Instructor Blog #2: Getting a Job

Tue, 06/05/2007 - 13:42 — rpweber

Getting a job sucks. It can be one of the most frustrating and time consuming endeavors you ever undertake. Many people say that getting a job is as difficult and time consuming as having a job. I wish great job searches on all of you throughout your lives (as you'll probably have to undertake many, according to labor statistics), but if you have a rough job search experience, know you're not alone. When you look for a job, you are competing against hundreds, sometimes thousands of other candidates. Some of those candidates are more experienced, more qualified, better workers, better people, and more deserving of the job than you are. You are almost guaranteed to be competing with people better than you are in every imaginable way.

Furthermore, job searches are often unfair. I recently read a little anecdote in the Reader's Digest All In a Day's Work section which recounted how a boss, in a rush to hire someone, ordered his secretary to throw away 200 of 250 resumes sight unseen. When the secretary protested, the boss said "Well, I don't want to hire anybody who's that unlucky." Even if you get a fair shake, your resume will only get about 10-30 seconds of review, and if you can't generate interest in that time, you're gone. Sometimes companies make very arbitrary decisions about who they hire. Before I came to graduate school, I worked at a company that offers continuing education for lawyers, and I'm almost positive that I got the job because the owner of the company is German and I studied overseas in Germany. Not because of my qualifications, or my resume. Just because of a random, arbitrary fluke. But they had 600 people apply for an entry level position. They had to sort them out somehow.

I tell you that job searches suck because no one told me before I graduated from college (and I know some of you have already successfully transitioned to the work force and probably know how hard it can sometimes be.) There is a new idea emerging in the 21st century of the "quarter life crisis" - the depression recent college grads feel when hitting the work world. Their jobs aren't what they'd hoped, life is hard, they don't have much money, all their friends are gone, they get depressed. If this happens to you, you're not alone.

But just because job searching is hard doesn't mean that you can't do well, and this next unit is designed to prepare you to secure a great job someday. I'll cover resumes, cover letters, and interviews in forthcoming blogs. Today, I'd like to give you some general thoughts about the job hunt as you start finding your positions for Friday.

First off, be thorough but strategic. You can't expect to get a job if you apply to two or three. But you also aren't very well served by just popping generic resumes and letters into envelopes and sending them to everyone in the phone book. You are better off sending 50 focused, catered, specific letters to companies with positions well suited to you than sending 200 resumes out at random. So as you are searching for a job, don't go too narrow and don't go too broad. Be strategic, and cater your employment packages to a specific company by including references to job ad keywords and company information. So pay attention to keywords in job ads. Do some research on the company before you send your materials out.

As you are conducting this thorough but strategic search, think about all the resources available to you. There are several different methods for finding out about jobs. One is to use generic job search engines, such as monster, career builder or the newspaper want ads, that give job listings throughout an area, field, or both. Another is to use industry specific job search engines that post jobs only in your relavant field. A third is to search the employment section on websites of companies that peak your interest. A fourth is to ask people you know in relevant fields if they know of any job openings. (Though this can be annoying to people, it is often the best way to get a job, so if you have connections, use them. Everybody else is.) A good job search will combine all four of these approaches to find as many jobs as possible. Cast a wide net in the beginning, and then narrow down from there. The more places you look, the more jobs you'll find.

As you are searching, be realistic. Everyone wants that power job, but getting that power job often entails taking some crap jobs until you can work your way up. If a job ad says "10 years experience" and you don't have any, you are almost certainly not going to get it. Someone with 10 years experience will. In your real job search, you are welcome to apply to jobs beyond your experience, even if you are better off targeting ones in your range. For the employment project, however, I insist that you apply for something within your reach. If you are not close to graduation, you can choose a summer internship for the project.

Lastly, as you are looking, be persistent. It takes a long time to find a job. Don't just send out 10 resumes and then sit on your ass. Keep at it until you get calls for interviews. It is often a good idea to politely follow up on application materials, when possible, especially when you have a name or contact to speak with. No one is going to come knocking down your door to give you a job. You have to knock on theirs.

Good luck in all your job searches. I hope the next few weeks help prepare you for the future.

Instructor blogs

rpweber's blog

Comments

Sun, 06/10/2007 - 21:49 — ssandqui

reply

I completely understand where you are coming from on this blog. Being in BCM, you are required to do 800 hours of work before graduation. The department is very helpful in finding positions that are available for students to intern. The job board is almost always full and the career fair has 150 companies attending for 500 students. Even with all this help, finding that job was very difficult for me. I attended the career fair, passed out resumes to companies I was interested in, and waited to hear about interviews. After the fall career fair and not hearing from more than 1 or 2 companies, I felt as though I may be limiting myself on where I wanted to work. I ended up taking a crap job for the summer and was really down on myself for not landing a great job like all my friends had done. Then the next semester I tried harder, contacted the same amount of companies but I didnt limit myself to certain criteria for the job I wanted. I landed more interviews and ultimately I gained a great internship for this summer, all because of my willingness to branch out.

