New Graduate Best Practices Finding a Job, Writing the Resume, and Winning the Interview - 2012 Edition
THE MOLECULE OF THE NEW YOU
WHAT TO WEAR
INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES YOU
FINDING A JOB
Resume Tips
THESE STRATEGIES AND TACTICS ARE FOR RECENT UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE GRADUATES.
In This Booklet
THIS BOOKLET CONTAINS THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION YOU DIDN’T LEARN IN COLLEGE, BUT WILL NEED WHEN LEAVING COLLEGE. THIS BOOK CONTAINS INFORMATION ON : HOW TO START FINDING JOBS. HOW TO WRITE A KILLER RESUME WITH TIPS ON HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF PROPERLY AND COHERENTLY TO AN EMPLOYERS. LASTLY, IT HAS GUIDANCE AND INFORMATION ON HOW TO INTERVIEW, WHAT TECHNIQUES TO USE, AND ESPECIALLY WHAT TO WEAR. THIS GUIDE IS FOR YOU ABOUT WHO YOU WILL BECOME IN YOUR CAREER
How to Use This Guide
AND WORKING LIFE.
EACH SECTION OF THIS GUIDE BUILDS OFF THE MOLECULE OF YOU. THESE SKILLS ARE EASILY TRANSFERABLE FROM THIS BOOKLET TO YOUR BRAINS IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS. EACH SECTION WILL GIVE YOU THE BEST PRACTICES ON FINDING A JOB, WRITING A RESUME FOR THAT JOB, UNDERSTANDING HOW TO INTERVIEW FOR THAT JOB, AND LASTLY WHAT TO WEAR TO MAKE THE RIGHT IMPRESSION. AFTER THAT, IT’S BASICALLY RINSE, LATHER, AND REPEAT UNTIL YOU GET THE JOB YOU TRULY KNOW YOU SHOULD HAVE.
“Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Finding a Job Right Out of College
With the unemployment rate stuck above 9%, the jobs picture appears dim. But there are rays of hope for new college graduates. According to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 19% more graduates will be hired in 2012 than were last year. To find out how they’re landing their jobs, We researched two recent college graduates who found full-time work with benefits in the last six months and a third who is working in a temporary post that is likely to lead to a full-time position
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Finding A Job Online
Start Online Knowing what to look for is about as easy as choosing you major - It’s difficult. Looking online at job boards and aggregates will help you start getting an idea of what jobs you degree can open the door for you or completely shut you out. Being a liberal arts major or an Engineering major is going to require searching very different pools of jobs. Start joining web-sites like Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com HOT TIPS:
1) Best day(s)) to spend two hours searching and applying is Sunday & Tuesday 2) Best time to send an email with a resume attached is at 1:45p or 10:35a
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Who you know, not what
Career Services The saying goes that getting hired at a real job is about “who you know, not what you know”. This can be true to a certain degree, but cannot be proven as fact. However, utilizing the career services office at your University or Community College gives you the people who know people who need people. Career service is a excellent source of finding out names, positions, and the asses to kiss in order to get your ass in the door. Don’t be shy; you paid for a University education, use the resources you paid for!
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Career Search Tips
Career Search When starting to look at work and employment keep these six principals in mind at all times for success: 1) Be flexible and focused. 2) Apply for as many jobs and recruiting opportunities as possible; It’s a numbers game 3) Go to every interview. Not showing can ruin future opportunities. 4) Network with people as extensively as possible. 5) Do an internship if possible, just not unpaid. 6) Never panic, even if you have waited until the last minute.
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Resume Techniques
Resume writing is not rocket science. But a great resume can rocket you ahead other applicants. Your resume must impress the reader in seconds to be effective. Otherwise, your skills and experiences will be recycled faster than you can say, “paper shredder�.
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Resume Writing
Formatting
To help you land a job interview, here is the anatomy of a killer resume: 1. Your Contact Information 2. Your Objective or Summary (or screw both) 3. Your Professional Experience (as a new graduate, you should probably list your Education at the beginning.) The Experience section is the body of your resume. It is the heart of the matter. If written well, it can make a hiring manager’s heart race with excitement. If phrased correctly, your experience will land you job interviews. Always use active voice and active verbs. Think about how your experience relates to the job description or posting.
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DO’s &
DON’T R
Resume Writing
Do’s & Don’t
Don’t write a book: Your resume is to land you a job interview, not to publish your autobiography. Keep your resume to one page, or two maximum. Edit it down, do not be verbose or in other words, “wordy”. Don’t screw with instructions: Not taking instructions well at this early stage in the hiring process is a sure fire way to get burned. Don’t use your “hook-up” or facebook email address: If yours is: Pervy@P0rnilicious.com - Don’t use your sinful email address on your resume. YUCK. Keep it clean and professional to get past the hell heap. Do write your resume tailored to the job description: You recycle pop cans, not resumes!
