Since I will be graduating in May with my MPA I decided I should watch the Job Search Webinar and see what things I could learn that will help in my quickly approaching venture towards careerdom. In this 47 minute video they went over the process to best benefit you as the searching employee. They started with mentioning a few good tips that I have heard before...
- Do NOT wait until you need a job to start looking for a job.
- The best time to look for a job is when you already have one.
- If you are graduating in May, start looking in August. (ring, ring, ring, are you paying attention?!)
Before you start your quest there are five things you should do:
- Identify the job that you want.
- Build a winning Résumé.
- Find open positions meeting your wants.
- Brush up on your interview skills.
- Evaluate the offer.
When building your résumé, keep it to 1 page per 10 years of work experience! And here are some great buzz words to keep in mind when creating that eye catching résumé!
They mentioned the importance of LinkedIn account in todays job market. (Side note to the importance of a LinkedIn, my mother was scouted by her current company through her LinkedIn to be the current Vice President of Development. They found her profile and decided they wanted her for the position. It's a great tool when used to your advantage!) Other outlets that you should use to your advantage is the SunDevil CareerLink.
They mentioned the importance of LinkedIn account in todays job market. (Side note to the importance of a LinkedIn, my mother was scouted by her current company through her LinkedIn to be the current Vice President of Development. They found her profile and decided they wanted her for the position. It's a great tool when used to your advantage!) Other outlets that you should use to your advantage is the SunDevil CareerLink.
When preparing for an interview, use the Career Services Center to set up a mock interview if you feel uncomfortable. Don't forget to make a list of questions to ask the interviewer as well! I always struggle with the questions but there are oodles of suggested questions on the web. Here are some to keep in mind.
After ou have rocked the interview and there is an offer, what do you do? Take it and run? No...negotiate! These were the things they suggested when talking about evaluation of the offer:
- Research the salary ranges, know the market value of the position you are being offered with other companies or agencies.
- Know YOUR worth, the skills you bring to the table are valuable, how valuable?
- Let them bring up the salary+benefits and look at the entire package, benefits are valuable.
- When starting salary range, it is okay to extend the range by $5,000. (I don't believe that is translatable to all sectors though)
- Focus on your goals!
- Know when to stop the negotiation...there needs to be an end and if you go too far you might risk the position or relationship.
I was going to start my search around this time anyways for after graduation, but I'm glad to know that I'm not being too eager!
Hi Cassie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for these amazing tips in job searching! I always think SunDevil Careerlink is a good tool, and that is where I found my internship! Good luck!
Cassie,
DeleteDefinitely some good tips in this post. I recently met with Maryjo as well, I found her to be very knowledgeable and willing to help. I would certainly recommend SunDevil Careerlink to those searching for a job or internship, and it is actually where I found my internship. What was surprising to me is the fact that only 4 percent of job openings can be found online. Kind of made me wonder how one goes about finding the other 96 percent.