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More on my doorstep than ever before. As a professional resume writer and job coach, I’ve witnessed a significant increase in the amount of college graduates coming to me for help. As I work with college grads, as well as college students looking for internships, here are some of the topics on our hit list.
Write a Compelling Resume
By day’s end, most HR recruiters and hiring professionals are popping Advil’s like M&M’s. Who wouldn’t after hours of reading such scintillating entries as, “responsible for customer service” or “maintained customer database”? You can just see them yawning at their desks.
You don’t get hired based on what you did or do. You get hired based on how you made wherever you worked a more successful company. Show the reader diamonds…not duds. Here are a couple of illustrative examples.
• Provided exemplary customer service leading to high customer retention and high levels of customer referrals.
• Improved office efficiency by meticulous record keeping and high levels of accuracy in maintaining the customer database.
Network to Learn and Maybe a Job Might
Surface
When I worked in the corporate world, I’d get calls from a variety of individuals looking for jobs. I’d also got calls from college grads that were interested in learning about my field, the skills needed for success, the type of entry-level jobs that were good springboards for their next career move, etc. I was much more willing to talk to them. Several were so impressive regarding their inquiries, their knowledge of my employer, the industry, and the profession, that they left me no choice but to ask them to submit their resume. So, get on the phones boys and girls and ask for mentoring and guidance and not a job. You’ll be amazed how many positive responses you’ll get.
Be a Big Fish in a Small Pond
Don’t just think about working for large firms and poo-poo the incredible benefits of starting off your career with companies with employee populations between 100 to 2,000 employees. If you get hired, you’ll have a lot on your plate with most likely diverse duties and more importantly, significant responsibility. In working for the “little guys”, you go from being the microscopic spec you’d be at a big employer to a very noticeable “player” in terms of visibility to upper management. And, that’s huge! Finally, this is where the action is. Smaller employers have more of the “Google-like vibe” than the big companies. In the end, the more things you can say you’ve done, the more options you’ll have regarding your next career move. Small companies provide greater opportunities to have “skin in the game”.
Never Turn Down an Interview and Read
Everything You Can About How to Ace Them
I conduct interview coaching with all levels of individuals. Coming across as a rock star in an interview is part science and part gift. Of course you need to be prepared for all potential questions, but don’t give short shrift to the quality of questions you’ll have the opportunity to ask at the end. I always looked to hire employees who were “intellectually curious” and the biggest test was the quality of questions they asked when it was their turn. This is not a quantity issue; its quality.
Study the Industry, the Competition and
Where Things Are Going. Be “In the Know”
You’re up against fierce competition so even though you are out of school, “go to school”. Whether it’s during the phone or in person interview, show off that you’ve done more than just visit the company’s website. You really want to work here? Then tell me where we rank in the industry, or what the press says about us, or how we go to market! If you want a career at my company then sound the part!
I am confident that these steps will help college grads and those seeking internships to get in the door and then close it in their favor once in. Happy job hunting!
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20 lucky winners will win $500 each in prizes totaling $10,000. 