Candidates looking for jobs and employers seeking candidates find each other in a? variety of ways. A comprehensive job search should include as many strategies as possible and include resources that are unique to one's career field of interest.
Not everyone launches into a "career" immediately upon completion of a degree. Depending on your situation it may be more appropriate to seek a short-term?opportunity for the summer, six months or a year. Ask, "what am I going to do next?" rather than "what am I going to do with my life?"
Whatever your ideas are, it will be important to get organized. Recognize that you? must make time to research and develop plans. Schedule time each day to do something rather than spending energy worrying and feeling anxious.
How to get the job you want
Know what you want.
Know what you offer.
Understand what employers want.
Research who needs what you have and has what you want.
Be focused, committed and active.
Identify and market your skills effectively.
Make the link and convince with examples.
Be creative in identifying openings.
Are You Really Ready to Begin a Job Search?
Critical First Steps
It isn't productive to jump into a job search without a clear sense of what you want and what you offer. As you begin, take stock of how ready you really are.
Do You Know What You Want?
What kind of work are you seeking? ("I'm flexible" or "whatever relates to my major" is not specific enough)
What are your interests, motivations and passions?
What skills do you like to use and hope to develop further?
What do you value?
What kind of work environment would you be most comfortable in?
Do You Understand How to:
Effectively market yourself through resumes, letters, and interviews?
Identify and effectively network?
Perform the necessary research?
Articulate your strengths/your "value added" to the organization?
Do You Know What Employers Want?
Many employers say that the vast majority of people they interview cannot adequately define the skills they have to do the job or articulate how they have demonstrated these competencies. In general, employers look for evidence of:
Communication Skills
Motivation/Initiative/Drive to Succeed
Teamwork
Leadership
Academic Credentials/Active Learning
Interpersonal Skills
Analytical/Problem Solving Skills
Planning/Organizing
Adaptability
Do You Know Why You Are a Good Candidate?
Can you identify all your skills and abilities?
Are you confident in them?
Can you give examples of how you've demonstrated these?
Develop a skill inventory and review for each position you apply for.
You'll need to know how your strengths meet a particular employer's needs.
Knowing What You Offer:
Increases your job search effectiveness
Separates you from other candidates
Increases the effectiveness of your cover letter, resume, and interview
Take Stock of Your Skills
Three Types of Skills
The competencies employers want in candidates can be developed in various ways and fall into three categories:
Transferable: abilities that are used and needed in a variety of jobs; skills tha transfer from one environment to another. These refer to our ability to effectively work with people, information (data) and things. Examples include teaching, organizing, writing, and researching.
Adaptive: personality traits, behaviors, attitudes that allow a person to accept and adjust to the physical, interpersonal and organization conditions of a job. Examples: patient, cooperative, friendly.
Job Specific: knowledge and abilities that enable a person to perform specific tasks associated with a particular job. Examples: html, child development, accounting.
Review the list above of what employers look for. Most of these are transferable or adaptive skills. You have probably demonstrated many of these in various ways. Begin a job search with a clear sense of your skills and how you have demonstrated them.
Create a Skills Inventory
Write a brief description of all paid and unpaid positions you have held.
Identify the most important function you performed.
What skills were necessary to effectively perform these?
If you were to meet with a supervisor what achievements would you discuss?
Review your skills inventory as you apply for a position. How do your skills connect to the employer's needs?
Quick Reference Guides to Assess Skills and Strengths
Top Ten Strengths Exercise
Transferable Skills
Budget Time, Energy, Money
An active job search requires budgeting more than just money. It also requires time and energy. If you're really serious about finding a job, reserve time in your schedule to focus on it. Make your job search a priority. Identify first steps and do something constructive every day.
Evaluate Your Personal Situation
Your level of interest in a particular position will depend on your circumstances. You may be really excited about one position because the job description sounds great. Another position may sound attractive because you're concerned about school loans or other debt. Different jobs sound viable for different reasons. Remember this is a beginning and not the last job you'll ever have.
While it is important to identify your wants and needs, it is also important to prioritize your most pressing needs or non-negotiable variables. For example, sometimes job seekers limit the geographic parameters of their job search too quickly. Remember that the larger the geographic area one considers, the greater the number of openings one may find.
Resumes and Cover Letters
What to Send When You Apply:
Resume: This highlights education, experience and skills relevant to the job.
Cover letter: Each letter should be individually prepared, geared for that specific employer clearly indicating the type of position you seek. In your letter point out particularly relevant aspects of your background that equip you to perform the work you're seeking. This approach is most productive when you know that the?organization has openings consistent with your education, professional objectives, skills and experience. The letters and resumes that present candidates most effectively and set the stage comfortably for interviews, are those prepared by candidates themselves.
Use CDC programs, and have a draft reviewed during Counselor on Call hours to assist you in preparing effective documents.
