This is my first post for Job-Hunt.org, and I’m excited to share with you the trends that intrigue me as well as best practices and job search strategies.

So that you know where I’m coming from, here are a few fast facts about me:

• First Job: Framing pictures in a do-it-yourself frame shop. I broke a lot of glass, but learned how to cut mats and operate heavy machinery.The Career Take-Away: How you frame things can be just as important as what is inside. This is true from job applications and interviews to how you communicate with others on the job. Providing a sense of context about what you’re working on and how you’ve worked in the past, enables people to better understand you and what you offer.
• First Job Post College: Working for Astronauts! I spent three years working for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a professional association of aerospace engineers and rocket scientists.The Career Take-Away: No one is smart enough to make a rocket by themselves, great rocket scientists are exceptionally good communicators.
• I’ve been inside the “Ivory Tower” and have been on the other side of the hiring desk. Before starting my own business, I spent eight years working in career offices at Ivy League Schools and worked as a recruiter.The Career Take-Away: Where you go to school will never get you a job, what you choose to do with your education will. Even at Ivy League schools in a strong economy, fewer than 40% of students—on average—graduate and move into jobs they learned about through on-campus recruiting. To be successful, you need to apply what you’ve learned in and outside the classroom and scout out opportunities on your own as well. Internships are also essential.

I may be designated as an “expert” for Job-Hunt.org, but one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over my career is that expertise is community driven—sharing resources strengthens both our own knowledge base, and increases our ability to help others. In the coming months, I’ll pass along trends, best practices, and wisdom from other career practitioners, entry-level job seekers, and in-role working experts. In the words of Alice in Wonderland, I grow “curiouser and curiouser” all the time, and I’ll share what I learn with you.

About the author…

E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed.(@chandlee) is a career advisor at Dartmouth College. A certified career coach and resume writer, Chandlee’s experience includes working as a recruiter, facilitating one of Manhattan’s largest job search meetups, and serving as the resume expert for a national Microsoft campaign. She is a co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide (JIST 2010).
More about this author…

The post On First Jobs, Rocket Science, and Lessons Learned appeared first on Job-Hunt.

It’s a short list of items that you may miss unless someone takes the time to explain it to you – or life experience gives you a short course.

1.It’s really important to live within your means as much as you can.

Money in the bank and a good credit score are like packing for a trip with lots of clean underwear – if you don’t have it you may suffer down the road.

Companies may ask you for information to do a credit check as part of a general background check before you start employment. (If you will be handling money as part of your job, they often want to know how you handle your own. Not paying bills on time, carrying a balance, and ongoing debt can affect your credit rating over time – so you may want to take care to live within your means.)

Tip: There’s nothing wrong with shopping smart. (Guess who just scored a $488 designer blazer for $79.99 plus shipping on eBay? You can always shop discount for the good labels.)

A bad credit rating or an event such as bankruptcy or foreclosure can take 7 years to clear!

2.Your friends will be as important to you in your job search as any professional contacts you may have.

Why? It’s important to get support from all sides as you apply for jobs. After all, it’s a common experience to apply for jobs and not receive any feedback or response from employers. It’s similar to being shot down when you’re in the dating market – not exactly fun, is it?

A recent study discussed in Forbes says that after searching for a job for 10-12 weeks, people get depressed. And if you get down, it’s better to get out and do something – even if you don’t feel like it. And who better to help you get out and do something than your friends?

So stay in touch with people, and don’t be hard on yourself if you’re unemployed and not searching for a job 40 hours a week. Just make sure you’re spending at least half your time making connections and following up and applying for leads…

And don’t wait to apply for work. A 2011 study of 6600 hires found that half of all job seekers hired applied within the first week a job was listed. So apply early!

3.Don’t be afraid that you don’t know how to network.

There’s a lot of talk about how to network and what you need to do, but in reality…

Networking is something that you’ve been doing all your life – it’s not a foreign language or something you need to enroll in an 8-class-course for. You know how to do it already. It’s as simple as asking for directions, advice, or an introduction, saying thank you, and asking how you can help in exchange.

There are lots of job sites with career advice that will make it sound more challenging, but in a nutshell – this is what networking is.

