(ARA)
- For recent college graduates or
professionals beginning a new job search, a
job hunt can be an exhausting process. One
of the reasons is that, according to the
experts, to be successful in your job
search, you have to “market” yourself, and
many people just don’t know how.
According to Loribeth Dalton, director of
career services for The Art Institute of Las
Vegas, “The job search is very similar to
sales and marketing. To be successful you
must follow a linear strategic plan.”
For example, says Dalton, start with the
two of the most important building blocks
for a successful job search: the resume and
cover letter. “The purpose of a resume is to
tell an employer what a person has done in
the past. The cover letter tells the
prospective employer what skills and
abilities the job seeker has that will allow
them to be successful in the future with
their company,” she says. “Each cover letter
should be crafted to be very specific to the
job applied for."
Michael Courteau, professional
development instructor at The Art Institutes
International Minnesota recommends never
having a resume longer than one page.
Anything beyond that won’t get read.
“Conventional wisdom is that most resumes
are read, on average, for eight seconds, so
adding another page to your resume becomes
unnecessary, since you’ll only be placing an
even greater textual demand on the reader’s
eight seconds,” he says.
If you have limited work experience, like
a new college grad, consider creating a
functional resume that emphasizes skills.
For example, says Courteau, near the top of
your resume you would list such skills as
knowledge of specific software, bilingual
skills, or relevant volunteer experience.
In your cover letter, says Kirsten
Wright, graduate employment advisor at The
Art Institute of Washington, “point out the
strengths of your resume and direct a
potential employer to things that you cannot
explicitly state in your resume but that
make you stand out.”
In both resumes and cover letters, always
use high quality paper. Stay away from slang
language and avoid using contractions. You
want to present yourself as a professional,
even if you’ve never held a formal job
before.
Find out if your school has a career
services department, and if so, ask for
guidance. “That’s what they’re there for,”
says Diana Graves-Sharple, director of
career services of The Art Institute of
Atlanta. Graves-Sharple also recommends
seeking out friends, family, professional
organizations, trade journals, job boards,
recruiters, staffing agencies and industry
specific directories to help in your job
search. “Research your city, or the city
you’d like to work in, the job market, and
know the industry and the companies that you
are contacting for potential employment,”
she advises.
With all the job seeking information
available on the Web -- including Career
Builder.com, CreativeHotlist.com,
TalenZoo.com, and FlipDog.com. -- are
today’s graduates in better shape than a
generation ago to find a job? “Overall, I’d
have to say yes,” says Jennifer Abramski,
assistant director of career services of The
Art Institute of Seattle.
But, she adds, there are common mistakes
she sees over and over again. For example,
graduates need to respond quickly to job
leads, i.e. within a day. They need to
return a potential employers’ call
immediately and be on time for interviews.
Abramski adds, “five minutes late is not on
time.” Be enthusiastic. Often the recent
graduate still has the “laid back” college
mentality, but this doesn’t work well in a
job interview situation. “Employers often
end up thinking you’re not interested in the
job or the company,” she says. Remember, a
first job is not necessarily a dream job.
But it does add to your professional
experience.
All these experts agree, thank you notes
for an interview need to be sent within one
day of an interview. Thank you notes “can
tip the scales in your favor,” says Kristin
Wright. "When all other skill sets and
experiences are equal, this can be the
factor that gets you hired,” she adds. Thank
you notes also give you the opportunity to
point something out about yourself that you
didn't make clear during the interview
process.
When it’s time to sit back and wait for
the job interview calls to come in, remember
to listen to the outgoing message of your
home answering machine or cell phone. Edie
Beattie, career services advisor at The Art
Institute of Charlotte, remembers calling a
graduate who was actively job searching and
hearing an outgoing message of "Whad Up?"
and then beep. If a potential employer hears
that, your job offer could be doomed.
So whether you’re a new college graduate
or an experienced professional who has been
recently downsized, the guidelines are the
same. Write a good resume and cover letter,
be organized and keep track of who you
interview with, write thank-you notes and
maintain a professional image, even if
you’re just at home waiting for the phone to
ring. You never know.
Courtesy of ARA Content
