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Job tips for graduates - Money Talks
Ebony, Oct, 2003
The best time for students to start looking for a postgraduate job is: (A.) During their freshman year of college. (B.) During their sophomore year of college. (C.) Just before they graduate.
Many students think "C" is the correct answer, but college career counselors say students should start looking for a postgraduate job no later than their sophomore year, and as early as their freshman year.
"Too many students think, 'All I have to do is get my degree,'" says Harry Clack, director of the Cooperative Education and Placement Services Center at Texas Southern University. "The good news for recent graduates is they completed their degree programs. The bad news is hundreds of thousands of other students are also graduating with degrees at the same time. The sooner graduates can separate themselves from other candidates, the better off they'll be."
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Clack and other career professionals say internships, co-ops and even volunteer experience started as early as the freshman year help recent college graduates get an edge in networking and finding employment.
Brenda Davis, director of career development at Alabama A&M University, recommends that students start working co-ops and internships no later than their sophomore year in order to get themselves in the job market. Davis says it's also a good idea to work a co-op in the first or second year of school so that students can decide if their major is the career field in which they really want to work.
During the job search, students should go to their school's student affairs office or career center to look for job postings and ask for referrals. They should also try Internet Web sites, career fairs and employment agencies. They shouldn't be afraid to network and ask friends, relatives and acquaintances about possible openings.
A good grade point average, work experience and a degree usually make graduates more marketable. Employers also evaluate a graduate's involvement in campus life and with the community to judge how well he or she will get along with others in the company.
When your work experience, education, community involvement and resume land you an interview, don't assume the interviewer knows that you want the job. By the end of the interview, say you are interested in being hired.
Sending a thank-you note to each person who interviewed you helps you to stand out from other applicants, and it reminds interviewers what you discussed. It's also another chance to highlight the skills you can bring to the job.
5 Best Ways To Get A JOB
1 FIRST, START your job search early. Use the Internet and your school's career center to research the stability and growth trends of companies that interest you.
2 HONESTLY ASSESS your skills and decide which jobs and companies you match.
3 THINK ABOUT possible interview questions, and practice how you will answer them.
4 RECENT GRADUATES shouldn't look for the highest-paying job in the biggest cities. Don't have an unrealistic expectation of what your salary should be.
5 YOUR RESUME IS YOUR introduction to a company and should be prepared carefully, listing marketable skills that will benefit the company. Keep it simple and short, but complete. And before submitting the resume, make sure someone else reads it to check for mistakes.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
