Monthly Archives: February 2009

Finding Jobs Through Your Place of Worship

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A few weeks back I sent out a short “Tweet” about networking at your place of worship. Now another article, this time on CNN.com, describes how one man got back into the job market by networking at church.

While I am not religious, I did attend church with my family growing up and I know that this can be a great place for social networking in your community. That being said, it only makes sense that these social networks can be extended to your professional life as well.

So, if you are looking for work, and you have a pre-existing network at your place of worship, why not use it to your advantage?

However, as the article states, there are some caveats:

“Church groups are a good way to use existing community connections to expand your network of people,” according to Career and Business Consultant Kathy Robinson. But the danger is that “you could be getting 20-year-old resume advice,” she warned. “As long as the members are keeping themselves current on job search techniques it’s actually a fabulous resource.”

Either way, think of it as another tool you can use to help you, as a New Grad, find an Entry Level Job.

Creative Resumes: The Pink Slip Resume

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There’s a picture of a great resume over at Secrets of the Job Hunt. It’s a resume disguised as a Pink Slip.

What a great idea! Not only is it unique and attention grabbing, but it is also relevant to the times given our global financial situation.

While it doesn’t showcase a great deal of information, it does get your attention.

What tricks have you used to get noticed?

Gradversity is now on LinkedIn!

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At long last, I am now up and running on LinkedIn. You can find my profile by clicking the button below:

View Trevor Wilson's profile on LinkedIn

So what do you need to do to join my network? There are three simple rules:

  1. You have to let me know how you found my profile. Mention this post on Gradversity.com, or another favorite post on the site, and we can get started. This will allow me to keep out any random people who stumble across my profile.
  2. Let me know why you want to join my personal network. There are a lot of good reasons, but I need to hear it from you. No reason, no access.
  3. Don’t ask me for a recommendation. I will only provide recommendations to people I have worked with in some capacity. I don’t give recommendations out easily, so if you are expecting one just for joining, you will be out of luck. Ignore this rule, and you will be promptly “Disconnected”.

So that’s it! Feel free to stop by.

Don’t forget, I’m on Twitter too.

Rescinded and Deferred Entry Level Jobs

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Like many other job blogs, I’ve been hearing about companies rescinding and deferring offers for Entry Level Jobs. This is particularly concerning given that I focus on New Grads and Entry Level Jobs.

But instead of just reporting on it, The CareerXroads Annex has a list of interesting ways for companies in this position help to soften the blow.

If I were to add anything to this list, it would be to have these companies help with job-specific professional development (other than just grad school). Even offering unpaid internships could help New Grads gain a foothold from the experience side of things.

Have you been in this situation? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Sending a Sales Letter Instead of a Cover Letter

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What an interesting idea. I was just reading an article from the Star Tribune about sending a Sales Letter instead of a Cover Letter. This has made me stop and think. While the article is understandably positive about the prospect of using sales techniques to land an interview, I’m interested to hear about anyone’s real life experiences with this method.

That being said, there is definitely some interesting advice that’s worth reading such as:

Good sales letters have a P.S. because good copywriters know the P.S. always gets read…

That’s what Paul did. Here’s the P.S. he wrote, following my advice:

P. S. – Please call me if you would like to learn how I produced over $70,000 in grant money for the Minnesota Trucking Association last year.

This is simple and brilliant. Just as the opening question of Paul’s letter forced readers to nod and answer Yes, the P.S. forces them to say, Huh? Then, pick up the phone and call.

I wonder how effective this technique really is. I can only imagine that recruiters have seen every trick in the book and can see past gimmicks. But what do I know?

Anyway, read on and let me know what you think, especially if you have tried this technique.

Quality vs. Quantity in Job Applications

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One of the biggest things I struggled with as a New Grad trying to find an Entry Level Job was how to approach the application process. Should I…

  1. Spend lots of time on each resume and cover letter, making it the absolute best it can be before sending it out?
  2. Or should I craft a decent cover letter and resume that can easily be tweaked for each job, then crank out as many as I can?

Looking back on it, I would have to say that it is a little of both.

When I started, I needed a job. I was running low on savings (meaning left over student loan money) so I started using the “Quantity” approach by pumping out applications as fast as I could. For my resume, I was using the same one each time, changing only the “objective” line. For the cover letter, I had a lot of template material, and I would enter in a few unique sentences based on company research (click to see how this got me into trouble).