Mon, 06/11/2007 - 17:28 — mmwood

My Response To Job Searches

I agree with some of the statements in this blog, but others I cannot disagree more! I love job searching, and I love interviewing. I find pleasure and thrill in the opportunity and challenge of finding a job to suit my individual needs. The best advice I have ever gotten was from a PhD student that taught a business etiquette class I took last semester. She told us to interview the company, find a company that we feel is a good fit for us instead of just hoping to find ANY job. When you look at it that way, it takes the pressure off the interview. You want to find a job that is a good fit for you, and most companies feel the same way. They want you to stay and like your job because training you is expensive. Upon graduating I am looking forward to weighing my options and seeing which companies will "fit" me. I completely agree that you should turn to your network to get a foot in the door at a company you are eyeing. I landed the interview for my internship this summer through my sales fraternity's (PSE) job network. I feel that if you are confident in your accomplishments you should convey that as much as possible in your job search, and ultimately you will be successful.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 22:26 — rpweber

Job hunting

I'm glad you disagree, and I'm pleased to hear that you enjoy interviewing. Many of the statements in the blog are meant to scare you or prepare you - if students find themselves in this situation, at least someone told them it was coming. Many of my friends who graduated from college were completely unprepared for the quater-life crisis that researchers are beginning to identify in the current generation - the dissatisfaction many students feel when their lives get rougher after college. I wish the best for everyone, but hope to prepare you for the worst. That puts you ahead of the competition. I agree that finding a company that is the right fit is the best choice. Many people compare interviewing to a first date, and I actually think that is a good analogy. Ultimately, you are both looking for compatability - though students coming right out of college can't always be as picky as they would like.

Fri, 06/15/2007 - 20:16 — mfaslam

Job Hunting

Interviews can be pretty rough so I cant really relate to the first date analogy. However, I totally agree to the point that at this stage of our lives, we can't be very picky. I think that at this point, getting our step in the door should be more important than just looking for something that we really want to do or working for specific company. I have been advised by many profesionals that I should broaden my focus in obtaining my first job. Once I am already in the industry and gain valuable work experience; a lot of doors will open up and at that time even I would have a better idea with respect to the direction I want to pursue my career in.

Mon, 06/11/2007 - 17:36 — aurban

Response to Blog #2: Getting a Job

I am in agreement on this subject. First of all, getting a job is just as much, if not more, work than actually having that job. I hate sending out my resume to all these companies, because I never know what is going to happen to it. As mentioned in the anecdote from Reader’s Digest, the boss simply threw out 200 resumes without ever even taking a look at them. You could have been the most qualified person in the world for the job, but would not have been offered the position for a reason like this. The same goes for resumes that are first sorted by a computer. Next year, I will go through the process of applying to medical school. I know that they use computer systems to make cutoffs based on certain criteria, such as GPA for example. If your GPA does meet this requirement, you will not be considered further in the application process.

The other thing that gets me is the need for experience. It seems that every job out there these days requires some sort of previous experience in the field. This can be truly frustrating. How are you supposed to get experience in that field if every position needs previous experience to be accepted? It seems like the system is built so that you can not get in.

I agree that being persistent is a key part to getting a job. In fact, this may have been part of the reason to how I received my current position. I interviewed over Spring Break and was told that decisions would be made in a few weeks after all the applicants had been interviewed. Knowing this, I made sure to call around the time the positions were being offered and everything was getting set for the summer. When I called, I was simply told that they were still going through all the applications and I would be notified when a decision was made. The phone call was very brief, but I made sure to state my name so they knew who I was and what I had applied for. The very next day I received a phone call saying they would be happy to offer the job to me. I told them I would be happy to accept!

As stated, no one is going to hand you anything; you have to go get it for yourself. While this is usually a difficult, time consuming, and stressful process, it can be done.

Tue, 06/12/2007 - 12:16 — SNL53

Getting a Job

I have not done a lot of job searching, but I know that it usually takes a lot of time and effort to find a job that you are going to be happy with. I have only had two summer jobs because of being busy with sports and other activities throughout the year. The first time I started looking for a job I didn't realize what kind of effort needed to be put into it. I applied at a few places that I wanted to work and then actually got a job at a place that I really didn't want to work. The next summer I applied for a few jobs but actually went after one that I thought I had a good chance of getting. I put in more effort and actually landed the job. I think so far I have been fairly lucky in my search and that soon I will realize how frustrating it can be to find a job.

I would agree that it is important to apply and put a lot of effort into a decent amount of jobs instead of doing little effort for a greater amount. It is also important to understand exactly what the position is so that you can be strategic and precise in your resume and cover letter. It is important to highlight your strong points and make sure that you point out a quality that is unique so that you can stand out. The hardest thing for me to do when searching for a job is following up and being persistant. I don't want to be annoying to them so I think it is important to know how persistant to be. Job searching can be very time consuming and frustrating but I think that if the right effort is put into it, it can be very rewarding in the end.

Tue, 06/12/2007 - 22:06 — blakngold703

Response to Getting A Job

I can definitely relate to this blog. Back in January, I started applying for summer jobs. At the time, I was getting my resume critiqued by the CCO every week, typing up cover letters, and squeaking out money to buy dress attire for interviews. I must have applied to at least 30 different companies and only six contacted me for an initial interview. Out of those, only two called me back for a second time and one offered me an internship by mid-April. Fortunately for myself, I landed an internship back in March through some networking, but I still wanted to look for jobs just to get some exposure to the whole process. Before I had my job, it was difficult to prepare myself only to be turned down by companies, and even harder not hearing from other companies at all.

