Professional gifts help job seekers

Last year friends and family members were planning to spend an average $89.95 on gifts for the soon-to-be high school or college grads in their lives, according to the National Retail Federation.

The most popular gifts? Cash, gift cards, apparel and electronics. Money is great, says Roberta Schroder, chairwoman of the economics and finance department at Nassau Community College.

But with college grads, she also suggests gifts that can be more personalized, professionally oriented and that can lead to money via a steady paycheck.

Group: How about footing the bill for a membership in a key professional organization, especially as the young person will no longer be eligible for a discounted student rate, she says. Such a membership "opens up a view of what the profession actually is," gives access to insider job-search resources, and in some cases offers group rates for health or auto insurance, useful at a time of new beginnings.

Brand: "In today's employment world it's a package. You have to look at things, not as piecemeal, but as a fully loaded message you're sending to prospective employers," Schroder says. That means fine-tuning a "personal brand" in which no detail is too small. Think professional photograph for that LinkedIn account; business cards with contact information and areas of expertise; maybe even a website with the new graduate's name as the URL.

Look: How about attire for interviews and hopefully a new job? Schroder says it could even be a family gift, with one relative buying a suit, another the shoes, and so on. New grads have "so much stress," she says, and this would be one less worry.