Bottom Line

So that’s my reverse bucket-list: live within your means, spend time with your friends, and trust in yourself as you make connections and explore professional opportunities.

Good luck out there, and let us know how we can help!

About the author…

E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed.(@chandlee) is a career advisor at Dartmouth College. A certified career coach and resume writer, Chandlee’s experience includes working as a recruiter, facilitating one of Manhattan’s largest job search meetups, and serving as the resume expert for a national Microsoft campaign. She is a co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide (JIST 2010).
More about this author…

The post 3 Keys to Success No One Tells You When You Are Starting Your Career appeared first on Job-Hunt.

If you’ve just graduated or are seeking your first entry-level job, the job search can feel overwhelming – especially since most employers don’t advertise dates for job openings, interviews and timelines for the decision making process.

In order to make it manageable, define your targets and area of focus.

Avoid the Most Common Mistake

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in looking for a job is to apply to large numbers of jobs. While this may sound counter-intuitive, think of it as a variation on the law of attraction.

Searching for a job is similar to dating: Your chances of success go up when you know what you are looking for and seek out opportunities to meet people who share your interests – and who are also in the market.

The 3 Steps to Success

Here are three steps you can take to narrow your interests and increase your chance of success.

1. Go Where The Jobs Are

An easy way to increase your odds of success is to narrow your focus on where you should apply.

If you don’t know what you want to do yet, check out the Department of Labor website, MyNextMove.org. My Next Move offers a simple interest assessment and provides job descriptions that include training requirements, average salary and employer demand by state.

If you know the type of job you want to perform, apply for the job at multiple employers. When you find an employer you want to work for you can search for similar organizations by using a tool available in Indeed.com, the largest job board in the world.

If you know the type of job you want to perform, apply for the job at multiple employers. When you find an employer you want to work for you can search for similar organizations by using a tool available in Google.

For example, let’s say you want to find a job working for the Marriott hotel chain.

Search Google for Marriott.

When you find the Marriott entry in the Google search results, click the down arrow to the right of the web address for that entry.

Select “Similar” from the options listed, and you will see a list of related organizations, like the one below.

This will give you a list of other places where you can also look for additional job openings (and more “Similar” lists).

2. Apply for Jobs that Match Your Skills and Experience

Evaluate job descriptions carefully before you apply. If you meet less than 70 percent of a job description, you will likely not get called for an interview.

Even if you get the job offer, you should ideally only accept work that you feel you can do or learn to do. If you don’t have the skill and if training is not provided, you will likely not get strong reviews, good salary increases, or have the possibility of a promotion.

3. Put Your Strengths Forward

Just as it is easiest to write with your dominant hand, you have natural strengths and talents that can be further developed and help you shine on the job. A proven recipe for success in work and life is to assess your strengths, identify employers that can use those strengths, and market what you can do.

To identify your strengths and get ideas on how you can apply them, check out the book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath and take the included assessment.

Bottom Line

Even if you could apply to four jobs in the time it takes to do these three steps, refining your search strategy is the equivalent of rowing with the wind instead of against it. Searching for a job can be an arduous process, why make it harder? Think of your job search as an independent research project in which you have the freedom to choose what you want to study and your area of focus. You may not get to choose the interview questions or how you will be evaluated, but you always get to decide where to apply.

More: 4 Tips for New Grads to Land a Job

About the author…

E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed.(@chandlee) is a career advisor at Dartmouth College. A certified career coach and resume writer, Chandlee’s experience includes working as a recruiter, facilitating one of Manhattan’s largest job search meetups, and serving as the resume expert for a national Microsoft campaign. She is a co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide (JIST 2010).
More about this author…

The post 3 Steps to Job Search Success for New Grads appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Some of my friends call me a perpetual student: After grad school, I worked in colleges for the better part of ten years. I read and follow college commencement speeches like some people read Harry Potter.

There’s a lot of great material in Commencement speeches. One of my favorites comes from Tom Brokaw on college and the real world:

“What…is this real life all about? It’s not college – it’s not high school. Real life is junior high. The world you’re about to enter is filled with adolescent pettiness, pubescent rivalries, the insecurities of 13-year-olds and the false bravado of 14-year-olds. Forty years from now, I guarantee it, you’ll still be making silly mistakes, you’ll have a temper tantrum, you’ll have your feelings hurt for some trivial slight, you’ll say something dumb, and – at least once a week – you’ll wonder, ‘Will I ever grow up?’

