Officially entering the workplace after graduation can be daunting. Sure, you’ve had jobs, but this is the real world.
If you’re looking for that first full-time, post-degree job, you’re probably caught up worrying about such things as:
• Will I find a job in my major?
• What role does my GPA (high or not-so-high) play?
• I don’t have any experience … who will hire me?
• How can I compete with people who have experience and more job-search skills?
These concerns are real, but what students and recent grads may think is important to employers may not always be the case. A survey conducted by National Association of Colleges and Employers confirmed a couple of items employers put great stock in, but new grads in the job market may not.
For example, the survey found that grooming alone will influence an employer 73 percent of the time, and 49 percent of employers viewed nontraditional interview attire as having an influence on their decisions.
With approximately 1,634,000 students graduating from college in 2010, the focus of your job search needs to be about what makes you unique.
Clear out your perceptions of what matters to an employer and start “thinking like an employer“.
To compete in this market, you have to focus on the skills you have acquired through part-time jobs, internships, volunteer work and other activities.
Thinking like an employer requires you to connect your skills to the employer’s needs. One area that creates a major concern to students is the length of a resume. Should it be one page or two? Students often think that employers are only interested in one page resumes.
For an example, a recent IT graduate described how he had led several projects, not only in school but while on summer breaks. He would occasionally take assignments helping small business owners who needed technical help. He thought his resume should be only one page, so he used a very small type size (nine point) to fit it all in. Interviewers had to work very hard to read all his information, and he ended up leaving out significant classroom experience.
Employers don’t overlook good candidates based on whether they have a one- or two-page resume. They overlook candidates because the information did not grab their attention.
The resume should focus what you are selling. According to a survey of a number of resume professionals, Dr. Katharine Hansen suggests the one-page rule has been broken.
Attracting employers might not necessarily be about your grade point average or where you attended school. A top university lends creditability, but the name of the institution alone will not carry you through an interview if you don’t present the skills employers need.
Keep in mind that in a job search, employers evaluate all candidates for what they can offer the company, rather than searching for candidates’ potential. That’s why it’s important to focus on the skills you have acquired, whether through volunteer work, internships or employment. All your experience can add up and make you stand out from the crowd.
What are you doing in your job search that sets you apart from the other candidates?
