Career Center Success

Your college or university’s career center has a wealth of resources at your disposal to help you make better career decisions and sharpen your skills to make you a standout candidate in interviews. Unfortunately, many college students fail to use the career center…or fail to use it correctly. Read on for some tips on how to make the most of your time at the career center.

• Maintain realistic expectations: Many students think that they can waltz right in to their college career center and there will be a resume or even a job waiting for them on a silver platter. Not true! Think about it: would you go to a library and expect the librarian to do your research for you? Of course not! A career center provides assistance, from critiquing your resume to putting you through a mock interview, but it will not do the work for you. Expect to put in some work.


• Have a goal: It’s frustrating for career center administrators is to have a student schedule an appointment, come in, and then sit there expecting to be told what to do. Ask yourself this question: “what is my purpose in visiting the career center today?” The answer to this question should guide your conversation and make your visit more productive, keeping you from feeling frustrated.


• Engage in the process: Your time is precious and you should expect outstanding service from your career center. If you feel your needs are not being met, say so. Those in a career center truly want to help you. Be vocal with and committed to your goals to experience success!

Use Strategy When Selecting References

Today, we’ll focus on the strategy of selecting the right mix of references. For other, more general information about professional references, check out our past Daily Leap blog entries.

Professional Context

First, consider the information your references can provide about you from a professional context. What do they know of your qualifications and working style in various circumstances? For example, have they worked with you in a large organization or a small start-up environment? Is it someone you’ve worked with on multiple projects or just one significant project? Do they have years of experience working with you or just a few months? Were there special circumstances that warrant mentioning a particular reference, for example, did you work together during a particularly challenging downsizing?

Required Skills

Make sure you use a mix of references who can speak to the skills required for the type of job you’re pursuing. It is not necessary that all your references can speak to all your skills; however, you should have at least one reference who can speak to several. Include others who are familiar with your most critical skills. For example, if you’re pursuing a management position, include at least two references who can talk positively about your leadership abilities.

Roles and Timespan

Be sure to include both managers and colleagues as references and, if applicable, at least one reference who reported to you. Provide a combination of references from your current and past work history, but if much time has elapsed, select people you still maintain some level of contact with.

Interpersonal Skills

Make sure you select references that can interact well in a telephone conversation or e-mail. Although a particular reference might hold you in high regard, if he/she doesn’t communicate well, that person will not be the best reference.

Staying Motivated during a Job Search

For most job seekers, the search process can be long, frustrating, and down-right discouraging. You start out positive and motivated only to find that your motivation depletes after months of receiving very few responses and no job offers. Following are some suggestions for staying motivated throughout your search.

Envision Success

Be realistic—a job search takes time and patience. Throughout the process, visualize your job search resulting in success. Focus on this vision at least once a day.

Set Goals

Setting goals—for example, weekly goals—and acting upon them will help you reach that vision. For example, set a goal for the number of people you plan to network with or the number of target companies you will research each week. Other goals: Attending workshops or classes to sharpen skills.

Organize

Prioritize and schedule weekly job-search activities and organize your contacts. Reach out to all your contacts and keep in touch regularly with those who can be most helpful.

Drop Negative Thoughts and Excuses

If you’re still harboring resentment about your last employer, let it go. Start fresh and focus on new career opportunities. Drop excuses for not contacting or sending a resume to the professionals on your list. Excuses are typically just roadblocks that delay your success.

Step Outside, Literally and Figuratively

Leave your computer and step outside! Use the computers and references at the public library or take your laptop to a coffee house. You’ll feel more connected when you’re surrounded by other people. Plus, stepping outside your comfort zone to introduce yourself to new people or experiences can help you grow, personally and professionally.

Transitioning Out of the Military: 5 Steps to Success

Step 5 – Prepare for Culture Shock

The military culture is unique and very different than civilian culture. No matter how long you have served in the military, you are bound to experience a period of adjustment when leaving the military to join the civilian workforce. Keep in mind, leaving the military is much more than just changing jobs; it is a lifestyle change. Add in relocation to a new state, and you may soon find yourself overwhelmed. There are several key areas of which to beware.

The move from a regimented environment to one that is unstructured. In the military you are conditioned to put military first, the team second, and yourself last. However, in the civilian workplace there is a focus on individuality. You may be surprised by the lack of teamwork and camaraderie. You may find it difficult to connect with coworkers whose work ethic differs from your standards. Be friendly, enthusiastic and positive with your new co-workers.