You can change that. In pursuit of passions, always be young. In your relationship with others, always be a grown-up.”

I’ve got that sound bite committed to memory. It has rung true for me more than I can count. But I’m about to share with you something I’ve never seen anyone else share: Applying to jobs will never be easier to understand than it is in college.

Yes, you’ll have more experience with applying for jobs, interviewing, and networking (though in many ways, you’ve been networking since before you selected courses in high school – it’s just that no one called it networking.)

Yes, you’ll have an easier time figuring out who you know inside companies – thank you LinkedIn and Facebook.

But you’ll most likely never, ever have the certainty that you do if you apply to a job listed through your campus career services office – a position that comes with on-campus interviews.

Here’s why? At most jobs you apply to in college, you’ll see a timetable – with deadlines of where and when to apply. You’ll know when invitations are being issued for interviews. If you’re lucky enough to interview, they’ll tell you when you can expect a call back for second rounds. And – in most cases – you’ll get a formal rejection letter. You get closure.

This rarely happens in the “real world.” It’s like the first date who says “I had a great time, let’s plan something for next week” and never calls you back. When you apply for jobs post graduation, this will happen all the time.

I talked to a friend today. Her husband is in his mid-50’s. This happened to him twice last month. He’s still waiting for the phone to ring.

Another friend recently spent four hours applying for a job. He sent in his application and got a rapid response “Due to the volume of applications we receive, we regret that we cannot inform all of our candidates when they are no longer under consideration.”

Does this remind you of junior high?

So here are three short ways you can tackle this:

1. Be a grown-up.If you haven’t heard in a while after you’ve applied or interviewed for a job, pick up the phone – and call the hiring manager. Ask them in person.Especially if the job has been reposted since you interviewed.

   Yes, it’s hard to hear that you haven’t been picked. But more often than not, you may receive information that has nothing to do with you: perhaps the company has re-written the job description, put plans to hire on hold, or – and this really does happen – had to relist the position under a different requisition number!

   Wasn’t it easier in junior high to know someone wasn’t going to call – ever – than to waste your time waiting?

2. Check out this list of companies recognized for the time and energy in how they treat ALL their candidates – not just the ones who get picked.Did you know many companies do go back into their applicant pool from previous jobs to hire for new jobs? I recently did an interview with a senior recruiter at Google – and he said he does this “all the time.”
3. Sign up to get an update when your job search status changes – even if your status has changed to a “no.”One secret not often shared is that many companies actually provide candidates with updates on their application status – whether their application has been viewed, whether the application is still in the queue, etc. But you have to know the information is there in order to get it – and you have to log back into the account you created when you applied.

Check out these strategies, and let me know how they work for you. You couldn’t pay me to go back to junior high. You?

About the author…

E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed.(@chandlee) is a career advisor at Dartmouth College. A certified career coach and resume writer, Chandlee’s experience includes working as a recruiter, facilitating one of Manhattan’s largest job search meetups, and serving as the resume expert for a national Microsoft campaign. She is a co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide (JIST 2010).
More about this author…

The post The Secret to Applying for Jobs After College appeared first on Job-Hunt.

In honor of the finale of NBC’s The Office, here are three common scenarios to avoid when applying for jobs. These scenarios frequently make top ten lists of employer pet peeves.

1.Declaring that you are the “ideal candidate” in a cover letter.

Why this doesn’t work: If you don’t know the organization and haven’t seen the applications of the other candidates, this isn’t a judgment call that you can make.

This may be the standard line in hundreds of cover letter templates, but I’ve never seen it convince an actual employer to hire based on this assertion.

What to do instead: Say why you’re applying for this particular position and briefly relate it to your interests and/or experience.

I’m especially interested in applying for your environmental consulting position as I majored in Environmental Science in college and have completed two internships that were similar to the work you do in wetlands preservation.

2.Saying, “I’ll Do Anything”

Why this doesn’t work: When employers hire, they seek the candidate with the most relevant skills – and personality fit – for the job. Most of us aren’t equally good at everything we do – and a job that doesn’t fit our strengths can feel like writing with the wrong hand.