I am also in agreement with the response above in that if nearly every company is looking for a candidate with experience, how is someone without any supposed to get a job? It does not make sense to me and probably never will. That in and of itself makes the competition even greater, narrowing the job openings to a smaller margin.

Wed, 06/13/2007 - 14:36 — rkottke

Response to Getting a Job

Getting a job is truly a hard thing to do but it is true if you have contacts it makes it a lot easier! Knowing people that work in the right places can really help you find the job that you are looking for! The internship that I have now is through a personal referral and if it wasn't for the person that I know I wouldn't of gotten the job. Another thing that a lot of people don't realize I think is that the company that they work at right after college most likely isn't is company that they will work with 4 years after graduation. Getting a job is really hard but I really thing that after completing this project it will really help prepare us for when we do go search for internships and jobs after graduation. I really was shocked at all the job opportunities on careerbuilder.com and monster.com when I was doing my research for this project. But still besides all of those sites I still think that a person's best research is just contacts! Overall this blog was really interesting and I am excited to start this project!

Wed, 06/13/2007 - 21:32 — squasny

Be Persistent

I agree with the article completely. I can relate to this article because I have been stressing about the idea of graduation and finding a job for quite some time. I understand the competition and the hundreds, even thousands of applicants that I will be up against. It is so true that in order to get a job, one must stand out. Something on the resume must catch the recruiter’s eye in order to an interview and then hopefully an offer. I am confident that because of this class, I will have better knowledge and skills to write a resume that will stand out amongst the other applicants. I agree that being persistent is important when applying for a job. When an employer knows that you are driven by checking up on the status of your application, they could see you as a driven employee of the company. I also feel that by taking the time to direct a resume to a specific person in a company makes the applicant seem more interested in the position. In order to be successful in getting a job, you need to be persistent and driven. A job won’t be handed to us; we have to go out there and work hard to find one!

Wed, 06/13/2007 - 21:45 — deagan

Sound Advice

I have not any real job searching but I have done some internship searching. I think there are a lot of parallels to searching for a real job. I’ve learned that you must speak with many people and can’t put your faith in just a few companies. It is true that you will be competing with many people, often sometimes with better credentials than yourself. You must be persistent. Often times in interviews I have found that the interviewer will latch on to something specific and often times irrelevant to the position I am applying for. I think that this Blog adds good words of encouragement and sounds advice. I also feel that Purdue has some good resources for the job hunt.

Fri, 06/15/2007 - 19:59 — mfaslam

Irrelevant Questions

I actually disagree to the point of recruiters asking irrelevant questions. I think every question in an interview is a relevent question. It might be not be directly related to the position you are applying for but it certainly can be used in assesing your posonality and how you can fit in to the culture of the organization. A lot of the question also indirecty focused to evaluating your values and beliefs. I think its easy to get the work related questions answered; its the other ones which make or break an interview and should be answered very carefully.

Wed, 06/13/2007 - 22:07 — mseeman

Response to Getting a Job

Luckily for me, I haven’t had the horrible experience of job searching. For the past three years, I’ve worked at the pharmacy in the hospital in my hometown. I was a pharmacy major which is how I have the job. They allow me to work on all my breaks and as much or as little as I want to work. I didn’t apply or have an interview. I received the job offer through one of my high school classes. Although it isn’t my major anymore, I enjoy working there and my co-workers are great.

However, I attended my first career fair this past fall and again in the spring. I was hoping to obtain an internship for this summer. Each recruiter told me the same thing, they weren’t looking for sophomores. They wanted juniors. Although I was discouraged, I continued to talk to recruiters and give them my resume. This coming fall I will be a junior and hope to be more successful in my search for an internship which I know will be more time consuming than my past experiences. I hope nothing happens to my resume like the anecdote in Reader's Digest. I also hope I have a positive internship search experience and enjoy searching and interviewing like others have.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 02:33 — stejani

Strategic planning

I really like what you said about being strategic about how you apply for a job and the steps you have given. I usually just go to the career fairs on campus but have not really looked into looking through a website or using a contact. I usually don't like asking contacts for help but if it really helps then you have to do it. Since I will be looking for a full-time job next year, the blog has given me some direction to work in. It sounds completely doable now.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 06:23 — pkamdar

Getting a Job

Yes indeed Job searching can be one of the most tedious and strenuous thing one can do. Though I haven’t got a chance to apply for a real job yet but I have applied for few internship. I believe one should focus on a few of companies which fits one best and try giving them their best shot. One may get disheartened by having a poor reply but one should still not give up. What I mean is try n try till you succeed. Everyone is not that lucky to get the perfect job at the first chance. As mentioned in the blog, one might be just lucky enough to get the job even if there are others better than him. So I wish when I apply to a job, my employer is Indian, so he would hire me then. One must understand that it’s ok to knock at thousands of doors till he reaches the perfect one which suits him and I believe it is perfectly alright to use the idea of networking to find as job. I mean it’s a common ground all over the world. A contact is what everyone mainly uses. Though one may not be the best candidate for the job, but still if you have the contact of the right person, you might be able to get the job. I feel its right, since this is the corporate world, and we are not the only one’s who will be doing this. At least using contacts is better than just depending on your luck and letting your resume be discarded even without a glance. Today’s world is commonly known as a rat race and yes I agree that there will be many competitions in life but once accept them as a challenge and not leave any opportunity which might have the spark or the potential .

