College Internships

It’s that time of year again; time to look for internships. As I have written in the past, you need to show a potential hiring manager that you have valuable and current on-the- job experience and an internship is the most practical way to do that. The following sites are only a few of the many valuable sites listing openings for summer internships. 

http://www.internships.com/
https://www.firstjob.com/jobs/?q=&l=
http://www.myfuture.com/index.php?url=careers/articles-advice/internships
http://www.snagajob.com/teen-jobs/first-job/
http://www.onedayonejob.com/
http://www.internzoo.com/
https://www.smartrecruiters.com/blog/best-50-niche-job-boards/
https://biginterview.com/blog/2014/10/best-job-search-sites.html
https://www.glassdoor.com
http://vetjobs.com/niche-job-board-sites/

It’s also a good idea to make an appointment with your school’s Career Services Office or visit their website. Many offer listings of career fairs, job search workshops and other valuable tools. Try to get a head start on the competition.

Make Room for Change: A Story for the Older Job Seeker

We bought a new car last week. It’s beautiful, sleek, and clean, smells good and has a great sound system. I love it but it scares the hell out of me. It has a back-up camera that makes it easier to see behind me when I put the car in reverse and I hate it. Every time I put the car in reverse to leave my driveway, I still look over my shoulder to the road. The car has a narrower back window so looking over my shoulder isn’t as safe and practical as it used to be. I'm supposed to look at a panel in my dashboard instead. It also has different temperature and radio settings that without my glasses, make it difficult to read. I can’t drive with my reading glasses so I need to figure that out too. I have to or I can't go anywhere.

My new car and my complaints of why couldn’t the manufacturers just leave things the way they were had me think of some older job seekers that I’ve worked with. Sometimes they get stuck in a cycle of “It’s too hard to change”, “Why should I change?”, “I’ve only got a few more years of work, why do I have to change” thinking. 

The other day I met with a very pleasant man who wasn’t comfortable with using any Microsoft Office tools. In his old job his assistant did that for him. When I explained that using MS Office is so expected and common now that companies assume that everyone uses it, he looked annoyed. When I asked him to check his local library, evening classes, community college or even YouTube for some instruction, it seemed like a chore. He also doesn’t have a LinkedIn profile. Today, that too is essential. 

Here are a couple of tips for the older job seeker or for anyone who doesn’t like change:
1.      Learn the skills needed to do the types of jobs that you want to pursue.
2.      Understand how your own computer works. Learn how to save files and pictures and learn how to download them into applications.
3.      Write a complete LinkedIn profile and include a photograph.
4.      Network. Use your contacts and make new ones.
5.      Update your look. Get honest feedback from a true friend or family member about your interviewing clothing and style.
6.      Update your resume to a newer format.

While these tips may seem bothersome they are essential for today’s marketplace. It’s easy to complain about a younger hiring manager or a complex hiring procedure when sometimes all it takes is a few changes to our own style and ways of thinking.

Here's another thing about my car's back up system.... when I told a friend about it she said that her in-laws feel the same way that I do. My friend is in her 50's and her in-laws are in their 80s. I'm not going to go there.

Job Search 101: Know Your Audience

I learned years ago that it is critical to “know your audience” for anything work or life related.  Example, as a freshman in college we all had to take the requisite English class. I loved English all through high school and enjoyed creative writing. My English professor though, didn’t like my choices of creative writing topics and as a result was marking them with C’s. 

One day I wrote about a verse in the bible; I selected Corinthians 13:4-8. It is the one that says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud…” I’ll be honest, I selected that verse because I had a crush on the guy who sat next to me. Well, wouldn’t you know that I got an A on that assignment? I wrote a spiritual piece for my next creative writing paper and received an A again. I learned at 17 years of age that an easy way to get an A was to know my audience and in this case it was my professor, who happened to be married to a minister. 

Over the years this motto has stuck with me; whether it was in designing training programs, giving presentations and now helping people write their resumes. Today I had a meeting with a client who was looking for some job search coaching. Prior to meeting with him I looked at his LinkedIn profile, read his work experience and titles and googled his company. I also went to the career pages of his company and looked up the jobs that are similar to his. Doing this better prepared me for meeting with him and preparing for our conversation.

You can use the same, “Know your Audience” tips in your job search.

Resume:

1.    Tailor your resume to the open position. Use key words and make sure that your Summary Statement reflects a need that that company may have.

2.    Align your accomplishments to the needs listed in the position. Include your measurable results.

Interview:

1.    Research the company. This includes management, products, services, locations, culture, staffing.

2.    Research the position. Come up with examples of your accomplishments that support the position requirements and be prepared to explain the steps that you used to get there.

3.    Come up with questions to ask the interviewer.

4.    Be prepared to ask for a business problem that needs to be addressed immediately. Based upon the requirements of the position, can you envision what that problem might be? Can you articulate how that problem might be addressed?

5.    Ask the manager how they might address a business problem (this may lead you to understanding their style of leading a staff).

Networking:

1.    Use social media or your professional contacts to meet people who may work for that company.

2.    Ask about the culture and style of the organization.

3.    Use this information to better plan for your interviews.

Some people wonder why they never hear from a company once they submit their resumes. Others wonder why, after interviewing, they didn’t hear back or they weren’t selected for the position. Both of these problems may be narrowed down to better preparation by knowing your audience.