What to do instead: Know your strengths, what you do well, and how you could put these skills to work if you were hired. Listen to what the employer says they need, identify the skills you have that could help them, and make that work for you.

You need someone to help you with invoicing? I’ve done my dad’s invoices for his business for the past three summers. QuickBooks is great.

3.Asking about salary or the vacation plan before you get the offer.

Why this doesn’t work: Ideally, you want to show your potential employer that you understand what the job entails – and that you’re interested in the work itself, first and foremost. If you haven’t done your homework and tell them a salary that’s way under or over – you may get a laugh and a dismissal instead of a paycheck.

What to do instead: If an employer asks you about salary, follow the guidelines recommended by Job-Hunt’s Recruiting Expert Jeff Lipshultz in his article, The Starting Salary Question.

Bottom Line

Treat your potential employer like you would a first date. Be polite. Express interest in learning about others before you talk about yourself. Get to know each other first – before you start asking about long-term plans. Then let us know how it works for you.

About the author…

E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed.(@chandlee) is a career advisor at Dartmouth College. A certified career coach and resume writer, Chandlee’s experience includes working as a recruiter, facilitating one of Manhattan’s largest job search meetups, and serving as the resume expert for a national Microsoft campaign. She is a co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide (JIST 2010).
More about this author…

The post 3 Job Search Mistakes – What They Are and How to Avoid Them appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Here are seven common mistakes that people make on a resume that can leave employers with the wrong impression…

…PLUS simple solutions you can implement to keep your resume in the clear.

The Mistakes AND the Solutions

1. Forget to list yourself as the author of your resume.

Even if you have included your name in the title of your resume document, your resume may be visible to your audience as another person’s work.

How does this happen? The word processing software you used includes someone else as the “owner” or “author” depending on the software and version used.

Solution:

You must put your name in as the Author of your resume in the “Info” or “Properties” section of your document. Otherwise, either the default or previous author listing will show instead. Make sure to check this before you finalize your resume.

2. Use an original font.

A vast majority of employers use applicant tracking software (ATS) to scan and rank applications for relevance. ATS systems are programmed to look for keywords and they frequently misread text presented in an “unconventional” font. You don’t want an “I” to be misread as an “L” do you?

Solution:

To make it easy for others to read your resume, use a standard font. ATS system friendly fonts include Times New Roman, Arial, and Courier.

3. Cite all coursework as “relevant.”

For some post-graduate positions, it is helpful to have coursework that relates to the job. But most job descriptions don’t specifically ask for coursework.

Solution:

Instead of assuming that your coursework is relevant and telling the employer that by saying “Relevant Coursework,” say “Coursework Highlights” or “Key Coursework.” If the job is completely unrelated to all of your coursework, you can also just leave listings of all courses off of your resume.

4. Highlight GPA.

While some employers target brand new graduates; not all do.

If you are applying for a position that doesn’t ask for a GPA but does require pre-existing experience, listing a Major GPA or GPA without Pre-medical coursework may result in an employer perception that you are “wet behind the ears” or inexperienced.

Solution:

If your GPA is below a 3.0, you can always leave it off your resume. Once you are 5-10 years out, it is often no longer relevant to employers. As employer use of GPA post-college varies, check with others who are currently working in your desired field and industry. Get a sense of what the standard is before listing your own information.

If you have graduated with Honors – e.g. cum laude or “completed a thesis with distinction” – you can also put this directly on your resume in place of GPA.

5. List what you do outside of work as “Extracurricular Activities.”

Solution:

Instead, consider filing your experience under a different category. Examples of different section header titles:

• Leadership Experience
• Volunteer Experience
• Leadership and Volunteer Experience
• Community Engagement

6. Listing Education first

Many college career offices recommend that students list their Education as their first section in their resume. While this is a standard practice for undergraduate students, it may undermine your chances at applying for a full-time job as it emphasizes education over any experience you may have.