I believe nothing comes as gift in this world and we need to struggle for all our needs. Hence I am ready to face the challenge of finding a perfect job, where I am happy working, and I hope this course helps me through this.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 10:04 — esschill

The Job Search

This has been a very interesting blog thus far. I believe that you receive rewards by the amount of effort you put forth. Like stated earlier, if you only apply to ten companies and then just sit around and wait, Im sure there is a McDonalds down the corner that will hire (no offense to McDonalds employees). I am also a firm believer in the phrase, " Its not what you know, its who you know." Now I do not base this in every profession, but almost all. Networking is huge. Some of you may disagree and Im sorry. We are (or will soon be) college graduates. We know how to learn things. But if you know the right people, they can help place you in the right areas, or at least put you in front of the right person. I am hoping to land a job before my last semester begins, which means this summer could get very hectic. But like I said before, you get what you "pay" for.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 11:08 — kmayes

Response :Instructor Blog #2 on Getting a Job

I agree with this blog completely on how getting a job is definitely becoming more difficult. As I approach graduation it scares me that only my friends in engineering and pharmacy are almost guaranteed jobs, while many others in different majors struggle. Even though I haven’t hit the working world yet I can relate to the anxiety felt by those graduates whose life isn’t what they thought it would be like after graduation. I have witnessed many friends have to return home and work a job unrelated to their major. I definitely believe that the average resume may only receive 10-30 seconds of review, because many bosses don’t have time to review resumes for long periods of time. That is why the resume must be eye catching and in correct format. Meanwhile, there seem to be a few obstacles when looking for work, but they can be conquered. I think doing research on companies of interest is a start. Next apply to jobs that may be a stretch from your profession if they interest you. After applying to these jobs you can’t just sit around and wait, as the article mentioned. My mother always told me to “call them, if they don’t call you.” That advice has helped me tremendously, just when I thought I was out of luck I gave the company a call and they gave me the internship. This goes along with the idea of being persistent, which is great and may bring about some surprise job offers in the future.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 13:32 — Suchet

Getting a Job

I totally agree with what it says in the blog. I can relate to it in some ways because i am still a sophomore in university and this summer i was looking for an internship in Singapore. I sent out my resume to many places and i still hadn't heard from anyone, i wasn't surprised because i don't have alot of working experience. As it says in the blog, people with alot of work experience are mostly likely to get the job over a person with less experience. But i still didn't give up i sent a few more resumes out for an internship and finally i got a call from one of the companies for an interview and i ended up getting the internship. I cant even imagine how hard it would be getting a job after i graduate. On the other hand tho if you do a good job while doing an internship for a company, they might ask you to come back the following years and thats a big step on getting a job after you graduate.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 17:36 — bpeppler

Response to Blog #2: Getting a Job

Unfortunately everything that has been said in this post is very true. From personal experience I have learned this first hand, even with my summer work. I remember when I turned sixteen I got turned down from a job that I thought it had in the bag for sure because I was going to be working with my brother. Even for that job there was stiff competition. So as I continued searching for a new job, I was pretty much handed a position at the local country club in Fort Wayne. My uncle is a superintendent at a neighboring course in the city, so he gave me a good recommendation to my current boss today. It's a shame that the business world is all about connections, even for minors who would be working for close to if not minimum wage. Having my uncle helped me out in this situation, but when I start to look for a life career I fear that I might not be so lucky. But, lucky for our generation, the baby boom generation is getting close to retirement age, so by the time when enter the work world, hopefully there will be an abundance of jobs available, but I'm sure this is just wishful thinking. It is just important for us to keep gaining experience and learn all the tricks to achieveing success in life while we are in school and still have the opportunity.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 17:46 — kim264

Job search

This blog post tells me how to make myself look stronger candidates than any other applicants. I agree that the employer or boss won’t have enough time to scan one’s resume thoroughly. They just scan a resume for 15 seconds, and if there’s any outstanding information, the resume will be thrown away. I also agree that one should submit one's resume to many companies. I'm planning to submit my resume to about 50-70companies. Even if there are companies I don't want to work at, having more chances to be interviewed would make me more skilled and competitive in the interviews with the firms I wish to be hired. Therefore, we should apply to comanies as many as possible to train our interview skill. Also, I think when writing a resume, it’s helpful to use the similar or same keywords used in job ad such as “goal-oriented” and “self-commitment” so to emphasize that I am the exact person with the ethos your company values. And paying attention to the qualifications mentioned in job ad is fundamental also. Even if I am an expert in programming, if the job ad wants someone as a clerk, then that skill would be useless but great interpersonal communication skill will be preferred. .

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 18:07 — RachB487

Reply to Getting a Job

I agree that the process of getting a job can be extremely difficult. Even finding an entry-level summer job can be hard to do. When I got home for the summer, I filled out applications at many local businesses. I was surprised to see how small the job market was for someone like me. It seemed like every place I wanted to work was either not hiring or not hiring only summer help. In talking to some of my friends, I realized that I was not the only one coming across this problem. After a couple weeks of searching, I decided to take up my previous boss's offer of having my summer job from last year back. Since I was looking to do something different and maybe earn more money, I wasn't happy with having to settle with my old job. But, hopefully I'll have better luck next summer!

