Whatever you do, don’t give up.

April 19, 2012

The words "Don't give up" written in graffiti on a wall

Doug Fischer is an out-going Peer Advisor at The Career Center, graduating in a few short days. Today he shares his own experience with the job search, and some advice for you if you’re still searching for the right fit. Thanks Doug!

It’s nearing the end of April. You are a Senior graduating on the 28th. You are jobless and unsure of what lies ahead in your future. You’ve applied to a number of positions, gotten a few interviews, maybe not, but nothing has panned out yet. What do you do now? Whatever you do, don’t freak out! Believe me, I was in your position just a few weeks ago and freaking out seemed like a pretty fair reaction.

After final round interviews for the job I had thought was “perfect” for me did not lead to a position, confidence was lacking and disappointment settled in. But I listened to Winston Churchill’s advice, “If you are going through hell, keep going” and I kept on chugging! I applied to some more jobs, continued attending networking/career events, developed LinkedIn strategies, and grudgingly wrote a few more of those blasted cover letters. Furthermore, I divested my job blinders and took a more open approach to the available opportunities. I am a sports guy, always have been, always will be, but I strayed slightly from the sports path and looked into anything related to my skills and interests. I realized that straight out of college, I probably was not going to land what I close-mindedly dubbed my “dream job” and also discovered that my mind desired one thing (money, cough cough), but my personality matched others (autonomy, responsibilities, creative environment, professional development). This led to many more types of positions, industries, companies, and people that I could potentially work with and ultimately, directed me to the awesome position I landed with a company called Spark Force.

In applying this to your specific situation, I hope to encourage and motivate you to take a few actions, slightly alter your mindset, and resultantly succeed in finding something to do this next year. To start, (and I cannot emphasize this enough) networking and who you know is incredibly pertinent and useful. Every person you meet and every chance you have to meet new people is important and should be taken advantage of. Whether it’s a networking event, reaching out to people through InCircle, your Dad’s friend’s cousin’s dog’s best friends’ owner, somebody sitting next to you at the bar, professors, informational interviewing, or speed dating, talk to them! Get to know what they do, how they succeeded, who they work with and are connected to, what skills/experience is crucial in their industry, and anything else that could help. Connect with them on LinkedIn, send them occasional e-mails to stay in touch, and NEVER burn bridges. Seriously, you never know what ridiculously random connection or coincidence will lead to a job.

Secondly, have an open mind and consider a variety of positions. There are benefits and advantages to different jobs and just because it isn’t in your ideal industry or the company isn’t a fortune 500 giant, doesn’t mean it won’t be a valuable experience. To go one step further, if you do apply to a number of different positions, I guarantee that the right one will find you. Job openings have a natural way of finding and filling themselves with the most suitable and matched person. If you are extremely creative and autonomous, a position that locks you behind a desk in a traditional environment will not choose you. If philanthropy and corporate social responsibility are critical to you, a for-profit, money-scrounging position most likely won’t select you. Words of wisdom from Garrick Ollivander: “The wand chooses the wizard. That much has always been clear to those of us who have studied wandlore…” Just as the wand made of Holly with a phoenix feather selected Harry Potter, you and your job will mutually find each other.

Lastly, always look for ways to improve. When rejected, explore why and what you can do to correct any mistakes. Constantly improve your resume and cover letters. Ask experts and the people you interact with in your industry to find what is most coveted and what will help set you apart from the rest. Remember, there can only be one! Find ways to stand out and be unique. I largely attribute my job acquisition to the fact that I went above and beyond the calling and developed a marketing plan that I sent them as a Powerpoint presentation. They did not ask for this, but I figured it was a great way to showcase my creativity and ambition outside of the interview process and doubted the other applicants would do this. Think outside of the box and find ways to display your talents and skills, sometimes it’s extremely difficult for recruiters to fully understand your capabilities through an interview.