That being said, I managed to find a job reasonably quickly. My application-to-interview ratio was about 10-to-1 (meaning I would get 1 interview for every 10 applications). I thought that this was pretty good seeing as I sent out 40 resumes in the first week. I thought life was good.

So what did I learn from this? If you use this method, you are more likely to find a job sooner, but it may not be the right job. I took a job with a large Fortune 500 company in sales and I hated it from the start. Looking back, the warning signs were there in the interview, but I was so desperate for work that I chose to ignore them.

Ultimately, it was my desire to send out as many applications as possible that got me into the mess that I was in. I didn’t take enough time to evaluate each individual company and its merits. Also, the lack of a tailored resume likely caused me to miss out on some great opportunities. I’m sure that my application got rejected by some great companies just because it was too generic.

What I’m trying to get at is that you need to strike a balance between the number of applications that you send out, and the quality of the applications that you are sending. Not only will you have better success in terms of the number of interviews that you will get, you are more likely to get interviews for better jobs.

Agree? Disagree? Leave us a comment!

Things For New Grads to Learn Before 23

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There’s a great list over at Young and Frugal about lessons the author learned by 23. It’s difficult to provide an overview of what he means without blasting the entire article, but there were a couple that stood out that I really agree with, including:

2. Physical fitness is the best way to mental health

6. Think Different

20. Stay flexible and open to change

It’s easy for new grads to get lost in the details when looking for Entry Level Jobs. Don’t let it consume your life.

I encourage you to take a look at this list and create one of your own. It could be invaluable down the line.

Background Checks and Your Privacy

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Wow. I didn’t realize just how much information was in the public domain for employers to scrutinize. A post over at EmploymentMetrix.com lists what is and isn’t accessible in a background check. Amazingly, there is some information that is freely available to employers without your consent. I was most surprised that your driving records are available without your permission. This seems like an invasion of personal privacy to me.

What is most concerning is not what is available, but how it may be used against you. I don’t have a problem with issues of public safety (criminal background checks for people who want to become police officers) or issues surrounding legitimate job requirements (being licensed to drive certain types of vehicles). However, if an employer has access to personal information as a way to get around “illegal” questions (pertaining to race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc), then it could potentially be the basis for bias against you. To me, that is a scary thought.

So how do you combat the use of this information against you? The easiest way is to ensure that you know every bit of information that is available about you before you apply to jobs. Check out all of the sources from this list. Once you have the full picture, you will have a better idea of how to tackle any “problem spots”. You can’t fix before you know.

I suspect that with the evolution of technology (I have already spent time writing about maintaining your public image), these concerns are only going to grow. It’s a very worrying thought.

It’s probably best that you see the list for yourself. Click here to check it out.

Hard Copy vs Soft Copy Cover Letters

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Interesting post at Secrets of the Job Hunt that brought a NY Times article on Cover Letter Secrets to my attention. Somehow I had missed this article. I really like the part about sending a hard copy, especially with the signed note.

Call me old school, but I still believe that a hard-copy cover letter is one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd. This is especially true in the era of job boards and electronic applications. Maybe I’m a relic from days gone by, but if your cover letter is the only one on the recruiters desk, how can this be a bad thing?

It’s a short post, but well worth the read.

Enjoy!

How Your Language Can Ruin Your Job Search

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At least once per day I overhear a conversation and cringe. It could be with a co-worker, a friend, or a stranger on the street, but it happens every day. The problem is not what is being said, it is the language that is being used.

For the most part I like to advocate a firm barrier between one’s professional and private lives, but the unfortunate fact is that the way many of us speak in our personal conversations is destroying our professional credibility and even our ability to communicate with others.

Don Reisinger has an interesting article up at CNET called How the Web is Killing My Ability to Communicate. In it he explains why common slang and short forms (such as LMAO and BRB) are infiltrating his day-to-day conversations and how it is keeping his wife from understanding what he is trying to say.

While this example isn’t a “job hunting” example, it draws an interesting parallel. Even though current business trends seem to point towards an integration between business and social media (as evidenced by the number of companies popping up in Twitter), it doens’t mean that business isn’t conducted in a formal matter. Sadly, a lack of formality could cost you a job.