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 18:14 — pstudtma

Getting a job - reply

I completely agree that getting a job sucks. We go through at least four years of college and in the end; we still have battle for the jobs available. Recent college graduates often times end up in jobs that they are over qualified for, or dislike completely. I agree with your fourth example of getting a job. If you know someone if the field you have a great leg up in getting a job in a related company. I know I have used that approach before in a summer employment opportunity and I felt as if I was an “easy in”.

I also believe that with having a strong resume and cover letter more than greatly increases your chances of a job you enjoy. As you said, we are competing against people that or more qualified, and possibly better at the job than we are. With a strong resume and cover letter, I believe we still can get jobs over a more qualified person with a weak resume.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 20:04 — nlievens

Finding a Job

I understand the point the blog is trying to make, finding a job is tough. However, I don't think it emphasized the issue of making contacts. In the Turf industry networking is essential to getting a job that will satisfy and further your career. I haven't had to fill out an application in five years for any turf related job I sought after based on a phone call made by my former employer. To be fair I was not applying for a higher level position, but it reminds me of what a professor explained to me, "It's not what you know, it's not who you know, it's who knows you."
I don't want this idea to take away from how critical it is to have a good resume. If a potential employer is not interested in reading your resume, they will not take the time to see who your references are.

I felt in the beginning of the blog which mentions the importance of experience to be note worthy. Although on the job experience can sometimes be impractical, it's value is immeasurable to employers. To me gaining experience is the whole concept behind participating in an internship. I have learned more working than I have in any turf class I have taken. If anything the classes have given me some theory behind the practice, and reinforced what I already knew.

I thought the end of the blog gave excellent advice on searching for a job. Honestly, I have never looked for a job online and I am curious to see how the process works.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 20:12 — mvillacr

Getting a job

I couldn’t agree more on the starting line of this article. Getting a job does sucks, but realizing that I’m not alone helps a lot. The idea that we have only from ten to thirty seconds to gain someone’s attention with our experiences and achievements written on a piece of paper, doesn’t make it an easy task. Also, it is very normal to get overwhelmed and try to apply to a thousand jobs without being strategic in any of them. After all, it makes sense that your chances go up with the amount of jobs you apply to. But getting a job is more than probabilities. After reading the article I can understand that it’s a complex process that requires a lot of planning and strategic thinking. I applied to a few jobs for this semester and although I had no pressure on getting one, it became a very bad experience. Hopefully this semester I will be prepared to begin a new and better search.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 20:19 — esnyder

frustration of job searches

Job searching is not fun at all! I have been searching for jobs for the past several months seeing as I only have 2 online courses left before I officially graduate. I have had several disappointments and have yet to find a job I feel good about. My most disappointing job search was when I interviewed with Land O’ Lakes feed company for their Equine Specialist position. I would have to relocate to New York and start a career in sales. The HR person I was working through kept telling me how confident he was that I had this position locked. I got my hopes up after hearing him and needless to say I did not get the position. After that I was discouraged from searching but knew in order to survive I needed money! The quarter life crisis is definitely a real deal. I may not be officially graduated yet but I am living like I am. I am working two jobs right now to help build my resume even more so hopefully one of those jobs suited just for me will open up. I feel very frustrated though because the career path I am in is animal related with a large emphasis on horses. After being offered some jobs I have found that the money they want to pay an individual with a B.S. is the same amount of money that I made before going to school. It is very frustrating to have just spent 4 years working towards making more money and only to be offered what I made before going in debt with student loans. Job searching is not fun but is a must! I wish there was an easier way to find places that are hiring all around the US other then using the internet because not all jobs are posted on the internet. I know somewhere out there is the perfect job for all of us we just need to find it!

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 21:49 — robertsr

Good Point

I think that you brought up a really pushed under the rug topic that people do not usually talk about. Unfortunately (not that I am an expert), I have been learning that a Bachelor degree is not as valuable as it used to be. Now people are telling me that I need a masters degree to make a higher standard of living. This disappoints me and discourages me. I am especially disappointed to read your post. That is something that I fear is that with my degrees I will still be making what I made in college or before. Money and salary are not a topic that people normally discuss but I think it is a very important aspect in career decisions. Allow me to clarify, definetly not the most important but something to considered. Also, I will remember you post because I have learned that you do not have the job until you are offered it. I hope you remain persistant and know that the job you want is out there for you! Good luck!

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 20:20 — robertsr

Reply

Nothing written in your blog comes as a surprise to me. I assume that searching for an internship is very similar to searching for a job and I experienced a lot while searching especially the discouragement and frustration. Some of the advice you gave about asking friends and checking websites are great tips. I often do not apply for scholarships or job searches that are posted on these huge websites like monster.com, etc because so many people are applying. I want a company that is more personal. Also, I am very apprehensive about graduating. Thankfully (a blessing in discise) I have two more years (5 year plan) so I have plenty of time to mentually prepare for the professional world. I think I am somewhat getting a taste of it this summer since I work 7-5 then come home and by the time I have cooked myself dinner, cleaned up around the house, and worked out it is time for bed again. My boss and I were just talking today about how there is just not enough time in the day when you have so many responsibilities. To summarize I am in no hurry to be an adult. I am excited to search for a job because I know that I will look for a job that is rewarding and one that I can be excited about (at least in the beginning). I am already aware that I may have to start low and work my way up. I have the patience and the perserverance to accomplish my goals. In conclusion, I agreed with nearly everything that was posted and I am in no hurry for the "real world".

