minted graduates. According to a poll by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, companies expect to hire about 10 percent more graduates from the Class of 2012 than they did last year. 

But that doesn’t mean you’ll easily be able to land the gig you want, because with an unemployment rate above 8 percent you still have to make a good impression.

According to a study of human resource managers by The Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania , there were three mistakes young job-seekers make that were among the most damaging to their job hunt:

• not dressing properly for the interview (39.9 percent),
• being late for the interview (29.1 percent)
• and not being prepared for the interview, which includes not knowing about the company (25.9 percent.) 

"Recent graduates might be dreading the job market, but if they know the common mistakes people their age are making, they can hopefully avoid some job-hunting pitfalls,” said Josh Tolan, CEO of online jobs site Spark Hire.

“The biggest mistake recent college grads make is overestimating their degree and underestimating experience,” he said. “The degree is certainly important, and you’ve put in a lot of hard work to be able to move that tassel. But hiring managers and recruiters are looking for professional experience as well.”

Here’s a rundown of some other common mistakes grads make when they start pounding the pavement for jobs:

Relying too much on job boards: Job boards are no subsitute of networking, but don't tell that to most recent grads.

Larry Chiagouris, a professor of marketing at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business, has done his own research of graduates and has found that 55 percent still rely heavily on job boards rather than personal connections.

“Use of a job board is not a mistake. What is a mistake is misuse of job boards,” he explained. “What many students do is they fool themselves into thinking that spending 15 or 30 minutes a day searching on job boards and clicking on job to submit a resume will result in a job. Fewer than 5 percent of jobs are obtained from the use of job boards.”

Not singing your own praises: One thing grads have to learn pretty quickly is that they have to become their own best cheerleader.

“Given the fact that there are thousands of graduates joining the search pool with each commencement weekend, if you aren't able to articulate clearly and plainly why you are uniquely positioned to be the successful candidate, you will not be competitive in the job market,” said Mary Evans, executive director of the Career Center at Hamilton College.

Liberal arts graduates, for example, have to be able to convey “how their education differentiates them from the other candidates using real examples of demonstrated leadership, critical thinking, and writing, research and communications skills,” she advised.

Wasting your time on the wrong job: Sometimes graduates aren’t quite sure what job they want when they get out of college and end up applying for positions that just sound fun, or lucrative, instead of figuring out what suits their background best.

“Grads shouldn't waste time applying for positions for which they are not qualified — it's a waste of their time and the time of recruiters,” said Nancy Mobley, CEO of the HR consulting firm Insight Performance. “If the posting requires three to five years of experience, the company will want to see a resume that outlines that experience.  If the graduate doesn't have it, they shouldn't be applying.”

And sending resumes out willy-nilly is also a no-no, said Kristi Milczarczyk, senior recruiting manager of campus recruiting for The PNC Financial Services Group. 

"It’s good to have a few companies in mind, but new grads need to have a plan to keep their job search focused," she advised. "Same goes for applying to too many positions with the same organization."

Can’t let go of mommy and daddy: We’ve all heard about helicopter parents. But for those grads who want to look professional and persuade a hiring manager to hire them, they probably want to leave mom and dad out of it.

“I am hearing from employers who refuse to hire another recent graduate because they have encountered too many with parents who are overly involved,” said Tim Elmore, president of Growing Leaders, a non-profit that mentors Gen Y. “Parents are accompanying their kids on interviews, delivering their resumes and negotiating salary.”

His No. 1 tip to grads: “By no means should your parents be involved in any part of your job hunt.”

You may also want to consider leaving the nest. 

"Don’t volunteer that you still live at home with Mom and Dad if you don’t have to," advised Beth Gilfeather, CEO of Seven Step Recruiting. "Employers would much rather hire people who are out on an edge and have to support themselves." 

Not cleaning up your digital dirt: Younger job seekers tend to be more social-media savvy than their older job-hunting counterparts. While that can help grads, it can also be a liability if they’ve shared too much of their personal lives online.

“Social media posts and photos can hurt you,” said Lisa Marsalek, director of career development at Defiance College. “Employers are savvy and know to check places like Facebook. You want to make sure your online presence does not turn off an employer.”

How competitive is the post-grad job market this year, and what can you do to boost you chances of success? Below, college counselor Kat Cohen has tips for landing a coveted job offer that she shared on TODAY: 

Farnoosh Torabi

This is the season when college acceptance letters start coming in the mail and lots of families are trying to figure out how to pay the hefty tuition costs.

With annual in-state tuition costs for public colleges averaging more than $8,000, and private school costs topping $28,000, reports CollegeBoard.org, the thought of covering such an expense can seem hopeless, especially to parents facing budget constraints already.

But never fear, stressed Farnoosh Torabi, personal finance expert, author of “Psych Yourself Rich: Get the Mindset and Discipline You Need to Build Your Financial Life”, and host of "Financially Fit" on Yahoo, who was on hand Wednesday to take online questions from readers during our weekly live chat.

“There is hope if you're willing to be flexible and not rush into the whole college thing,” she said.

“Saving money takes preparation and it takes thinking outside of the box,” she explained. “I will be the first to say that your child doesn't need to head to college right away - especially if the money isn't there. Taking a year off to work, save or enhance your resume with volunteering experiences can boost your chances of not only getting into a good school, but paying for it.”

For those who don’t want to wait, she said, two-year community colleges can be a good starting point. “Smart, talented students are flocking to community college to earn credits, save money and later move over to a full-time 4 year institution,” she noted.

Torabi also weighed in on the question of whether parents should be saving at all for their kids’ education, a topic covered by reporter Allison Linn Wednesday. 

“Some parents see college as a great gift to their children - and if you feel strongly about making this a financial priority, that's great,” she said. “But don't kill yourself trying to send your children to college. Do what you can. Be realistic and involve your kids in the reality. One thing is true, when children bear some of the cost, they tend to appreciate the education more and recognize the value a lot more.”

You can read the full Q&A with Torabi here: