Job Search
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Networking 101
What the rest of the country is just beginning to experience has been a way of life for us living in Michigan. Signs of a weakening economy are so ever present that we’re sometimes past the point of noticing. We’ve been driving—or with the increased price of gas, maybe biking—past evidence of a shrinking economy for nigh onto many months.
Which led me to think that it just might be time for some good news in the form of my Person of the Week, alias Theo. Theo’s got one more year of school left, his 5th year, and he admittedly started looking for internships very late this year. What he’s got going for him, however, is a hefty load of sheer persistence and a dash of flexibility (full time/part time/unpaid with part time paid elsewhere—you name it). That plus the ability to network with about everyone he knows.
So, what does that networking look like? In this case, it takes place at the local gym where Theo is well known and well liked. In between bench presses or during water breaks he approaches senior sweaty buffs with a simple question about internship options within their work place or possible referrals. And he’s getting a number of sympathetic and supportive responses, as most of these people would love to have a hard working guy such as Theo around. Nothing is clinched yet but it’s looking pretty optimistic.
What Theo does naturally may seem more of a stretch to others. But networking is a skill which anyone can master. Here are two easy ways to get started:
• First, take a fresh look at your environment. Who do you come into contact with as you work, worship or play? Theo isn’t doing anything different by heading to the gym; he just mined that normal, everyday routine for possibilities.
• Think about what you have to offer an employer and include some of those skills in your conversations, making use of lead in’s when talking about yourself such as the following: adept at, experienced with, comfortable with, trained in, or skilled at.
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Thursday, April 06, 2006
Random questions about resumes
With the job search ramping up for many seniors, I’m getting a lot of scattered and random questions about resumes, questions about small and subtle details, the sum of which ends up being greater than the individual parts.
So, I thought I’d take today to answer a few of the more common inquiries.
Q: If my resume is two pages, do you staple them together?...
Thursday, March 30, 2006
It’s spring. Do you know where your job search is?
Serious spring fever hasn’t hit yet but it’s pretty close. With temps hovering around 65 and birds singing, the last thing most students want to do today is sit in a library. Even worse, contemplate The Job Hunt, synonomous for many seniors with an identity shift from life long student to professional. Too much to deal with at one time. So head-burying may seem like a better option, fueled by internal phrases like “I’ll find something when I graduate. It shoudn’t be too hard. Something will work out.” Anything other than face the frightening fact that in a few weeks you will no longer be a student.
So if the Big seems to much to handle, how about taking a few baby steps? Consider completing one of the following in the next week.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
When to use resume and cover letter templates…
I know of few people who get all geeked about writing their own resume or, much less, constructing a cover letter. So, the quickest way possible to complete this onerous task is to revert to a template—pulled from MS Word if you’re looking for a way to basically fill in the blanks or copied directly from other resources.
There. The job is done and you’ve got something ready for your job search, right? Well, yes and no. Yes in the sense that you’ve got something to distribute but no in the sense that it may not be all that effective.
Here’s what I mean. Suppose you’re an HR specialist who sees literally hundreds of resumes a day. What would grab your attention more, a resume from the very predictable Word template or one where the writer took a bit more care to craft its contents? The answer, I’m sure, is obvious. After a while, it takes effort to get past the same-old same-old template look and really pay attention to the contents, even if it’s great stuff.
So, best use of the template in my personal opinion is as a structure for your initial draft. After that, ditch it in favor of something more distinctive.
On to cover letters. Again, there are samples all over the place. But here’s my suggestion. Tweak and adjust the standard stuff so that it’s really you who’s coming across. This is especially true if your particular job search does not match the sample cover letter. For instance, I heard from someone today who ended their cover letter with a phrase saying that she would call in 10 days to check on the possibility of an interview. Good stuff normally. That’s how the sample letter was worded. However, the companies where that person was applying did not provide names or phone numbers, thus rendering the phrase meaningless and inappropriate for that particular employer.
So, take resume and cover letter samples as just that—spring boards for your own creative additions and subtractions.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Marketing yourself…yuck
I realize that today’s title flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Current job search literature is replete with admonitions to market and brand yourself, the end result being a coherent product ready for employers to pick off the shelf, as it were.
Personally, however, I find the idea mildly repugnant. And a number of Calvin students seem to agree. Modesty rules, putting us at a seeming disadvantage in job search situations.
But, there’s nothing wrong with communicating who you are, right? I mean, how else will an employer know who they’re hiring?
So, in lieu of marketing yourself, may I suggest the following strategy:
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Readers’ questions on interviewing
A recent e-newsletter published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers made the following observation: out of all the hoops job seekers jump through, they tend to make the most mistakes during the interviewing process. More than on resumes, cover letters or sceening phone calls.
