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Health & Fitness

BLOG: Job Hunting, Advice from One College Grad to Another

This article highlights some of the struggles that post grads face and includes some tips and advice on how to land that perfect job.

Hi there, my name is Laura and I am the new Sales and Marketing Intern for the DCR Chamber.

Although I only started interning here a couple weeks ago, I have had the opportunity to attend a few events and make some valuable connections. I recently graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with my Bachelor’s degree in Communication and a minor in Psychology. Go Bulldogs! Here at the chamber I will be tying all of my professional interests together by helping Jessy with different events and promotions, as well as working on newsletters and press releases. I hope to gain as much experience here as possible while I continue my search for my “big girl job.”

When I was in college I could not WAIT to get out and enter the real world. Low and behold, I had no idea what the ‘real world’ had in store for me. I’m sure you are familiar with the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side?”… Now it’s time for you to figure out what you want to be when you grow up. I think it’s a pretty safe assumption that I speak for most college grads when I say that this can be a very hard and tricky thing to do.

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What do you want to do professionally? What companies are you interested in? How does your resume look? Is your cover letter too vague? What will you wear to the interview? What kinds of questions will you ask and how will you answer the ones that they ask you? These are questions that have probably crossed many post grads minds, so don’t think you are the only one stressing. Although I am still trying to find my calling, I have acquired some valuable pieces of advice over the course of my job search.

Where to start the job hunt? One thing that I have found useful is to reach out to my connections to see what local job boards they use, what connections they may have or what experiences they have found beneficial. After all, they say “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” So reach out to those around you for any help they can provide. Also, there are numerous job boards out there, some better than others. A couple of my favorites include the University of St. Thomas Career Center website and Indeed.com. Are you looking for a simple way to network? Make a LinkedIn account! If you are having troubles crafting that perfect cover letter or resume, Careerperfect.com can help you decide what should be included and what can be left out.

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Okay, so you found the job, sent your resume, and now it’s time for the interview! Here are some of the most common questions that I have found to be asked by employers, and some tips on how to nail the interview!

1. Tell me about yourself: Keep this quick and on topic. Some of the major things you could focus on are your education, your work history, and your recent career experience.

2. Why do you want to work for us? Say something specific about the company that draws you, maybe the fact that you are impressed with how many awards they have recently won. This will show the employer that you have done your research and in turn, let you impress them.

3. What is your biggest weakness? This can be a tricky question. Saying that you’re not a morning person is probably not the best way to go. For entry level candidates you could say something as simple as my lack of formal experience. Another way to go would be to say that sometimes you have a hard time delegating tasks because you want to have the final say on a project to make sure everything is up to par. By saying this you can show them that you like taking charge and being a leader, which turns your weakness into a strength.

4. Do you have any questions for me? Make sure you have specific questions prepared! I personally think this is your time to shine in the interview; you have the floor. Remember, they are not only interviewing you to see if you are the right candidate for them, you are also interviewing them to see if they are the right fit for you. This portion of the interview will also give you a chance to redeem yourself if you may have stumbled over any previous questions. If you think you might forget your questions, write them down and even take your list out! Don’t waste their time, but also seem interested and get what you need to get out of the interview as well.

Well, there you have my advice! Jobs can be difficult to find these days and the competition is fierce, but don’t give up! Keep sending your resume out and tweak those cover letters.  Make connections with business professionals.  Continue gaining experience and enhancing your skills by taking an internship.  You never know when an opportunity will come knocking on your door. Thanks for reading! Now tell me, what is YOUR job searching advice?

Until next time, Laura

 

 

 

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