During my time in University, I had a Professor who gave a long talk on the abuse of the word “Like” (which is documented in my book). Some people have a tendency to use it as a filler in almost every sentence. For example:

So I, like, went to the mall with some friends.

Like, what do you want to do tonight?

You know, like…

Someone once described this to me as “Valley Girl talk”, but its use is bleeding into our everyday conversations. If you listen hard enough, the word is everywhere. Unfortunately, using it in this way destroys your credibility and your ability to be persuasive.

The point that I am trying to make is that you need to be extremely careful about your language and how you use it, particularily when you are looking for work. Overusing “filler” words, or using popular slang will ensure that you never land a job. Stay on top of your language and you will be more successful at showing your professional side.

Fixing a Damaged Online Reputation

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With the proliferation of online social networks you have to be extremely careful about what you are posting about yourself online. Not only that, but you also have to watch out for what your friends and coworkers are saying about you. With so many sites that could have such information (like Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, and Twitter), it can be a daunting task to remove all harmful material. But even though this material can be fair game to recruiters, I’m not convinced that all job seekers are following this advice and managing their online reputations.

But that is about to change.

With Olympic golden boy Michael Phelps getting caught up in a drug scandal a few weeks back, it’s become very clear just how negative pictures or press can impact your online image. Now this may be an extreme case (seeing as he is internationally renown), but it doesn’t mean bad press can’t follow you around online.

But according to Jacob at the Personal Branding Blog, all is not lost:

Once you’ve discovered something on the Internet that could lower your chances of getting a job, there are 2 things you can do to make it disappear from the Web:

  1. Clean it up – remove or have removed any harmful content.
  2. Drown it out – create positive content that will appear first in search results, pushing any harmful content so far down search results pages that future employers aren’t likely to find it.

This is excellent advice. For most of you, you won’t likely rank highly enough to have your personal problems show up for all to see, but that doesn’t mean that an experienced recruiter won’t be able to find the pictures of you groping Hillary Clinton.

So make sure that you take a good hard look at all of the personal material that is posted about you from a recruiter’s perspective. If you see something that might look offensive, or that could be taken out of context by a stranger, remove it. It might make the difference between an interview and a prolonged job hunt.

Unique Job Postings

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Every now and then I come across a job posting that catches my eye – not because the job is one that I want to do, but rather because of the uniqueness of the position.

So in the spirit of showing you a possible new career path, check this out. The WWE is apparently looking to hire a new announcer.

Something to aspire to I guess…

Thanks to Jared for pointing this out to me!

How to Kill the Perfect Cover Letter

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It is amazing that with all of the advice available on writing a great cover letter, mistakes continue to be made. This isn’t to say that you have to be perfect 100% of the time, but you do need to strive for perfection.

So how to you kill a great cover letter?

Grammar and Spelling: Not only is this the fastest way to ruin a cover letter, it is also the most preventable. Proofreading your cover letter will ensure that you won’t be rejected for preventable mistakes. It only take a few minutes and it can make all the difference in landing an interview.

Informal Language: Your cover letter is a formal piece of correspondence and not the place for informal language. Avoid slang and conversational language and ensure that the tone of your letter stays professional.

Generic Text: Another major mistake made by job hunters. For many people, the job hunt is a numbers game. It is easy to blast out resumes to every job posting that you come across, with a generic cover letter attached. However, if you don’t give the recruiter the sense that you are interested in their company, success will be hard to come by. Tailor your cover letter to the specific company and you will have more “luck”.

Lying: This is self explanatory. If you are caught lying, you won’t even make it to the interview. Even worse, if your lie is caught after you are hired, it is grounds for immediate dismissal.

Unsigned Letter: A simple mistake but one that is easy to make. If you forget to sign your cover letter, it will give the wrong impression to the interviewer. Double check that each letter you send our has your signature.

Missing Contact Information: If you don’t let them know how to contact you, how do you expect to land an interview?

No Objective: Your cover letter is the start of your personal sales pitch. If the employer doesn’t know what you are selling, or even what job you are applying to, then it is easy to discount you as an applicant. Make sure that you state up front who you are, what you have to offer, and what job you are applying to.

Too Long: You don’t want to overwhelm the reader at first sight. Keep your cover letter brief. It should be no more than one page and should contain no more than five paragraphs.

Keep these pitfalls in mind and you are on your way to a perfect cover letter.