Lack of a sense of community. The military is a close-knit community. A military base is often a self-contained city, much like small-town America. In the military you are involved with and aware of the personal lives of your team. This will not be the case in the civilian world, where many people tend to keep their personal and work life separate. Without your community, or support system to rely on, you may find your sense of identity shaken. Keep in contact with friends to keep yourself grounded.

Increased personal freedom. For the duration of your military career you have been told what to wear, how to behave, and where and when to report. The lack of direction and standard operating procedure in the civilian world can be disconcerting to a veteran. You must learn to think about yourself and focus on what you want and need to be satisfied in your career.

As a veteran transitioning into working in the civilian world, there are a whole new set of rules you must learn. Remember, less than 1% of the population has served in the military. Chances are, your new coworkers and supervisor has no idea what military life is like. Demonstrate your willingness to adapt and be flexible to new ideas. Perhaps the most important thing for a successful military transition is something veterans do very well, keep a positive, can-do attitude, be persistent, and don’t give up.

Career Pursuit: Practical or Passion-Driven

You’re not alone if you’ve toiled with pursuing a practical career versus one geared toward your professional passion. Often, this means weighing a job or career that is secure, lucrative, and accessible with one in which you’d be doing something you love for less financial gain. Weighing a practical career path versus a professional “calling” is common for those pursuing a first career or a “next” career. However, practical careers have taken on new meaning as the challenged economy creates an uncertain job market.

While there are no guarantees when it comes to finding a lifelong career that satisfies your passion and lifestyle needs, you can do some things to point yourself in the right direction.

Assess Yourself

As a job seeker or someone looking to change careers, consider your values, interests, and talents. Use a formalized approach by tapping into free assessment tests and tools. Start in Career Transitions “Discover My Interests” section for assessment tools.

Another key resource is the online O*Net center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. Go to http://online.onetcenter.org to access an interest profiler, ability profiler, and skills evaluation tool that matches skills to occupations.

Explore and Research Career Paths

After completing various assessment tests and reviewing results, you should have a good idea of the occupations that might be a good match for you. Afterwards, decide which ones interest you, and then do some research. Read up on job responsibilities, the economic outlook and projected growth, average salary range, trends, and more. Again, Career Transitions presents this information in a way that is easy to find and understand in the “Explore Careers” section.

Selecting and pursuing a particular career path is exciting, but it can also be a daunting endeavor. By leveraging available career information and tools, you can make a more informed decision. Whether you opt for a practical career path, one weighted toward your passion, or a balance of both, the choice is yours. Be sure to embrace and enjoy the process and the exciting career opportunities that lie ahead.

Mind Your Brand

When you hear “Trump” what words come to mind? You may think of “luxury,” “success,” or “business.” The associations that you make are no accident; Donald Trump has intentionally created them through vigorous attention to his personal brand. Personal branding is the process by which you deliberately create, control, and maintain your professional reputation. It touches on nearly every aspect of your career life, from how you dress and communicate with others to your social media presence and the knowledge, skills, and abilities you have at your disposal.

Anyone in any profession can create and maintain a personal brand; it is not limited to white-collar workers or CEOs. While there are plenty of resources at your disposal in print and online to help you start shaping your brand (the works of Dan Schawbel and Tom Peters are a great place to start), here are some questions to guide you in your journey of self discovery and professional control.

• How do those I work with describe me professionally?


• What do I think I am currently doing that makes me a strong professional?


• What knowledge, skills, and abilities do I need to further my career?


• What do I do to show others that I enjoy my career?


• How does my online reputation project the professional persona that I want it to?

Creating a Terrific Elevator Pitch

At an industry networking event, you’ve managed to meet a person of influence who happens to work for one of your prospective target employers. You have just a few captive minutes to make a positive first impression and to pitch why you would be a great addition to that organization. With some advance planning and practice, you can be prepared and ready to shine.

Let the ideas flow: Emphasizing action verbs, write down what you do in several different ways. Describe what you do for others. Use language to create a visual and combine the best thoughts together. Rather than “I am a marketing manager in the automotive industry,” say, “I understand the intricacies of the automotive market and create ideas and solutions for decision makers.” Remember to ask yourself, “Why am I making this pitch and what do I want from it?” Maybe you want a formal interview, a referral, or an exchange of business cards. Be sure to specify what you want.

Tell a story: Using those action verbs and keeping your goal in mind, weave what you do into a short story. This is not the time to rattle off your resume. Instead, leave your audience with a memorable snapshot of the best you have to offer.

Practice and record: Practice and record your pitch until it sounds natural, making improvements as you go. Timing your pitch is also important, as you will want to keep it between 30 and 60 seconds.

Make sure you come across as likeable and credible. Leave your audience wanting to hear more.