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 20:26 — kim19

Response to Blog #2

I agree with you on how searching for a job can be difficult. I have already encountered problems when trying to obtain an internship due to my age. You really need to use your resources wisely in order to be successful. I am grateful that Krannert has its own career services center to help you land an internship or job. Finding a job for which you are qualified is very important. It’s good to challenge yourself but often in the job market you need to strive for jobs for which you are qualified. Although it might be disappointing to get a less desired job, it can help you in the future to land a dream job. Preparation is also key. Without an appropriate cover letter and resume, you might not even get an interview, let alone a job. Also, a lot of times, especially early in your career, connections make a big difference. Networking can be key to getting your foot in the door. By using all your resources and putting in time, you can get a job as long as you are willing to put in the work.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 20:35 — archit

job preassure

I totally agree that finding a job is a strenuous work and also it puts a lot of preassure. I guess that the standards for the quality are incresing day by day and there are so many people who are looking for a better job, the next day theres an advertisement in the newspaper for an amazing job and boom, there are at least 1000 people reading that advertisement and planning their next move to apply. So i guess it is very important to make a difference and stand out because thats what gets you the job.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 20:39 — amwillis

Getting a Job Reply

Almost all of this blog I agree with. I hate job searching. Job searching is a very tedious task. One thing I utterly most agree with is the fact that you have to keep working at finding a job until you find one. Sometime it might take one week and other job hunts may take up to a year. Sometimes you have to start off at a job where you are not completely satisfied to make your way to your dream job. Especially directly out of college, you are going to have to start somewhere and sometimes that somewhere is not where you want to be. Personally my past job hunts have been a pretty lucky hunt, but I know some people that have had the hardest time. I agree that you have to utilize your resources that are available to you. So many resources are available. Also making yourself known is a very good resource. Knowing people can always help in the job search. I also definetely agree that you have to be focused while job hunting. Much of this blog is very useful and motivating!

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 20:45 — cmlinac

Response to Instructor's Blog 2

I agree with pretty much all points in the blog. I probably worked harder at getting the internship that I have now then I do when I'm working during the day. I never really thought about how many resumes you will have to send out and how much time you will have to spend in finding a good job after college. The previous summer's I worked at a tennis camp at my high school so I didn't have to write a resume or apply or anything like that. Now this summer I had to write a resume and do some interviews and it was a lot harder than I thought. The crazy thing is that I only had two interviews! I'm glad I'm taking this class now because I think it will really help me prepare a good resume and good job hunting skills which will enable to find a better job after college.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 21:28 — Ddgr22

Getting a Job

I agree, that job searching sucks. Not only is it hard to find a job that is hiring, it is increasingly harder to land an interview. If you are lucky enough to get an interview then you have to worry about your appearance. I consistently receive comments from people about my hair. How does my hair have anything to do with how well I do a job? I am not about to change my appearance because I don’t resort to the parted hairstyle. I agree with the point that the majority of applicants are hired by some arbitrary fluke. There is nothing more judgmental about than an interview, which is why I agree with the notion that each resume you send out should be tailored to a specific company. By including key words from a job description the company has posted on your resume it will increase your chances that you receive an actual interview, as well as the chance this fluke choice will happen to you. Furthermore, by doing a little company research before your interview you increase your chances as well. Everyone loves to here about themselves so if you have done your homework on the company and conveniently talk about what you discovered during your interview the chance that you will receive a job will increase dramatically. If you are really passionate about a certain job, I think it is even better to find out whom you will interview with and research that persons achievements within the company. So what it might seem like you’re a suck up, but if you can exploit the fact that people love to hear about themselves in order to get a job, then do it! So in essence, corporate research is really the key to standing out of the crowd and the way for employers to notice you.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 21:28 — mcalmet

Getting a Job Comment

I have always thought that looking for a job isn’t easy. Most people spend lots and lots of time looking for a job, and some get lucky while others just get too stressed out. In my opinion, the best way to get a job is through connections, just as it was mentioned above. Before graduation many students have to focus on building their resumes in order to make the job search easier. Even though in some cases it is only luck (to be honest I did not here the story of the manager that threw away the 200 of 250 unseen resumes), it is more likely to get accepted at a job if your resume looks better than the rest. I agree that life is hard and sometimes can be unfair, but this is how things work nowadays, and this is why I think that knowing how to treat people is something really important. Not only would this help you with job interviews, but this will lead to into making more friends which leads to more connections, which will eventually lead to getting better jobs. Finally, I also agree with the blog that people have to make many moves to get jobs, since they will not be opportunities that will show up; everybody has to find their own.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 22:34 — rmarschk

