“I’ve applied over and over to internships and jobs but can’t get a solid interview, how do I get my foot in the door!!!” Below is the advice I give to UM students, alumni, my own friends, and family.
1. Fix your resume:
Your resume is a living document that can
always be improved and adapted so it should continually be on your mind during
a job search. Most importantly, it has to be
concise and to the point.
Recruiters see hundreds of resumes at a time and only keep reading until
they get bored. This means that your
resume should only be one page (2 max for people with significant experience),
no paragraphs! (only bullets and phrases), and it should be tailored to the
position/organization you are applying to. They took time to write a job description so you should take time to
reorient your resume to compliment the position and highlight the skills they
are looking for.
And
just as importantly, don’t sell yourself short. Any job experience is valuable and can relate
to your job search. Worked in the
student store as a cashier? Well, you
have excellent customer service skills, assisting over 150 clients daily, and
facilitated the implementation of a new digital textbook rental program that
has saved the university over $200k annually.
Just remember that bullet points for your experiences should highlight
what you did, the skills and tools you used, and positive outcomes. It is important to orient the bullets to your
particular job search and to use specific examples/quantify your experiences as
much as possible.
2. Research:
The more you know about your
job and internship search, the better off you will be. Research can take many forms. You may be interested in a specific field,
but are not sure about actual career paths or how to leverage your major, or
you may know exactly what you want to do, but are not sure how to make it
happen. Either way you have to get
prepared and Toppel has compiled great resources to help you such as Career
Links that has important industry-specific information, Glassdoor
that compiles thousands of company reviews and salary information, ONet Online that provides important
industry/occupational descriptions and data, and many more guides
and handouts. Also, once you login
to your HireACane.com
account, you can; utilize Vault Career
Intelligence to get insider access to industry information and job search
advice, discover information about jobs and internships abroad with GoingGlobal, and
view the hundreds of jobs and internships available in the system. Simple online searches can also be useful as
you try and find the major organizations in your industry or look at the
prominent players in your region.
3. Network:
Networking may seem daunting
or confusing, but it can be done in many different ways and is completely
necessary to find a job or internship these days. We all know that most people get a job or
internship through a personal relationship (“because they knew somebody”) so now
is the time to put yourself out there and get to know somebody. Start with friends, family, and your
professors. They should all know your
career plans and are the most likely to help you with tips, advice, and job
connections. Your next step is to get
involved with student groups and organizations that give you much needed
exposure to the professional world. Many
student organizations bring in guest speakers, Greek organizations have
professional development events, and Toppel hosts Career Expo’s, Meet-Up’s, and
many other career
fairs and events that are specifically designed for students and alumni to
meet with employers. And if you are not
ready to get out of the house, start connecting on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional
network and you just need a professional picture and information from your
resume to get started. Once on, you can
connect with friends and family to start your network and can explore the group
of over 60,000 ‘Canes who work at thousands of organizations worldwide and instantly
have something in common with you.
4. Apply and follow-up: Now that you have
an updated resume, did a little research, and started networking, it’s time to
start applying! HireACane.com
should be your first stop because you will be competing against a much smaller
applicant pool and employers are specifically seeking UM interns and full-time
employees. Pay particular attention to on-campus
recruiting because employers making the effort to come to campus want to
maximize their time by seeing as many qualified applicants as possible. Applying directly on company websites and
via LinkedIn may be your next step, along with the many online employment
websites.
Don’t
forget that the most critical part of the application process is following-up
and setting yourself apart from the crowd.
Employers are inundated with hundreds of resumes, many of which come
from across the U.S. and even globally, and you need them to take a second look
at yours. There are a variety of ways to
get their attention. If you can find out
who the recruiter or hiring manager is, reach out via email or LinkedIn and say
who you are, why you would be a good fit for their organization, and provide a
copy of your resume (all in 3 to 4 sentences).
Don’t forget about your network, including the career center, and ask
anybody you know that has a connection to the organization to put in a good
word for you. You can also reach
out to ‘Canes via LinkedIn who work for the organization and ask to chat with
them; depending how it goes they may give you some good advice or even pass
your resume along. You never know what
will get your foot in the door so try as many angles as possible when you are
pursuing your dream internship or full-time position.
5. Meet employers on campus: Take every
opportunity you can to meet employers when they are on campus. They are making a special trip to UM just to
meet you so it is absolutely worth it to see what they have to
say. Many student organizations and
Departments across campus host professional speakers and Toppel has multiple
events each semester introducing employers to ‘Canes. Major events include; Career
Expo each Fall and Spring, Practice
interviews with real employers, specialized
career fairs, and Meet-Ups for industries such as Communications,
STEM,
and Healthcare. Toppel also hosts a number of company
sessions and on-campus interviews that can be found on a continually updated online
calendar. Make sure to RSVP for
company sessions and apply to on-campus interview positions before each
deadline so that you guarantee yourself the best chance at securing a job or
internship.
You
never know when you will get your break so every one of these items may be the
key to your success. Additionally, feel
free to stop by Toppel during walk-in advising Monday through Thursday from 10:00am
to 4:30pm or give us a call at 305-284-5451 to discuss any of these
points. Our job is to empower and connect
so don’t hesitate to reach out!
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