Memo to graduates: How to avoid the recession monster
By: Erica Jacobs
Examiner Columnist
May 20, 2009
Nate Beeler’s cartoon in Tuesday’s Examiner was right on point: New graduates find themselves at the mercy of a gigantic, green recession monster. But a few pages into the newspaper, an article partly offset that grim picture: The Washington, D.C., area is better than most in terms of employment opportunities and cost of living.
My students at George Mason University are quite concerned about their future prospects, as are graduates everywhere. My experience with 20 internship students this past year and the advice of counselors who work for GMU’s Career Services have given me some ideas for successful job hunting. Much of this advice you’ve heard before — but that’s because it’s true.
1) Take advantage of your school’s career or job services center. They are there to help you, and many schools allow graduates to attend seminars and job fairs even after graduation. Career counselors will meet with you one on one, and that advice would come at considerable cost from a job agency.
2) Craft a readable, impressive resume or curriculum vitae to hand out at job interviews. But remember that few jobs are landed by mailing out resumes, so don’t waste time sending out scores in response to job advertisements.
3) Work on interview skills. Career Services at GMU will help students hone those skills during mock interviews and sessions with employers who share what they’re looking for. Other schools provide similar services. The interview often makes or breaks your candidacy.
4) Dress professionally, even if you’re only dropping off your resume. Employers often complain about the laid-back attitude of recent graduates. Casual dress is one of their pet peeves. “Dress down Fridays” would not be necessary if most workplaces didn’t “dress up” the other days of the week!
5) Be on time — for the interview, for every day of an internship, for every workday. This is another area of criticism by employers who often think young hires are too casual about late arrival times.
6) Be interested and knowledgeable about the workplace, its traditions and its culture. If you appreciate and understand the workplace, it will make an effort to appreciate and understand you.
7) Become an intern. Yes, internships involve the sacrifice of a few months’ wages, but if you intern at a place and make a good impression (because you’ve followed all the above advice), a job just might be available for you at the end.
8) Stay in contact with employers and organizations that interest you, because not all jobs are widely advertised, and you might be at the right place at the right time when something pops up. Also, pleasant persistence (emphasize the “pleasant”) pays off.
9) Don’t be afraid to ask questions of prospective employers or career counselors. “What are you looking for?” may sound obvious, but your humility in not assuming you know what they want will signal your openness to accommodating their needs. Your flexibility and willingness to bend to the workplace culture will make you a desirable candidate — now or when a job opening occurs.
10) Don’t get discouraged if a job doesn’t appear immediately. A cynical or resigned attitude has been the downfall of many job candidates.
What kids are reading
This weekly column will look at lists of books kids are reading in various categories, including grade level, book genre and data from booksellers. Information on the books below came from Amazon.com’s list of children’s books and are listed in order of popularity.
Books on Jobs
1. “Dream Job Profiles: The Young and Successful Share Their Secrets” by Donna Green (young adult)
2. “On the Job With a Police Officer: Protector of the Peace” by Jonathan Rubinstein and Susan Gal (ages 4-8)
3. “Fire Fighters (Community Helpers)” by Dee Ready (ages 4-8)
4. “Jobs People Do: Combined Volume” by Felicity Brooks and Jo Litchfield (ages 9-12)
5. “Jobs People Do” by DK Publishing (ages 4-8)
6. “Big Book: Jobs Around My Neighborhood” (In English and Spanish) by Gladys Rosa-Mendoza and Ann Iosa (baby-preschool)
7. “Sally Gets a Job” by Stephen Huneck (ages 9-12)
8. “The Berenstain Bears and Mama’s New Job” by Stan and Jan Berenstain (ages 4-8)
9. “ABC of Jobs” by Roger Priddy (ages 4-8)
10. “The Top Job” by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel and Robert Neubecker (ages 4-8)
More from Erica Jacobs
- Erica Jacobs: What no teacher can prepare for
- Erica Jacobs: Horace's Hope: My educational journey
- Erica Jacobs: I am Horace: More thoughts on Theodore Sizer's progressive Educational Philosophy
- Erica Jacobs: I Am Horace: How Theodore Sizer nailed what really happens in high school
- Erica Jacobs: When words fail us
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