It's graduation time, and the news is not all
that rosy for new grads this year.
Employers have reconfirmed their predictions
of a double-digit decrease in their college hiring,
saying they expect to hire nearly 20 percent fewer
new college graduates this year than they hired last
year, according to the Report on Salary Surveys
published by The Institute of Management and Administration.
"Most employers still hold with their early projections,"
says Marilyn Mackes, executive director of the National
Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The field that is
the most positive about hiring new graduates this year
is the government and non-profit sector.
New grads will need every technique at their disposal
to succeed in this shaky market. We offer some here
with our feature on resumes and cover letters.
Our bonus feature provides a big-picture
look at next steps for new grads. A third feature
on choosing and using references will be useful not only
for new grads but for other readers, as well.
Congratulations to the new grads in our readership!
Powerful New Grad Resumes and Cover Letters: 10 Things They Have in Common
by Katharine Hansen
OK, you're graduating from college soon.
Time to give your resume and cover letter
a checkup to ensure they are as powerful
as they can be. Powerful new grad resumes
and cover letters have several things in common,
so you can kill a number of birds with one stone
with this checkup.
References: The Keys to Choosing and Using the Best Job References in Your Job Search
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
If you're like most job-seekers, you may not
have put much thought into whom you'll want to
use as references when potential employers request
them. We're often so busy polishing our resumes
and cover letters, researching the companies, and
preparing for interviews, that we neglect a very
important part of the job search process -- requesting
people to be references.
How can our article assist you? By helping you see
the importance and value of choosing the "right"
people to be references, by providing examples of
how to develop a references page, and by offering
you other keys to using references strategically
in your job search.
So You’ve Graduated College…What’s Next for You? Eight Critical Issues Facing New Grads
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Graduating from college is a major milestone.
Congratulations on the achievement. So, what's
next for you after college? What does your future
hold? Some students see college as a major goal,
when in reality it is simply a stepping stone to
other future life achievements. Part of the
adventure is really figuring out who you are
and what you value. For typical twenty-somethings,
graduating from college is the final move (or leap)
into adulthood.
So what's next for you after college?
Our new article
offers a list of the eight critical issues you need
to deal with as you move onward with your life in
your transition from college to career.
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CollegeGrad.com, founded by Brian Krueger, author
of the excellent book of the same name, targets
entry-level and recent grads exclusively and
provides a huge amount of entry-level job-search
content for job seekers.
Content areas include Preparation, Career Info,
Job Search Info (clicking on this menu item
will get you the contents of an earlier
edition of Krueger's book), Employer Research,
Resumes (with free resume templates organized
by college major), Cover Letters, Job Postings,
Interview Prep, Salaries, Job Offers, and New Job.
The Forum menu item takes you to "Ask the Hiring Manager,"
an online career forum designed specifically for college
students and recent grads, with answers to many common
job-search questions provided by Krueger, who is
also an active hiring manager for a multi-national
consulting firm.
CollegeGathering.com
-- a great site for college students to find all sorts of information and resources for college students
and recent grads, including apartments, careers, financial aid, grad schools, and shopping.
The unique feature is that you'll find graded (reviewed) sites to speed your search for information. Free.
eGrad -- great information and
resources about "those things" not taught in college, such as finding a rewarding
career or job, managing your finances, moving to a new city, and traveling around
the world...everything you need to help you firmly establish yourself after college.
Free membership required.
JobGusher.com
-- a job and career site dedicated to connecting high school and college students, including recent
college grads and graduate students, with employers offering internships, seasonal and temporary
work, entry-level positions, and other career and job opportunities. Job-seekers can post your resume
and search for jobs. Also includes useful job tool articles. Free to job-seekers.
Women For Hire --
where women job-seekers can find a variety of career and job resources specifically for you,
including recruiting events and job fairs, career coaching, resume critiquing, and job-search seminars.
Job-seekers can post your reusme. Free and fee-based.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest
Additions section.
Walter writes: "I am a B.S. geography major, and I
have had management experience at both McDonald's
and UPS. What are some possible companies and/or
positions for which I might be best suited."
