Posts Tagged: Getting from College to Career
How to Discover Careers You Never Knew Existed
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Getting from College to Career Job Search Tips on October 14, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Did you know we only are aware of about 1% of careers that exist??
There are about 250,000 different “species” of jobs out there, and most of us only know about 200-300. In this segment, I speak with Matt Mahoney, founder of Daily Endeavor, about how college students and recent grads can explore the 99% of careers we never talk about. Here are some tips for finding the right career for you…even if it’s one your mom hasn’t heard of.
1) Start with your interests. Search by interests and what you like to do.
Don’t just focus on the field you think you want to explore. Don’t just focus on your major. Think about what you really, truly love to do.
Read the rest of this post on my “College to Career” blog at MyPath.com…
How do you feel about the fact that only a small percentage of careers are well-known? What has helped you in your career selection process?
The Single Most Important Resume Item
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Internships Job Search Tips on October 8, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I recently moderated a panel discussion of prominent CEOs from three very different industries — professional services, social media and nonprofit. While they each gave excellent advice to the students in the audience who were interested in their particular fields, the CEOs all came together on one key point:
All employers in all industries are seeking one major resume item: leadership.
Why is leadership so important?
Read the rest of this post on my “College to Career” blog at MyPath.com…
Urban Interns and the Future of Jobs
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Future of Careers Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Job Search Tips on September 30, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Ever wish you could look into a crystal ball and see the future of jobs in America? Lauren Porat, co-founder of Urban Interns, has some insight. In this interview, Lauren and I talk about the future of jobs, and Lauren shares a few tips for landing jobs and internships in the new job market.
Some of Lauren’s tips for landing jobs/internships via Urban Interns:
* Don’t be turned off by the terms “internship” or “part-time”. Many people have developed incredible careers by serving multiple part-time clients. Also, starting out this way may allow you to get your foot in the door with some very cool, interesting startup companies.
* Think of the things you are good at, both personally and professionally. If you have years of experience with Facebook, even if you have only used it for your own relationships, you may qualify as a social media intern.
Read the rest of this post on my “College to Career” blog at MyPath.com…
How do you feel about the future of jobs, and do you have additional pointers that have helped you? Please share your comments below!
You Have More Experience Than You Think (Part II)
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Job Search Tips on October 1, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Continuing on my last post, here are eight more examples of experience that “counts” in your job search. Stay tuned for my final list, covering personal interests and experiences, on Monday.
Part II: Work and Extracurricular Experience
1. Sports. Even if you aren’t a star athlete, your participation in an organized sport (varsity, JV, club level or just for fun) is valuable. An employee who is a “team player” and works well with others can move mountains in the workplace. Athletic experience builds your competitive nature, increases your level of confidence and gives you strong leadership skills. Remember to consider these lessons and experiences when discussing your skills and abilities in a job interview.
2. Clubs and organizations. From French club to student government, be sure to note your involvement in organized group activities. Make special note of any leadership roles that involved coordinating events, budgeting or acting as liaison among group members, faculty and staff. Also take some time to think about club projects you managed from beginning to end — employers will correlate these to workplace project management skills.
3. Greek life. Aside from the toga parties (which employers definitely don’t want to know about), Greek organizations provide some valuable experience for the working world. Many Greek organizations place significant value on networking events, fundraisers and recruitment. If you held a direct leadership role, planned events or coordinated publicity for your fraternity or sorority, you should share these achievements with potential employers. Keep in mind that there are some lingering stereotypes from Animal House and the like, so proceed with caution.
4. The arts. Whether you’re involved in art, music, dance or theater, your performance skills and the self-confidence it takes to share your talents in front of an audience are very attractive to an employer. Don’t be shy about touting your creative accomplishments, even in a serious corporate setting. (more…)
3 Ways to Make the Most of a Jobless Summer
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Gen Y Entrepreneurship Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Recommended Career Resources on July 5, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Another summer weekend, another article about the tough job market for recent college grads. This week’s installment appeared in The New York Times Style section in the form of “Say Hello to Underachieving” by Alex Williams.
I’m very glad this topic is still on the radar screens of major media reporters. I just wish the articles would include some helpful suggestions for young people who find themselves in the tough position of facing the longest recession period since the 1930s. The Comments section of the Times article certainly included a lot of — ahem — suggestions, but I’m not a big fan of snark. So, I thought I’d share my three cents on how college students and recent grads can still improve their resumes without a traditionally “good” summer job or internship. (more…)
Lindsey on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams
Posted in Getting from College to Career on April 8, 2009 at 12:08 am
Last night I had the opportunity to appear on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, talking about “Hard Times Facing the Class of ’09.” I didn’t get to meet Mr. Williams in person, but I did get to share some thoughts on job prospects for this year’s graduating class.
