Young job seekers entering the job market may find themselves in work environments where they’re the youngest among older workers with more experience. Your age shouldn’t keep you from finding work, but your behavior and attitude can. Here are some common missteps young job seekers make that can turn off potential employers, and possibly cost you a great career opportunity.
What to Do When You Don’t Know What You Want to Do
My friend Sara went to school for graphic design and now has a job as a marketing designer. My friend Joe majored in computer science and just got a software development job earning six figures. My friend Michelle studied environmental science and just got into one of the nation’s top forestry science graduate programs.
They are a minority among my friends from college – they knew what they wanted to do going into school, and now they’re doing it. Most of my friends who have graduated still have no idea what they want to do. Their diplomas are just a reminder of the thousands of dollars in student loans they owe, with no fulfilling job and no paycheck. Read More
Action Items for Job Market Newbies
You’ve never done this “job search” thing before, or maybe you’ve only dipped into the process when you got a summer job last year. Let’s talk about what actions new college graduates can take in today’s job market. Read More
New Grads: Survive and Thrive in 2012 Job Market
The job marketing is looking better for college graduates this year than in 2011. According to a recent report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, employers responding to the 2012 Job Outlook Spring Update say they expect to hire 10.2 percent more new college graduates from the college Class of 2012 than they did from the Class of 2011. Read More
Multi-Generational Workforce: Take Two
A recent Jobfully blog highlighted some of the differences between older and younger workers in today’s workforce. The blog cautioned older job seekers from jumping to conclusions about the new generation. But younger job seekers have a lot to learn too. This blog is a response from one Gen-Yer on what we can do to work well in a multi-generational workforce, and how we can use our different work approach to get most out of our job search. Read More
How Liberal Arts Degrees Help Your Job Search
“Your major was what?! What in the world are you going to do with that major?” Have you heard this before? If college was a time to major in a subject that was really interesting but not much consideration for future careers, then this blog is for you. Having a degree that doesn’t connect to an obvious profession doesn’t have to limit what you can do in life. In fact, it can open many opportunities.
Job Search Resources for Graduating College Students
Finding a job when you’re about to graduate from college can feel daunting. You’ve just spent years of your life earning a degree, and now it’s time to get out there and use it. Many students stay so focused on graduating that they don’t know where to start when it comes to finding a real job. Before you leave campus to start your search, be sure to take advantage of the resources that are readily available to you. Read More
Jump-start Your Digital Job Search
I just came across an interesting article on College Aftermath about some best tactics for the modern job search. The article is right on about today’s job search – in the digital age, your job search is completely different than even ten years ago and it should absolutely begin online. The tips for applying to jobs over the Internet are fine – if you are applying through the classic job portal online. But before you do that, remember to check your network:
Action Items for New College Grads Looking for Work
In our last blog, we went over some food for thoughts for new college graduates to identify a clear and focused entry into the job market. Today, we will talk about what actions new college graduate can take once they have a good idea on what they are looking for in today’s job market.
Sanitize web image. Potential employers are increasingly Goggling candidates, looking at their Facebook pages and LinkedIn profile. College students are particularly vulnerable to getting a bad “web reputation”. As job seekers, they must do everything possible to clean up their web image, removing or privatizing photos and other content and also creating a positive web presence through a LinkedIn Profile, a professional blog or a professional web page.
Job Seeking for New College Grads
A challenging job market awaits the tens of thousands of college graduates who receive their diplomas this month. One recent estimate is that 17% of people ages 20 to 24 do not have a job and two million college graduates are unemployed. The good news is that the job market for recent college grads is improving, with hiring up 5% according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Even with less than ideal numbers, there is much new college graduates can do to find fulfilling employment.