Career Advice for College Grads: 7 Tips for Success

Congrats grads! This is an exciting time for you, full of possibilities. Many of you may have plans or even a job lined up, but many of you may be asking, now what?

Congratulations graduate! Now what?

Here are seven tips to help you get ready for the working world:

1. Get your resume ready.

Resumes should tell a story about who you are as a person and what your skills and talents are. Clearly, a 21-year old is not going to have the same resume as a seasoned pro, but employers know this, so don’t worry about impressive credentials. Just do the best you can with your experience so far and find things that highlight your strengths and skills. Click here to read what the pros at Harvard say a good resume should look like.

2. Showcase your skills and responsibilities.

Any kind of job, internship, volunteer work, or affiliation should go on your resume. Whatever you did that reflects leadership and responsibility should go on your resume, whether it’s lifeguarding or babysitting or serving as chair of your college’s housing committee. Did your manager give you responsibility, like locking up at night, opening in the morning, or making deposits? Did you serve as membership chair for your sorority? Captain of the baseball team? Chairman of the campus recyclers? Include it.

You were a lifeguard? That counts! Put it on.

Volunteer work should also go on your resume. Volunteering shows a level of social and community consciousness and commitment that many employers find valuable. It’s also good work experience, especially if you served in a leadership or managerial position.

And one last thing: never, ever lie, fudge the truth, or exaggerate what you did. Ever.

3. Don't be clever.

Resumes should be simple, easy to read, and written in a standard format. Don't get fancy or creative. Don’t use fancy fonts or colored paper. You want to stand out because of who you are, not because your resume is kitschy. And always spell check.

It's true. Make sure you write properly.

4. Use your college.

Your college wants you to be a successful alum, so most provide a career center or alumni network that you can use. These services can be a mixed bag, but they are always worth checking out. Many colleges offer career counseling, job fairs, and internship programs. Some will set up real or practice interviews for you, help you with your resume, and hone your interview skills. Many offer personality and skills tests that can help you focus on your career choices.

You should definitely leverage the alumni relations department, especially at schools with a lot of school spirit. Most alumni who registered with the career center are more than willing to help new graduates. Usually, these alumni are broken out by profession and can be counted on to provide information about a certain field, advice on getting into it, and will review your resume. They may also offer internships, informational interviews, and invaluable contacts in your field. Don’t be shy—this is networking, and it is one of the best ways to get a job.

5. Use your family and friends.

Network with the people around you. Does your roommate’s dad work for a company you like? Does your mom’s best friend have your dream job? Is there a professor who thinks you’re great? Does a friend or neighbor have a parent, sibling, or associate in your field? You may be surprised that your Aunt Mary knows so-and-so, who can land you a great job or at least an interview. Cast a wide net, and don’t be shy. This is what networking is all about.

This is a don't. No cute paper, ever.

6. Don’t take the summer off.

While this is your last summer of “freedom,” think twice about taking the summer off before you start looking for a job. There are millions of other graduates (and seasoned workers!) who are in the market. Look at the hiring cycle of your desired profession or industry. If you want to enter one that actively seeks college graduates, then taking the summer off is not a good idea. In other professions, entry-level jobs may open up all the time, so taking one last summer off may not be a big deal, but remember: jobs are scarce and the market is tough.

If it's out there your employer will find it.

7. Clean up your e-life.

One of the first things your prospective employer will do is Google you and search social media. If there is something embarrassing or unflattering they will find it, so take down any embarrassing or inappropriate posts. Drunk pictures and postings? Remove them. Salacious content? Strike it. X-rate videos? C’mon. Whatever is out there they can find, so do yourself a favor and clean it up.

