9 Job-hunting Tips for Millennials

Millennials are having a rough time in the job market.

Recently I was looking to hire someone and was inundated with responses, some of which left me wondering whether certain respondents had even read the post before firing off an inadequate résumé.

Two things amazed me:

1. The number of responses. Within one hour, I got at least 20 résumés. Pretty impressive speed the kids have these days. It also means there are hungry employees out there.
2. The quality of responses. Though there were clearly some candidates who possessed high quality and professionalism, a larger number didn’t know how to follow directions or write a good cover letter.

Here is my attempt to give a little boost to millennials applying for jobs and to make things easier for everyone involved in hiring:

Read the entire job listing

Easy enough? Wrong.

I hate to sound like a mom here, but slow down, kiddos. Take the time to read before you apply. Remember, quality over quantity.

To get better results, apply for those jobs that feel closest to your experience, knowledge, and/or interest. As an entry-level applicant, you may not have the experience, but if you can flex your knowledge about the subject presented in the posting, you’ll sound more interesting and go much further.

Follow directions

If the job posting asks you to include your résumé, references, and a cover letter, do it. If it asks you to include links, do that. This isn’t very hard.

I’ve had conversations about this with other professionals. They agree that we simply don’t have time to go through all those résumés, so the ones that don’t follow the rules get cut first. It’s as simple as that.

If you are lacking in an area and know it, call it out in your email, so that we (employers) know that you’re at least paying attention and you can potentially get to the next round.

Do your research

This can be very beneficial when done right. If you’re getting ready for an interview, be sure to look up the company and its accomplishments beforehand.

Check out its client list, and see whether you have any connections there.

Check out on LinkedIn the people who will be interviewing you. If you don’t know for sure, take time to check out the company employees. If you’re not well versed in the company focus, familiarize yourself with key words, current trends (this is as easy as Googling or looking it up on Wikipedia), and even check out their social media sites to see what they have been talking about.

Stay busy

The big worry in today’s economy is that there aren’t any jobs. That’s not entirely true; what’s lacking is money. In the meantime, keep yourself busy.

Volunteer your skills to a nonprofit organization that interests you. Get involved in your community, church, or local events. Take on projects for friends, relatives, or family friends.

The great thing about the digital age is that anyone can publish a blog. There are tons of opportunities to write and contribute. Determine some areas that interest you, and go for it. This way, when you apply, we can see that you are not an idle person and that you have been gaining experience in alternative ways.

Pay attention to details

As easy as that may sound, when we get caught up in the speed of life and begin to feel rushed, things slip. This may not be intentional, but in the job market you have only one opportunity to make a first impression. Pay attention to your résumé and your cover letter. Spell-check. Twice. And understand that spell-check doesn’t catch missing or misused words. Highlight your accomplishments

Network

Networking comes back to you at the most unexpected times. There are plenty of events to attend and people with whom you can talk.

Become active in professional associations. When you go, bring something to offer—and a business card. Give yourself a networking goal of a number of people to connect with.

Also, start networking on LinkedIn and Twitter. On LinkedIn, send personalized notes, join groups, and comment on different industry topics. On Twitter, follow people you admire, news agencies, and trends.

Above all, always follow up.

Dress for success

This applies to networking, interviews, chats with your mentor, and anything else that involves your professional life. Dress the part.

You may not need to go to networking events in a full business suit, but dress like you’re serious about something. Appearance matters. You’d be surprised what a clean appearance can do, especially if your competition is, well, less buttoned up.

Think about your career

If you have yet to find a position, you have time for this. Take some time to think about your career and what you want it to look like.

It’s OK if the position you accept today doesn’t last the rest of your life—employers understand that—but make sure you have some goals in mind. Make sure that with any employment you take, you can learn and grow from it in some way. (That way may be different from what you expect now.) Stay enthusiastic about your future prospects, and always ask questions.

As for my hiring process, I found someone who got the inside track beforehand. Now you have it, too. Good luck with your search, and keep your mind open to new possibilities.