response

I agree that job searching can be hard. I have witnessed many job searches by my father and have experienced many myself. However I think that their should be a great deal of time and effort put into your job search. The job you get will be where you spend the majority of your time over the next few years. You should take some time to find the right one. Most of the time when you are making a big purchase you shop around and look for the best deal; a job search is the same thing. You should look at all your options and all the companies you could work for before making your decision. I also think that jobs will come easier the more you set yourself apart from the competition. When you graduate and first enter the job market so did hundreds of thousands of students. Receiving a college education is no longer enough to set you apart in the job market. It is what you do when you are at college that will set you apart. What clubs you join, what internships you get, all give you an edge on other students looking for that position. The clubs and other organizations also give you connections and if your employer was a member of that club or organization they may be more inclined to give you an interview because you have something in common with them. With a job search, just like anything in life, you get from it what you put into it. If you spend time researching the companies you would like to work for and apply for positions that suit you there is no reason you can’t land a great job. I agree that the job market isn’t always fair but if you are persistent with it you will be able to find a great job.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 22:50 — whinchcl

Response to Getting a Job

The process of getting a job is certainly one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I started at Purdue in pre-pharmacy, as pharmacy is a program broken down into a 2 year pre-professional program and then a 4 year professional one. Unfortunately, pharmacies are rarely looking to hire students who have not yet been accepted to the professional school, so looking for a job related to the major was extremely difficult. However, my senior year in high school and then the summer after my freshman year I managed to get a job working at a pharmacy. It had nothing to do with my qualifications, or my previous experience. My neighbor happened to own the pharmacy, and he knew I was interested in the field so he gave me a chance to get some experience. Having that connection was the only reason I ended up working at a pharmacy at all during that time. The next summer, after my sophomore year I was in for a rude awakening. My neighbor wanted to fully retire and sold his pharmacy, leaving me jobless. Thus I had to begin a search for a summer job, after what seemed like forever, I ended up taking a crappy job which I managed to get again through connections. That was an experience I did not want to have again, but unfortunately for me during my junior year I decided to change majors to radiological health science and managed to miss most of the deadlines for the internships related to my field and it again looked like I would be stuck looking for a crappy summer job. Then in late March/early April I received an email notifying me of an internship opportunity at a nuclear plant outside Chicago. This was quite the change for me, instead of searching for a position, one seemed to be searching for me. Since the notice came so late, and since there are not many people in my major, only three people responded to the email. I managed to survive the interview and landed the internship. It was a great experience and I’m hoping one that I’ll be able to have again. Job searches indeed suck, but I’m hoping with my internship, and being in a field that has recently come into high demand will help me after graduation.

Fri, 06/15/2007 - 06:17 — basexton

Getting a job

I know exactly how you feel when it comes to trying to find a job. Unless you know someone, it can be very difficult to even get an interview. The only reason I landed my internship this summer is because my fiance's parents needed some help this summer. If not, I would of been stuck taking the OLS service learning class so that I would meet the requirements to graduate. I am just starting the job search, and I am hoping for some good luck. I do not want to be desperate in December when I need to find a job.

Sat, 06/16/2007 - 14:48 — whinchcl

RE: Getting a job

I know exactly how you feel about graduating and not being able to find a job. I was worried about that for a long time, but my internship has shown me that there is a great deal of need for degreed individuals in my field of interest. Working on the employment project has also shown me there is quite a bit of need for individuals with Health Physics degrees out there, but there is also a need to have experience which is what I'm hoping to obtain from my internship this summer. However I know the anticipation of desperation that you are feeling as December approaches, but I know if you look hard enough you can usually find something even if it's just a temporary stepping stone.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 23:02 — basexton

Job Search

I agree with your comment that finding a job is very difficult. It was tough enough to find an internship let alone a career job. I am sick and tired of going to Purdue Job fairs and every employee asking me i f I am an engineer. If they wanted and engineer than go to their career fair. I am in OLS not engineering. Though I think half my trouble is that if I can not get a job in agriculture than I would like to be in manufacturing. It seems that even though the degree is very marketable, there are still 500 other students at the same job fair with the same degree. I guess that it is just get more and more hard to make your self stand out. If any one has good advice for that, please send me a comment. I graduate in December, and I would love to have a job before I graduate.

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 23:43 — mcmichel

Job Response

I completely agree with your comments on job searching. Aggressively pursuing your job interests is definitely necessary in this competitive world. I concur that once must take "crap jobs" in order to reach the desired positions in a company. The search is exhausting and extremely time consuming but finding the right fit will make the tenuous search feel very rewarding. When I read this blog concerning people obtaining jobs because of ie: connections, patronage, commonalities, rather than talent, it made me reflect upon the unfairness of friends of mine that were denied admittance into the School of Pharmacy at Purdue not because of their gpa but because the school needed to fulfill its minority quota. This is an upsetting commentary on the realities of life. This is information was given to me from a very close friend of mine that is asian and does not have as high of gpa in her sciences as other friends of mine, but admitted that she was kept in the program because of her asian nationality. A plan has to be put into order when you are applying to various companies, such as highlighting your best qualities and gathering your best references. I agree that it is a waste of time sending hundreds of resumes to companies that you are truly not interested in versus meaningful job opportunities in more productive institutions. The statistic of a company executive reviewing a resume is indeed the 10 to 30 seconds cycle. I discovered this information in a previous class, COM 325. For this reason, an individual must present impressive and poignant facts about himself in order to secure a subsequent interview.

