1 - job search 1-10

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1. Develop skills valued by employers.

Select one skill you would like to develop or improve. Where could

you build that skill? Consider a job, internship, volunteering, or other

opportunities where you will learn—not just sit and collect a paycheck.

Finding a job is all about convincing the employer that you have something to

oer. Focus on developing transerable skills that will be valued in a variety o

settings. Skills sought by most employers include:

n Analytic/Research n Leadership/Management

n Communication n Multi-tasking

n Computer/Technical n Planning/Organizing

n Flexibility n Teamwork

Start by identiying your current skills. Are you a great communicator, researcher,

writer, thinker, memorizer, or creator?

Notice the skills you’re developing in your classes. Are you learning to work on a

team, writing more efciently, or managing your time better?

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Select one computer application that might benet you with uture

employment. Research the avenues or learning it through your school

or online.

2. Build up your computer skills.

Job Search

You’re probably pretty good at updating your Facebook page, downloading iTunes

or using a word processor to write your papers. And you may not know this, but

employers are looking to increase their social media presence, so the more you

know about current social media sites and branding, the better. But i you really

want to impress an employer, learn to use Excel, PowerPoint, and other application

programs related to the career eld you’re seeking.

There are lots o ways to learn more computer applications—look or classes

that integrate the use o computers through statistical packages, spreadsheets,

database management programs, etc. Check out your school library as well as

their IT department—sometimes you can get ree training on basic computer

programs. Books can be hard to learn rom, but many computer applications have

ree online training available on their websites or through YouTube.

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3. Build up your math skills.

Did you know that computational/mathematics skills are highly valued by

most employers regardless o the career eld you’re pursuing? Building your

quantitative skills can be a great way to get an edge in the job search. And you

don’t have to take an advanced mathematics course to develop these skills.

Consider taking a course in statistics or accounting to acquire workplace math

skills. Take a basic research methodology course (check your sociology, psychology

or anthropology departments), so you’ll being able to conduct basic research or

elds like marketing or nonprot und-raising. One way to get this experience

without taking a class would be to become the treasurer o a club.

Find a practical way to practice your math skills. Oer to serve as a

treasurer or conduct a small survey or a school organization, or createa personal budget plan on an Excel spreadsheet.

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Practice developing an open mind about the classes you are less

interested in. Go into each class today with an attitude o “What can Ilearn?” and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised.

One o the biggest challenges in college can be the wide variety o classes you’re

expected to take. You probably have your mind on one particular track — but

then you have to take required classes you’d rather not take. One o the best ways

to handle this is to get support rom your classmates by creating a study group

designed to motivate each other.

I your textbook is too advanced check the library or another textbook on the

same subject which covers the same basic materials but presents it in an easier to

read ormat. Treat the class as a “challenge” you will beat. This can make a great

interview story later on.

4. Make the most of your classes.

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Select one book rom one class and ocus on being an active reader.

Turn down any distracting sounds and ocus just on reading. As youread, take short notes along the edges o the page.

College classes require a lot o reading, and you don’t have time to waste, so learn

to get the most rom your study time. Reading is very active process, so beore you

start, ask yoursel, “why am I reading this?” Is it to acquire knowledge, or a class

discussion, or or a test?

Skim through the whole assignment beore you start to read, so you’ll have an idea

o how long it is and notice any visual aids like headings, diagrams or pictures.

Write a ew summary words next to each paragraph or section to make it easier

when you return to the text to study or an exam.

5. Get more from your reading.

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6. Manage the job search process.

Look up and bookmark the job boards or human resources pages or the

key employers you might want to work or. Set aside a time each week to check their sites or new job opportunities.

Once you get started on the job search you will nd yoursel immersed in a sea o

applications, résumés, cover letters, reerences, organization websites, job boards,

helpul blogs and websites, etc.

Organizing your job search materials (both physical and online) can help you eel

more in control o yoursel and the job search process. Designate a le or portolio

or all your paper materials and set up a bookmarking system or all the helpul

online links. Create a bookmark called “Job Search” on your browser.

I you know the eld you plan to work in and/or the job title you’re seeking, startaccumulating related links.

