It is now the end of September and it marks a time of new beginnings into the Fall season! It's been a few months since I've graduated and the job hunting is still a very rewarding and diligent process that I have grown used to every day now. Today's tips are about what has been keeping me on task and feeling productive with finding work, since it is a very tough process for everyone.
Prepare to set yourself into Job HUNTERS mode.
H - Hone Your Skills
You need to know what you are and what you're going to bring to a company, because chances are there are dozens of other applicants competing with you for that same job. What makes YOU so different? Is it a special skill, personality trait, or your personal work ethics? Can it be improved on during the time you're job hunting? That's a big question because if you list a skill on your resume / cover letter, it is FAIR game for an employer to ask you about it or even test on it. So unless you can back up your skill, don't put it on your resume unless you are willing to put the work in to make sure that skill is good. A chef is only as good as his best knife.U - Understand Your Experiences
Your experiences is what builds your resume and your cover letter. But it's one thing to just list it with what you did. But it's a completely DIFFERENT thing all together if you understand what you learned and got out of that one retail job, or that tiring volunteer experience, or that highlighted leadership position. I sat there for HOURS trying to think of what I can talk about or explain about this one job I had (I taught kids lego robotics) but I wasn't too sure what skills I got out of it. One way to approach understanding yourself, is to talk through each job, extracurricular, and volunteer activity you've done with someone you trust professionally to help you see your own life through a different window. It's still the same experience, just worded and looked at differently.N - Narrow your Goals
This sounds SLIGHTLY counter-intuitive since you want to shoot out as many resumes and job applications as you can to hopefully get ONE response back. But there are only SO many hours of the day and only so much attention and energy you can get your mind can muster. Narrow your goals to daily standards of how many jobs you would like to apply to each day, along with which target industry you want to apply that day? If you're like me with a diversity of experiences, there are SO MANY jobs and positions out there that I can apply to that I would enjoy working / would like to try working for that span across a very broad spectrum. It would be slightly tiring to make so many different resumes with different skills and experiences as opposed to tailoring one specific resume to similar jobs. Example: I use a main engineering resume, to apply to engineering-like jobs or where my engineering skills would be MOST useful and productive during a session of job-hunting. Keep less, realistic goals for you to reach each day so you can keep a consistent process of applying to jobs.T - Track your activity and progress
It is VERY easy to lose track of which companies you applied to, which resumes you used, or even how long ago did you apply. Thank god for modern technology and Google Drive. To avoid clutter on my laptop, I started storing all of the resumes, cover letters, transcripts, and writing samples on my Google drive in folders designated for different positions and types. I also kept a spreadsheet listing all the companies that I had applied to along with the dates I applied, whether it required additional documents like cover letters or writing samples, who is the point of contact if there was one listed, where the company is located, and etc. This helped me keep track of my progress and organize what resumes and cover letters would be best suited for future applications. Also, keep note of WHERE you apply in terms of which websites - your school career website, Monster, LinkedIn, the company's website, or craigslist.E - Educate yourself about the company and the position
At this point, you'll probably have an incoming interview and you're not sure on what to do. Well, learn everything you can about the company and the position. Go BEYOND the job listing that you found that gives you a short description about the company. GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND. What is the company known for? What products or services do they offer? Is it a large Fortune 500 company or is it a Start-Up ? What other positions does the company offer if you can't get the one you're applying to? Does it have conferences/conventions or get involved with other organizations? WHAT EXACTLY IS THE POSITION YOU ARE DOING? If the company website doesn't offer, there are other resources that help explain - LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Salary.com, and etc. The more you know, the more you can prepare for that interview.R - Rehearse
Now that you know everything that you can ever learn, what do you do with it? You put it to the test by rehearsing everything that you know for that interview. Don't rehearse by yourself! Rehearse with someone you trust that can give you the most objective and constructive feedback possible in a practice interview. Pick someone that has been through the job-hunting process and has successfully obtained a job that is within your potential line of work. Rehearse your answers, but also rehearse how you carry yourself in an interview setting, how you speak, and your gestures. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn once you practice!S - Smile, You got this.
Job hunting can always be a stressful time, and I found that being in a happier mood helps me feel more productive with the process. This is a stepping stone into a new part of your life! Enjoy it because it is scary and daunting, and that's the exciting part about it! Put on your favorite soundtrack to keep your spirits high!I hope these tips help you as much as they helped me! Again, Happy Tuesday!
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