Fri, 06/15/2007 - 00:14 — ecorriga

Nice

I like your assesment of getting a job. It sounds practical and truthful: two things college students don't always get. It's refressing to hear that it is okay for your job search to be extremly time consuming and hard. This isn't an idea that is passed on too often to us and I like the bit of honesty. It's also reassuring to know that this class will better help us prepare for that fateful time in our lives. I also like how you mentioned that sometimes be best jobs are those found through other people. That goes back to the "it's not what you know, but who you know" idea, which is very true. The internship I have now is only because of the connections that I have with the company. I know that if I didn't have these connections, I wouldn't have this job. Another thing that I found was interesting was the idea of the "quaterlife crisis." I've never heard of this idea before, but it makes a lot of sense. This is one of the biggest transitions in someones life. Everything that has been consistent all through out school years is suddenly changed. I'm a phychology major as well as a management major, so these types of things always interest me. I'm glad that you included this in your explanation of finding a job.

Fri, 06/15/2007 - 02:29 — mfaslam

Job Hunting and Interviewing Process

I am currently one of many college students who is about to graduate from college and still have nothing solid lined up with respect to a full time job. I totally agree with the fact that the job hunting process can be extremely frustrating and but I also realize that I cannot let this whole process get the best of me. The key to this whole deal is that you have to stay persistent till the time you have an offer or two in something that you would want to build a career in.

I think the biggest challenge in this whole job hunting process is getting your resume out to the right people at the right time. Once you know that you have your resume in the right hand, it is our responsibility to make sure that we don’t let it die down. One needs to make sure that the follow up process in conducted properly and effectively. There is a very thin line between following up and annoying the recruiter so we just have to be careful that we don’t cross that line.

Other than using different online and career center resources, networking plays a major role in today’s business world. We should always be on a look out for good contacts who are already in a position to get you resume out there. I think the key to that is just being out there. One should talk to anyone and everyone in order to create a good network of people who could eventually help out. It is also advisable to start you job search process at least a year before you graduate unlike me who just started over the summer. The closer you are to being out of college, the more this whole process adds up to the frustration it creates.

With respect to interviews, I think a lot of us think that it is more of a question and answer process which in reality is a completely wrong way to go about them. You should make sure that you are actually having a conversation with the interviewer and answering the question while talking generally. That actually does require us to be a good listener and a lot of interviewing practice to get comfortable with. After several interviews, I am finally getting the nag of it. In my opinion, even if you don’t get an offer from the company you interview with, it gives you good interview practice so we should be disheartened. Just learn from that and do better next time. In the end, regardless of your skill set, what really matter is how you actually sell yourself.

Fri, 06/15/2007 - 23:13 — lalewand

Know Your Companies

I do have to agree that getting a job sucks. I think the most important thing about job hunting is research. I found out bits of information about each company at this recent job fair and I could not believe how far that got me. I think the single most important thing someone can have going in to an interview is knowledge of the company. Most of the companies I interviewed with said they were most impressed with how much I knew about their company (even if they were small). I believe that casting a wide net is also very important. At this same job fair, I spoke with as many companies as time would allot. I even went to companies that I was not interested in. However, since I spoke with more companies, I received more interviews.

Sat, 06/16/2007 - 14:08 — terr4741

Job Search

I believe that the instructor is right, completely. Looking for a job and waiting for responses is frustrating. There is a lot of work needed to even find a job in today's market. The internet has helped in connecting employers with employees, but the mass number of resumes that must hit an employers desk must be outrageous.

Mon, 06/18/2007 - 13:29 — Soo

Job Searching

I do hear lot of stories from my friends back in Korea who are about to graduate having difficult time finding the right job for them. They say that it’s totally different from taking classes working hard to get A. There is no syllabus saying when and what you should be focused on.

Although I just finished my first year in Purdue, I don’t think getting a job is not that far way story. As I tried to find actual job ads for our employment project, I had hard time finding one. I could imagine how tough this work will be when I actually search for a job. It was helpful you saying that I should think about all the resources available to me. I always narrowing down too much that I ended up not finding anything. After trying various different job search engines start in a wide net it was easy to be specific.

I strongly agree that no one is going to come knocking down at my door to give a job. I should be the one knocking several times on theirs to find a job. I should not be afraid to try out and in order to do so I should be well prepared building my resumes which can outstand than others. This reading showed me a reality of difficulty of finding job but at the same time it gave me lesson that I should more stand out being subjective searching my job.

Mon, 06/18/2007 - 22:39 — kmayes

Instructor Blog #2 Response

Resumes serve as your first impression usually with an employer, that’s why I think they should be written to with precision and quality. The blog mentioned ethos which serves a representation of you, it is said that the ultimate goal is to be professional and qualified. I noticed in the blog that it mentioned a lot about making your resume to fit in with the company. Companies want to know how a person will benefit their company. The applicant must appeal to their needs and be able to prove it in the workplace. There was also point stated on how keywords in job ads make great resume fillers. Through keywords the companies are basically showing what they want in future employees. That way the person applying for the job will understand the requirements which I think is the key when applying for a position. Overall the resume serves as a first impression, and is very important to obtaining that dream job.

Navigation

Recent blog posts

Recent comments

Instructor Blog #2: Getting a Job

Comments