(Excerpted from "9 job-hunting tips for millennials in the PR market" by Ronjini Mukhopadhyay | Posted on Ragan's PR Daily : November 22, 2011

Ronjini Mukhopadhyay is a public relations professional with eight years of experience in both agency and in-house public relations. A version of this story first appeared on her company website The Silver Telegram.

12 Ways to Bomb a Job Interview

By Mark Babbitt Ragan's PR Daily

We’ve all gone to job interviews and felt we nailed it. Yet we didn’t get the job.

Sometimes, we never hear from the recruiter again.

Here’s a look at the ways your peers and competitors have bombed their interviews. Have you made some of these mistakes? Sure, some of these may seem like common sense, but job-seekers make the following missteps every day:

1. Go too casual.

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.” – Mark Twain

Ask the recruiter ahead of time, on the phone or email, about the company’s dress code. If asking is uncomfortable, play it safe with dress pants or slacks and a nice shirt and tie; or skirt and blouse. Even a laid-back startup would be impressed with your professionalism. Better to be overdressed than, well, naked.

2. Arrive unprepared.

You emailed your résumé—certainly the hiring manager had time to memorize it, or at least to print it and bring copies with him, right? Wrong. You had better bring copies of your resume to the interview.

The more you know about the company and industry before the interview, the better. Research the company’s history, major competitors, market niche, products, etc. Having a quality notebook or leather-bound portfolio in which to take interview notes will add to a professional tone.

3. Offer a weak handshake.

It’s a time-honored killer of good first impressions.

The interviewer enters the room. He or she greets you warmly, smiling, and extends a hand to grasp yours—an awkward moment if you overthink it. Will your hands meet correctly? Will they land slightly askew, resulting in that quasi-handshake, squishy, “I wanna do-over!” event?

Display confidence and social skills: use a firm (dry) handshake to convey confidence and strength of character.

4. Leave your cell phone ringer on.

So, sometimes the cell phone rings at awkward times. The recruiter probably didn’t even notice your phone rings to the tune of Rihanna’s “S&M.”

This is easy to forget, because most of us are so tied to our digital second brain. Turn your phone off—completely off—before the interview. If you do forget and your phone rings, do not answer!

5. Be a distraction diva.

Almost as rude as answering your phone is the person who allows everything to become a distraction.

It could be the gum they fail to discard, constantly clicking their pen, or the change and keys jingling in their pocket. Nervous ticks fall into this category: constantly clearing your throat, “um” and “ya know,” tapping your fingers on the conference room table.

Simple advice: Remove anything that may distract you during your interview, and identify beforehand any nervous habits you may have.

6. Exhibit bad body language.

Your body language communicates for you, loud and clear.

Maintain eye contact with your interviewer. Sitting up and forward shows active interest. Nod your head at appropriate times, and ask questions throughout the interview. An interview should be a dialogue—including what your body language says.

7. Broadcast your opinions.

By opinions, I mean those not related to the job. Political and religious statements are obvious taboos, but unsolicited small talk can be equally damaging.

Statements as innocent as, “I saw Will Ferrell’s movie last night—so effing funny!” and, “I hate small dogs,” can catch the recruiter off guard and may even offend.

8. Play the victim.

Want to turn off a recruiter in one brief lapse of common sense? Play the role of a victim.

Tell the recruiter you’ve submitted dozens, perhaps hundreds, of online applications and have been on several interviews. But, you add, the effort hasn’t resulted in a single job offer. You’ve done everything right, you say, but you just haven’t had any luck. Oh, without fail, you pile on by saying, “I just need a chance…”

Immediate fail. Interview over.

9. Engage in premature negotiation.

Please, do your homework and understand the salary range to the best of your ability before accepting the interview.

If discovering the salary in advance is impossible, ask about it only after you’ve discussed your ability to the fill the position and your potential to be a good fit to the company culture. Only then is it OK to bring up compensation; otherwise, in the eyes of many recruiters you’re planting a big red flag in the ground.

10. Insist on being elitist or unfriendly.

With the exception of very technical positions, employers interview for skills, but they hire for personality and whether you can do the job. When done correctly, the interview reveals both.

