The top 5 job-hunting tips for 2014 grads

Beginning the search for your first post-graduate job is a daunting process that tens of thousands of people face each year. In my experience, soon-to-be graduates’ most common question is simply, “where do I start?” Fortunately, there are lots of great resources that answer that very question. Before you begin your search, take a minute to read through my five tips for job hunting graduates:

1. Leverage your school's career office as much as possible. 

Most universities have job posting websites, hold job fairs and offer workshops on getting your resume ready for a job search. Take advantage of these free resources while you are still a student. Your university may also be able to connect you with alumni who have already joined the workforce and work at companies you are interested in.

2. Start your networking close to home. 

Reach out to your current network of family and friends. Employers often have candidates referred to them by their employees, so knowing someone at a company can be a great way to get the initial interview. Research has also shown that employers benefit from the referrals by increasing the speed to hire, the quality of the candidates and the average length of employment. For this reason, there are many incentive programs for employees to recommend you. You never know – you may actually be helping your contact as much as they are helping you.

3. Set up job search agents on career sites. 

New grads tend to spend too much time and energy on simple online job searches, in the hopes of coming across a job opening. To bypass that tedious process, set up job search queries on career sites. Search agents allow you to save searches with keywords that crawl job postings all over the Web, across many sites. They will email you listings on a daily basis. This is a great way to hone in on jobs that best match your skills, experience, or interests.

4. Use a job search tracking worksheet. 

As you research, apply, and begin to hear back from companies and recruiters, you will be challenged with keeping track of a lot of information. By creating an organized worksheet, you can you track your resume submissions, networking contacts and interview details all in one place. Several career sites have tools created for this purpose.

5. Negotiate your salary. 

Undergraduates are typically too intimidated to negotiate their salary. Sometimes you won't be able to, and sometimes you may only be able to increase your offer by a little bit, but it helps to practice this important skill beginning with your very first position. You’d be surprised how common and expected salary negotiation is in the hiring process throughout your career.

By starting with these strategies, you will find the process less daunting. This will allow you to focus your time and attention on important job search techniques needed to land your first job, like interviewing and networking

 

By Valerie Sutton

Director, Career Services Office, Harvard Graduate School of Education

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Decoding the interview: How well did you perform?

How long did the interview last? Did the interviewer ask you for references? Small cues can tell you whether the interview was a success or not. Here are some quick signs to decoding the interview.

Thirty minutes or maybe 60 – that is generally the length of an interview. Sometimes I wonder that in this short window I am supposed to judge a person – whether he comes on board the ship – is that realistic? Companies have also come up with assessment tests but human brain can be tested and not the person. I am hiring a person and not buying a machine. Features can be assessed but can you judge a person in 30 mins?

The top management of the organisation possibly wants to hire the best motivated person for the job. Yet do they really have a clue as to how hiring is happening at the ground level? Steve Jobs had admitted that the ONLY reason for the success of APPLE was that he got the best people for the job. HR is possibly the most underrated function in an organisation yet it holds the key to the success of an organisation. If you get the wrong person to work on the best machine – the results are pretty obvious! HR can be the watch dog of hiring decisions yet they have little control on the hiring process other than screening resumes, meeting targets, and rolling out policies.

A person who walks into your organisation has a little hope in his/her heart that s/he may join this organisation. The conversation normally veers around skills and experience. And maybe education or possibly family background. Do we think that this person has the passion to scale up and learn? Will he bond with my team and help others to grow? Will he take initiative in completing the job and walking the extra mile?

While we will take time to mature the interviewing process into more people centric conversations for selecting people as compared to skill based interviews, here are some quick signs to decoding the interview:

1. If the length of the interview is less than 15 minutes then you are out of the race unless you are told explicitly that you can join! The interviewer allocates a time scale for each interview that is normally 30-60 minutes . Alternatively if your interview goes over the average time length then this is normally a good indicator that you are seriously being considered and that is why time is being invested in you.

2. You are asked for references! If so this is a positive sign as they would be very unlikely to ask you for references unless they are going to check them out with the intention of offering you the job.

3. You are asked to meet team members or maybe you are shown around the office. This is a very hopeful indication of success. The manager would not risk introducing you to his colleagues if he didn’t think you were suitable for the job.

4. If the potential employer asks about your notice period to the existing employer then this is a positive sign as he is already thinking in terms of when you could start work.

