Getting A Leg Up
|
Legging Up Your Competition
Let's face it. When you graduate from college you need an edge over the competition, right? Every year thousands of college students just like you enter the job market looking for the same thing you are, a job / career. Since that is the case you need something other than a paper degree to get your first job.
Here are a few suggestions you can do while you are still in school:
Project-based experience
Many schools give their students an opportunity to work with a local organization related to your field on a project the company needs help on. For many of these companies they are viewing this student help in the same manner they would if a consultant were to come in and help them with this project.
There are some regional organizations around the country like the Pittsburgh Technology Council who organize formal programs for students and companies to participate in a project based experience. Some of the companies who participated in the Pittsburgh Technology Council's program gave students a real world project whereas other created a fictitious one. A few of the companies who gave students an existing problem to solve actually used the student's results and saved the company money.
Talk to your professors, career services directors, co-op coordinators, or anyone on your campus that could possibly set an opportunity up for you or for a group of students at a local company. If you would be willing to work with a company for six or eight weeks, unpaid, on a project like this it could give you a huge leg up on your competition. The contacts you can make and the experience you can put on your resume is more valuable than money.
Job Shadowing
Another great way to get a leg up on your competition is to consider shadowing someone who already works in your field of study. If you are a biology major it might be worth your time to contact someone at a hospital or life sciences company who has a biology degree and learn how they are using their degree, or how did they landed their first job, etc... Many job shadowing experiences are very informal and short term; one day, or at the most one week. It would be in your best interest to talk with a professor or career services department to try and make this initial contact. If you work with the college the company may view it more as an educational experience rather than an attempt to get a job at this company. Again the networking and the experience is more valuable than money.
There are many other ways to get a leg up on the job seekers competition but we don't have time for them all in this article. Here are a couple more suggestions:
Informational interviewing
Internships (spring, summer or fall)
Cooperative education (usually a two year internship with the same company)
As we stated at the beginning of this article anything you can do to get a leg up on your fellow job seeking competitors, do it. As you probably guessed after reading this article one of the best ways to get a leg up is to do as much networking as possible while you are in college, and get as much real world experiences as possible. This principle will hold true for every job you acquire so you may as well start early.
Justin Driscoll is a writer and speaker to college students and recent college grads on career development issues. Learn more about Justin or to read more of his articles visit his web site, http://www.justindriscoll.com
|
|
|
Top Ten Guidelines For Working With Executive Recruiters
1. Select the right type of recruitment partnerDetermine whether you would be best served by a retained, contingency, contract or research based partner at a global, national or local level.2. Interview recruiters to find th...(related: Employment)
Why You Need To Be An Intrapreneur
When a client asks me if I think he or she is a good candidate for starting a new business, I ask several questions (see our free assessment, "Are You an Entrepreneur?"). But the truth of the matter ...(related: Employment)
Seven Steps To Making A Successful Career Change
My first job was secretary to Moses. Having to transcribe and make 2,430 copies of the Ten Commandments convinced me I was on the wrong...(related: Employment)
To Get Hired Or Get Promoted, Attitude Is The Key
When you're looking to get hired or get promoted, what do you think is your most important asset? Your experience? Knowledge? Skill? Talent?While all of those are advantages that will help you achieve your goals, there's one thing that's more important than all of them combined.Your attitude!I attended a board meeting recently. It should've been spelled "bored." Just about everyone's eyes were glazed over or nearly closed with fatigue as one dull presentation after another was foisted upon the board members, staff and audie...(related: Employment)
Tips On How To Write High Impact Letters Of Recommendation
Congratulations. You've been asked to write a letter ofrecommendation for an employee or colleague. This person valuesyour opinion of him or her, and you'd be glad to help themadvance. The problem is you're unsure of what to say or how tosay it! Here are four tips to keep in mind when preparing yourr...(related: Employment)
How To Pick The Best Career For You, Part 1
In Part One we'll look at how Positioning or "Coming to a Theater Near You" simplifies and expedites your employment hunt by reinforcing employer buy-in through justification of the sale.Rapidly gain employer agreement that you're the right person for the job by proving how their organizational needs are met through your specific abilities to solve their identified problems.Your search shouldn't be about the moneyMost job hunters passively seek a job by default rather than strategic design. If you do, you may be committing the ultimate career crime against yourself...(related: Employment)
Have Some Pasta With Your Interview
When cyclists prepare for a big race, they always make sure they load up on the carbs. It is not uncommon to have a pasta feed the night before an important event so that the athletes can store up some of the carbohydrates they will be burning up the next day. The same goes for preparing for an interview. A candidate for a job, preparing for that all-important interview, ne...(related: Employment)
During Midlife Change: Are You A Jumper Or A Clinger?
Over the years, I have identified two kinds of midlife career changers: Jumpers and Clingers.Jumpers thrive on energy, enthusiasm and improbable luck. The last three times they leaped, a net appeared. They see no reason why the next jump should be any different.Clingers thrive on careers that offer security, money and identity. When they outgrow their careers, or find th...(related: Employment)
Acceptance Is The Answer To All Our Problems
Many people today have lost jobs after decades of service; many others suffer within jobs they can see no way out of. In order to survive a painful job loss ? indeed, any type of painful loss ? we must come to some acceptance. How does one find acceptance amidst the humiliation, shame, despair, fear, grief and uncertainty job loss...(related: Employment)
Unemployment Blues: Mind Over Mood
Our lives are tranquil and smooth so seldom, it seems. We have our ups-and-downs, our good days and bad days, our sunny moods and black moods. The less we swing in opposite directions, the happier we tend to be. The biology of our bodies craves balance and consistency -- changes in our thought patterns and emotions interrupt the regularity of our nerve pathways leading to chemical inbalance and internal disturbances.Stress kills because stress is the critical determinant of how we think, how we feel, how we react: all activities which terribly upset that silent body chemistry. Events cause stress: the death or illness of a loved one, fear of terrorism, divorce, exposure to violence or a personal attack, financ...(related: Employment)
Wake Up And Learn Something New
The US Government has just released last month's job creation figures. It was the lowest number in two years. This is a revealing and disturbing snapshot of what is actually happening in the real economy, not the one artificially c...(related: Employment)
Dynamic Pre-hiring Practices
The pre-hiring process can be a challenge. Much time and energy can be invested and in the end, wasted, if your approach is not focused, deliberate, and specific. The following approaches have resulted in meeting candidates that not only meet our specifications, but also regularly exceed our expectations!5 Steps to Writing An Ad that Gets ResultsThe following ad formula has yielded qualified, fitting job candidates:1. Begin with a compelli...(related: Employment)
Conducting An Effective Interview
An employment interview is a goal oriented conversation in which the interviewer and the applicant exchange information. Even though interviews are a poor selection tool for most jobs, they are often the primary method used in evaluating applicants. The main players in the job interview are the interviewer and the applicant.The interviewer should have a pleasant personality, empathy, and the ability to listen and to communicate effectively. He or she should be aware of stereotyped views of the capabilities of women and minorities, and should be knowledgeable of the laws governing employment practices. In addition, a solid knowledge of the job and its requirements are indispensable to properly assess the applicants' qualifications. Through open-ended and probing questions, four m...(related: Employment)
site-map - Copyright © 2007 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved | Free Articles and Information | Employment