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RESUME WRITING
Style & Content The style of your resume is one of the first things that a potential employer will notice. In this economy, employers have the luxury of being fickle with any resume that comes across their desk. So it is important that your resume makes a positive impression before it has even been read. - Eliminate any ambiguity on your resume. - Keep your resume brief. - Remove any unnecessary or irrelevant information - The at-a-glance appearance of your resume should appear professional and attractive.
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INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES
“There is no such thing as can’t, only won’t. If you’re qualified, all it takes is a burning desire to accomplish, to make a change. Go forward, go backward. Whatever it takes! But you can’t blame other people or society in general. It all comes from your mind. When we do the impossible we realize we are special people.” ~Jan Ashford
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INTERVIEWING
PREPARING You are a special person. You know it. Your mom knows it. Your dad knows it. Your siblings know it (but probably will not admit it). Your mom really knows it. Your friends and relatives know it. But unless you convince the interviewer of your special talents and abilities, you will fade into that great dark abyss of Interviews Lost. The best arsenal to overcome the job interview weakness question is to be prepared: from brainstorming strengths and weaknesses to scripting your answers and knowing the job for which you’re applying. Before you even set foot in the interview room, make sure you truly understand the job duties. Research the company, the job and ensure that your strengths match the job description.
I BEST PRACTICES
INTERVIEWING
When Interviewing follow these 5 Steps for Interview Success: 1) Be direct. Begin introductions with a firm but not overpowering handshake. No one likes their hand put in a vice! 2) Be confident. Make eye contact often - a must. It shows confidence. Remember the interviewer’s name, and use it once or twice. 3) Be prepared. Come prepared with as much information about the company and industry as possible. Prepare questions of your own. Good job candidates want to know that the company to which they are applying is a good personal fit as well. 4) Be careful. Think before you speak! This might be the only chance you get to convince a prospective employer that you are the right person for the job. Your answers during the interview are as important as the image you cast. 5) Be outgoing. Don’t underestimate the power of humor. If you can subtly make your interviewers crack a smile or laugh - in an appropriate way - they may think you would be an enjoyable person to have in the office or on the team.
I RESEARCH
INTERVIEWING
Know all you need to know before you interview is key to succeeding during an interview. Here are suggested options when trying to find out the “nitty gritty� on your dream job. 1) Local library - Tell the reference librarian that you are researching a local company and ask for any materials they may have 2) Local newspaper - Most newspapers have keyword search capability for past articles, which you can then get a copy (for a small fee). 3) Networking - Who do you know who knows someone who works there? Or knows someone who works for a competitor? 4) Company itself - Call the employer, tell them you are interested in finding out more information about them - they may be willing to send it out. Or simply stop by.
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WHAT TO WEAR
“There is much to support the view that it is clothes that wear us and not we them; we may make them take the mould of arm or breast, but they would mould our hearts, our brains, our tongues to their liking.� ~Virginia Woolf
W MEN
DRESS FOR INTERVIEWS
Your goal in a job interview is simple: you want the job. How does your outfit help or hurt your chances of being successful?
WHAT TO WEAR
trying to make the hiring decision on the only information they have: the way you look. Can they imagine you doing the job? Will you fit into the culture?
The impression you make on your interviewer. In the first few seconds This may not even be a conscious of meeting them their brain will be evaluation.
W WOMEN
DRESS FOR INTERVIEWS
The impact that your outfit has on YOU. You must also be able to imagine yourself doing the job you are interviewing for. Above all, you need to feel confident and physically comfortable. It’s your time to shine and the outfit must complement your skills, not make you feel
WHAT TO WEAR
self conscious about them. After the first few seconds, you want the interview to focus exclusively on your expertise and your ability to excel at the job. Your outfit should make the right first impression and then get out of the way.
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QUIZ YOURSELF
Quiz Your Skills Can you Get a Job
You don’t have a clue what you want to do. Believe it or not, most people right out of college many times and most, at some point or another, don’t have any idea what type of work they want to do. Here’s some ways to determine what the right job / career is for you.
TAKE OUR ONLINE TEST:
www.myfuture.edu.au/GetThatJobQuiz
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The information provided was the collaboration of major communication studies interview strategies and the latest research in employment information from the research and references presented by: Katelyn Darr Ace Fanning Jason Striker Compiled and created for use in conjunction with the NAU-GCC Communication Studies program for CST-312 under the instruction and pedagogy of Dr. Marie Baker-Ohler.