I hope this helps, because I understand your situation and the increasing anxiety that comes with it. But seriously, believe me when I say that everything will work out. Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture and try to stay optimistic. When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on (FDR). There is plenty of time to get a job and hey, maybe a month or two break from school and responsibility is really what you need! Maybe you’ll discover an incredible opportunity working/traveling abroad or maybe next week you will get that job offer. Whatever you do, don’t give up.

Remember that The Career Center is open now and throughout the summer, so whether you’re a regular or have never been before, we’re here to help you explore your options and find a job that you’re passionate about. If the concerns Doug mentioned above resonate with you, make an appointment to see us!

Photo Credit: Brendan C / CC BY 2.0

Comments Off | General Advising | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by dougfischer

Life After College

March 19, 2012

“We cannot discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

- Anonymous

Photo of girl holding up hands to block her faceWith graduation approaching, I’ve found myself avoiding thought about preparations for life after college.

Ironically, I have spent my entire undergraduate career preparing post-college next steps, absorbing all information on campus like a sponge, taking advantage of the vast resources, workshops and events the University of Michigan has to offer.  Once I reached a point where I was happy with my full-time offer, I immediately halted all other activities correlated with moving to a new location, becoming financially independent, making new friends, leaving old ones, distancing myself from family and changing my lifestyle.

Recently, author Jenny Blake helped me overcome my denial through her book Life After College.  Before publishing her book, Jenny spent almost six years as a career development program manager and internal coach at Google.  Her passion is helping others, and this book is just one of many ways she inspires people to tackle the real world.

Life After College is written like her blog, lifeaftercollege.org, with notable quotes, recommended reading lists, and tweets from college students interspersed throughout text.

When I first picked up the book, I noticed that Jenny frequently prompts readers to sit down with paper and pencil to reflect during each chapter.  I began skipping over these sections, as I did not see the value in writing notes on topics I believed to be well versed in – myself.  I was wrong.  The experience reading and engaging with Jenny Blake’s book highlighted my self-ignorance.

Before reading Life After College, I was not entirely comfortable with my next steps.  Reading and reflecting throughout this book made me realize how far I have come and how I have aligned my career goals with my passions and why it’s important for me to pursue them without inhibition.

Throughout my reading experience, I jotted down notes on 16 pages of pocketbook paper.  These notes will serve as my guiding principles as I move forward with my career, education and relationships post-college.

I have brainstormed strategies for efficiently decorating my new apartment, managing my finances, maintaining long distance relationships with family and friends, staying happy and healthy, preserving balance within each day, and organizing my files, bills, calendars, appointments, etc.  Most importantly, I am ready to say my goodbyes and give thanks to those I will leave behind and am excited to greet a new lifestyle and opportunity with optimism.

Lizzy Rewalt is a Career Center Peer Advisor, and a senior majoring in Communications and Spanish.

Photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt / CC BY 2.0

1 Comment | General Advising | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Senior Struggles: Kelly Cutrone on building your personal brand

January 25, 2012

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

It’s Senior year, and by now you should have had sufficient time to do some soul searching, find yourself, and attempt to uncover just who it is you really are. OK maybe you’re still working on it, but chances are, you’re much more confident and ready to take on the real-world than you were 3 years ago.

As graduation approaches, many recent college grads seek jobs that involve marketing and maintaining a company brand. Part of that includes having a clear understanding of what that brand represents, and ensuring that it never strays from that ideal. But how often do we consider our own “personal brand”? Kelly Cutrone is a fashion publicist and owner of People’s Revolution. You may have seen her on reality shows like The Hills and The City. She is known for being brutally honest and wildly successful at what she does, so her advice is golden for those seeking a career in publicity, fashion, marketing — as well as anyone trying to figure out their life in general.

Kelly emphasizes the idea that “normal gets you nowhere,” and that “personal branding is about figuring out who you are and what turns you on and then monetizing it.” Her book If you Have to Cry, Go Outside is certainly worth a read (and perhaps several re-reads), but here are some of her highlights on building and promoting a personal brand as a means to obtaining a dream career.

