Thursday, April 17, 2014

Tips For Graduating Students and Recent Grads Still Looking For A Job

If you’re still looking for a job, it’s important to take advantage of all
available resources through the RIT Office of Co-op and Career Services and develop a comprehensive job search strategy. Here are some tips and resources you may find helpful. You have FREE lifetime access to our office’s services! (Even after you graduate). Many resources and connections to social media can be accessed through our site.
1. RIT Job Zone is our job listing database. If you have not been using it - take advantage of it now. Before you leave campus, set up an alumni account so that you can continue to access Job Zone after graduation. Make sure your search criteria is not too narrow. Using multiple sources is smart – but don’t ignore some of the most obvious, like Job Zone! Have you uploaded your most recent resume? Set up a search agent that will email you with new postings, use it as a saved search. Instructions are on the main Job Zone page.
2. Follow up with all companies where your application is pending. If a company has your resume, and you have not heard from them, give them a follow up call or e-mail. If you have interviewed with a company, touch base with them to check your status and offer to answer any questions they may have.
3. Meet with your Program Coordinator (in person or phone appointment) for tips to strengthen your job search strategy. Your Program Coordinator is also a great source of job search resources and industry information specific to your career field. Get a job search diagnosis and move ahead with fresh focus. Double check your resume and cover letter - have us review them, perhaps there is room for improvement, especially as you transition from student to new grad.
4. Use resources to identify prospective employers. Find job boards and professional organizations specific to your field on our web site -- general sites like Vault, CareerSearch, Glassdoor and Internships.com that we subscribe to. There are also numerous major-specific lists to choose from. Here is a link to those Web Resources you may find helpful. Each of our program coordinators has gather helpful sites for their majors, you can find a list of them on the right side of this page or Web Resources page.
5. Think positively. Devoted time to your job search; strategize, plan, set goals and keep good records.
6. Be flexible. Be willing to move and work in a different geographic location than you had planned; consider doing a different kind of work or working in a different industry other than what you believe would be ideal; if necessary, consider a lower starting salary than you had hoped for – at least to start with.
7. Become active in professional organizations. Start establishing contacts; volunteer your time; ask about job search services or job databases that may be available to members. For more info visit Using Professional Associations.
8. Network! Networking is a critical part of how most people find their first jobs, and in a competitive job market it becomes particularly important. Join professional organizations and take advantage of every opportunity to meet and interact with professionals in your fields of interest, extend your knowledge of preferred career fields, find out who is hiring and get personal referrals to hiring managers.
Contacts are anyone you know - ANYONE. When first creating your list, don’t exclude those who aren't working in your field or due to thinking they may not know anyone of interest to you. You don’t know their network! Let your contacts know what you would like to pursue and ask if they know of anyone you could talk with related to your interests.
RIT’s Alumni Relations Office also provides graduating students and alumni with free access to the Alumni Online Community, which includes the Tiger Locator database. The Tiger Locator allows you to browse and connect with over 100,000 alumni contacts. Use the Advanced Search feature to find alumni working at companies you’re interested in!
LinkedIn is the online tool for professionals and a very productive way to identify employers, potential contacts, alumni groups, industry affinity groups, specific job opportunities (internships/co-op, entry-level, experienced) and much more. Like your resume, you should spend some time creating a very well-written LinkedIn profile and include links to an on-line version of your resume, your own blogs if appropriate (professional), and examples of your work. Connect with RIT alumni – under the Network toolbar pick, select Find Alumni from the drop down. Join the RIT Career Services group. Visit our Networking & LinkedIn page for more advice on using LinkedIn!
9. Consider the "hot" geographic areas. Review articles to identify areas with the most potential for your field. Read news from that area, use the web to identify employers/opportunities geographically. Contact a chamber of commerce for list of industries or employment fairs.
10. Register with at least one employment agency. Contract firms are doing more hiring these days -often times it is a good way to get the foot your the door. It should cost you nothing and does not take much effort on your part. But ask questions about how their agency works and what your obligation will be. Check out Working with Search Firms for more info.
11. Be Optimistic and Persistent. Inquire about each of your applications within a few days with an email or phone call. Be proactive - position yourself as a candidate that “wants the job the most”. One of the biggest weaknesses to a job search is being passive – make it easy for a potential employer to connect with you, effort should be on your part. Employers respond to job seekers who make the extra effort to write follow-up thank you notes and continue to reconfirm interest. 
12. Fake it - even if you are not feeling very confident, it is important to project a positive attitude. You have to believe you are the best person for the job before you can convince others that you are. Be prepared going into an interview. Preparation will alleviate some of your nervousness and you will appear more relaxed and confident.
13. Don’t give up. Everyone knows that the economy is not great right now – but that doesn’t mean that you should postpone looking for a job until it improves. Jobs are out there you just need to be more flexible and work harder to get one.
Good luck! And please don't hesitate to ask for help -- 585-475-2301.

3 comments:

  1. Everyday, I do always browsing in the internet to look a job for my sister. I saw many articles offer a job but she never likes them so, I decide to surf in the internet some tips that she can use in looking for a job. I found your article contains a lot of advice my sister can use. Read more about: Australian Job Search

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  2. Self-belief is the prominent thing you first need to remember to find a job. Job aspirants should think always that they can do it. It's a different thing that whether you know or don't know but attempting the interviews with full confident means you're growing. You can feel that someone is pulling towards the excellence. And one day, time will come when you'll see the jobs are behind you and you have to choose the best one among them. Perseverance and time management is the key for anything to accomplish successfully.

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  3. I am very pleased as i got a job in IT Company in India after reading this article tips. Thanks for useful information.

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