Chapter 15, "Starting your Career," has provided me with an understanding of creating and compiling documents required for finding a career. With graduation quickly approaching, this reading will come in very handy in more than just this class.
The reading says that the first part to starting a career is setting goals, realistically. While I think this is a good idea, I don't think that everyone will be able to reach every goal, especially right out of college. I believe that there should be a few additional questions in there, such as "What am I willing to sacrifice to obtain my job/career" or "Where do I want to be, or see myself, in this career five years from now." Some people will not automatically get the job or position they want right away, so the "'I'll take any job available'" may sometimes be an unwanted but necessary choice, especially in the current economic slump. If you at least get your foot in the door, you can show the employer what your capable of and work up to that desired position.
I believe that creating a professional portfolio is a very important part of showing the interviewers what you are capable of. Many of the classes in my major require projects that we design and create throughout the semester. Having this information available to the interviewers will show them what you are capable of and that you have some background for the potential job. It will also show them that you are taking your career search seriously.
I now know that pleasing the whole audience, the potential boss, interviewers and Human Resources, is a very important part of writing a resume. It also seems like pleasing everyone at the same time can be very difficult, especially among different companies. With every different company it seems imperative that you must tweak your resume somewhat to match a different audience. I always thought that using bigger words, or writing more intellectually on a resume would be a better thing. Now that I've read this chapter, I have realized that it needs to be straight to the point with a careful selection of "key words."
Proffesional Portfolio
A well prepared professional portfolio is an excellent means of representing your work to a potential employer. I agree that it shows the interviewers and potential bosses what you are capable of and that you are taking your career seriously, but I also feel that it shows a little bit of your style and reflects your personality. For any position there may always be a handful of qualified candidates, but the personal touch that a professional portfolio exhibits may set you apart from the rest. In a highly competitive job market it is necessary to choose wisely what kind of image that you want to display and only include the best representatives that define you.
Portfolio
I think the projects during the semester is a great idea too. In Mechanical Engineering you have to make a website that has a recent project on it. I thought that making a website was going to be pointless but after making it I found it very useful, but I really do not know how many companies would look at it though. Usually it is just a resume, interview, and transcript request cycle that most companies follow. So maybe your recommendation on the "key words" is probably the best idea. Being straight to the point and highlighting the important parts of a resume is probably what I'll stick too.
Sacrifice
After reading "What am I willing to sacrifice to obtain my job/career" this really stuck in my mind. Knowing that with every job someone takes, there will be sacrifice. It could be giving up an ideal place where you want to live or being to far away from all of your friends and family. Another factor, which goes in for location, is what about the person you are in a relationship with, if you are? Would they be willing to move at there costs as well?
These are factors that many of us who are searching for jobs have to ask ourselves, is it really worth it?
Zebulon Rouse
Response
I think what you said about setting realistic goals as far as your first job out of college is very important. While everyone wants a six figure job right out of school, nine times out of ten it’s not going to work out that way. Starting a career is like starting college, you must build up your skills and experience so you can move on to the next level. In the working world that next level is maybe a promotion, or a different, higher paying job. I believe this can be accomplished with a lot of hard work and dedication.