  • What makes you different from the next recent-grad in desperate need of a job? Kelly says: “All celebrated brands have a point of differentiation…it’s time to figure out what you are selling and how you are going to make people want to buy it.”
  • Don’t be cynical, “follow your dreams” is good advice. Kelly says: “If you don’t know exactly what fits in your life and what doesn’t, the best way to figure it out is to follow your inner voice away from what feels wrong and toward what feels right.” However, she encourages you to focus, eventually. “When you find something that feels right, concentrate on refining your skills and educating yourself about your chosen field.”
  • Be consistent and honest with yourself when cultivating your personal brand. Kelly says: “If you sell yourself as a creative wellspring of ideas, well, you’d better believe your boss is going to want to hear them regularly. Good brands are authentic, focused and consistent.”
  • Once you’ve honed in on your brand, align yourself with larger, similar representations of that brand. Kelly says: “Once you have identified the people who do what you want to do at the highest possible level, start contacting them.”
  • And when it comes to reaching out to people in the industry you’d like to become a part of, once again, normal gets you nowhere. We’ve all become accustomed to a certain bland format for resume and cover-letter writing, so why not mix it up and try something different? Kelly says: “Successful candidates in my office speak in their own voices–with excellent grammar, of course.”
  • But most importantly don’t give up. Kelly says: “The people who succeed are often not just the people with the best-articulated brands; they’re the people who respond to rejection by brushing themselves off and moving on, again and again.”

Kelly Cutrone’s book, If you Have to Cry Go Outside is empowering for everyone looking to obtain their dream career, not just people interested in fashion. Check it out!

2 Comments | General Advising | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: Willy Franzen, creator of One Day, One Job, on how to supercharge your job search.

November 30, 2011

Willy Franzen, creator of One Day One Job–a website that connects recent college grads with entry level job openings–knows how it feels to be frustrated with the job search. After graduating from Cornell University in 2006, he found himself jobless and frustrated with the daunting application process, so he started his own business. Now, he helps young people like himself find their way to exciting and interesting entry-level jobs. Willy held an office hour session at The Career Center in early November, where he advised students on how to boost their job search strategy. Here are a few summarized answers to questions asked by students at the session.

Question: I’ve been trying to network with and speak to people in the industry I’m hoping to go into, but what’s the next step?

When you’re networking, realize that that person has problems they need solved and you need to sell yourself as the solution. For example, if the person has mentioned a weakness in their approach to advertising, start working on a solution to that issue. Make a spreadsheet, compile some research, and create something you can show to them. Once you start to prove yourself as valuable, then that conversation change becomes easier. But, sometimes you just have to jump in and say, “what do I have to do to get a job here?”

Question: I’m sick of applying to companies through the internet and never getting a response. What are some ways to get around this system?

Find a way to contact an individual in a position you’re looking at and start a conversation with them. Going outside of the process can be frustrating and uncomfortable but the good thing about that is that not many people do it. Maybe you’ll get a referral, maybe you’ll get contact information and maybe you’ll get a job. Chances are, if you’re talking to real people, you’ll get real answers.

Question: I’m going to be applying to a full-time position at the company I interned with last summer, but the person I primarily worked under is not involved in the hiring process. Whom should I reach out to and how?

Contact the person who is most familiar with your work. Ask them: “what recommendations do you have and will you support my efforts?” Chances are, the HR person is going to go to them first to ask if you should be hired and they will say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ based on your performance.

Question: I’m getting my degree in English. How can I find a job that uses my writing skills after I graduate?

My advice is to get comfortable writing for the web. I just hired a bunch of writers to contribute to my website and a lot of what I looked for had nothing to do with writing; I was looking for people who understood my business and what it takes to get people to view my website. Strong marketing skills are so important for web writing. There are tons of companies that need to hire writers to contribute web content, and while you might not make much money at first, you can move up really quickly. Those who are successful will know how to write to sell. So, for now, find a part time gig writing for a website and build up your experience.

Question: If I’m sending blog posts or web articles to a company as writing samples, what format should I send them in?

