Tag Archives: volunteering

7 Tips You Should Know to Help Find Your First Job After College (GUEST POST)

How to Find Your First Job After College
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

So you’ve got your degree, and you’re ready to hit the ground running and get your first job. But where on earth do you begin? Here are seven tips to help smooth the path and help you find the right job.

1) Have Your Resume Ready to Go
This is a pretty important one. Make sure you have a clear, concise and informative resume that is free of grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. This is your chance to make a first impression, and something as small as a misspelled word can land your resume in the “toss” pile.

2) Google Yourself
Many companies take the time to research a potential candidate. If you still have fraternity party pictures up on an old MySpace page, now is the time to take those down. It’s also important that you have a good representation of yourself on the web. Your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram profiles should be good points of introduction. It’s especially worthwhile to make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and reflects your skills and background. It should go without saying, but with social media, always be sure to avoid posting pictures or comments you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see.

3) Find Your Calling
If you’ve gone to school for teaching, then you probably have a pretty solid path you want to follow when you start reaching out to employers. If you have a degree without a specific career path (i.e. English, sociology, art history) then the water muddies a bit. The onus is now on you to find an area where you can be eager and put your best foot forward. Like sales? Consider trying real estate or advertising sales. Like working with people? Consider a job in human resources. Want to start your own business? Become a dog walker to see what’s it’s like being your own boss. Have creativity and interest in moving outside your comfort zone? There are lots of non-technical jobs in tech these days. Really, the options are endless. As long as you have initiative and a willingness to learn, you can find opportunity.

4) Boost Your Background
In the meantime, it’s always beneficial to add to your skill set. You can do that through volunteering (which is also great on resumes) as well as taking short classes and online tutorials. Many nonprofits will let you volunteer and learn as you go—especially if they need help with a website, grant writing, marketing, or graphic design. Remember, any new skill you acquire should always be added to your LinkedIn profile to advertise what makes you an even more worthwhile candidate.

5) Spruce Up
Not everyone can afford to go out and buy a new suit, but you can do a lot to make yourself look presentable. Be sure to always have an outfit ready to go for when you land an interview. Keep a shirt or two ironed, in addition to pressed pants or a skirt.

6) Keep in Touch
One of the best ways to stay on someone’s radar is to send a thank you note after an interview or phone call. Handwritten is better, though this isn’t always an option. Be persistent but not pushy. What’s most important is that you are following up.

7) Stay the Course
Finally, not everyone gets a job right away, and it can be very defeating if you receive multiple rejections. If you can, find out why you weren’t a good fit for the company. Maybe you can re-apply later for a different job. Be sure not to take it personally, and don’t let bad news keep you from being persistent. There is a job out there for you, and it will happen when everything falls into place the way it should. Good luck, and go get ’em!

About the Author:
Erica Francis is passionate about helping young people prepare for careers in a tough job market. She enjoys developing rich lesson plans and other educational resources. Some of her lesson plans can be found at ReadyJob.org.

 

Looking for a new job? Want to get what you want fast? Check out my book, Here Today, Hired Tomorrow, and subscribe to my blog (kurtkirton.com) for free advice on your job search.

GUEST POST: Are You Expendable or Expandable?

Expendable or expandable
© 2010 Millennium Films | © 1971 Wolper Pictures Ltd.

For the past ten years I’ve been facilitating a networking group that is designed for senior level professionals and executives in transition called the Transition Café. While I’m happy to report that job search activity and opportunities for folks at these levels is quite robust, I still see many people finding themselves back in career transition every two to three years. With this “burn and churn” cycle it’s no reason that feeling expendable is a thought that can creep into one’s head. So how does one manage these feelings? First and foremost, you have to drop this notion that any company can place an expiration date on you. Instead of labeling yourself as expendable, try changing your mindset and think of yourself as expandable. So what are some ways you can do this?

1. Expand Your Network – Now we all know how important networking is, but very few of us do it, let alone do it effectively. While there are tactics and etiquette one can employ, the best way for you to become a great networker is to do it often and do it with purpose. All too often I see newly transitioned people immerse themselves in the networking game only to abandon the relationships they built once they land a job. If you want to truly recession-proof yourself, continue to build your community of contacts, and keep your network ALIVE. Make it a part of your normal work routine. Nurture and foster the relationships you’ve made, and always be building new ones. You know the saying, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” and in reality, “it’s who you know WELL.” Need a place to start networking? Keep abreast of what’s going on in your community at local chamber events, and stay on top of industry trends in a professional association related to your field.

2. Expand Your Skill Set – Without a doubt, we should always be in a learning mode and adding to our knowledge base. Whether you’re in transition or not, now is the time to take stock of your inventory of skills, talents, passions and goals and begin creating a plan to position yourself for continued success. Are you a bit weak on the social media side? Take a class on how you can build your social media presence and personal brand. And if you are employed, don’t necessarily wait for your employer to pay for training. Make the commitment to invest in yourself! In business you’ve probably heard of conducting a SWOT Analysis, which is essentially identifying your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Don’t be intimidated by this acronym. It’s basically a gap analysis of where you are today and where you want to be in the future. Keep it simple by really thinking through this exercise and devising a plan to better yourself. Do you want that competitive edge? Then don’t wait until you’re in transition. Be proactive and do your SWOT analysis now vs. being reactive and doing it after you lose your job.

