Do It Right

I just met with a student doing everything right. We believe in confidentiality so I’ll call her Susan. Susan, who is a sophomore, came in for help with a job search. She said “I am ready to do something in my field of study. I feel not only will it help me with work experience, but it will help me in my classes.”

Susan is definitely right – getting experience in her field, while she is a student, will help her get the job she wants when she graduates. She is taking several positive steps.

1.       Susan registered on Hire a Shocker and completed her profile.

2.       She searched job postings and in a matter of seconds found a job she is interested in.

3.       She left my office planning to go apply with the employer who has the job opening.

4.       She made an appointment to come in next week and work on her resume, cover letter, and reference page.

5.       She is also going to schedule an appointment for a mock interview so she will be prepared  when she gets that call inviting her to come in and talk about that job.

When it comes time for Susan to enter the job market as a new graduate, she will be far more marketable to employers than her classmates who didn’t think ahead.

Why not follow Susan’s example?

Get a job! 

~ jan

Telling Your Stories

Rachel Gibson, Career Counselor here at WSU Career Services, recently reminded me of a great technique to prepare for behavior based interview questions. It would be easy to prepare for interviews if you knew what questions were going to be asked. Of course, you don't, but here is a method to prepare that just might be the next best thing.

Behavior based interview questions ask you to think of a time you demonstrated a skill important in the job you are interviewing for. So. . .as part of your interview prep, think of three to five stories that a) stand out to you for whatever reason or b) you are proud of and want to share. Write out each story, read it, and ask yourself "what skills does this story demonstrate?", making note of these answers. You may want to take this a step further, and write down a story for every skill requirement listed in the job posting.

Career Services is happy to help with this exercise, so if you're a person who does better taking things through--or if you could benefit from the opportunity to practice telling your stories, make an appointment.

Credit for this exercise goes to Richard Bolles, author of What Color is Your Parachute, available for checkout in our Career Library.

Get a Job!

~jan

Jan Mead
Wichita State University Career Services

Job Search

Looking for a different job? Want to keep your current job until you land that new one? Want to receive a positive reference and recommendation from your existing employer? Here are a few words of advice – it’s not a good idea to look for a new job on your current employer’s time.

What does this mean? 1) Don’t include your work phone number or email address on your resume, cover letter, or application. 2) Don’t update your resume at work – or print it on office stationary. 3) Don’t search for or apply for jobs when you are at work – or supposed to be at work. If your supervisor comes to your desk to find you talking to someone about a new job, updating your resume or job search correspondence, or conducting internet searches not related to your work with him, he will probably not be happy. Say goodbye to the idea of a positive recommendation.

Another good reason not to include your work phone number or email on your resume or job search correspondence – it does not make a good impression on potential future employers. As a prospective employer, it gives me a negative vibe about you if I think someday you’re going to be looking for another job on my time.

When you are called for an interview, try to schedule it before or after work or during your lunch hour. If you can’t do either, take a vacation day or personal leave.

It all comes down to common sense, courtesy and respect for your current employer. Ask yourself how you would want to be treated if you were an employer. It is a small small world and it’s amazing how news travels far and fast. You want the news about you to be good news.

Get a job!

~Jan Mead

It Never Goes Away

It never goes away. Sounds ominous doesn’t it. What am I talking about? Anything you put on the Internet. I just heard a pretty computer savvy guy say that anything you put on the internet is “out there” –archived--for eternity. I don’t know if this is true, but in the interest of safety (yours and mine), I’m going to assume it is.

Please let me remind you one more time to be careful what you post on Facebook, Twitter, and similar sites. Reportedly, Facebook reserves the right to change privacy settings at any time, so those “funny” things you post and think only a few people will see, more than a few people might see.

What does this have to do with career? Employers are very selective in who they hire. Why wouldn’t they be? Everyone they hire is a reflection of their organization. Of the employers I talk with, it is the regular practice of many to Google prospective employees and check their Facebook pages, in addition to conducting reference checks.

So, that picture of you holding a bottle of alcoholic beverage in one hand and making an obscene gesture with the other hand, followed by a potentially offensive comment just might not be so funny if it costs you a job opportunity.

Be cautious. Be professional. Get a job.

What Employers Have to Say About Resumes

In the meetings we had with employers over the past two weeks, we learned some good things to share about resumes and job search correspondence.

Employers like cover letters. They actually read them. The first paragraph should be what you know about them. Second paragraph -- how you are a match for them. Third paragraph -- thank them and ask for an interview.

Employers don't like resume templates. Their suggestion is to use Word, which gives you more flexibility than a template.

Make sure your resume is clear and easy to read. Tailor your resume for their position.

Include your skills and clarify your competence in those skills. For example: "Proficient in Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint"

Don't discount your experience. Another example: customer service experience shows you have interpersonal skills and can deal with a variety of people. That's valuable for many positions you might be interested in.

Show progression -- how you've advanced in your career. If you are an experienced candidate, don't go back any further than 10-15 years in work history. The world of work changes quickly. And, you don't necessarily want to indicate your age in your resume -- maybe it's better to get in front of the employer before he/she realizes your age.

The information in your resume actually has to be your information. If it gets you an interview, but you haven’t actually done the work, it really doesn’t do any good.

Why is all this so important? You hope your resume will lead to an interview which will lead to a job offer. Right? Well, as one of the employers said: "It's my market right now. I can be choosy."

Pick up a Starter Kit. Or, download it from our website at www.wichita.edu/career. Get started. Schedule an appointment with one of our counselors to see what they have to say about you and your resume. Be prepared. "Get a job!"

~jan

Career Exploration

Want to know yourself better in relationship to what career(s) might be best matched to your personality?

Come to Career Services! We offer assessments to help you. One of these is the Strong Interest Inventory. In 30 minutes you can complete this paper and pencil assessment and have it on its way to be scored. When your results come back you will sit down with a Career Counselor and learn your Holland Code, which is an excellent resource to research careers that would be matched to your personality. You also receive a list of the top 10 occupations you are most likely to find rewarding based on comparing your results with those of people with interests similar to yours who are satisfied in their careers.

Pretty good information for only $18 and half an hour. . .

Summary Statements

Our staff was fortunate to meet with a group of employers this week to learn their preferences regarding resumes. One of the first topics that came up was objective statements. These employers had this advice for you – ditch your objective and replace it with a summary of experience.

One healthcare employer receives almost 20,000 resumes a month. Another employer from the banking industry received 200+ resumes a week. Of course, that means they don’t have much time to spend on any one resume. However, all agreed that a well thought out and well prepared summary statement gets their attention and “directs them to the rest of the resume”.

What is a well thought out summary statement? Answer = one that uses important keywords and points out accomplishments and achievements, and shows what you can do for the employer to whom you are sending your resume. A summary statement needs to be targeted for a specific job, so if you have more than one job you are targeting, you will want to tailor a summary statement and resume for each job.

A sample summary statement follows:

MBA graduate with PHR certification and more than five years experience in human resources. Handled all human resource functions for financial institutions of more 100 to 150 employees. Recruited and hired employees to staff five branch locations in addition to filling positions at corporate office. Contributed to 20% reduction in employee relations issues and 15% decrease in turnover for two year period. Involved in community with leadership roles in Society of Human Resource Development, American Society of Training and Development and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

One more thought: be sure you proof your summary statement. Just as this information can influence an employer to keep reading, a typo or grammatical error can stop him on the spot.

Come back to this blog for more information regarding resumes next week. Straight from employer’s mouths to your eyes--how much better can you get?