Good luck!

~~~

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Resume and job advice for college grads: Six tips for success

Congratulations graduates! You are done with school and ready to join the working world. Here are six tips to help you get ready to find a job:

Congrats grads! Here are six tips for success.

1. Get your resume ready.

Resumes should tell a story about who you are as a person and what your skills and talents are. Clearly, a 21-year old is not going to have the same resume as a seasoned pro, but employers know this, so don’t worry about impressive credentials. Just do the best you can with your experience so far and find things that highlight your strengths and skills.

2. Showcase your skills and responsibilities.

Any kind of job, internship, volunteer work, or affiliation should go on your resume. Whatever you did that reflects leadership and responsibility should go on your resume, whether it’s lifeguarding or babysitting or serving as chair of the school’s housing committee. Did your manager give you responsibility, like locking up at night, opening in the morning, or making deposits? Did you serve as membership chair for your sorority? Captain of the baseball team? Chairman of the campus recyclers?

If you volunteered put it on. Volunteering shows a level of social and community consciousness and commitment that many employers find valuable. It’s also good work experience, especially if you served in a leadership or managerial position.

And one last thing: never, ever lie, fudge the truth, or exaggerate what you did. Ever.

This is a resume no-no!

3. Don't be clever.

Resumes should be simple, easy to read, and written in a standard format. Don't get fancy or creative. Don’t use fancy fonts or colored paper. You want to stand out because of who you are, not because your resume is kitschy. Unless you’ve had a lot of jobs, don't go over one page. And always, always, always spell check. Nothing sinks a candidate quicker than misspelling liaison.

4. Use your college.

Your college wants you to be a successful alum, so most colleges provide a career center or alumni network that you can use. These services can be a mixed bag, but they are always worth checking out. Many colleges offer career counseling, job fairs, and internship programs. Some will set up real or practice interviews for you, help you with your resume, and hone your interview skills. Many offer personality and skills tests that can help you focus on your career choices.

You should definitely leverage the alumni relations department, especially at schools with a lot of school spirit. Most alumni who registered with the career center are more than willing to help new graduates. Usually, these alumni are broken out by profession and can be counted on to provide information about a certain field, advice on getting into it, and will review your resume. They may also off internships, informational interviews, and invaluable contacts in your field. Don’t be shy—this is networking, and it is one of the best ways to get a job.

5. Use your family and friends.

Does your roommate’s dad work for the a company you like? Does your mom’s best friend have your dream job? Is there a professor who thinks you’re great? Does a friend or neighbor have a parent, sibling, or associate in your field? Network with the people around you. You may be surprised that your Aunt knows so-and-so, who can land you a great job or at least an interview. Cast a wide net, and don’t be shy. This is what networking is all about.

6. Don’t take the summer off.

While this is your last summer of “freedom,” think twice about taking the summer off before you start looking for a job. There are millions of other graduates (and seasoned workers!) who are getting out of the gate and into the market. Look at the hiring cycle of your desired profession or industry. If you want to enter one that actively seeks college graduates, then taking the summer off is not a good idea. In other professions, entry-level jobs may open up all the time, so taking one last summer off may not be a big deal, but remember: jobs are scarce and the market is tough.

Use these six steps and they will pay off. Good luck!

Career advice for college grads: Five tips for career readiness

Congratulations, graduates! Now the hard work of getting into the working world begins. Though there are many different areas to focus on, there is a simple prescription for a successful and smooth entry into the workforce, and it starts here:

1. The all-important resume. Resumes should tell a story about who you are and what your skills and talents are. Clearly, a 21-year old is not going to have the same resume as a seasoned veteran, but employers know this, so don’t worry about impressive credentials. Just do the best you can with your experience so far and find things that highlight your strengths and applicable skills.

2. What to put on your resume. Any kind of job, internship, volunteer work, or affiliation needs to go on your resume. The most important thing about “starter” jobs is to show that you were given responsibility -- If you were a lifeguard, put it on (that’s a position of great responsibility). If you worked in an ice-cream shop, put it on. Did your manager give you tasks that reflected a level of responsibility, like locking up at night, opening in the morning, making deposits, running the register? Also highlight those jobs or activities in which you were part of a team and helped lead it or had responsibility of some sort: Did you hold any leadership positions in clubs or sports team? Did you help with fundraisers or special events? Did you do volunteer work? Whatever you did or were involved in that reflects leadership and responsibility should go on your resume.

3. What the resume should look like. Don’t get fancy. Resumes should be simple, easily readable, and written in a standard format. Google "how to write a resume" to get a sense of what is standard. Don’t go over one page (unless you have had  a lot of jobs) and don’t use fancy fonts or colored paper. Pink paper and unreadable type are annoying to an employer. You want to stand out because of who you are, not because your resume is kitschy. And always, always, always spell check. Nothing sinks a candidate quicker than misspelling liaison.

4. Use your college. Your college wants you to be a successful alum, so use their career center. Many colleges offer career counseling, job fairs, and internship programs. Some will set up real or practice interviews for you and help you with your resume. Many offer personality and skills tests that can help you focus on your career choices.

And use your school's alumni network! Most alums registered with the career center are more than willing to help new graduates. Usually, they are broken out by profession and can be counted on to provide information about a certain field, advice on getting into it, and will review your resume. They may also off internships, informational interviews, and invaluable contacts in your field. Don’t be shy—this is networking, and it is one of the best ways to get a job. Use your friends and professors, too. Does someone have a parent, sibling, or associate in your field? Again, don’t be shy. This is what networking is all about.

5. Think before you take the summer off. While it may be true that this is your last summer of “freedom,” you need to remember that there are millions of other graduates who are getting out of the gate and into the market. Look at the hiring cycle of your desired profession or industry. If you want to enter one that actively seeks college graduates, then taking the summer off is not a good idea. In other professions, entry-level jobs open up all the time, so taking one last summer off may not be a big deal. But remember: this is not the same economy as five years ago; jobs are scarce and the market is tough.