Be perceived as an elitist and the interviewer may pigeonhole you as “over-qualified.” Be the slightest bit unapproachable, and you’ll most likely be labeled high-maintenance.

Use your manners, smile, and engage in an articulate manner. Have a sincere conversation with the interviewer. Otherwise, you may just come across as though you really don’t want to be there—now, or as an employee.

11. Fail to follow up.

Most interviewees send résumés and wait, and then interview and hope, with no proactive effort to communicate after the interview.

Don’t fall into the forgotten pile. Follow up after the interview; at the very least, send a thank-you email. Add a few memorable points from your discussion, maybe even a question or two you thought of after the interview.

Most effective is a handwritten thank-you letter (yes, via snail mail). The recruiter may now see you as a sincere applicant worthy of consideration—and perhaps a second look.

12. Become ‘The Stalker.’

The opposite of the failed follow-up is The Stalker—one who is so eager (read: desperate) that all common sense is left behind.

After the interview, The Stalker calls, emails, and tweets so often he or she either scares or annoys the hell out of the recruiter. Through this person’s actions, and perhaps despite the perfect résumé and work experience, The Stalker comes across more like Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction” than she does the perfect team member.

The Stalker rarely gets a first chance—and never gets a second.

Mark Babbitt, who is CEO of YouTern, is a serial entrepreneur and mentor. He was recently honored to be named to GenJuice’s “Top 100 Most Desirable Mentors” list. A version of this story first appeared on the 12 Most blog.

Job Outlook: The Candidate Skills/Qualities Employers Want

Spotlight for Career Services Professionals, October 26, 2011 

When it comes to the importance of candidate skills/qualities, employers are looking for team players and candidates who have strong verbal communication skills, according to respondents to NACE’s Job Outlook 2012 survey.

Survey participants rated “ability to work in a team structure” and “ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization” as the two most important candidate skills/qualities. These are followed by candidates’ “ability to make decisions and solve problems,” “ability to obtain and process information,” and “ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work.”

The least important candidate skills/qualities on the list are the “ability to create and/or edit written reports” and the “ability to sell or influence others.”
Following is the list of the employer ratings:

Employers rate the importance of candidate skills/qualities

Skill/Quality	Weighted average rating*
Ability to work in a team structure	4.60
Ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization	4.59
Ability to make decisions and solve problems	4.49
Ability to obtain and process information	4.46
Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work	4.45
Ability to analyze quantitative data	4.23
Technical knowledge related to the job	4.23
Proficiency with computer software programs	4.04
Ability to create and/or edit written reports	3.65
Ability to sell or influence others	3.51

*5-point scale, where 1=Not important; 2=Not very important; 3=Somewhat important; 4=Very important; and 5=Extremely important
Source: Job Outlook 2012, National Association of Colleges and Employers
The Job Outlook 2012 survey was conducted August 3 through September 23, 2011, among NACE employer members; 244, or 26.8 percent, took part.

Job Zone E-News Fall Issue

Job Zone E-News

Fall 2011 Issue: Services For You | Job Zone Tip: Setting Up Search Agents | Proper Conduct @ Work | Upcoming Events | Facebook Partnership Announcement

SERVICES FOR YOU

If you haven’t taken advantage of our services this school year yet – here is a quick overview of what we offer – personal job search advisement, resume critiques, job postings and on campus interviews, career events, work abroad and grad school information, and much more. (And all these great services and resources continue to be available for RIT alumni too). Check out our quick Services video on our YouTube Channel

JOB ZONE TIP: SETTING UP SEARCH AGENTS

Will you be searching for a co-op or full-time job this year? Schedule a search agent to run and "ping" you with new job postings! Using the search agent tool in Job Zone is one of the most effective ways for you learn about job opportunities.

How To:
1.       Login to Job Zone from the student page of our site.
2.       Go to ‘Jobs’/select ‘Advanced Search’/check Save As check box, pick your criteria (the less you pick the better) then Submit. (Now this search will show on Search Agent Tab under ‘Jobs’).
3.       On the ‘Jobs’ page go to the Search Agent tab. You will see your newly created agent. Next to it click on the Schedule button to turn it on to email you with newly posted jobs. You can also edit from here. 