Attachments can be a hassle depending on the computer software you use, so I prefer when applicants send me the links to the posts. That way, I can verify that the post was actually online or even see if it was posted prominently.

Question: I’m hoping to go into finance after I graduate, but my GPA isn’t great and I’m having a hard time getting responses from companies. What can I do to increase my chances of getting a job in this field?

Pick a small area within the field of finance and learn everything about it. Once you learn a niche, you can begin approaching companies within that niche and bring them research you’ve done. You need to set yourself apart because there are probably thousands of other students in your position with your credentials. Right now, you should be thinking: ‘what can I do to make myself more appealing to a certain type of company?’ In the mean time, perfect your Excel skills. If you need a mouse to use Excel, then you’re not good enough at it. Then, try learning some more statistics packages, make yourself an expert.

Question: I’m taking a gap year between graduation and law school, and I’d like to have some sort of fellowship.Where are some places to look for these jobs and how do I make myself a better candidate for them?

Idealist.org is my favorite website for this. Try something new though. Look at the fellowship postings you find on websites and identify the keywords. Then, just plug them into Google. Some non-profits are just behind with their web posting so you might need to go to individual websites. Also, talk to your professors because non-profits often contact them to find candidates. But also consider piecing your gap year together; you don’t necessarily  need to have a one-year fellowship–you can volunteer or try different jobs.

Question: What’s the best way to increase my chances of getting an interview after applying to a company through their website?

Go on LinkedIn.com and find the person in the position that you want. Try to make a connection with them and ask how they got that job. Don’t approach by asking for a job right away, gather information first, then transition into asking for help finding a job if the opportunity arises later. Make sure you’re working on a project that you can show them.

Question: I’m looking into working for a smaller, environmentally focused company but many of them aren’t hiring. How do I approach companies that aren’t actively hiring?

Send an email demonstrating your interest in a position that might be open in the future and ask what you would need to do to get that job. Start working on a project so you have a work product to show them in the future; start a blog or website, write a research paper. Just make sure you’re a better candidate in 6 months so you’re ready to be hired when you graduate. A lot of it has to do with timing, especially for smaller businesses. Try to work within the conrstraints of the company you’re interested in. Also, think of ways to make the company stronger. If you pitch yourself well enough, maybe they’ll create a position for you!

Check out Willy’s website, Onedayonejob.com to gather more useful job search information, and sign up for his daily job posting email to stay in the loop. Happy hunting!

Comments Off | General Advising | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Nell Gable

Freshman Friday: Things I wish I knew as a freshman

November 11, 2011

Every Friday, we’ll be highlighting some helpful information specifically for first-year students. Today Nell, our Communications Intern and a UM senior, provides some advice she wishes she had as a first-year student. You can take a look at all the Freshman Friday posts here.
"advice" booth
I’ve had some of the best years of my life at this school, and I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone by. I remember my first night in the dorm, first time in a dining hall, first college exam, and first frat party. Now that I’m a senior, I can reflect on the things I wish I knew, or would have done differently. Here’s my list — feel free to learn from my mistakes, but be sure to make plenty of your own!

Academic and Career Planning

  • Choosing your college major doesn’t necessarily mean choosing your life’s path. As you grow as a person, your interests and goals will change, and that’s ok. Study something that interests you, and figure out how to apply the skills you acquire to a career.
  • Don’t put off taking the classes you’re dreading. I dreaded Statistics, so I waited until I was a junior to take the class which is required for my major. By that time, I had lost most of my (minimal) math skills from high school, and I felt silly asking younger people for help.
  • Advising is a two-way street. Your assigned academic advisor is a great resource, however, they’re not going to come to you. We go to a huge university, so you need to be proactive in mapping out your academic plan. The same goes for career advising. Don’t wait until you’re a junior or senior to visit your advisor — go early and often.

