It’s an interesting dilemma for new grads these days. Assuming you’re lucky enough to score a job, you’ll find yourself thrown into a workforce for which you’ve (probably) received little or no formal training. Sadder still, you probably won’t receive much on-the-job training either. If you work for a large corporation, my guess is they’ll send you to an off-site orientation with other new hires where you will get a condensed overview of company culture and operations. These programs are usually pretty good and you should go with the mindset of learning all you can.
However, if you start in a small business or an organization without a training program (like I did), you have to be a bit scrappier about how you acquire knowledge. Either way, there’s a few things you must understand about the workforce before you can really hit the ground running.
Let’s start with wardrobe malfunctions. At the beginning of my career, I made some choices that were regrettable to say the least. (The knee-high patent leather boots come to mind… ) In a continuation of my college mindset, I chose outfits based on what “looked cute” rather than what “looked credible,” and I paid a price for it at the time. Clients and colleagues didn’t take me seriously, so I stumbled a bit coming out of the gate. These days, however, I’m very careful about the impression I want to make and I use clothes – strategically – to reinforce that image. You should too.
Moving on from something you can control (your clothes) to something you can’t, let’s talk about how to prepare for the inevitable information overload. Ever heard of the phrase “sipping through a fire hydrant?” If not - get ready - because as a new professional, that pretty much sums up your life for the next couple months. From the location of the supply closet to the details of the Topeka Project, you are going to have A TON of information thrown at you in a very short period of time. In fact, for most of you this will be your only training. So don’t get flustered or visibly overwhelmed by the avalanche. Just expect it, hunker down, take good notes, and bring your A-game. Everyday.
Finally, The Wall Street Journal recently surveyed 479 college recruiters to discover what new grads needed to improve most these days. The result? Critical thinking skills. In a recent article, the WSJ stated new grads are being held back professionally because they “can't turn their isolated observations about a client's business into a strategy.” Right or wrong, it seems the consensus is today’s grads are adept at completing tasks, but many lack the ability to tie those tasks back to their organization’s big-picture goals.
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For advice on how to sharpen your own critical thinking, plus six other skills you’ll need to shrink the learning curve at work, I hope you’ll join me for the upcoming webinar, “7 Things Your First Boss Wants You to Know on Day One.”
We’re going to dive deep into what you’re expected to know when you show up for work on the first day… but no one ever told you until now. So if you’re a student thinking ahead to your first job or even a recent grad who feels “held back” at work, this webinar is a must-attend.
Sorry, this event already happened! Please go to our webinar page to review our upcoming FREE webinars. You can also check out our past events in the archive section.Emily Bennington is coauthor of "Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job" (Ten Speed Press, 2010). She is a contributor to The Huffington Post, Monster.com, and a frequent speaker to college students and organizations on the topic of career success. Bennington also hosts the Professional Studio 365 blog, which helps new professionals successfully navigate their first year in the workforce. She can be reached via email at ebennington@msn.com or on Twitter @EmilyBennington.The photo for this article is provided by Shutterstock.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
It’s an interesting dilemma for new grads these days. Assuming you’re lucky enough to score a job, you’ll find yourself thrown into a workforce for which you’ve (probably) received little or no formal training. Sadder still, you probably won’t receive much on-the-job training either. If you work for a large corporation, my guess is they’ll send you to an off-site orientation with other new hires where you will get a condensed overview of company culture and operations. These programs are usually pretty good and you should go with the mindset of learning all you can.
However, if you start in a small business or an organization without a training program (like I did), you have to be a bit scrappier about how you acquire knowledge. Either way, there’s a few things you must understand about the workforce before you can really hit the ground running.
Let’s start with wardrobe malfunctions. At the beginning of my career, I made some choices that were regrettable to say the least. (The knee-high patent leather boots come to mind… ) In a continuation of my college mindset, I chose outfits based on what “looked cute” rather than what “looked credible,” and I paid a price for it at the time. Clients and colleagues didn’t take me seriously, so I stumbled a bit coming out of the gate. These days, however, I’m very careful about the impression I want to make and I use clothes – strategically – to reinforce that image. You should too.
Moving on from something you can control (your clothes) to something you can’t, let’s talk about how to prepare for the inevitable information overload. Ever heard of the phrase “sipping through a fire hydrant?” If not - get ready - because as a new professional, that pretty much sums up your life for the next couple months. From the location of the supply closet to the details of the Topeka Project, you are going to have A TON of information thrown at you in a very short period of time. In fact, for most of you this will be your only training. So don’t get flustered or visibly overwhelmed by the avalanche. Just expect it, hunker down, take good notes, and bring your A-game. Everyday.
Finally, The Wall Street Journal recently surveyed 479 college recruiters to discover what new grads needed to improve most these days. The result? Critical thinking skills. In a recent article, the WSJ stated new grads are being held back professionally because they “can't turn their isolated observations about a client's business into a strategy.” Right or wrong, it seems the consensus is today’s grads are adept at completing tasks, but many lack the ability to tie those tasks back to their organization’s big-picture goals.
Enjoying this article? Here are 9 flawless reasons to subscribe to our blog.
For advice on how to sharpen your own critical thinking, plus six other skills you’ll need to shrink the learning curve at work, I hope you’ll join me for the upcoming webinar, “7 Things Your First Boss Wants You to Know on Day One.”
We’re going to dive deep into what you’re expected to know when you show up for work on the first day… but no one ever told you until now. So if you’re a student thinking ahead to your first job or even a recent grad who feels “held back” at work, this webinar is a must-attend.
Sorry, this event already happened! Please go to our webinar page to review our upcoming FREE webinars. You can also check out our past events in the archive section.
Emily Bennington is coauthor of "Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job" (Ten Speed Press, 2010). She is a contributor to The Huffington Post, Monster.com, and a frequent speaker to college students and organizations on the topic of career success. Bennington also hosts the Professional Studio 365 blog, which helps new professionals successfully navigate their first year in the workforce. She can be reached via email at ebennington@msn.com or on Twitter @EmilyBennington.The photo for this article is provided by Shutterstock.
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