I have been meeting with a lot of anxious seniors lately who are concerned about their prospects of getting a job. Typically, I run down my checklist with them to make sure they are completing all of the necessary steps required in the job search. Many times students assure me that they are indeed doing all of these things but are looking for some additional secret strategy from me, like a magical key that will unlock the hiring doors to the world of employment. Unfortunately, there is no such key. The "un-magical" answer is to adopt what a local Boston weatherman used to say about the weather in Boston: MOTS - meaning "more of the same." And this is exactly the approach to adopt in securing a job. Keep on doing what you've been doing and eventually it will pay off. Actually, I guess if I had to say what the magical key to landing a job is, it would be perseverance. Sunday, September 23, 2012
Seniors: Looking for a job? Practice MOTS
I have been meeting with a lot of anxious seniors lately who are concerned about their prospects of getting a job. Typically, I run down my checklist with them to make sure they are completing all of the necessary steps required in the job search. Many times students assure me that they are indeed doing all of these things but are looking for some additional secret strategy from me, like a magical key that will unlock the hiring doors to the world of employment. Unfortunately, there is no such key. The "un-magical" answer is to adopt what a local Boston weatherman used to say about the weather in Boston: MOTS - meaning "more of the same." And this is exactly the approach to adopt in securing a job. Keep on doing what you've been doing and eventually it will pay off. Actually, I guess if I had to say what the magical key to landing a job is, it would be perseverance. 
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Seniors: Are you ready for fall recruiting?
Since summer is my favorite season, I always hated those relentless and annoying back-to-school commercials that infringed upon the lull of the all too short summer season and yanked me back to the stark reality of fall, which is why I'm reluctant to post this today. On the other hand, since the goal of my blog is to help you succeed in your career, I feel the need to post this now, lest you miss out on the critical fall recruitment window. Because, just as they say in those equally annoying commercials for bankrupt businesses, "once it's gone, it's gone."
Many seniors are surprised when I tell them that certain companies, industries and programs recruit only in the fall semester for full-time positions. They mistakenly think that all companies recruit in the spring since it's closer to graduation. The accounting, finance and consulting industries, for example, typically recruit in the fall, as well as several leadership and rotational programs. Bigger firms, with more formalized programs, tend to recruit in the fall, as opposed to smaller firms which might hire more on an ad hoc basis. However, since many seniors have their sights on the top firms, it's in your best interest to get ready sooner than later. I always tell my seniors to be ready to "hit the ground running" at the beginning of the fall semester.
So, what does that mean? First of all, it means making an appointment with your college's career center. Fall appointments in my career center fill up very quickly, and I would assume it's the same on many college campuses, so you should book an appointment as soon as possible. I would suggest calling now to book a September appointment.
- Make sure your resume is perfect and is strategically targeted to the industry you want to enter
- Have a cover letter reviewed to make sure you're writing them correctly
- Schedule a mock interview to practice and perfect your interviewing skills
- Attend your school's career fair (even if you think there are no companies you're interested in - I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised)
- Go to as many industry and company events as possible to network with recruiters
- Establish a LinkedIn profile or update the one you have
- Practice and hone your 30-second pitch so you can deliver it flawlessly
By gearing up early, you'll be able to take advantage of any and all opportunities that come your way this fall. Come spring break, you'll be in that enviable position of being able to totally relax while some of your friends are scrambling to gear up for the industries that recruit in the spring!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Do resume fads and gimmicks really work?
A solid resume is one that shows you understand not only the job that you’re applying for, but also how your skills and experience can benefit the employer. If you can do that, your resume will be effective, regardless of the format: http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/05/18/recruiters-tell-us-do-resume-fads-really-work/2/
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Five simple steps to move you forward in your job search
It's that time of year again...the time of year when I feel compelled to give a pep talk to all of the recent grads out there who haven't landed a job yet. I'm sure you just loved answering all those annoying questions at your graduation party from friends and relatives. "So, you got a job yet?" or "What are you going to do now? or "Do you think all that tuition you paid was worth it?"
Many recent grads see it as a sign of failure that they haven't landed a job by graduation. However, this is far from the truth. In fact, the college rankings journals such as BusinessWeek don't even require employment statistics for each graduating class until the end of November, realizing that it can take three to six months to land a job. Hopefully, this bit of information will give you with the boost of encouragement you need to move forward.
The things is, however, you're not going to get a job by laying on the beach all day, or idling away the hours on Facebook, or by working a ton of overtime hours at the job you had in high school. These strategies will not land you a job. So, what will land you a job? Read on to find out.
