Dazed and Confused – College Job Search

“Been dazed and confused for so long, it’s not true.” – Jake Holmes

In college on your “own”, trying to figure out midterms, finals, spring break, dealing with roommates, meal plans, rushes, finding time to party, etc. It’s a delicate balance. At some point (hopefully after 4 years unless you are on the “5 year plan”) it will all come to an end and you will need to find a job. Four years sounds like a really long time, but trust me, it will all be over before you know it. The last thing you need when you graduate, as you try to assimilate back to your parent’s house, is to linger on the unemployed line. College grads are finding it more difficult than ever to find jobs in their chosen field, and many have to resort to jobs that were traditionally filed by those without a college degree. Whether you are a freshman or a senior (or anywhere in between), there are lots of things you can do now (or should avoid doing) to improve your chances of getting a job when you graduate. Continue Reading

Scarred for Life – 5 Ways to Ruin Your Job Search

“When you’re up to your armpits in alligators, it’s hard to remember to drain the swamp.” – Ronald Reagan

There is nothing more uncomfortable than having an interview implode (whatever side of the table you are on).

Most of these experiences for me have been as the interviewer, but I would be lying if I said I never had a rough interview on the interviewee side of the table.

Sometimes it is a personality thing (and it’s better to find out during the interview). Sometimes you didn’t do your homework on the company or the job (basically, your fault).

But there are many other ways you can ruin your job search. Continue Reading

Social Disaster — is Your Job Search Safe?

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” –  Bill Cosby

I was recently recruiting for an open position and, after numerous resumes and interviews, narrowed the search down to three candidates and then the final choice. The “winning” candidate had a very impressive resume and all of his references checked out. Then came the background check (which includes a fairly robust Internet search) and we discovered some disturbing news. The final candidate was a quite active political dissident (on the Internet, using blogs and comments). Now this might not cause alarm on its own, but his comments bordered on libelous and some statements were inches away from “overthrow the government”. Needless to say, we passed on this candidate.

What about you? Do you know what will show up in a robust Internet search on you? Continue Reading