Now What?

Finally, after a seemingly endless stream of applications, I’ve gotten a positive response. But what do I do next? I’ve put so much effort into job searching and applications, I haven’t put any thought into the next step. When should I call? What should I say? Is it too early to start applying, considering I won’t be able to start until almost July? These are the things nobody ever tells you. I’ve had to write about four sample resumes for business and communication classes, but they never taught the next step. Apparently it is good business etiquette to write a thank you note after interviews. But, what about everything that happens in between the application and the interview? And, what is the proper response to an email saying, “Good looking resume, give me a call”?
I obviously am going to call right away, but what do I say? It’s no wonder it is so difficult to get jobs that don’t come with a uniform. No one really knows what it is that they’re doing.

One App, One Job?

Sorry it has been a while. I have not been at my computer much over the past few weeks.
One of my friends, who will be graduating soon, called me over to his house the other day. Upon my arrival, he was quickly finishing up an application he was sending online, to a position he really wanted. All that day and over the next few days he talked a lot about how he was going to be at his dream job in the next few weeks, or at least before summer. Or, at the very least, at a lower level job in the same company ready to work his sweet was on up. Whether overly optimistic or just plain ignorant of his situation I could not tell, but he never really seemed to grasp that he may not get the job. If he did know, he hid it well.
It was funny to me at first. Funny until, well, I remebered that I was the same way, as well as everybody else I have ever known while they were searching for a first job. Yes, I remember handing in one application and then thinking up what I would tell the resteraunt the next day. I remeber doing that many, many times. Sure, it is easy for some. Just remember that there is a 98% chance that it won’t come easy for you.

Tired, Stressed, Overwhelmed….etc.

Whew! I’m tired and contrary to popular belief I am not a work, work, work kinda person. Actually, I am pretty lazy if I don’t keep myself motivated. I am all about self motivation and I don’t believe in fate or luck. If you want something you have to work hard for it. I want to succeed so therefore I practice my craft with a passion. I love all of my internships(all four of them!!) to death, but it’s the “real” work I can’t stand.
I tried to call my boss and conpromise by just taking the 8th of April off, but still it was a no. I have always been on time, come in on my off days sometimes, but no appreciation. I have worked for 5 major corporations and it seems as if it is always about the bottom line. It isn’t my fault that we hired 4 people within the past 2 months and only 2 are left. All of them had the same complaint, management. We are understaffed and overworked because our shift can’t keep people. We had 2 senior people move to different shifts because they couldn’t stand how things were run on our shift. Then I learn today that my supervisor cannot fire me without writing me up first for my absences, so why does she feel the need to issue baseless threats?? Beats me, I do know that her supervisor constantly chews her out because she is always late, she doesn’t keep us informed, and we ask her repeatedly for our stats and she says she will get back to us. I have never worked in all my years at such a hostile place where all of my co-workers seems so very unhappy, but what can we do? I know one thing, I am outta there. I told my boss that this will be my last week.
It’s a part-time job, but i have to admitt I am a worrier. I worry about everything and I am a pessimist. I wish I could stop, but I don’t know how. I think I was born ms. doom and gloom. I wish I had someone to talk to or to give me the encouragement that I need. My husband has no interest in writing, politics, or what I do at school. I know he is glad i’m at school and everything, but sometimes I think he wishes everything was nice and easy like it was with my previous cushy job working in the cell phone industry. I can’t shake that feeling like maybe school is such a waste of time and money or is that the pessimissim in me??
Since I was 15 I have worked and when I became an adult no one ever gave me anything. Not my family, friends, no handouts from strangers. Everything that I have has been due to hard work and my husband, who by the way makes really good money. We have a nice house, car, lots of stuff and I don’t want to lose it, but i’m afraid sometimes to take risks because of that fear. Many tell me I have a God given talent and not to waste it. I recognize that I do have talent and it’s getting better all the time so I have to hold out. I have faith in very little except my mind. Whoever or however or why I was blessed with a keen sense of intellect, vision, and creativity is beyond me, but i’ll take it. I want to use it to help people and not waste it. Only recently has I come to feel that I could do so much more that just a plain old 9 to 5 job. My editor told me I have serious potential and I should go far if I just keep working hard.
So tomorrow is the big day, 3 interviews! Hopefully I will have some good news. I only want to work 2 part-time jobs, so we will see how it goes.

Speed Your Job Search Up — Write It Down

Got a difficult problem in your job search? Say, a lack of networking
contacts? Or trouble answering interview questions?
Well, you’ve got company. Problems in a job search are as common as
potholes in March.
But … have you ever written your problem down on a piece of paper?
I’ll bet you haven’t.
Because, when you write problems down, you take an immediate, huge leap
towards solving them. Think about it: Every great invention or solution,
from the atomic bomb to the Xbox, was first worked out on paper.
Why not solve your employment problems the same way?
Here’s a three-step method that will help you do it …

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Two down, one more to go!

