Mistakes College Job Seekers Make

Forbes staff writer, Susan Adams, published an article on April 22 titled, “Five Mistakes College Job Seekers Make”. The title immediately caught my attention. My first thought was, “what could I possibly be doing wrong? Maybe the author doesn’t actually know anything about being a job-seeking college grad.” After reading that Adams has been writing about careers for Forbes since 1995, I figured that she might be on to something and decided to read on (and you should too)!

Adams cited five main issues that current college job seekers face: 

1. Students are not applying for enough jobs

2. Failing to do enough of their own networking

3. Spending time on Facebook and YouTube when they should be on LinkedIn

4. Believing that applying through an employer’s website is all they need to do

5. Taking no for an answer when you get no response from an employer

Tips for a Professional Phone Call

Yesterday, I was at the gym sweating it out to Beyoncé’s ‘Drunk in Love’ when my music was suddenly cut off by a phone call. I vaguely recognized the ten numbers that popped up on my screen and had a sneaking suspicion that it was not another telemarketing call, but rather a follow-up call from a phone interview I had the previous week.

As I watched my heart rate on the elliptical monitor rise from anxiety I began to wonder, should I answer it? What if it’s urgent? I was a second away from pressing the answer button before I realized I should not answer it. This was not the best scenario for me to sound professional or be properly prepared. I told myself, “Let it go to voicemail and call them back later.”

It’s later now and I am about to call them back. I figured this was the perfect opportunity to outline some tips for a professional phone call. Whether or not it is a phone interview you should always come across as professional, poised, and calm in any business related phone call.

Networking: Conversation with Michael Thomas, Recruiter

Networking can often be a scary thought. Where do you start? How do you become good at it? Mike Thomas is a Recruiter for Razorfish Healthware, a healthcare advertising agency. With his years of experience in sales and recruitment, Mike has become a networking connoisseur. I spoke with Mike about his background, how he landed his most recent gig, and his thoughts on the importance of networking.

Ali: Hi Mike! I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me today.

Mike: Sure thing!

A: Let me start off by asking a bit about your background and how you ended up working at Razorfish Healthware.

Write a Great Cover Letter

In my previous post, I wrote about the usefulness of your school’s career services department. I decided to pay a visit to the office at my university to speak with a career coordinator. I came to talk about the thing everyone dreads when applying for jobs: cover letters.

I met with Megan Rooney, a Career Coordinator at my university. Rooney was trained as a social worker but found her passion working with students. She has been working in student development for the past three years. I started off by asking Rooney how important she felt a cover letter is to the job application. She responded, “If requested, it is very important. The company is not asking for additional materials for no reason. I see a cover letter as a bridge between your resume and the job description. It explains why you are the best fit and why you should be invited for an interview.”

Career Placement Tests

When I was a sophomore in college I began to realize that I was not in the right major for where I wanted to go. I was not sure where to turn or how to figure out what the right career field was for me. Someone recommended making an appointment with my school’s career services department to discuss what I could do.

When I met with my career advisor, she recommended that I take a series of tests. My first thought was, “Ugh, I can barely pass my accounting exam, and now I have to take more tests?” She further explained to me, however, that these exams were not graded, rather they were known as career placement test. She said that they could help me to learn which fields I may be best suited for based on my interests and personality. The best part of all, the tests, which can often cost hundreds of dollars, were free!

Questions to Ask Your Interviewer

I am sure you have heard it time and time again, but just in case you were not sure, asking questions at the end of the interview is not an option; it is a requirement. The best thing to remember is that you are interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing you.

Asking questions provides you with the opportunity to further understand the job and the culture. You can go over topics that may have not been covered in the initial interview. In addition, it also shows the interviewer that you are interested and engaged. Coming up with thoughtful and engaging questions, however, can often seem like a challenge. Below is a list of excellent questions to ask!

1. What is a typical day like for this role?

This question is direct and gives you the opportunity to understand what you would be doing day-to-day.  It also enables the interviewer to outline expectations of the role.

What to Wear When...

I recently wrote that I attended a career fair at my university. I spent hours agonizing over what I was going to wear. It got me thinking about how important your outfit can be in an interview. Within the first few seconds of meeting someone people make assumptions of who that person is based upon what he or she is wearing. Imagine meeting someone in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. What do you think about him or her? Now imagine that you see that same person in a suit. Do you think about him or her differently? Most people do. Therefore, it’s important to dress appropriately. Below, I will outline the best attire for different job-seeking scenarios.

Phone Interview

Wear whatever you want! No one can see you and therefore cannot make assumptions about you based upon your attire. However, some studies suggest that people are often more professional sounding while wearing professional clothing. My suggestion, wear something that makes you feel confident. If you feel confident, you will sound confident!

Career Fair 101

Recently, I attended a career fair at my university. As much as I wanted to feel confident going into it, I could not help but feel a little nervous. What if I forgot something or said something wrong? To help myself feel a bit less nervous and to hopefully help you, I came up with a list of things that I feel are important to remember before going to a career fair or networking event.

1. Bring Resumes! 

It goes without saying that resumes are a crucial part in landing a job. A lot has changed in the job market over the past few decades, but one thing has remained the same – resumes are always required. Don’t bring just one resume or even a couple, bring several. Depending on the size of the event that you’re attending usually 15 to 20 is a good starting point. 

Resume Tips

Your resume is meant to be the representation of all your hard work and accomplishments placed onto one piece of paper. When you think about all that you’ve done to get where you are now, the idea of writing a resume can seem a bit daunting. Then, when you find out that on average a recruiter spends 15 seconds looking at your resume before deciding whether or not you may be a good fit, it can seem nearly impossible. Below, I have outlined a few tips that can help ensure your resume will stand out among the crowd.