Advice for New Graduates to Compete Successfully
You’ve heard the hype. The economy is bad. There aren’t any jobs to be had. Things are tough all over, kid. But since when do you listen to the naysayers?
Sure, you’re not going to step out of college and into a CFO position. But you’re also not stepping into a part-time job selling hot dogs on the side of the road. Being realistic about your opportunities goes both ways, and the most fatal mistake job seekers make is selling themselves short.
Be Confident
Congratulations, you have a college degree! Maybe you weren’t in the top of your class with a full academic scholarship, but you have a higher education and that means something to hiring managers. What it means exactly is that you have the latest information about your field of study. You’ve most likely worked with cutting-edge technology. And you’re not so set in your ways that you can’t be trained. This gives you a distinct advantage over people who aren’t fresh out of school. When you go to interviews, remember this.
Be Enthusiastic
College graduates have something many other job applicants don’t have. Enthusiasm! All things being equal, someone with a positive attitude will get the job over someone who is jaded, indifferent, or world weary. It’s not all about what you know. It’s also about who you are. Show hiring managers that you’re someone other people would want to work with.
Be Strategic
Employers are looking for long term investments and are hopeful that you will be loyal to their company. When they ask you what your five year plan is, don’t tell them that you hope to be traveling in Europe. Nor should you point to the company president and say, “I want to be there.” Consider your audience.
Be Persistent
Don’t be so confident that you think everyone should want you. Always tailor your resume and cover letter for each position. Follow up with a phone call. If you don’t hear from the employer in 4 weeks, send another letter with another resume. Call again. Don’t give up until you’ve heard a definitive answer. If it’s a “no” send a thank you letter anyway to ask that they keep you in mind for any future positions. Repeat for each job search. If you want an employer to see you’re willing to go the extra mile, show them up front.
Being a realist when it comes to job searching is hard work. Sure, it takes work to get work. But landing a job and putting yourself on the road to a successful career is worth it.
If You Lack the Required Education for the Position
No matter how well you prepare for a career, it’s rare when your professional or academic background perfectly matches all of the employer requested qualifications.
Despite this, there are ways to overcome perceived deficiencies in your academic history, while proving you are a good match for the position.
1. If you have some college, but lack a degree: These days most positions require, at the very least, a bachelor’s degree. However, life experience can be as important. If you ran your own business or have a stellar work history, showcase that. After all, that’s what college is preparing you for.
Equally important is specialized training. In some industries, this may be far preferred to a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts. Be certain to list the names of courses, sponsoring agency, and the dates of completion.
Last, but not least, it would be wise to list some of the coursework you took while in college, as long as it’s related to your current career goal.
2. If you have a Bachelor’s degree, but lack a Masters: Again, the hiring authority may very well consider a candidate who has real world expertise, rather than an academic degree. This is especially true if your work history had been unbroken and has shown a steady progression to positions of ever increasing authority.
Also, be sure to showcase quantified Career Accomplishments as these provide ample evidence that you are skilled in your chosen profession, and can get the job done for the new company.
3. You have a Masters, but lack a Doctorate: In some instances, a PhD will be a requirement that cannot be overlooked. However, if you are currently pursuing a PhD, and expect to receive it within the year, you might be able to convince a hiring authority to consider you for the position. Hiring managers, especially if they are interested in a candidate, are generally willing to be flexible.
4. When specialized training is required: Before passing on these positions, research what the specialized training entails. It could very well be that your experience and academics is a close match. Just be certain to make that connection in your resume and cover letter to the employer.
Another option is to consider signing up for the training course, and including that bit of information in your documents.
The key is to always showcase what you have in a way which proves to the hiring manager that you can get the job done, and do it well. If you need help figuring out how to do this, you may want to contact one of the many professional resume writing services on the market. These companies employ professional resume writers and editors who specialize in helping candidates develop compelling resumes and CVs that stand out in a field of qualified applicants.
If You Were Fired From Your Last Job
Few things are as disheartening to a professional as being fired from a position. But there are ways to minimize the damage on your new resume, and make it an effective marketing tool. Today’s professional resume writing services can help you divert hiring managers’ attention away from your job loss and redirect it to the positive aspects of your resume and cover letter. Read below to find out how.