Tips for New Grads In The Workforce

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I found an interesting post over at JobBite called 8 Cold Hard Truths Recent Grads Need To Know About The Work World. It isn’t the type of post that can be thought of as meaningful advice, but it’s a decent on-topic time waster. I also get the impression that some of these come from the author’s personal experiences, but I could be wrong.

As for me, I only agree with the last two points (#7 and #8).

What do you think?

Site Maintenance Complete

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Welcome to the new and improved Gradversity.com!

I have made some changes to the site so that it’s a little easier on the eyes. I wasn’t really happy with the old theme, so I’ll give this design tweak a test run and see how it goes.

So I believe that I have tested all of the functionality, but if you do happen to find something that isn’t working correctly, or isn’t displaying properly, please let me know through the contact page.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more advice for your Entry Level Job search.

Trevor

Site Maintenance

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Hey everyone!

Just to let you know, the site will be up and down sporadically tonight as I upgrade WordPress and upload a redesigned theme. This should only take a few hours, but I promise that it will be well worth the wait.

I’ll post another message when things are back up and running.

See you soon!

Trevor

Big Unemployment Numbers Spell Trouble For Your Job Search

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The unemployment numbers came back late last week and there is only one word to describe them:

Ugly.

According to the data, 626,000 people made initial jobless claims, which was 35,000 more than the previous month. Not only is that an incredible (and depressing) increase, but it also marks a level of jobless claims not seen since 1982.

So what does this mean for your Entry Level job search? It will mean that you have to work harder and do more to get noticed if you want to land an interview and a job.

Downward pressure can be expected in the job market given the number of newly unemployed people looking for work. This means that you will not be competing for jobs with both new graduates and the recently unemployed.

But keep the faith. So long as you are willing to put in the work, you can find a job in any economy. Interviews, if you put in the effort, can always be had. So what can you do to help yourself along? If I had to sum my advice, I would boil it down to these five things:

  1. Stand out from the crowd – Make sure you do everything you can before looking for jobs to make yourself appear unique. These can be life experiences, extra curricular activities, or skills that no one else has.
  2. Network like crazy – Always be looking to meet and mingle with new people. You never know whose company will be looking for its next young superstar!
  3. Prepare a stellar cover letter/resume - When you do find a job (either through networking or a job posting), have the basics of a great application package ready so you can apply quickly with limited effort.
  4. Brush up your interview skills – Don’t memorize answers to every interview question you can think of, rather practice responding to questions you might not be ready for. The ability to think on your feet is vital in an interview.
  5. Follow Up – When you do get a chance to meet someone for an interview, always follow up with a thank you note.

Now I know that this is making it sound far easier than it really is, but you can do this! If you are willing to put in the time and the effort, jobs can be found. Stay positive and good luck!

Monty Python Job Interview

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I love Monty Python! My local cable company used to play reruns late at night while I was in school, but it’s been a long time since I have seen an episode.

Anyway, there’s a great Monty Python job interview sketch over at the CollegeRecruiter.com blog that will certainly lift the spirits of any job hunter. Classic!

Hopefully you never get yourself into an interview like this!

Happy Saturday!

6 Reasons To Turn Down A Job Offer

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If you are a new graduate, recent graduate, or anyone else who is actively looking for work, it’s difficult to imagine any situation where you would turn down a job offer. However, it’s not that unlikely that you may be faced with this situation. I have met employers who take advantage of new graduates and Entry Level Job seekers as they don’t have the experience to know a good deal from a bad (but well disguised) deal.

Given today’s economy, it is extremely difficult to turn down an offer of any kind. That being said, you want to avoid putting yourself in a bad situation.

So here are my 6 reasons for turning down a job offer:

