Posts Tagged: jobs
4 Ways to Be a More Confident Job Seeker
Posted in Career Advice Job Hunting on February 15, 2010 at 8:35 am
I’ll never forget what my driving instructor said to my mom while we were waiting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles the morning of my driver’s license test.
“She has the ability to pass. It’s going to come down to whether she thinks she can pass.”
I failed.
My driving instructor was exactly right. I had practiced enough and had the skills and knowledge to get my license. What I was missing was the confidence to actually do it.
I see this same situation all the time with college students and recent grads in the job market. They have the talent, skills and ability to get a job, but they lack the self-confidence it takes to land a position, especially in the ultra-competitive market we’re experiencing right now.
If you’re struggling with self-confidence, here are some tips:
1. Ask for feedback. Recruit a trusted relative, career services staff member, professor or friend to assess you honestly. Often we don’t even realize our strongest assets because they come naturally to us. Ask the person to list your best qualities and most impressive accomplishments. On the flip side, ask for constructive feedback on your weaknesses. Find out if the things you’re most concerned about — lack of experience, a less-than-desirable GPA, shyness, etc. — are legitimate concerns or if you’re obsessing over nothing. If your fears are unfounded, let them go once and for all!
2. Take action on any gaps. If you do determine some important weaknesses, develop a game plan for improving the key skills, knowledge or qualities you’ll need to land the job you want. Take action! Sign up for a coaching session at your career services office, register for an e-course, read a few instructional books or hire a career coach or tutor. Besides gaining the skills you need, you’ll have a great answer to the interview question, “What is your biggest weakness?” You’ll be able to say, “I identified a key weakness and here are the steps I took to overcome it.”
Read the rest of this post on my “College to Career” blog at MyPath.com…
Tags: Career Advice, Job Hunting, jobs
On MyPath.com: An Interview with Two College Career Services Professionals
Posted in Career Advice First Job Out of College International Careers Recommended Resources on February 4, 2010 at 6:00 am
What are the major hiring trends on campus this year? What are the best strategies for finding an entry-level job? What are the biggest mistakes students make in the job search process?
To answer these questions and more, I spoke with with Trudy Steinfeld, Executive Director of the Wasserman Center for Career Development at New York University, and Manny Contomanolis, Associate Vice President and Director of Co-op and Career Services at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear top tips from two of the best career services professionals in the country!
Listen to the podcast interview now.
Tags: Career Advice, career services, jobs
Job hunting tips for the Class of ’09: Lindsey on CBS News
Posted in Career Advice Economic Crisis First Job Out of College Generation Y on March 19, 2009 at 9:21 am
Last night I was a guest on CBS News Up to the Minute with Michelle Gielan. We chatted about ways that college seniors can land jobs despite the recession. The main theme: take action every day and try a wide variety of tactics!
Click here to watch the 4-minute video
Tags: CBS News, jobs, Michelle Gielan
Your career questions answered
Posted in Career Q&A on January 7, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Each month I’ll be answering reader questions over at ABC News on Campus. This month’s Q&A includes issues such as job hunting in a recession, job hunting in a new city, finding finance positions and assessing the value of internships.
Click here to read the entire Career Q&A…
Click here to submit a question of your own
Tags: Career Advice, Economic Crisis, employment, Generation Y, jobs, recession
Bright spots in the bad economy: 5 places to look for jobs right now
Posted in Career Advice Economic Crisis Generation Y International Careers Recommended Resources Uncategorized on December 7, 2008 at 2:40 pm
There’s no doubt the big career story of the moment is the November unemployment report, which stated that the U.S. experienced the biggest monthly job loss since 1974. In total, we’ve lost over 2 million jobs in the past year. This is, obviously, very bad news for job seekers (although, according to Fortune magazine, slightly less bad for those with a college degree — hat tip Keppie Careers).
I believe that constant news about the bad economy leaves job seekers with two choices: 1) focus on how bad the job market is and feel paralyzed, or 2) understand that it’s bad and look for opportunities anyway.
I’m going to recommend door #2. To help, I spent some time this past weekend looking for bright spots in the bleak job market. It wasn’t easy; there’s a lot of terrible news out there. But there are definitely opportunities in this recession.
Here are five of them: (more…)
Tags: Career Advice, Economic Crisis, employment, Generation Y, jobs, recession