Stop clicking 'send'
How easy (and gratifying) it can be to sit at your laptop and click 'send' as you apply for positions you find online. Since it's so easy to do, think about just how many other recent college grads are doing exactly the same thing. Scary, huh? Well, there's a solution. Identify the companies you want to work at and find alums from your school who work there. Then have a conversation with them over coffee and impress them with how eager you are to work at their company and break into your field. By the way, companies love it when prospective employees demonstrate passion for working at their company.
Create your destiny
Get an internship at your dream company. This is a great idea for several reasons. It gets you up and out of the house, allows you to hone your professional skills, keeps you current in your field AND could possibly lead to a full-time offer if you "wow" them with your amazing abilities. If your dream company doesn't have any posted internships, create an internship proposal for them.
Go for the bronze
I think students put way too much pressure on themselves to land the gold medal in their first job out of college. Remember that your first job is only one out of many that you will have over the course of your lifetime. You may have to, in some cases, settle for something less than your dream job. Remember, a job is better than no job. But you may end up loving a job that you thought was "less than." At the very least, you'll be honing your skills and building your resume, making you a more marketable candidate in the future.
Boost your ego
Think about the things that will boost your confidence, and then do them. It might be having lunch with your favorite high school teacher or coach who thought you walked on water. Or it might be challenging yourself at the gym to achieve new workout goals. You could also boost your confidence by taking a course in a subject you love, and excelling in it.
Reward yourself
Establish daily and weekly goals for yourself that move you toward your dream job and put them in your planner, if you have one. By setting and meeting goals, you'll not only feel good about yourself but you won't feel so guilty when you do decide to go to the beach...after you've completed your job search activities. Find other ways to reward yourself after you accomplish each of your goals.
Lastly, avoid the doomsayers who spin horrid tales of woe about the dismal employment situation - they will only defeat your spirit. I'm not denying that it's tough to get a job, particularly in certain industries, in uncertain times. However, as with most things in life, it's the students who keep their eye on the prize that emerge victorious.
Many recent grads see it as a sign of failure that they haven't landed a job by graduation. However, this is far from the truth. In fact, the college rankings journals such as BusinessWeek don't even require employment statistics for each graduating class until the end of November, realizing that it can take three to six months to land a job. Hopefully, this bit of information will give you with the boost of encouragement you need to move forward.
The things is, however, you're not going to get a job by laying on the beach all day, or idling away the hours on Facebook, or by working a ton of overtime hours at the job you had in high school. These strategies will not land you a job. So, what will land you a job? Read on to find out.
Stop clicking 'send'
How easy (and gratifying) it can be to sit at your laptop and click 'send' as you apply for positions you find online. Since it's so easy to do, think about just how many other recent college grads are doing exactly the same thing. Scary, huh? Well, there's a solution. Identify the companies you want to work at and find alums from your school who work there. Then have a conversation with them over coffee and impress them with how eager you are to work at their company and break into your field. By the way, companies love it when prospective employees demonstrate passion for working at their company.
Create your destiny
Get an internship at your dream company. This is a great idea for several reasons. It gets you up and out of the house, allows you to hone your professional skills, keeps you current in your field AND could possibly lead to a full-time offer if you "wow" them with your amazing abilities. If your dream company doesn't have any posted internships, create an internship proposal for them.
Go for the bronze
I think students put way too much pressure on themselves to land the gold medal in their first job out of college. Remember that your first job is only one out of many that you will have over the course of your lifetime. You may have to, in some cases, settle for something less than your dream job. Remember, a job is better than no job. But you may end up loving a job that you thought was "less than." At the very least, you'll be honing your skills and building your resume, making you a more marketable candidate in the future.
Boost your ego
Think about the things that will boost your confidence, and then do them. It might be having lunch with your favorite high school teacher or coach who thought you walked on water. Or it might be challenging yourself at the gym to achieve new workout goals. You could also boost your confidence by taking a course in a subject you love, and excelling in it.
Reward yourself
Establish daily and weekly goals for yourself that move you toward your dream job and put them in your planner, if you have one. By setting and meeting goals, you'll not only feel good about yourself but you won't feel so guilty when you do decide to go to the beach...after you've completed your job search activities. Find other ways to reward yourself after you accomplish each of your goals.