Solution:

Since many entry-level positions list experience in the field as a pre-requisite, a better strategy is to start the resume either with:

• A Summary header that includes keywords that are relevant to your background and the position that you seek – e.g. Project Management, Marketing, Communications
• An Experience section that highlights any relevant work experience that you may have in a related area; this can include internships or projects you have worked on as part of your coursework – as long as you attribute your work to the source where the work was performed

Instead of beginning with your education, you may want to move the Education section to the bottom of your resume — shortly before a Skills & Interests section.

While this may seem counterintuitive, the reason for this is a simple one. Ever watched someone open a newspaper? It’s a common practice to look at the back page as you open it — this is why the advertisement on the very back page of the paper is the most expensive ad space to purchase.

When you close with your education section at the bottom of your resume, you are reinforcing your relevance to the position. You are starting with a story — “here is what I’ve done, and this is how my experience aligns with your needs” — and wrapping it up by showing that you have completed some educational training that may be relevant.

7. Failing to Provide Background Information

A common mistake made on resumes is to leave out information that gives your reader a context of who you have worked for and why it matters.

For example, many employers may not have heard of the organizations that you have worked for in the past. Listing the acronym of an organization you worked for in the past is only meaningful if your reader has an understanding of the organization. The same goes for company names.

Solution:

You can strengthen your resume by providing details about your past employer – e.g.

C&S Wholesale, Keene NH, Operations Intern
Largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S., recognized by Forbes as an Industry leader in Supply Chain Management

Here are three simple ways to gather this information:

• Do an online search for the organization you have worked for and read the 1-3 sentences that headline the search result summaries
• Read the About Us page on the organization’s website
• Contact your former supervisors and co-workers and ask for their input on how to write up what you’ve done and how your work made an impact on the organization

In summary, the resume that helped you score an internship while in college may not be an asset after graduation. You may find yourself receiving job offers sooner than you thought if you take these mistakes into consideration – and implementing strategies to avoid them.

More About Job Search for Recent Grads

• 4 Tips for New Grads to Land a Job
• Improving Your GPA After Graduation
• Competing with Older Candidates
• 3 Steps to Job Search Success
• College Student Resume

About the author…

E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed.(@chandlee) is a career advisor at Dartmouth College. A certified career coach and resume writer, Chandlee’s experience includes working as a recruiter, facilitating one of Manhattan’s largest job search meetups, and serving as the resume expert for a national Microsoft campaign. She is a co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide (JIST 2010).
More about this author…

The post 7 Deadly Resume Mistakes for New Grads to Avoid appeared first on Job-Hunt.

At the appointed time, my phone rang, and, within 15 seconds, I was live on the air.

I’ll never forget the question I was asked,

“If there aren’t enough jobs to go around and someone has to make the decision on who to hire, how do college students ensure that they get picked over Baby Boomers?”

My jaw dropped, and I took the three second pause that everyone tells you it is okay to take during an interview. It was.

I don’t think looking at the job market and at your potential competition as a fight to be won is helpful.

This is how I answered the question a year ago, and this is how I would answer it today. Consider the following:

• Do you need to showcase your skills and interests in the job search?
• Do you need to demonstrate how your experience and strengths align with the position?
• Do you need to anticipate the needs of your prospective employer, show that you understand them, and provide examples of how you can help?

The answer to all of these questions is a resounding “YES.”

At the same time using a talent war metaphor to approach the job search isn’t helpful, either. As I see it, your job isn’t to “beat” your competition but rather to help your prospective employer view you as the easiest candidate to fit right into the company culture and do the job that needs to be done.

It’s all about attitude and aptitude, not age.

That being said, here are five strategies you can use to apply for jobs with candidates from any age group.

1.  Apply for jobs like a seasoned professional.

Research the company thoroughly. Visit your local or campus library and get tips from the research librarian on how to research employers and industry health.

Don’t just look at the company website, find out what matters to the employer–what they are excited about, challenges and threats in the industry, etc. Incorporate this information throughout your job search.

2. Frame your experience so that it aligns with what the employer needs.

Avoid writing a cover letter that restates your entire history. Instead say,” I understand you are looking for X, my experience with X includes…”

Tip: If you have writer’s block, try making a table with two columns. Place employer qualifications in the left column and a brief description of how each qualification relates to your skills in the right column. Keep it brief, and if the list is easy to read—replace a paragraph in your cover letter with your new table.

