On the 10 year anniversary of my entry into the job market, I’m got to thinking about how much I know now versus how much I knew then. Boy, was I green and naïve. So, on the off chance that somebody out there is actually reading the blog, I figured I’d share some information and few opinions for job seeking college seniors. [I’ll probably split this up in to several installments.] In case you are wondering if I’m pulling this out of my ass, I’m not. I have worked for a couple large and a couple small companies, and been involved in hiring decisions in both at the experienced and college level.
There are two primary camps when it comes to college recruiting: the rabid and the apathetic. Neither is perfect. The rabid tend to waste a lot to time and energy, but the apathetic are, in a word, pathetic. Seriously, if you are a college student, drunk, stoned, or otherwise killing time by reading this blog and willing to take only one piece of advice from some guy you’ve never met: Unless you are definitely going to graduate school, you absolutely must participate in your college’s career planning program. You’d be crazy not to. It’s free and it’s the only time in your life multiple employers will be coming to you to give you a job. If you wait until after you graduate to start this process, it’s going to take you several hours to accomplish what you can accomplish in 1 hour during on-campus recruiting. Seriously, do it. You can always turn down an offer, but you can’t accept one you didn’t get.
The next question is what kind of job you want. If you’ve spent years studying history, sociology, or some other liberal arts major, you may not know where to start. If you have no clue your industry, then start with where you’d like to live. Sound silly? Look, there are 168 hours in a week. If you work 50, sleep for 60, you’ve got 58 hours in which you are going to be doing stuff in some place. Whether or not you are going to like living there is key. Career is important, but so is enjoying your non-working time. Trust me, when you start working, you’ll find fun time is more important than you ever thought it would be.
If location is a non-starter, look at starting salaries and determine a floor that works for you. Maybe you have some interest in being a Congressional aide, but there’s no way you are willing to sacrifice the standard of living or debt to do that job for the roughly $25K per year. Ideally, you want to make enough money to live a lifestyle that doesn’t require you to go in the hole.
One last thought: Don’t over think this. You are not committing for the rest of your life. First jobs typically last 3-5 years. As long as you are an at-will employee, you can quit whenever you want.
Once you’ve got your preliminary work in order (resume complete, industry/location/pay level targeted) it’s time to decide the companies where you are going to send a resume. Here are some FAQs for this step in the process:
Q: To how many companies should I apply/drop a resume?
A: In this economy, I’d cast as wide a net as possible. Remember, a job is probably all that separates you and moving back in with your parents. Unless you really value your mom’s cooking or like watching daytime TV, I’m guessing something short of your dream job will be acceptable. Also, you can always opt out of the process with a company at any time, but you can’t opt in at a later step. You would rather be the one saying “no” then sitting on the sidelines. Just like you probably had a safety school or two, have several safety jobs.
Q: What if I’m really interested in company, but I don’t meet one or more of their qualifications, such as my GPA?
A: I’d send or drop my resume, and then call the HR representative and explain to him all the reasons why you are interested in their company, but that you are below one of their thresholds. If it makes sense, explain why you miss one of the qualifications. If it’s something like GPA, maybe you had a bad first year but have been pretty solid since then. Then ask if you can be considered for an interview. If the HR rep says “no” but you want a shot at this company badly, try to contact an executive (preferably an alumnus) and explain your situation to him. Network with other alumni to get the right person and contact information. The worst thing that will happen is they will blow you off. If they do, screw them. But I think you’ll find in many cases, they will appreciate your interest, and will give you an interview.
Q: I know what I want to do, but all the starting salaries in that industry are so low? I’m not sure I can live on so little money.
A: This is a big decision step in process. The question you have to ask yourself is, “If I get this job, am I willing to make the lifestyle decisions , and maybe even incur some credit card debt, to do it?” And I stress lifestyle decisions because the last thing you want to do is go $50K in the hole on credit cards to find out that interior design is not your cup of tea. Only you can answer this question.
Q: Due to the economy, my school has fewer companies than ever before, and hundreds of resumes for every job? What can I do to get noticed?
A: Quite simply, have a resume that addresses the companies stated needs. Typically every company has a job description and list of qualifications, such as GPA, in every job posting. If possible, tailor your resume to sound like the answer to the question. If the description says “work in a team environment,” have items in your resume where you talk about working in a team environment. If there is a qualification, like GPA, that you meet, make sure it’s on the resume. Also, make sure your resume is bullet pointed, to the point, and otherwise easy to comprehend in 30 seconds, because that’s about all the time somebody is going to spend on it. Avoid paragraphs and long sentences or narratives. You want to make your resume as easy to pick as possible. This may involve tailoring your resume to every job opportunity. If you are in a very competitive environment, you gotta do what you gotta do win. Remember, it’s a job or back to mom’s house.
Q: One company that I’m interested in said they’d respond with an interviewee list by a certain date, but we are a week past that date and no one on campus has heard anything from them. What should I do?
A: Call the HR point of contact, or call the company, ask for HR, and ask what’s going on. One myth is that companies, particularly large companies, must be organized in how they recruit. Trust me when I tell you that is false. I once worked for a Fortune 500 company whose HR department was an unmitigated train wreck. The company in question could be late for any number of reasons, but there is nothing wrong in calling to follow up when a posted date for anything is missed. The same goes for any step in the process when a deadline is missed. Give them a day or two, then call to find out what is going on. And in case you are worried about being a pest, I’ve never heard of anybody losing an offer because they simply called to find out what was going on, as long as they were courteous and professional.
Next time I write about this, I’ll talk about how to nail your interview.
Tags: College job search, college job search tips, employment, job search, job search tips
