2008 Woodie Awards
Jump Start Your Job Search
Marian Cacciatore
Issue date: 9/11/06 Section: Holt News
- Page 1 of 1
Q. I graduated in May with a degree in International Affairs and have been searching for a new job for the last three months. I posted my resume on all of the major Internet sites and have gotten very few leads. I have included my resume for your review. What can I do to "jump start" my job search? Holt Graduate '06
A. Searching for a new job can be challenging in the best of circumstances. From your email, it appears as if you have relied mainly on the Internet for leads. Did you know that the majority of jobs (3 out of 4) are filled by networking? To "jump start" your search, we will need to focus on other ways to increase your visibility and expand your networking.
In addition to newspaper and web site searches, it is important for you to personally meet individuals in your field of interest. As a recent graduate, you can accomplishment this through informational interviews, professional and business associations, volunteer work and even a "post graduate" internship.
Informational Interviews is a process of gathering facts about the skills, activates and occupations related to a particular career path. You can use the informational interview to get a better idea of potential jobs while enabling you to identify occupations or organizations that are a fit for your interests and skills. While I know of a number of cases where the Informational Interview led to a job offer, it is important to retrain from "asking for a job" during an Informational Interview. Instead, you need to remain focused on gathering information and additional leads.
Next, after reviewing your resume, I'd like to suggest a few changes. First, it is important to view your resume as a "marketing tool" about you! The focus needs to be on your skills and accomplishments….not just job duties. You can shift your focus by creating a "master list" of your accomplishments and skills. By doing this we will be able to easily personalize each resume and cover letter. Once this list is created, I will work with you individually to select the most effective resume format possible for your type of search.
The time you spend on creating the "master list of accomplishments" will actually help you when we move on to the final step: preparing for the job interview. By being able to clearly articulate your accomplishments and achievements, you will become more confident in the interview process. I would suggest that we schedule some time to conduct a mock interview to work out any rough spots ahead of time. We can even video tape it if you would like.
Since this column has limited space we will need to continue this process "off line" I look forward to helping you readjust your job search focus!
Do you have a question for the Career Coach? Simply email Marian at mcacciatore@rollins .edu.
A. Searching for a new job can be challenging in the best of circumstances. From your email, it appears as if you have relied mainly on the Internet for leads. Did you know that the majority of jobs (3 out of 4) are filled by networking? To "jump start" your search, we will need to focus on other ways to increase your visibility and expand your networking.
In addition to newspaper and web site searches, it is important for you to personally meet individuals in your field of interest. As a recent graduate, you can accomplishment this through informational interviews, professional and business associations, volunteer work and even a "post graduate" internship.
Informational Interviews is a process of gathering facts about the skills, activates and occupations related to a particular career path. You can use the informational interview to get a better idea of potential jobs while enabling you to identify occupations or organizations that are a fit for your interests and skills. While I know of a number of cases where the Informational Interview led to a job offer, it is important to retrain from "asking for a job" during an Informational Interview. Instead, you need to remain focused on gathering information and additional leads.
Next, after reviewing your resume, I'd like to suggest a few changes. First, it is important to view your resume as a "marketing tool" about you! The focus needs to be on your skills and accomplishments….not just job duties. You can shift your focus by creating a "master list" of your accomplishments and skills. By doing this we will be able to easily personalize each resume and cover letter. Once this list is created, I will work with you individually to select the most effective resume format possible for your type of search.
The time you spend on creating the "master list of accomplishments" will actually help you when we move on to the final step: preparing for the job interview. By being able to clearly articulate your accomplishments and achievements, you will become more confident in the interview process. I would suggest that we schedule some time to conduct a mock interview to work out any rough spots ahead of time. We can even video tape it if you would like.
Since this column has limited space we will need to continue this process "off line" I look forward to helping you readjust your job search focus!
Do you have a question for the Career Coach? Simply email Marian at mcacciatore@rollins .edu.
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