Coursework and (Social-)Life

  • Sleep is as important as studying and shouldn’t be compromised. If I had known this as a freshman, I probably wouldn’t have spent so much time sleeping in the League,  nor would I have spent so much money on Redbull. 7 hours of sleep a night, you can do it.
  • You should never need to pull an all-nighter. Know when your exams and papers are and plan accordingly. Sleep is essential (see above).
  • Librarians can be an amazing resource for any type of research you need to do. They WANT to help you and they are some of the friendliest people you will encounter. If you need to find a book or online source, simply find an information desk and ask for help.
  • It’s always worth keeping in touch with a good friend. Your social circle will grow as you move through school, and some friends will get pushed to the edge of that circle. Regardless of how far apart you live or how busy you are, make time for the friends who matter.

Grades

  • One bad grade won’t ruin your life. If I could go back in time and tell my younger self one thing, it would be this: chill out. Bad grades happen.
  • On the other hand, too many bad grades will ruin your GPA, and that’s hard to fix. If I could go back in time and tell some of my friends one thing, it would be this: freshman year grades matter. Some people I know are still trying to raise their GPA after a lackluster freshman year performance.

The list could go on and on, but as long as you remember that college is all about balance, you’ll have some of the best years of your life; I certainly did.

Photo credit: laughlin/CC BY 2.0

4 Comments | General Advising | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: Grooming Your Social Networking Presence

November 9, 2011

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

Social media monitoring website Reppler.com recently conducted a survey which found that 91% of the 300 hiring managers surveyed visit social networking sites to screen candidates—that’s huge! Of the managers that use sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to evaluate job candidates, 69% said they have rejected an applicant and 68% said they have hired an applicant based on what they gathered from the candidate’s social media presence. If you’re searching for a job, take an hour or so to look at your social networking profiles from the perspective of an employer. Do they reflect an image you want employers to see? Are you sharing too much information? Not enough? These days, you don’t just have to worry about your mom getting a Facebook page, future employers are stalking you as well. Don’t stress, just follow these tips to ensure that your social media presence will help, not hurt your job search.

  • 39% of employers who hired people based on their profiles, did so because the candidate gave a positive impression of their personality and organizational fit, according to the survey. Use your social networking profiles to promote yourself and display your achievements, not just your social life.
  • Companies may screen your profile to see how well you communicate, so try to monitor your grammar, spelling and style.
  • Be careful about what you say on the Internet AND be careful of what you let others say to and about you. Employers may see other people’s interactions with your profile as a reflection of your personality.
  • Check your privacy settings frequently as they tend to change, sometimes with out warning. For example, check out the Facebook Blog to stay up to date on any changes with Facebook’s privacy settings. It’s always safest to maximize your security when you’re not sure who might be looking.
  • It may seem obvious but try to limit photos and posts about drinking and partying on Facebook and Twitter — what gets posted on the Internet STAYS on the Internet.
  • When entering personal information into networking sites like LinkedIn, make sure your information is accurate and that you haven’t lied about your qualifications or skills. According to the Reppler poll, employers listed false information as the main reason for rejecting candidates based on their social networking profile.
  • Don’t bad mouth current or past employers on the Internet…EVER. Potential employers do not want to hire someone who is spiteful and untrustworthy.

Social networking isn’t just for fun anymore. Hiring managers screen potential employee’s social networking sites, and what they see can make the difference between putting you over the top, or taking you out of the running. There’s no need to worry as long as you frequently evaluate your presence and ensure that the presentation you set forth over the Internet is the right one.

2 Comments | General Advising | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: Managing Multiple Interviews

October 26, 2011

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

Interviewing for multiple companies is great — those interviews indicate that you’re doing something right with your application! However, prepping for all of those interviews can be stressful and time consuming. Why not make your life easier in one simple step? As with many issues of stress in the job search, organization can make the feeling feel manageable.

