Thursday, September 27, 2007 12:24 AM CDT
Hello, Future
Landing that dream job after college starts once you move into your first-year dorm
By LISA BARTELT, Staff Writer
lbartelt@jg-tc.com
Want a surefire way to have your resume ignored? Address the cover letter “to whom it may concern.”
Linda Moore, director of career services at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, said employers treat cover letters such as those like junk mail.
“We don’t tend to look at things that don’t resonate with us,” she said. “It’s very common for students to send a generic resume and cover letter. That says to the employer you’re not willing to spend any time to find the name of any individual in the organization.”
Sending generic resumes and cover letters is just one of the “deadly sins” students commit during the job search process, Moore said.
Another is waiting until they’ve graduated college to begin looking for a job, Moore said.
“This is the time to start,” she said. “If you don’t start in September, you miss a segment of the recruiting process.”
Most big companies start their recruitment in the fall, Moore said. The second wave of recruitment comes January-March, she said.
“Eighty-five percent of jobs are filled by March,” Moore said. Students who wait until May to start looking will be competing for only 15 percent of available jobs, she said.
A third mistake in the job search process is ignoring the importance of networking as a sophomore and junior, Moore said.
Employers can assess some skills from a resume, but other skills only can be determined in person.
Moore said students are advised to go to any face-to-face event, such as panel discussions or presentations, a company holds.
“They’re going to make an offer to someone who has taken the time to develop a relationship,” she said.
Tina Moore, director of career services at Lake Land College in Mattoon, said job seekers need to convince a company they are right for the job.
“Everyone should approach a job search by focusing on the needs of the employer,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what type of a degree they have or if they have any degree at all. The bottom line is that companies hire people that can help them meet their goals.”
When interview time comes, don’t rely on natural conversational abilities, Linda Moore said of another common mistake.
“Don’t assume because you’re a good conversationalist, you’re a good interview,” she said. “It’s quite the opposite. If you’ve never prepared for a bonafide interview, you’re likely to perform badly. It requires a level of preparedness and a knowledge of self students are surprised about.”
Linda Moore said interviews are like telling 30-40 short stories that are 2-5 minutes each.
“It’s more like a documentary — it has to be factually based,” she said. “Not a science fiction thriller.”
An interview question also may not have a right answer, she said.
“They might ask, ‘How many marbles can fit in the Titanic?’” Linda Moore said. The employer isn’t looking for a number but a willingness from the prospective employee to do what is asked, no matter how ridiculous or impossible it seems, she said.
Researching careers is another important step in the process, Linda Moore said. When the Tom Cruise movie “Jerry Maguire” first was released, for example, students wanted to be sports agents, she said.
“We would ask, do you understand how competitive and theatrical that job is?” Linda Moore said. When students found out they might have to bend ethical rules, they would decide that’s not what they wanted to do.
The same has been true for fans of the TV show “CSI.”
Linda Moore said they’ve had to bring crime scene investigators to the university twice to tell students they would have to spend two years walking a police beat, wearing a vest and possibly shooting at people before becoming a CSI.
Some students quickly change their minds, she said.
Appearance, also, is everything, Linda Moore said.
“Your attire has to be professional,” she said, “even if it means saving a few pennies to afford that interview suit. We’re a visual society. We start judging people the moment we see them.”
Tattoos, piercings and other “distractions” should be removed for the interview, Linda Moore said.
“Don’t get hung up on ‘that’s just who I am,’” she said. “Who you are isn’t what you wear. So don’t let what you wear get in the way of who you are.”
The appearance “rule” applies to online profiles, such as those on Myspace and Facebook, she said. Even on a “private” setting, the sites aren’t as inaccessible as students think, she said. About 25 percent of companies search those Web sites to find information on potential employees, she said.
“What you do in the public arena is used to judge quickly, right or wrong, who you are,” Linda Moore said. “You have to clean that up.”
EIU’s Career Services office can help students learn about available jobs, provide coaching for interview skills, and offers workshops on resumes, job fairs and dining etiquette.
For more information, contact the office at 581-2412.
Contact Lake Land’s Career Services office at 234-5288.
Contact Lisa Bartelt at lbartelt@jg-tc.com or 238-6858.
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