3. Don’t get hung up on your own lack of experience.

You may have needed a laundry list of leadership experiences to get into college, but you don’t need this for your job search.

Instead, present yourself as someone who is as good at following directions–and listening–as you are at taking initiative. Employers want to know that you can follow as well as you can lead.

4. Have an immaculate onine presence.

A majority of employers admit to conducting their own online research on candidates prior to hiring them. Know what they will find. At a minimum, you should have an innocuous Facebook presence (no incriminating pictures or comments) and a very professional LinkedIn profile that includes a well written online summary. It is just as important to have an online professional presence as it is to have a resume–and it will be seen more frequently.

5. Hang Out With An Older Crowd.

Join groups who share your professional interests on LinkedIn, and follow individuals in your field in Twitter.

Engage them in conversation–and bridge the generation gap with common interests. It will help you stand out–and get noticed.

After all, developing friendships across age groups demonstrates your ability to communicate as well as your skills in working with diverse communication styles. All of these traits are ones employers generally seek.

Bottom Line:

On the surface, these may seem like quick tips on how to fit in. But if you think about it, many job seekers don’t pay attention to these details—and that’s often all the difference in a hiring decision!

About the author…

E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed.(@chandlee) is a career advisor at Dartmouth College. A certified career coach and resume writer, Chandlee’s experience includes working as a recruiter, facilitating one of Manhattan’s largest job search meetups, and serving as the resume expert for a national Microsoft campaign. She is a co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide (JIST 2010).
More about this author…

The post Competing for Jobs With Older, More Experienced Candidates appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Majors with the highest rates of unemployment include Information Systems (14%), Anthropology & Archaeology (13%), Film, Video and Photographic Arts (11%), and Political Science & Government (11%).

On the other hand, majors with the lowest rates of unemployment include Education (5%), Physical Fitness, Parks and Recreation (5%), Health (6%), and Nursing (5%).

Steps to Recovery and Success

If you’ve earned a degree in a major course of study that has a higher rate of unemployment, do not despair. Your ability to find a job and secure stable employment is not determined by your college major choice alone. There are several strategic steps you can take to increase your employability and position yourself as a strong candidate for job openings across industries. Here are three steps you can take:

1.Research and consider employment opportunities in sectors that have a high demand for new employees.

For example, healthcare jobs have been growing at a rate that is faster than the overall U.S. economy. One of the biggest trends in Healthcare is the transition to Electronic Medical Records – and the requirement that hospitals and physicians convert their records by 2015. If you’ve earned a degree in information systems, it may be wise to consider a position and additional certification in Healthcare Information Systems.

2.Identify the unique skills and abilities you have developed.

In the process of studying your major coursework and earning your degree, you developed unique skills and abilities that the right employer or situation needs and values.  For example:

• Majoring in Anthropology involves studying the origins of human culture and how people behave in collective groups – having a fundamental understanding of how people behave is an essential skill for market research.
• If you’ve studied Film and Video, you may have a unique perspective on how to frame situations and understand the strategies for how to make viral videos on YouTube – qualities in high demand from many employers.
• If you were a Political Science or Government major, you may want to emphasize your ability to research and understand rules and regulations.
• If you were an English major, you will find many employers interested in someone who can communicate well through both oral and written communications.

When networking or applying for positions outside of your major field, market yourself for opportunities by highlighting your relevant skills and abilities first.  All are valuable skills relevant and useful in other environments.

3.Analyze how others with your major have managed their careers.

To see examples of what others have done with your major, leveraging their skills and experience, use LinkedIn’s Advanced Search feature.  Search for other profiles of people who have graduated from your college – or other schools that offer your major. Simply search by school and keywords such as “B.A. in Political Science” or “B.S.” and “Information Systems.”

The results of research will allow you to see the career paths and choices of others with your degree, as well as strategies others are using in marketing themselves.

Bottom Line

Whatever you do, don’t let negative economic data or projected outlooks for unemployment stop you from moving forward in your own professional career. To make things happen for you, frame your experience in a positive light, seek out opportunities in industries and positions that can use your skills, and make connections with others both inside and outside your field. That’s a guaranteed recipe of success for any major.