So the day after I decided I was going to give up on the one internship I was really hoping for … they called me back!
I’ve made it through the two phone interviews, and I’ve been invited to come in for an actual person-to-person interview, to see if I really fit with the company and whether or not it works out for me. I’m really excited, too; it’s far away from where I live and go to school, but it’s still a really great opportunity, and I’m looking forward to it!
I hope this works out …

Finding a Job is a Job

I don’t mean the title as “finding a job is hard work” (which it is) but rather, employment searching is your current job, especially if you don’t have a paycheck coming in. It is important to keep your self-esteem up. Job searching in PJs and not getting up until 11am can negatively effect certain people.
If you believe that finding a job is your current job, you are more likely to get employment quicker. The one mistake I made was not setting certain hours searching, but rather spreading it out over the entire course of the day. By the end of it, I was tired because I never had a break. If you look for a job during 9am-5pm and leave the evenings to have fun, you’re more likely to be refreshed for upcoming interviews and networking. Depending on what you are searching for, you should give yourself at least 1 day off (probably Saturday or Sunday).
Things to do:

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Things are Settled…For Now

On Monday, after I was told that I either had to work register or they would have to let me go, the dollar store called me later that night and asked if I could come in just to unpack tomorrow from 10-3. So, I did that and the manager addressed what happened on Monday but she talked about it like it was far in the past. It seems, at least for now, that they’re going to let me unpack, shelve, and move things around the store. As for now, I won’t bring up anything about the Americans with Disabilities Act unless they officially decide that they will let me go because I can’t work register.

Do You Meet the “Qualifications” and Does It Really Matter?

There are some words applicants hear that often frustrate the applicant. Have you ever heard, “you don’t have enough experience” or “you have too much experience”? Did you agree or disagree? Chances are, if you are like me, you were looking for work and needed a person to give you a chance.
Realize most companies are not really skilled in knowing who will really get the job done. Sure they may have certain skills testing and other hoops you must jump through before getting hired, but often the hiring, especially by smaller businesses, is done based on if they like and trust you… not necessarily if you meet all “qualifications”.
Employers want a person who can get the job done. Often when an ad is posted, the criteria or “qualifications” they want are really just that – it is what they want. Many times what the employer wants is a little inflated over what they are willing to hire at. This means that the “qualifications” are listed to help weed out applications and to mainly deter the less qualified but the qualifications are not usually set in stone.
Over the years I have found companies often hired less qualified candidates. As an example, they may say a person must have “4 years experience”, yet if one qualifies for most of the other criteria, they often will still hire that person even if they only have “2 years experience”.
If you find an ad listing a job you feel you would be interested in or a job where you meet some of the listed qualifications but not all, apply anyways. A key strategy is to make sure you address your strengths in the resume and in your interview. Address your strengths as they relate to the posted job qualifications and the wants of the prospective employer.
Similarily, if a job lists a lower salary or wage than you want, apply anyways. What you get paid can always be negotiated. Often, what an employer lists as pay and what they will pay are two different things. Remember, if the employer likes and trusts you, the wage usually becomes negotiable. The employers usually give the lower point of what they are willing to pay.
The key point is to not let the “qualifications” listed stand in your way of applying. Getting your foot in the door for the interview will allow you to interact with those doing the hiring. If you don’t apply, someone else will. And if you don’t apply, you will never get a chance.
TIP – Focus on your strengths and don’t worry if you are not fully qualified… because in most hiring situations it doesn’t really matter as much as what the applicant usually thinks it does.

CollegeRecruiter.com Launches New Blogs

In September 2005, we joined the growing blogosphere by launching our first blog, CollegeRecruiter.com Blog, which contains career-related articles, thoughts, and the occasional ramblings by the staff of CollegeRecruiter.com. Feedback was positive and traffic generation was good, so in December we launched the CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Candidates Blog, which contains career-related articles, thoughts, and the occasional ramblings by dozens of students and recent graduates. It has generated a significant amount of traffic, perhaps because it is written by about forty candidates or perhaps because I’m not writing for it. So as we decided to add more blogs, we decided to add them using more of the approach of the candidates blog than our staff-written blog.
I’m pleased to announce that we just launched these new blogs:

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Welcome

Welcome to the new CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Admissions Counselors Blog.
The purpose of this Blog is to allow admissions counselors and other experts to share their insights with students and others who are looking for a new school, whether the student is a stereotypical high school senior who is looking for a traditional, campus school, a career changer who is looking for an on-line school, or someone whose needs are someplace in between.
The entries by the experts will frequently include information about their organizations, but more by way of example than an effort to generate business. The admissions experts will write about a wide variety of topics, including how to choose a school, how to choose a major, and how to choose a program. They will occasionally refer to specific students with which they’ve come into contact, but the experts will not use the real names of the students or provide any information that would be enough to identify them.
I encourage students and others to participate in this Blog by posting comments to the entries. Agree with an entry? Post a comment that contains praise for the author and any additional information that you feel would be helpful to them or others reading the Blog. Disagree with an entry? Post a comment that contains constructive criticism. But above all, read, learn, and enjoy!