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7. Work smarter — not harder on the job search.

Prepare to write the template (generic) résumé by making a list o

all your experiences by title, location, and date. Then write downeverything you did at that particular experience, no matter how

small or seemingly insignicant. Use action verbs such as “Created

publicity brochure.” Once you complete these pages, you’ll have all the

inormation you need to write the experience section o your résumé.

Efciency and eectiveness are important in the job search. Even though a lot

o the activities you do will be repeated, it’s important that you personalize your

materials to each employer and each job application. The best way to ensure

that you won’t waste a lot o time re-creating the same documents, or sending a

generic document that won’t be taken seriously, is to begin your job search process

with strong résumé and cover letter templates that can be modied as needed.

Start by creating a generic résumé that includes everything you’ve ever done both

in school and in your experiences, and a generic cover letter than ocuses on your

strengths. It doesn’t matter i the résumé takes up several pages—the idea is to

include everything on the documents so you can selectively choose the most

relevant items or each job application.

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Job Search

Pause or a minute and determine what your most productive time o day is.

Are you a morning person who wakes up with a burst o energy? Or a night

owl who gets their best work done ater midnight? Identiy your best working

hours and budget your toughest activities or those time periods i you can.

The truth is you don’t “manage time.” Time moves on regardless o what you

do. You manage yoursel. Many people think that multi-tasking is the way to

accomplish the most, but it’s not. Studies show that multi-tasking is actually

counter-productive. So what can you do to make the most o your limited time?

Here are some tips:

n Know yourself: when are you at your best on any given day?

n Create or update a to-do list every day.

n Create a schedule that allows or some exibility and last-minute changes.

n Check your email on a schedule- don’t have it open continuously on your

computer. It’s too easy to be distracted.

n Do the most important things rst.

n Take the time to do something well so you don’t have to do it over or so that

you get the best possible bang or your buck time-wise.

n Don’t wait for inspiration, particularly when writing a paper. Set a time to

work on it and ollow through. Tell yoursel you’ll just work or 15 minutes and

then see what happens.

8. Manage your time.

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Review your grades so ar and determine the g.p.a. you would like to

graduate with, i you are still taking classes. Calculate the grades you will

need to get in the uture to get your g.p.a. in line with where you want it.

While research studies indicate there is ultimately little correlation between your

college g.p.a. and the salary you receive, the truth is that a higher your grade

point average will open more opportunities at graduation. Employers associate

good grades with overall intelligence, ability to set goals and accomplish tasks,

and strong motivation. Many prestigious employers including consulting rms

and banks screen candidates by g.p.a. And obviously better grades will help you

transer into any desirable our-year school, and even improve your chances o

getting into graduate or proessional school later on. Bottom line: good grades

give you the reedom to select more opportunities.

Does this mean if you don’t have a perfect g.p.a. you’re sunk? O course not:

the g.p.a. isn’t the whole picture-- it’s just one actor in the employment and

graduate school process and there are lots o ways to compensate. It still makes

sense, though, to go or the best grades you can within reason, but you are here

to learn, so don’t avoid classes just because you might not get the best grade.

9. Get the best possible grades.

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Job Search

Many people don’t even think about references until they’re applying for jobs and

suddenly realize they need them. References take time to cultivate because they are

based on relationships. So as you go through college, pay attention to the professors and

administrators you come into contact with. It’s time to cultivate valuable relationships.

Who knows you well enough to provide substantial information about you? Are you a

leader in an organization where a faculty or administrator knows your work? Have you

done particularly well in a class? Do you have some former supervisors who can speak to

your talents and work ethic? Is there a coach who has seen the eort you’ve put forth on

the playing eld?

Recommenders need to be able to speak to your good qualities, you strengths and your

skills. They need to know more about you than that you showed up to class and got a

good grade, so start up a conversation and if they ask you to do something for them,

make sure you do it well.

Identiy at least one aculty member and one administrator who might beable to serve as a reerence or you. Contact them to ask their permission

to serve as a reerence or you. Give them a copy o your résumé so they’ll

know more about you. Keep them in the loop at all times—let them know

when you’ve given their name to a particular employer.

10. Cultivate your references before you need them.

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