About the author…

E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed.(@chandlee) is a career advisor at Dartmouth College. A certified career coach and resume writer, Chandlee’s experience includes working as a recruiter, facilitating one of Manhattan’s largest job search meetups, and serving as the resume expert for a national Microsoft campaign. She is a co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide (JIST 2010).
More about this author…

The post What to Do if Your Major Has a High Unemployment Rate appeared first on Job-Hunt.

As a career advisor working with students seeking internships and their first jobs out of college, I help people navigate the GPA issue a lot. I have done this for over 15 years.

I have also worked as a recruiter. So, I have seen both sides of this issue.

2 Employer Perspectives About Your GPA

Through my work, I have noticed two fundamentally different camps in how hiring managers and employers consider GPA.

1. For some employers, GPA matters a great deal.

This emphasis applies even if the position you aspire to fill has nothing to do with what you’ve studied.

This is especially true for highly-selective organizations such as financial services firms, Fortune 500 companies and consultancies.

The rationale behind this view: Grades reflect your understanding of what you studied –- and the level of effort you put into your work.

2. Other employers may tell you GPA doesn’t matter.

It’s the degree and/or the work experience that counts for them. So…

• Sometimes having a degree is enough to get you through the first application review and into the interview pile.
• The challenge: Even when employers say this, GPA can still serve as a tie-breaker when an employer is deciding between two candidates.

How Much Does GPA Really Matter? It Depends…

I have seen some employers say one thing, then do another.

• I have heard employers say, “We don’t have a minimum GPA” and “We aren’t looking for a specific GPA.”
• Then, I have observed lists of interviewees in which all of the candidates selected for interviews have a GPA that is over a certain threshold.

I have seen candidates succeed in the job market regardless of GPA setbacks. This article provides strategies on how to do this – even after you have graduated.

3 Strategies to Tell a Positive Story for a GPA Under 3.0

My general advice:

If you’ve graduated from college in the last three years, list your cumulative GPA IF it is a 3.0 or above. Because if you don’t publish your GPA, employers could – and likely will – assume you have less than a 3.0 average.

Sometimes, success is hidden in the details. There are ways to bring this out.

  1. What were your commitments as a student? How did you spend your time?  

If you worked or participated in activities that occupied more than 15 hours a week, that information should be documented on your resume.

Example:
Work experience
“Worked an average of ___ hours per week during term to pay for educational and living expenses”

Sports
Trained and competed ___ per week in season; trained ___ hours per week off-season

  2. Was your Major GPA higher?  

List the number of courses you completed in your major, total up your grades and course values…

For example, if you received an A (4.0) for a three credit course, your points for the course would be 12. Divide the total number of points by the number of courses in your major that you took, and you have calculated your “major GPA.”

Make sure this math includes all courses required for your major that are listed in your academic transcript.

Generally, courses taken for a major are listed with the same department code. If there are additional requirements outside the department that factor into your calculation, you can say “including <<course name>>”

  3. If your GPA improved over time, calculate and present your GPA by time period.  

Calculate GPA for each academic period you plan to include, then divide by number of courses. Present the GPA for the selected time period – and include the number of classes used for your calculation.

Example: If you earned a 3.5 GPA for 8 classes taken in your senior year, and a GPA of 2.5 for 8 classes in your junior year, you have two options:

GPA (Fall 2017 – Spring 2018): 3.5 (8 Courses)
or
GPA (Fall 2016 – Spring 2018): 3.0 (16 Courses)

You can tell this story. Grab your transcript, calculate the math, and give your alternate version.

Sample Formats for Both Resume

Here are samples of this alternate format:

• By Major GPA (# of major courses in parentheses)Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. Cumulative GPA 3.1/4.0. Major GPA 3.5/4.0 (14 courses)
• By Time Period (# of major courses in parentheses)Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
  June 2018
  Bachelor of Arts in History.
  GPA 2016 – 2018: 3.7/4.0 (20 courses). Cumulative GPA 3.2/4.0.
  Dean’s List 2016-2018.

Benefits of This Strategy

This strategy benefits all parties:

• Employers get the GPA.
• You get to demonstrate your strengths in a particular area or your ability to improve grades over time. (Note: If Cumulative GPA is still under 3.0, leave it off.)