Prepping for an interview is like studying for an exam on yourself, and all of your past experiences. You’ll need to have a firm understanding of your past successes, failures, and achievements (both academic and work-related), and how they have provided you skills, and shaped your work ethic and future goals. First, take a look at some preparation resources organized by interview format (behavioral interviews are the most common). Then, create a word document where you type out sample questions and write your answer, with a supporting example. Examples will show interviewers that you are the real deal — try using the STAR technique to format your answers. Once you’ve covered all the basic interview questions, which you will inevitably be asked over and over again, save the document to your computer for future reference. Then, you can review the document before any future interviews as a refresher.

As always, The Career Center can offer you a host of online and in-person resources to help you prepare for you interviews. Follow these links to some helpful articles on interviewing, or schedule an appointment or mock interview at The Career Center.

1 Comment | General Advising | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: Learning to Like LinkedIn

October 19, 2011

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

LinkedIn Logo

Maybe you’ve already mastered LinkedIn, maybe you’re scared to try it, or maybe you’re just plain overwhelmed by it; whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying it’s a valuable networking tool that can be a huge asset to the fall job search. Since we’re all in the same boat here, let’s just take it one step at a time. Here is the step-by-step guide to creating a LinkedIn account and actually using it (don’t just let those messages pile up in your inbox):

1.  Go to LinkedIn and create an account
2.  Import your address book to see who is using the service that you already know (it defaults to selecting all your contacts, but you shouldn’t send ‘invitations to connect’ to everyone)
3.  Add yourself to the groups University of Michigan Alumni and Wolverine Networking
4.  Use the ‘people’ search to find at least one person working in your field of interest – it might be one of your contacts, one of their connections, or a fellow Wolverine
5.  Ask for an informational interview (if you need help with etiquette here, you can contact us for an appointment)

Now that you’ve made one connection, keep up the momentum. Like in-person networking, it takes time to strengthen your LinkedIn networking skills, but the payoff can be fantastic.

Comments Off | General Advising | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Nell Gable

Reframing the Question

March 9, 2011

I’d like to respond to the recent Michigan Daily article “Students Tell Coleman of Concerns for Their Future.” The students in the meeting shared their concerns about the future. These concerns are valid and real; transitioning from the familiar role as “student,” to the uncharted territory of “new professional,” can be overwhelming. To make this transition as smooth as possible here are things you can and should be doing now:

Engaging beyond the classroom. Begin now by using your Michigan experience to develop interests, learn about issues, take on new roles. Believing that your major will define you and be the sole determination for your career is untrue. Following this line of thinking has proven problematic for former students who believed that simply by being solid students, they would be qualified candidates for open positions. Volunteer, join student organizations, take a job on campus. Any and all of these additional experiences will give you information about who you are and where you experience success.

Developing key areas to explore. You may think that narrowing your options is limiting. It is not – it’s liberating! With some focus you can seek out opportunities to learn more about an area (or a few areas). You may want to talk to alumni who are in professional areas that interest you, shadow a friend or neighbor who works in an organization that sounds interesting, follow a few bloggers in some areas you are considering. With first hand information you will start to develop a list of things you like, and just as important, areas or responsibilities you clearly do not like. What will you have? Focus.

Acting with intention. When you begin to develop and focus your interests — act on them! You may select your coursework a little differently; you may seek out jobs or internships that are more related to an area you find exciting; you may start a LinkedIn account to learn more from others in a field. When you act with intention, you no longer are waiting for your degree “to translate into a career”. Your degree is meaningful for more reasons than simply a job. You are no longer anxious because you know your next steps, and are excited about the possibilities for your first professional opportunity.

Enlisting help, and the necessary support. The career services staff across campus is here and willing to support you in this process. We are available to help you develop strategies for identifying those areas that may be the perfect fit for your first professional position. When should you seek us out? Now! The sooner you connect with people who know the career process and can guide you, the better it will be because you will have more time to define your path.

Scary? Sometimes. Rewarding? Definitely. When you begin to discover careers that interest you and opportunities that that fit with your skills and interests –apprehension turns to excitement. And confidence. You will exude it because you know you are on the right path. The path will have its twists and turns, but serendipity makes the experience more interesting. It’s not magic that makes all this happen, it is YOU!