So with that backdrop, I thought I’d move to some readers’ questions on the subject.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Both sides of the fence: real life interview tips from an experienced student
Today’s advice comes from someone who’s sat in both chairs—that of the interviewee and the interviewer. After being selected from a pool of internship candidates, Helga was then assigned to travel the state and search for new employees, quickly throwing her into the role of an interviewer herself—even though she’d not yet finished college. Based on her summer experiences, here’s what she has to say…..
Friday, October 28, 2005
Cover letters: sample introductory paragraphs
Yesterday’s blog on cover letter guidelines—helpful in a general sense, right? But you may still be puzzling over ways to jump into that first paragraph. How do you start when you don’t know what to say?
To answer that question, I’ve included a number of alternative first paragraphs excerpted from
Cover Letter Magic, hopefully enough to get you started.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Cover letter tips
Though most of my appointments of late have been freshmen and sophomores seeking a suitable major, walk in traffic has been more concerned with the job search. And what stumps most people is the process of writing a cover letter.
Most cover letters follow a 3-4 paragraph format, but there are ways to make sure those brief paragraphs flow with fascinating text.
Cover Letter Magic, one of my favorites on the topic, lists the following Top 5 Cover Letter Writing Tips especially for new grads:
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
‘60’s flashback
What to do after graduation. A topic I’ve covered a few times in the past. But today’s New York Times nails what I’ve observed in my office as well, grads seeking a Fanciful Detour before the real career begins.
The author profiles a few grads working at what looks like non-traditional post-grad jobs, everything from driving a bus across country to leading tour groups to applying to the Peace Corps. The kind of thing people in the 60’s did under the rubric of expanding our life experience.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Tips on working a job fair—to the max
The first time I walked through an in-progress job fair was the spring before I started my job as a career counselor. The event was held right here on campus and I was employed, so there was no reason for my fright & flight response. What was I afraid of? A room full of strangers? Not knowing what to say? Looking foolish? Probably. Anyway, I just about ran out of the room…in a professional sort of way, of course.
I later found out that I’m not the only participant with the jitters. Which is why I’m recommending this great web site—collegegrad.com—to help stave off some of the anxiety these events can produce. It took a bit of exploring but I finally found their golden resources on what to do while at the job fair.
And here’s one more tip I commonly pass along. As you enter the room, look for the lone and lonely booth. The one where the recruiter is standing all by him/herself and looking longingly at the other booths with long lines. That’s the place to start. Break the conversational ice with someone who’ll be genuinely glad you stopped by. Make their day and build your confidence at the same time.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Treasure hunting at your local job fair
Tis the season. Yes, even news paper columnists are commenting premature retail Christmas ornaments lining store isles.
But the season I’m thinking of is the annual round of college job fairs. Here at Calvin we run ours cooperatively with a consortium of colleges and universities, drawing a sizable crowd of employers.
So you may be thinking…what’s the deal with the treasure hunt subject line?
Friday, October 07, 2005
The internet and your job search
Blogs are subjective. There’s no way to get around that fact. But sometimes they’re more obviously and blatantly biased, as you’ll find with today’s topic. I have OPINIONS on doing an internet job search.
On the positive side, the internet offers speed and possibilities. At your fingertips. Personally, I love it. It’s the first place I go to research most things.
And, on the good side, I actually know people who’ve gotten jobs, good enough to actually be referred to as professional positions, and they found them on the internet. E.g. just as I was about to trash a major job posting board, my very own nephew, who limited his search to that self same job board and, contrary to my advice, used nothing else in his job search, found a job through that service. Well, shut my mouth. I tempered my critical remarks after that, at least for a while.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Moving into new territory: differentiating resume writing from academic prose
New ground indeed. Don’t mean to make the title sound scary for risk-adverse people but, for seniors, moving to “resume style” takes a bit of getting used to. The same style which has guaranteed success with your profs will prove to be a turn off with employers.
So, here are some tips to earn employer commendations in the best form possible, namely an interview:
Friday, August 26, 2005
Informational Interviews at your fingertips
How do you find out—before you get there—what your dream job is really like?
I’ve met with a number of people who never did check things out ahead to time and, low and behold, 15 years later and they hate (should be a capital H there) what they’re doing. Worse yet, might be making a lot of money doing it, thus exacerbating the stuck feeling. A few lawyers I met with years ago always come to mind.
Anyway, one low risk way to get the facts is to do informational interviews, i.e. line up what amounts to advice time with a professional and get them to basically tell their story.
Sound too daunting? Well, jump to http://www.roadtripnation.com and click on Interviews for real life tips from people in a variety of fields.
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