  1. Insufficient Funds: This is usually the big one. Before you get into salary discussions, you need to have a good idea of the salary/wage that you need to live on. Whatever happens, if you aren’t offered enough to live on, the job makes little sense. If this is you, try to discuss your situation with the employer to see if there is some wiggle room for an increased salary. If there is, you will end up with an improved deal. If not, you probably saved yourself from a bad situation. I ran into this when I was looking for my second job. The company I was interviewing with was offering me less than I was previously making because they knew I was in a bad situation. The worst part was, they weren’t willing to budge. Ultimately, I turned down the offer.
  2. Commission Structure: One of the things that pains me most is to see a company offer a new graduate a deal where they are paid almost solely on commission. I came across this when I met the “photocopier guy”. His job was to go around to companies and sell photocopiers. His pay was based solely on commission. If he didn’t sell any photocopiers, he didn’t get paid. Needless to say, he wasn’t very happy. Don’t get yourself into this situation.
  3. Last Minute Changes: If an employer tries to change the agreed-upon deal right before you accept, this is often a bad sign – especially if it involves money. If you are initially offered certain salary, vacation, or benefits, and the deal decreases in value before signing (often accompanied with some story about financial duress) then you should stay away and reject the offer.
  4. Better offer: Every once and a while this will come up. Occasionally, when interviewing for different jobs, you may have an offer come in from another company that is better than your current offer. You may decide to negotiate with the original company, or accept the new offer. Either way, this is a clear sign that the original deal is “stale”.
  5. Bait and Switch: If the company tries to change the job or job description right before you are hired, walk away. I once met a guy who took a software development job, only to find out that they needed system administrator instead. He didn’t find out until later that the job he wanted didn’t exist. Make sure you read the fine print before accepting.
  6. Gut Feeling: Every once and a while, it just doesn’t feel right. If your Spidey-Sense is tingling and you don’t feel good about the company. Walk away. More often than not your gut will lead you in the right direction.

Obviously, it is hard to turn down any type of employment when you need a job. Just be careful to keep your eyes peeled for the warning signs so you don’t get yourself into a bad situation.

Job Search Tax Deductions

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Well you learn something new everyday! According to Bargaineering, if you live in the US you can claim certain job-search related expenses as deductions on your income tax. According to the article, this can include travel expenses and agency fees (among others).

It’s just too bad that the fine print says that the expenses can’t be for an Entry Level Job!

Take a peek here!

10 Great Job Search Resources

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I love finding new online resources!

If you can get past the self-promotion, Jason at JibberJobber has an interesting post on his favorite online job search resources. Not only are there links to some old favorites (including Indeed and LinkedIn), he also has links to some new resources that I wasn’t even aware of (such as Emurse and Twellow).

If you haven’t seen this list, check it out here!

Why working abroad can get you the job

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There are very few things that I regret, but one of them is not looking abroad for work when I graduated from university. Having been out of school for a few years now, it’s becoming clear that international work experience would have been a great asset.

So why does international work experience help you to land an Entry Level Job here at home? Here are a few reasons:

  1. Make your resume pop: When you are forced to compete with hundreds of applicants for each job, you need to be able to stand out from the crowd. Imagine, as an employer, going through hundreds of resumes, all with similar education and experiences (as you would see with most new graduates). Now imagine coming across a resume with experiences from Europe, Australia, or Japan? You have just been noticed.
  2. Diverse Experiences: Along the same lines, having diverse experiences will show an employer that you are more prepared for a position than other applicants. A candidate who has had experiences in a broad range of jobs (usually summer and part time jobs at this point) will show an ability to tackle a diverse set of tasks, a definite plus for any employer looking for a well-rounded member of their team.
  3. Personal Growth: Personal growth is another key aspect of international work experience. Not only will this benefit you in the future when it comes to enhancing your career, it sends a strong signal to employers that you are always looking to improve yourself.
  4. Taking Risks: Finally, employers love a (calculated) risk taker. It is always a great risk to move outside of your comfort zone for a period of time, especially when you leave home, your friends, and your family behind. Show you can take these risks, and employers will be more likely to take a chance on you in return.

If you get the opportunity to work abroad, take it! It may make the difference in your next job!

Monster Super Bowl Ad

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What a game last night! I can’t believe that the Steelers pulled out the last-minute victory. Unreal!

But as much as I loved the game, the ads were the main attraction for me. So just in case you missed it, here’s the Monster.com Super Bowl commercial. Here’s to hoping you are never “under the moose”.

Enjoy!

January 2009 Roundup

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Happy February Everyone!

It’s time for the monthly roundup where I provide a look back at some of the best posts that January 2009 had to offer:

  1. How to sabotage your job search
  2. Why network?
  3. Resumes vs Cover Letters
  4. Best. Job. Ever.
  5. Job Hunting 2.0
  6. Obama and your job search
  7. Confessions from HR
  8. You need to read this (because I made this mistake)
  9. Best Companies for New Grads to Work for (2009 Edition)

Enjoy!