Job Hunt Begins for Seniors in College

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Job Hunt Begins for College Seniors

By admin | January 16, 2008

With graduation less than five months away, it’s time for many college seniors to begin planning their transition into the workforce. If you haven’t done so already, begin formulating a job-search strategy and crafting your resume.

Here are seven tips that can save you from the stresses of last-minute scrambling.

1) Decide What You Want to Do and Where You Want to Do It.
You may have this figured out already if you’re majoring in something specific like engineering, graphic design, or marketing, and your folks have put the welcome mat out back at home. If that’s the case, you can skip to Step 3.

But what if you’re one of the unsure masses, not quite certain what you want to do? Start by looking at where you have excelled in your academic work and your extracurricular activities. What were your favorite courses? What are your strongest skills? What would you find utterly abhorrent?

And where do you intend to live after you receive your degree? A big city offers more job opportunities and plenty of nightlife, usually with a much higher cost-of-living than suburban or rural settings. Don’t overextend yourself financially, since you’ll need to make room in your budget for the day when you start making payments on those student loans.

2) Assess Your Job-Related Skills.
How well do you communicate, verbally and in writing? Do you perform your best by yourself, or as part of a project team? Have you consistently completed assignments on time and met your deadlines at school or at work? How well do you organize and prioritize your work? What computer skills do you have that others might not have (and which ones do you need to improve)?

Employers want to know if you can perform the specific tasks that are part of a job, but they also want to know how well you can fit in with the rest of the staff. That’s why communication and organizational skills are important, as well as - in most cases - how well you perform within a team or group. Be honest with yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and seek a job and workplace culture that aligns with them.

3) Start Writing a Resume.
Once you know the kind of job you want and the type of company you’d like to work for, begin drafting an Objective for your resume.

For instance:

Objective: To build upon a solid marketing education and hands-on experience by landing a challenging position on the marketing team of a well established, dynamic organization that values creativity, energy, and commitment to excellence.

After the Objective, detail your educational background, emphasizing coursework directly related to your target position. Next, describe any relevant work experience (paid or volunteer) you have had, especially internships in your targeted field.

A word about grade-point averages: If your overall GPA is impressive (higher than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale), go ahead and include it on your resume. If it’s not-so-impressive, mention the GPA for your major subjects only (assuming it’s higher than the overall); or mention your last semester’s GPA (same assumption), or just leave it off.

4) Take in a Few Job and Career Fairs.
Your college or university may hold on-campus career fairs during the spring semester, inviting employers that are looking to recruit graduating seniors. And check the local papers or online postings for any private job and career fairs.

Bring plenty of copies of your resume to give to employers. Take along paper and pen (or even a laptop) to jot down notes - and if possible, carry it all in a professional-looking briefcase rather than your everyday backpack. (If you received a gift card for Christmas, here’s an option of what to use it for.) Collect business cards from everyone you speak to so you can follow up. Want to stand out? Dress conservatively in a neat, business-like outfit (another good gift-card option)! On-campus job fairs tend to be more casual, which makes it all the more noticeable if you make the extra effort to look professional.

Worst-case scenario is that job fairs will provide learning opportunities to help you hone your self-marketing skills. Best case? You land a job!

5) Network Online and Offline.
Build, cultivate, and grow an online network via LinkedIn, Facebook, or any similar online networking site (And take down those compromising photos of you from that frat party).

Don’t be shy about letting people know about your career intentions post-graduation. You never know if someone you meet - or even a not-so-close relative - might work with someone who knows someone who … you get the idea.

At the same time, be willing to help others find jobs by passing along their names to someone you know. That’s the beauty of networking: It’s a two-way street where everyone has the potential to help everyone else.

6) Practice Your Interviewing Skills.
First, be sure you understand two things:

* It’s not about what the company can do for you, it’s what you can do for the company! In an interview, your job is to communicate - with energy and enthusiasm - the potential value you bring to the company, and the reasons you’re qualified to fulfill its needs.
* A good interview is a give-and-take conversation, not a one-sided inquisition. You can (and should) ask as many questions as you answer. Asking questions sends a clear message that you want to learn more about the job and company to gain a sense of whether it would be the right move for you.

7) Get to Know the Folks at Your School’s Career Center.
They’re expecting you! It’s crazy not to use this free resource. As the semester begins, make an appointment. It’s there specifically to help students prepare for the move into the professional world.

The career advisers in that office should be able to help you write a resume, practice and fine-tune your interviewing skills, advise you on your wardrobe, show you job-seeker resources, and supply you with contacts at companies that will be looking to hire new grads like you in just a few short months.

The working world awaits. Use this time wisely - for planning, networking, and writing your career documents - and you’ll be ready for the “real world” before the ink is dry on your diploma.

Pongo™Resume (http://www.pongoresume.com)

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Saia

Related site: Experience.com

Topics: Job Search |