Cindy writes: "I am a psychology major student. I
would like to become a forensic psychologist; however,
I really have no idea as to what I can do in terms
of grad school and what I need to do once I graduate
college. Can you please give me some advice? Some Web
sites would be good too, if you know of any."
Nitara Wiggan writes: "I have tried talking to several
advisors at my university with no help. I am interested
in a career involving children and travel. I have a gift
for listening to people and have thought of almost
everything and have finally decided to major in an
interdisciplinary social science degree with criminology
and psychology as my two cognates. I want to work with
rehabilitating and counseling children that come in to
contact with Children and Families Dept.,
usually due to child abuse. I only know about
the social work B.A. degree, which is not broad
enough for what I want. I want to move my way up
to running the program, if not starting my own facility.
This way children will have access to counseling before
they are placed in foster care or adoption. If you have
any ideas or advice please let me know."
Bill writes: "My current job will be ending in late
May, so I've been busy doing the things job-seekers
should do. Since I would really like to relocate,
I've sent out cover letters and resumes all over
the country. I'm looking primarily for an academic
job (teaching, academic or career counseling, etc.)
in a community college or university. I would also
consider a trainer position at either a for-profit
or non-profit organization.
To date, I've sent out 68 customized cover letters
and resumes. I've individualized each one, so hours
have been spent on this. Since I have an MA in English,
I make sure there are no typing errors or anything that
might turn a recruiter or HR person off. I've tried to
achieve a balance of professionalism and a personal touch.
I've received no interviews or even telephone responses.
Thinking that perhaps employers are hesitant to risk
interviewing out-of-towners, I've also sent quite a
few resumes to local employers--to no avail.
I suspect that a lot of the problem lies in the fact
that my resume lists my educational background in
English and foreign language (French), but my
experience of the last few years indicates employment
that has little to do with my training in English.
Even though I try to emphasize my versatility in my
cover letter, I'm getting the sinking feeling that I'm
being boxed into a social services category. Any suggestions?
As for follow-up, very few give telephone numbers and many
specifically say that they do not want any phone calls."
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Are you graduating with a "useless" degree? It all
depends on your perspective and self-image, said Dale
Dauten and Kate Wendleton when they advised a political
science grad who wrote to the syndicated columnists for advice.
"Who cares what your degree is in?" Dauten said.
"They're all 'useless,' and they are all valuable.
Do you really think that a 22-year-old with a degree
in management knows [a lot] about managing?
Recruiters on a college campus put a lot of emphasis
on school experience only because that's all most
applicants have to talk about." Added Wendleton:
"As for the degree, just say you majored in liberal
arts."
Student interest in public-service opportunities
is up, according to an ABC News report on the Class of 2002,
perhaps dually a product of the recession and a potential
wave of altruism since the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Teach for
America, the corps of recent college grads who teach in urban
or rural public schools, has seen a trebling of applications
since the previous year, officials say. The Peace Corps has
also seen a dramatic rise in inquiries -- about a one-third
rise in Sept.-Dec. 2001 from the same period the previous year.
It's worthwhile to keep volunteering or working in
public service in mind as an alternative to a job or grad school
right after college graduation.
One of the Internet's most innovative and popular
job/internship sites for new grads, Job Direct, has
closed down its operations. If you had a resume registered
on JobDirect, it may have been transferred to
TrueCareers, a Sallie Mae Company
engaged in college-level campus recruiting.
Take Our Survey! Please Help Us Help You...
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As we vow in our privacy statement, we absolutely will not
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WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Cover letters to recruiters
* How to write a counteroffer letter
* Home-based careers
* How to start a job club
* 10 tips for getting a job abroad
* The ultimate guide to interview preparation
* Interviewing strategies for teens
* Using informational interviews to research companies
* How to create and publish a Web-ready resume
* Letters of recommendation and references
* How to create and use a networking card
* How to resign from your job gracefully
* Step-by-step guide to career planning
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more!
Don't ever want to miss another issue of QuintZine? Get a free subscription to
the email version of QuintZine by completing our
subscription form.
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Quintessential Careers also offers writing services
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event at your college or organization? The Quintessential
Careers Speakers Bureau can help! Our quintessential experts
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