Comments Off | General Advising | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by kmborland

Just do it: Fighting indifference and fear in your job search

February 7, 2011

Woman looking through binoculars
If you, like me, are planning to graduate this semester, you likely have one very important thing on your mind—I need to find a job!

While this might be an exciting realization, it can also be one that stirs up some anxiety. After almost four years in college, formal education is drawing to a close and it’s time to prepare to enter the job market. But here’s where it gets tricky. You have your resume ready to go and you might have dabbled a bit in searching, but mostly when push comes to shove you find yourself feeling stuck. Let’s face it, up to this point you’ve had much of your life planned for you; you never needed to decide if you were going to go to 4th grade after 3rd grade — it just happened.

The weeks are escaping you and still all you can do is open your computer to a search engine and stare at the blank page. Occasionally you manage to type in a few half-hearted phrases and hit enter, but even when you manage to get this far you quickly close the browser as the thought of actually sifting through the search results overwhelms you. Meanwhile, a lot of your friends and classmates are lining up interviews and even landing jobs.

And so you begin to think: why can’t I just do it?

My Story

To be honest, I have been struggling with all of these same issues. Up to this point I had the perfect excuse for why I did not have to think about job search yet—my husband was waiting to hear from graduate programs. It did not make sense to me to search for jobs when I did not know where I was going to be. However, having recently gotten some idea of where my husband will be going to graduate school, I have lost my excuse. Imagine a child who loses grip of her balloon string and is now staring, shocked, into the sky after it. I have rather abruptly been forced to embrace reality and there are moments when I try to shove it away from myself as quickly as I can. Sometimes I just cannot seem to reach inside myself to find the energy, or maybe even the courage, to begin. After all, taking a step into the unplanned-unknown can be scary.

But as I just indicated by sharing my own story, perhaps you and I are in the same boat. So maybe the first step to getting motivated to start searching is to realize you are not alone. And besides you and I, there are people all across campus in this boat with us. This is no canoe; this is a cruise liner. And do you know what that means? It means that we have that many more resources to tap when the sea of uncertainty begins to rock the boat. We can ask friends, professors, advisors (and of course our friendly neighborhood Career Center) for help, encouragement, and guidance.

Setting Goals

We all know that encouragement and advice is nothing without some concrete action. So let’s talk about inspiring ourselves. Of course you need to ask yourself what motivates you individually, but one thing that will likely help you shed your job search apathy or qualms is to set goals for yourself. By goals I mean actions you can concretely measure week-to-week. Maybe you want to pencil a half hour of job search into your planner every other day. Maybe you can set a number of positions you want to apply for each week. I had a classmate who shared with me that at the height of her job search she made the goal to apply for ten jobs per week. For those of us who are just starting, ten seems like a lot, so modify to fit your needs. Your number can be low to start off with, but you should try to work up over time. Especially with graduation approaching as quickly as it seems to be (Does anyone have any idea where January went?!).

Sticking With It

Once you have set your goal and have started, it is crucial to stick with it. Of course you can allow some wiggle room now and then, but deviating too far from your goals too often will only add to worry and stress. To borrow an old cliché, if it first you don’t succeed, try, try again! Persevering in your job search means lots of searching, lots of tweaking of resume and cover letter, lots of networking, and lots of submitted applications. You can’t get a job that you don’t apply for!

How about we decide together to start searching and keep searching. And when we think we cannot search any more, let’s search just one more time. And then one more time after that. Hopefully in time, with a little perseverance we can join our friends and classmates in basking in the glory of getting a job offer. All of our work will pay off and then do you know what we’ll be thinking? Oh yeah! That was so worth it!

Need some places to get started with your job search? Try these: Career Center Connector, Job Links by Industry, indeed.com, idealist.org, onedayonejob.com, and Vault. Want some guidance on how to start your search? Make an appointment!

Photo credit: rightee / CC BY 2.0

2 Comments | General Advising | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Alex Lawrence

« Previous Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 59 other followers