3. Expand Your Income Possibilities – For most people, diversifying their income stream is a “foreign” concept, but in today’s world this strategy is probably one of the best ways to recession-proof yourself. Now let me qualify this by saying this approach is not for everybody, but it’s worth consideration. Some ways to do this would be by freelancing on the side, consulting, sub-contracting, ecommerce, owning income producing investments like rental properties, and business ownership. In my world of franchising, we have clients that work full-time jobs and also operate what we call semi-absentee franchises. Their goal is to create another income stream to not only supplement their income and build wealth, but to also protect themselves from relying on only one source of income, their current employer. I have a career coach friend who refers to this as creating a Portfolio Career. Kind of like creating an investment portfolio but for your career. It’s all about diversification and not putting all of your eggs in one basket.

4. Expand Your Volunteering – Do you have a desire to build your leadership skills? Make amazing contacts with high caliber, well-connected people? Be a part of your community? And most importantly, do something that is fulfilling and gives back to society? Then bolster your volunteer activities. Volunteering clearly provides both social and professional benefits, but it can also be an amazing mood booster for us.

5. Expand Your Comfort Zone – This last suggestion essentially encapsulates all of the ideas mentioned above by continuing to challenge ourselves to get out of our comfort zones. Doing all or some of these things is not easy. It takes time, thought, and commitment. However, you don’t have to be a super hero to initiate these activities. Perfection is not the ultimate goal. Start with one goal and continue to expand. See what works for you and gets you jazzed up. It’s all about growing and improving ourselves. Apply this mindset, and make the uncomfortable, COMFORTABLE!

About the Author:
Dan Aronoff has over 20 years of business experience working for both small and large companies, most notably in the human resources arena. He had the opportunity to work with Exxon Corporation, Kraft Foods, Kendle International (a pharmaceutical clinical trials organization) and his family’s business, Goldner Associates, which is an advertising specialties company. In 2005 he fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur by buying the Tennessee territory of FranNet-The Franchise Connection, a franchise matchmaking service (www.FranNet.com/daronoff). Dan taught Franchise Management to students in the School of Entrepreneurship at Belmont University in the Fall of 2011 and continues to speak to aspiring Belmont students. Since 2006, he has also facilitated the Transition Café, a networking event for senior level professionals and executives in career transition (www.TransitionCafe.com).

MUCHO MONDAYS – Fiesta!: After You Have Your New Job, A Checklist

benefits, insurance, evaluation, celebration, considerations, alerts, professional association, LinkedIn, filter, budget, vacation time, volunteering, networking, network, colleagues, friends, family, headhunters, doctor
Photo by Maria Elisa Duque

Congratulations! All your hard work, networking, resume’ writing, and everything else you’ve worked so hard for in your position as a marketer of yourself has paid off! But before you simply show up for the first day with your briefcase and Scooby Doo lunchbox in hand, here are some reminders that should ease the transition into your new job.

BEFORE THE FIRST DAY
• If you have certain things you always bring from home (photos, office supplies, notes) box those up and have them ready to bring with you day one.
• If you have kids, plan with your spouse who will do what based on the hours/days of your new position.
• Follow any instructions your new company has given you, and return any forms they’ve asked you to complete.

DURING
• Turn off job postings alerts from sites like indeed, careerbuilder, and beyond.com (and de-activate your resume’) as well as those you have set up with job boards at any professional association sites. Change pref’s to stop or reduce any communiqué coming from LinkedIn.
• Set email filters at job posting groups of which you’re a member to direct those to the Trash.
• Delete all your recurrent events on your calendar.
• Give your new work phone number to your spouse, etc. Get your supervisor’s office and (if it is appropriate) cell phone numbers into your phone.
• Figure out your new budget after receiving your first check.
• Treat yourself! You’ve worked hard for months. Buy something from your Wantlist.
• Find out about how to set up direct deposit. Make sure you understand your vacation time and benefits. Set up things like insurance and employee retirement funds when the time comes. Cancel any independent insurance policies you’re on.
• Meet as many people as you can early on. Not only is this beneficial in case you have questions about something, but it helps build goodwill and fit you into the family and culture of the company. Try to understand the hierarchy as you go.
• Volunteer for some things as you see opportunities arise. I was asked to judge a dessert contest—boy, was someone dead on with that one!
• Alert your headhunters that you have a job and to change your status to Inactive (but not delete you from their system.) Thank them for their help.

AFTER THE 90-DAY MARK
• Email (at least bulk) your networking colleagues to thank them for their help and let them know where you landed and what your title is.
• Facebook or email your friends and family to do the same.
• Clean up your Job folder in your email. You could delete any messages 9 months or older.
• Add the new job to your LinkedIn profile & update your Headline and if relevant, your City and Industry.
• Schedule any doctor or dentist appointments you may have been putting off.
• Update your profile at any professional organizations of which you’re a member.
• Don’t throw all your network out the window. Try to attend at least one networking event a month.
• (From day 1 forward) keep track of your accomplishments