It's Like a Job, Only Harder
Job Hunting:
It's Like a Job, Only Harder
Expert tips for writing resumes, cover letters and thank you notes
(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
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