5. If an employer is seriously considering you he will want to know what you are expecting in terms of salary.

Nishta GuptaSource: www.fixerline.com

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The 5 Biggest Job Interview Mistakes You Could Possibly Make

Congratulations! You’ve gotten an interview for that job you want. The next step is to ace it and get closer to getting hired. To do that, you’ll want to avoid making one -- or more -- of these five big job interview mistakes.

Criticizing a Previous Employer

Putting down the company you’re trying to leave or one you’ve worked for in the past gives off the impression you’re a negative person who can’t let go of the past. It also may make people wonder what you’d say about their company if they hire you.

 

Also, “it's not a good sign if you're saying really mean things about your old boss,” says Jacob Shriar, a growth manager at Officevibe. “It doesn't make you look good.”

Missing Opportunities to Prove Yourself

 

Interviewers will ask questions that give you the chance to demonstrate your qualifications and show you have what it takes to do the job. “Failure to answer questions with ESR (Example, Specifics, Results) responses,” is a failure to make the most of the interview, says Hank Boyer, president and CEO of Boyer Management Group.

 

“Most questions offer you the opportunity in your answer to provide the interviewer with specific, relevant examples of you accomplishing some type of measurable result that benefited the employer,” says Boyer. “This requires you to have done your homework ahead of time, and to accurately portray what happened, so that when the employer verifies your story with prior employers, it matches what you said.”

 

Providing the Wrong Recommendations

 

When you first hit the job market, it’s easy to think you don’t have any connections who could serve as professional recommendations. The answer is not to use your mom, your uncle or some other personal contact as a reference.

 

“When graduating from high school or college one thinks they don't know anyone and therefore don't have references they can use,” says Carolyn R. Owens, founder and president of Infinity Coaching. “They decide to bring to the interview a letter from their parents stating how great of a son or daughter they are; this does not go over well with hiring managers and the candidate is not taken seriously.”

 

Setting Yourself Up to Fail on Social Media

 

Social media is part of the process companies use to vet prospective employees these days. Before you walk into an interview, there’s a good chance your prospective employer is looking at your Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Tumblr, Google +, and other social media accounts. If they don’t like what they see, your interview may be doomed.

 

“Posting on social media sites how you have interviewed countlessly unsuccessfully or a picture of you partying the night before an interview,” says career coach Chantay Bridges. “This is not what a potential employer wants to see” and it’s not doing you any favors.

 

Bringing Children Along

 

This may seem obvious, but career coach Jill MacFadyen says she once saw a “man [arrive] for the interview with a toddler. He had on a leather jacket. The toddler had no socks and no jacket, and it was cold.”

 

The leather jacket and the toddler weren’t the biggest problems, though. “In general, big mistakes are not showcasing how you meet the company needs,” says MacFayden. If you show up late, improperly dressed, without having done research, or even with a child in tow, you’re showing the company exactly why they don’t need you instead of what they could gain by accepting you for the position.

By Hannah Hamilton

Monster Contributing Writer

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Interview Preparation

Do Your Homework

Learn as much as you can about the opportunity and the interviewing organization. Evaluate your own knowledge, skills and abilities and think about how you qualify for the opportunity. Find out information about the organization ahead of time.

General Questions

• What is the name of the interviewer(s)?
• Where will your interview be conducted? When and for how long?

College or University

• Is it public or private? State or municipal? Land grant? What majors are the most popular? How many students attend? Can you study online?
• Do you know any students who attend? If so, ask them how they like going there.
• What is the rate of admission? Of graduation? What scores do students usually need for acceptance? What is the rate of employment upon graduation in your field or area of interest?
• What are the expectations? Do you need to have a laptop when you arrive? Will you be traveling during breaks?

Award

• Is this award given every year? How is it funded? How many winners will be selected?
• Do you know any previous winners? If so, talk to them about their experience as an award winner.
• What are the criteria and qualifications for selection? Do they offer other awards similar to this one for which you might apply?
• What are the expectations? Will you be writing a report or making a presentation about your experience as the winner?

Employment

• How long have they been in business? What goods or services do they provide? How many employees do they have?
• Do you know any people who currently work there? If so, ask them how they like working there.
• What will the responsibilities be? What skills and knowledge will you need to do this job? Are there opportunities for increased responsibility or advancement?
• What are the expectations? Is this a full-time or a part-time job? Is the schedule flexible and will it fit your other responsibilities?

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