Click here to watch the segment (don’t blink or you might miss me!)
On Cheezhead: What Millennials really want to know
Posted in Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Job Search Tips Recommended Career Resources on December 12, 2008 at 1:32 pm
This week I had the opportunity to write a guest blog post for the Cheezhead recruitment blog, the news and commentary site run by Joel Cheesman. If you don’t know about this blog, it’s a must-read for anyone interested in HR and recruitment issues. It’s also a great resource for job seekers who want to understand how recruiters operate.
My post, “What Millennials Really Want to Know,” shares the top three questions I receive from entry-level job seekers. Here is an excerpt:
Millennials (a.k.a. Generation Y) have earned a less-than-stellar reputation in the recruiting community. You’re not alone if you’ve found young candidates to act “entitled” to jobs or not know basic rules of professional etiquette. As someone who spends a lot of time with college students and young professionals, I admit that I observe these traits fairly often.
Fortunately, I can also report that many career-minded college students are eager to work hard, impress recruiters and become savvy professionals. This is most evident during the lengthy Q&A sessions following my college workshops, when students ask thoughtful, detailed and serious-minded questions about how to get jobs.
In the spirit of helping us all understand each other a little better, here the three most common questions I receive from Millennial job seekers. I believe the companies that answer these questions — and communicate their answers to entry-level candidates — will go a long way toward winning the hearts, minds and productivity of today’s best and brightest young workers…
The best and the brightest: What will change with the economic downturn?
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Job Search Tips on October 5, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Will the economic downturn stop the best and the brightest from flocking to investment banking, management consulting and corporate law? I hope so.
During my freshman and sophomore years at Yale, I’d sit with friends for hours in the dining hall, loving the debates about politics and literature and history. It was exactly what I’d hoped college would be like. Sometimes I’d look around the table and feel as if I were peering into the future: I could easily see my smart, hardworking, well-rounded classmates becoming history professors, investigative journalists, human rights activists, entrepreneurs, museum curators and diplomats.
And then senior year rolled around and a strange thing happened. Instead of talking about Milton and Kant and Jefferson and Elizabeth I, everyone started talking about Goldman and Lehman and McKinsey and Harvard Law. The best and brightest people I knew suddenly considered no other career paths than investment banking, management consulting and corporate law.
I see this happening just as often today. As I travel around to college campuses, I meet smart, articulate, worldly and personable students. And, inevitably, the best and the brightest always ask me how to get jobs in investment banking, consulting and law (“not necessarily to be a lawyer,” they often say, “but using a law degree to do something else.”).
For the students who are fascinated by finance, business strategy and legal study, then these paths are excellent choices. But, in my observation, intellectual interest is rarely the reason that students select these post-college career paths.
(more…)
Career Q&A: What career should I choose?
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career on June 24, 2008 at 6:00 am
Q: I graduated college a few weeks ago, have agreed to take a job for the summer and in the fall will embark on a Master’s degree (entailing a couple of night classes a week). I am not sure if I’ll want to pursue a Ph.D. in the future, but for now, I’d like to explore a different career path. I was an English major, have interests in communications, literature, and non-profit work, but I’m having trouble deciding what area to go into. What should I be doing in the next two months (while at my current job) to research/determine what area I should go into?
A: It sounds like you are very eager to determine your career path before you start your master’s work. I completely understand that desire, and I also know from experience that choosing a career is not something that can be rushed. You may not decide what you want to do until you actually meet someone who does it (that’s what happened to me). So, let’s talk about some ways to maximize the number and variety of careers you are exposed to over the next two months and into the future: (more…)
On MSN Careers: 12 things to ponder before taking your first job
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Job Search Tips on June 16, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Thanks to Rachel Zupek for including my comments in her article on MSN Careers today, “12 Things to Ponder before Taking Your First Job.” The article also features tips from career experts who have been featured on this blog–Kristen Fischer and Shawn Graham.
Here is an excerpt from MSN Careers:
Finding your first job is easy. You send in your résumé for a position to which no one else is applying. You get a call back right away, have a successful interview (during which you are promptly offered the job) and of course you’re offered the salary to last a lifetime. Nothin’ to it.
Dream on…
Read the rest of “12 Things to Ponder Before Taking Your First Job.”