You can create multiple agents. One of the best ways to use these agents is as a saved search -- just choose the Run button.

PROPER CONDUCT @ WORK

All those resumes, interviews, career Fairs and job search events are behind you and you got that great co-op job! Now it’s time to focus on making your co-op job turn into another success story for you by being aware of proper office etiquette. Follow some of the simple tips below to help you enhance your experience and be a good citizen at your company!

Dress to impress – Most companies will give you some sort of orientation and talk about the proper dress code, so if they tell you business or business casual – that’s what you wear. If you’re not sure, just look around you – does what you have on fit in with the attire of your supervisor or senior members? Start out on the formal side until you are on the job for a week or two and can observe what’s accepted. Things to avoid – bare feet, flip flops, see-through and clothing that’s too revealing, jeans, work-out clothes, shorts and tank tops. Dress for the job you want, not the one you’ve got!

Punctuality – Find out your assigned work hours and then come in on time and don’t leave before the agreed upon time.  If you are sick or unavoidably late, be sure to call in to let someone know. Never mind what your boss or “everyone else is doing” – stick to your hours – it will always come up at review time!

Company Culture – Getting the lay of the land is vital. Is the work environment casual or a little more formal? Do employees address managers by their first names or Mr. and Ms.? What are the rules about taking breaks, using Facebook and other social media during work or free time? Is listening to music with earphones on allowed while working? Remember, this is a place of business, not the dorm room, so if you’re not sure what is acceptable, ask your supervisor!

What else can I do? – If you’re not busy enough or just want to get more experience, ask what you can do next. Show them that you are a hard worker and take assignments seriously. Ask questions and absorb as much information and knowledge as you can to get the most out of your co-op. Try to get yourself included in meetings and projects – show initiative and go beyond the basic co-op tasks when you can.

Be respectful – We all have our opinions and in increasingly diverse workplaces, we don’t always agree. Listen carefully, act maturely and honor others ideas in a non- judgmental way. It may appear to be a dumb way to do things to you, but you may not be aware of the big picture and others may have been there awhile and have a lot more experience. Offering your ideas is fine, just always be respectful of the fact that many people bring many different perspectives.  

It’s confidential! –Intellectual property, trade secrets, company reports, etc. are all proprietary information. The same is true for all employee directories and email/address lists. Treat everything that you see and hear as though it is confidential - when in doubt, don’t share!

Check your ego – We all have to do things that sometimes seem below our skill level. Avoid the “it’s not my job” attitude and accept tasks willingly. The quicker you get the little stuff over with, the more time you have to focus on the more meaningful work. Do the best job you can no matter what is asked!

It’s company property - Everything from scotch tape, the copy machine to laptops belongs to the company and is not there for your personal use. Stick to the rules for use of company cars and travel expenses and always ask permission before using company equipment.

The grandma check – Always conduct yourself in a professional manner as though someone is watching you in and around the office.  Avoid gossip and involvement in “office politics”. Make efficient use of your time and personal calls and emails should not be made on company time. Emails and conversations (even though in perhaps an informal or social situation) should always contain clean language and you should never say anything that can’t be shared with everyone. If you wouldn’t do it or say it around grandma, don’t do it at work either!

FACEBOOK PARTNERSHIP
Last month, Facebook, the U.S. Department of Labor, DirectEmployers Association, NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies announced they have joined together to create the Social Jobs Partnership www.Facebook/socialjobs

The partnership’s goal is to leverage social networks to facilitate the employment of job-seeking Americans. 

They identified a number of initiatives they will undertake to achieve this goal, including: 

- Launching a central page on Facebook—facebook.com/socialjobs—that hosts resources and content designed to help job seekers and employers.

- Conducting in-depth research about the ways in which job seekers, college career centers, and work force recruiters are using the social web.

- Exploring and developing systems through which new job postings can be delivered virally through Facebook at no charge.

- Promoting existing government programs and resources for job hunters.

We’ll have to see where this goes, but it might be worth exploring.  Check out our Facebook page, for trends, career-related articles, events and more!

   

Rochester Institute of Technology Office of Co-op and Career Services

---