I enjoyed seeing Matt Jones again in the studio recently, recording my latest radio segment for Q100 Atlanta and their Cumulus stations. College grads everywhere are walking across the stage. If you are one of those who does not have a job lined up, this is especially for you. Here are my talking points that I wanted to share with you:
–Don’t sell damaged goods: We go through our job search too often not realizing that we aree not being our best selves; we are not being as confident as we could be. We are selling ourselves short (see the blog post and the video I posted about on not selling damaged goods here). You need to believe in yourself first. Even when you are a recent college grad with little work experience. Identify what you HAVE done and how that makes you valuable. Is it sorority work? Leadership on a class project? Don’t go selling yourself short. Walk into interviews and networking events with confidence. It doesn’t matter if you are younger. Know that you have something to offer and you have to put yourself out there regardless so you might as well make it count. Get your feet wet and get started!
–Prepare, prepare, prepare: Have your materials ready before you get out there. This includes your resume, business cards (yes, you too should have them!), your elevator pitch for different purposes and different types of networking, your LinkedIn profile (it’s a must!), and consider creating an online resume.
–Attend career fairs: Four things to do to prep for these are…
- Find a list of employers that will be there.
- Identify the top employers that you want the opportunity to meet.
- Research the company and their current news so that you can prepare what you want to say to them.
- Have well thought out questions that you want to ask them about the company.
— AND attend networking events where people are employed: Job search groups are helpful, and networking events where people are employed can be even better! Find association meetings, alumni meetings, and local business groups. Attend as a guest for free if possible for that first meeting.
–Budget your time: Remember networking pays the biggest dividends, so you want to spend the most time there. It has the biggest pay off but also takes the most time, so plan to spend about an hour a day on job boards and set up auto alerts to be efficient with your time. But also spend an hour and a half a day on networking-more if you’ve set up multiple meetings for that day or week.
–Know when to take a break: Over time if you get burned out, take a day off. Rejuvenate. Take time off each day as well to get a break and take care of yourself. That greatly affects your confidence and the advice above in tip number 1.
–Stand out: Three things you need to do to stand out from the crowd: 1) Identify your unique skill set. How are you different from your college buddies based on your experience or unique skills. 2) For college students who don’ t have work experience, identify any work type of experience you’ve had. Put that down, even if it’s president of fraternity or something you did in class. I included the documentary I created in college on my resume. It was something unique, and a good talking point in interviews. 3) Focus on soft skills as well. Are you a good team player? Do you have great communication skills? Write those down in your summary of qualifications at the top of your resume.
—Hang around positive, employed people: Find people who have been successful in their search and have a positive attitude. Get some cheerleading and advice from them. Hanging around your unemployed friends who have not found work yet and are bummed out is not helpful. Identify a mentor who can help you in your search. Seek out people who are employed and enjoy their work. Spend time with them. You never know what advice (even if it’s informally) you’ll pick up.
–Get experience: People often ask me whether or not it is worth getting a part time job and or an unpaid internship. I say yes if it gets you out of the house, feeling better and more confident. Especially if it is in your field of interest. It shows that you are doing something, gives you experience, is a networking opportunity and can help you define what you want in a job. Be pro-active. About unpaid internships, I say yes! They absolutely can be helpful! Just don’t get stuck in them for long term. I’ve seen that happen. Communicate with the employer up front about the length of time for the internship and what happens after that. Can they hire you? What are the chances of that, or do you need to be looking for something else right away?
Hallie Crawford
Ideal Career Coach
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