I once helped Craig, a student who earned a 4.0 his last two years of college, use this strategy to land a full-time position with a Wall Street investment bank. As many financial services firms have minimum GPA requirements, he likely would not have gotten an interview if GPA had been left off the resume or if he had simply presented his overall cumulative average.

The Bottom Line on How to Increase Your GPA After Graduation

You can present an alternate narrative on your resume to showcase your GPA. If you choose to do this, provide additional information that enables employers to duplicate your math. With this strategy, you can share the story that highlights your accomplishments – and accurately reflects your abilities and successes without misleading employers.

More About Job Search for New Grads:

• 7 Deadly Resume Mistakes for New Grads to Avoid
• 3 Steps to Job Search Success for New Grads
• The Secret to Applying for Jobs After College
• Why LinkedIn Is NOT Optional for New Grads
• The Top 25 Keywords for Your Job Search
• Your Most Important Keywords

About the author…

E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed.(@chandlee) is a career advisor at Dartmouth College. A certified career coach and resume writer, Chandlee’s experience includes working as a recruiter, facilitating one of Manhattan’s largest job search meetups, and serving as the resume expert for a national Microsoft campaign. She is a co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide (JIST 2010).
More about this author…

The post 3 Strategies to Improve Your GPA After Graduation appeared first on Job-Hunt.

If yes, here are five ways to get started:

1.Enlist the help of a mentor —

And none of them can currently work with you now at your place of employment. Even better: Recruit one or two additional mentors.

2.Ask your friends for help —

Identify 3-4 friends who you trust more than anyone else. Ask them for their help.

3.Discover your “sweet spot” —

Isolate what you enjoy most professionally and what comes easiest to you naturally. This is your sweet spot, and may be your best target for future work.

4.Look at job listings ––

What’s available? Who is hiring? Create a short list of positions that align with what you’d like to do. Indeed.com is the largest collection of job postings in the world and a great place to start

5.Don’t do anything until you know what matters to your audience —

Don’t revise your resume, write a cover letter, or apply for any positions.

Don’t ever customize your resume or cover letter, or develop an interview strategy until you know the job you are applying for and have a sense of the company culture. Glassdoor.com, Hoovers, and employer websites are all good sources of company information

Your network—and others who have worked in similar positions, are also a great source of information. Seek out and have coffee with people who work in jobs similar to the one you’d like to have. Ask them what it is like—and what they look for before they make a hire. Once you know the needs and interests of your audience, it will be easier to successfully apply for positions.

Does it strike you as odd that none of the five strategies, above, actually involve applying for a job?

You want to have a job that makes you happy in 2015, right? So why not surround yourself with friends who can provide leads and support? Why not put your best skills on display and demonstrate how you walk into a new job and contribute?

Why not start out with a push to land the job that you want—not the job that just happens to be there?

More Help!

Need a little help to get started and make this all happen? Here are four of my favorite, go-to resources:

1.Who’s Got Your Back by networking guru Keith Ferrazzi

This book provides you with a blueprint for how to develop relationships and pools of support from mentors and your peers (or, as Ferrazzi calls them—lifelines)

2.Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham

This book will help you isolate and identify the traits and skills that come naturally to you. (So that you can decide which strengths you want to use most frequently.)

3.How Did You Score that Gig?

Alexandra Levit provides profiles of hot career options and shows you how to get there. Why this book works? There’s a quiz in the beginning that assesses your preferences and interests…you can then read the profiles that match. It’s like Cliff Notes for your career.

4. Job Search Magic

How to identify your best career fit and design a strategic path to your next job. Written by Susan Whitcomb, author of the top-selling resume book on Amazon, Resume Magic.

Bottom Line:

Before you even think about looking at job postings, fire up your network, and identify and analyze your audience.

About the author…

E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed.(@chandlee) is a career advisor at Dartmouth College. A certified career coach and resume writer, Chandlee’s experience includes working as a recruiter, facilitating one of Manhattan’s largest job search meetups, and serving as the resume expert for a national Microsoft campaign. She is a co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide (JIST 2010).
More about this author…

The post 5 Ways to Job Search Jump Start (Hold the Job Postings) appeared first on Job-Hunt.