1. Let the resume format work for you in downplaying the loss of a job.
Instead of using a reverse chronological format that accentuates employment dates, use a functional format that showcases what you know rather than where you attained that expertise. For an accountant that would mean highlighting skills in reconciling accounts, generating tax returns, implementing internal controls, etc. The fact that these skills were attained at XYZ Company is minimized as employer names are not mentioned until the very end of the resume.
2. Use dates of employment to your advantage.
If you were fired from a job of short duration that fell within the same year as your last position, it can be completely excluded. For example – you worked at ABC Company from March to September of 2010. Before that, you worked at DEF Company from July of 2002 to February of 2010. Simply list the second company (DEF) with the years of employment (2002-2010). This will show an unbroken employment record.
3. Never explain on a resume that you were fired.
As much as hiring managers want to be fair and open-minded, they are only human and will tend to dismiss any candidate who admits to being fired. No matter how you try to explain your dismissal (eg: “It was office politics.” “My manager didn’t like me; I have no idea why.” “It’s because I’m old; they wanted someone younger.” “They didn’t want to pay me a living wage so they hired someone less expensive.”), the explanation will still sound negative.
4. Don’t confuse being laid off or let go due to downsizing as being fired.
If your company was bought out by another firm and you were let go, that’s not the same as being fired. If your position has been eliminated (for whatever reason), you weren’t technically fired. Hiring managers tend to look at “being fired” as a negative that was caused by the employee (eg: they stole company funds, they were always late to work, they didn’t fulfill their daily duties, etc.) It’s important to note the distinction and to list those jobs on your resume when economic conditions, beyond your control, were a factor.
5. When there’s no way to avoid the fact that you’ve been fired.
If the industry you’re working in is a small one and everyone knows about your job loss, then it’s essential to showcase the positive (what you achieved at the job or what you learned), and to minimize the negative (confrontations with management or co-workers). A job search is not the time to prove that you were treated unfairly at the last company – rather, it’s the time to prove to the new company that you can excel because of your unique set of skills and qualifications.
If Your Jobs Have Mainly Been as a Contract Worker
Temporary (contract) employees are the wave of the future. Companies no longer have to worry about benefits or keeping someone on who doesn’t fit in with the corporate culture. Of course, that leaves many individuals with ten or more short-termed positions to detail on a resume.
Although it seems daunting and impossible to attract a hiring manager’s attention with that kind of data, it can be done.
1. IF YOU’VE WORKED SIX JOBS THROUGH ONE TEMPORARY AGENCY, LIST THE AGENCY’S NAME AS THE EMPLOYER:
Technically speaking, the agency – not the company where you actually do the work – is the employer and should be listed as such. If you’re like most contract workers, you do the same job for a number of companies, and you should detail those duties one time only beneath your job title, which will also include the employer list. For example:
FIRST STAFFING AGENCY, White Plains, New York, 2001 – Present
Administrative Assistant
(XYZ Company, RRT Company, ABC Company, & CDF Company)
* Generate correspondence for staff and senior executives.
* Answer telephone inquiries.
* Maintain inventory of office supplies.
The above is organized and provides relevant data without repetition.
2. USE THE OPENING SUMMARY TO PROMOTE THE SKILLS IT TAKES TO SUCCEED AS A CONTRACT EMPLOYEE:
Showcase your time management skills (especially if you’ve been asked – at the last moment – to accept a position because of an emergency staff shortage), how you thrive on change and meeting new people, what a quick learner you are (every company has its own policies and procedures that new staff must adhere to), and the range of your skills, which have to be comprehensive in order to move from company to company on short notice. In other words, show the hiring manager that you can make a quick, seamless transition from your contract job into a more permanent position at the targeted company.
3. SHOWCASE ANY CONTRACT JOBS IN WHICH THE CONTRACT WAS EXTENDED OR YOU WERE ASKED TO STAY ON:
Detail why you were offered a permanent position, and where it led – either to a promotion or to increased responsibility. The key is to show the new hiring manager that you have what it takes to get the job done.