Lastly, avoid the doomsayers who spin horrid tales of woe about the dismal employment situation - they will only defeat your spirit. I'm not denying that it's tough to get a job, particularly in certain industries, in uncertain times. However, as with most things in life, it's the students who keep their eye on the prize that emerge victorious.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Desperate times call for non-desperate measures
Their tans are starting to slowly fade as seniors return from tropical sojourns to resume classes and finish the home stretch of their college experience. For some, the reality of finding a job is hitting them hard and causing a lot of anxiety.
Admittedly, the stakes are high since most seniors need to make money to start paying off, in many cases, exorbitant tuition loans. Then there's the whole issue of moving back home. After four years of freedom from parental rules, many college seniors dread the thought of this. This issue is particularly critical for international students who need to find a job within a year of obtaining their OPT status, or else move back to their home country. Times like these can cause students to take desperate measures. The purpose of this post is to prevent you from being one of them.
A senior from China recently came into my office to show me a resume that he had paid $80 for through a resume writing company. The $80 was actually a bargain since he had used a Groupon - the real price would have been $200. He suspected that his new resume wasn't worth the $80, and that's why he brought it in to show me - and it wasn't. He also wanted me to warn other students not to do this. Essentially what the company had done was to slap a "Summary of Qualifications" on top of his existing resume and thrown in a ton of key words, some which were not an accurate representation of who he was. His new resume went onto two pages and his "Education" section was buried at the bottom of page two. This approach is not appropriate for a new grad seeking an entry-level position. I was simultaneously feeling sorry that he felt the need to take such a desperate measure and upset at the company that had taken advantage of him.
That same week, another student came into my office for a resume review. This time it was a junior seeking a finance internship. She knew that she was late in the game and was getting desperate so she literally threw everything on her resume, whether it was relevant or not, resulting in an overly crowded resume that presented her as a "Jack of All Trades, but Master of None." She had taken this approach based on advice from a peer. While it's great to get advice from your peers about the job search, it's probably also a good idea to meet with a career counselor at your school.
For sure, Gen Y'ers have become used to instant gratification, so it's understandable that the relatively long process of looking for an internship or job might cause them to take desperate measures. However, if I had one word, and only one word of advice to provide to these students, it would be to "persevere," to stay the course and continue to do the the things they have been taught to do by their college career centers and online career resources. These resources will provide you with the right career advice which has been developed through years of experience. The counselors at your career center have your best interest at heart and want to see you succeed. Take advantage of them, as opposed to unscrupulous businesses taking advantage of you.
Admittedly, the stakes are high since most seniors need to make money to start paying off, in many cases, exorbitant tuition loans. Then there's the whole issue of moving back home. After four years of freedom from parental rules, many college seniors dread the thought of this. This issue is particularly critical for international students who need to find a job within a year of obtaining their OPT status, or else move back to their home country. Times like these can cause students to take desperate measures. The purpose of this post is to prevent you from being one of them.
A senior from China recently came into my office to show me a resume that he had paid $80 for through a resume writing company. The $80 was actually a bargain since he had used a Groupon - the real price would have been $200. He suspected that his new resume wasn't worth the $80, and that's why he brought it in to show me - and it wasn't. He also wanted me to warn other students not to do this. Essentially what the company had done was to slap a "Summary of Qualifications" on top of his existing resume and thrown in a ton of key words, some which were not an accurate representation of who he was. His new resume went onto two pages and his "Education" section was buried at the bottom of page two. This approach is not appropriate for a new grad seeking an entry-level position. I was simultaneously feeling sorry that he felt the need to take such a desperate measure and upset at the company that had taken advantage of him.
That same week, another student came into my office for a resume review. This time it was a junior seeking a finance internship. She knew that she was late in the game and was getting desperate so she literally threw everything on her resume, whether it was relevant or not, resulting in an overly crowded resume that presented her as a "Jack of All Trades, but Master of None." She had taken this approach based on advice from a peer. While it's great to get advice from your peers about the job search, it's probably also a good idea to meet with a career counselor at your school.
For sure, Gen Y'ers have become used to instant gratification, so it's understandable that the relatively long process of looking for an internship or job might cause them to take desperate measures. However, if I had one word, and only one word of advice to provide to these students, it would be to "persevere," to stay the course and continue to do the the things they have been taught to do by their college career centers and online career resources. These resources will provide you with the right career advice which has been developed through years of experience. The counselors at your career center have your best interest at heart and want to see you succeed. Take advantage of them, as opposed to unscrupulous businesses taking advantage of you.
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