Feature Article: Making a Successful Transition from College to Career: Time for a Reality Check
Special Feature: Real-World Pearls of Wisdom for this Year's Graduating Class
Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue
The Career Doctor: Answering Your Questions
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search
Notes from the Editor: About this Issue...
It could be said that publishing our annual College Graduation issue around
the time spring seniors are graduating is actually way too late -- that this
year's seniors should already have jobs or be well on their way.
In a perfect world, we would hope that would be true -- that this year's
graduating seniors would be too far along to be helped by this issue.
In an imperfect world with a tough economy, however, we're convinced
that this spring's grads can get something out of this issue. But perhaps even more
importantly, those graduating this fall or NEXT SPRING can learn what they need to be doing
to ensure a successful career launch upon commencement. Listen up, Class of 2004!
We are absolutely tickled to bring you in this issue the first article we've ever published by one of our
former students. Rachel DiCaro, a 2000 grad, offers real-world advice from the trenches. And speaking
of the real world, we are excited about a major expansion of our Real World section of
Quintessential Careers. More about that below....
And a comment from reader Bernadette Salmon about our last issue on job-hunting for the
under-represented: "My experienced workers prefer to be called experienced
as opposed to Older. My clientele are 45 years and older
who are currently looking for employment." What do others in this category prefer to be called?
Thanks for writing, Bernadette.
Feature Article: Transition from College to Career
Making a Successful Transition from College to Career: Time for a Reality Check
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D. and Katharine Hansen
"[The real world] is a big change, more then you can ever imagine
when you are sitting in the classroom thinking about the outside world!"
-- Anonymous business-school grad
For many seniors, the time leading up to college graduation and the start
of a first job is often chaotic and stressful. You are trying to complete your
college career without too much of a senioritis meltdown while dealing with
the demands of job-hunting, interviewing, and facing the reality of the end
of schooling (at least for the foreseeable future).
In all our discussions with college seniors and recent college graduates,
eight issues arise time and time again as the keys to making a successful
transition from life as a student to life as a productive employee. Understanding
these issues and being prepared for them before they occur should help you
make a smoother transition.
To maximize your job opportunities, you'll need to cover a lot of ground. One way to do that is to post your resume
on all the best job boards, large and small. It may take some time, but it's well worth the effort. If you want
to save 60 hours of research and data entry, consider using professional resume-posting service like
ResumeRabbit.com.
After filling in one simple online form, they'll instantly post your resume on up to 85 of the top career sites at once.
Within minutes you'll be seen on Monster, HotJobs, FlipDog, Dice, CareerBuilder and more, where 1.5 million employers
and recruiters search for candidates daily.
From a page dedicated to our annual Real-World
event at Stetson University, the Quintessential Careers
Real-World section has now grown into a major repository
for ongoing research into the job-search experience of new
college graduates as they enter "The Real World." By sharing
the stories of how they launched their careers and succeeded
in job-hunting after graduating from college, these new grads
are providing valuable advice to subsequent college grads.
About 100 recent graduates from numerous colleges and universities
responded to our Real-World survey. Respondents shared their
comments and advice in these areas:
Be Prepared for These Workplace Stressors
How Well College Prepared Me for My First Job
Keys to Success: New Grads' Most Important Factors in Landing Their First Jobs
New Grads' Most Important Piece of Advice for Soon-to-be Grads
New Grad Career Journeys and Real-World Glimpses: Stories of Landing that First Job
New Grads Discover that Networking is Key
Teamwork Skills are in Demand
What I Wish I'd Done Differently in College
What I Wish I'd Known About Job-hunting when I Graduated
Real-World Pearls of Wisdom for this Year’s Graduating Class
by Rachel L. DiCaro, 2000 graduate from Stetson University, DeLand, FL
After another stressful day at work, I daydream about
my college days when I would sleep in the middle
of the
afternoon and set my alarm to wake up for a TLC Wedding
Story. Boy, have things changed. If I could give advice
to the next class of budding young professionals, I would
tell you five pearls of wisdom.
Based on years of research, the Jackson Vocational Interest
Survey (JVIS) accurately measures your interests, showing how
they relate to the worlds of study and work, and mapping out
your route to an interesting career.
This site, listed among the 50 Best of the Best job and resume Web sites by CareerXRoads, specializes
in community colleges and small to midsize schools nationwide. More than 1 million students in 28 states
are enrolled at colleges and universities powered by CCN's Career Services Central application service provider
(ASP) of career services management tools. CCN is also one of the largest providers of virtual events for large colleges
and universities, consortiums and private organizations.
College students and alumni can search for jobs by degree, job type, job target, and job location.
The site offers a resume builder that students can modify and export
to other sites, as well as linkages to virtual job fairs in partnership with colleges and universities, economic-development
agencies, and professional associations. A limited amount of content on career topics, provided by other
sites such as CareerBuilder, is also available. Registration required.
Instantly email your resume to 1000s of recruiters,
headhunters, and direct hiring companies! With the most
comprehensive and targeted network of recruiters on the
net, you can rest assured you have taken the steps
necessary to jump start your search. We are so sure
you will be happy that we guarantee our service!
BioJobNet: Biotechnology Career Network --
where job-seekers looking for employment in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biotechnology, and
life sciences can search for jobs (by market, location, discipline, and job type) as well as post
up to three resumes and cover letters. Free to job-seekers.
MBA Association -- an online community for MBA
professionals and students. Its goal is to facilitate networking and create an online community for the benefit of
MBAs from around the world. MBAs can visit and become members of the MBA Association and access interactive
discussion forums, news, articles and jobs. Free to job-seekers.
Tax Jobs -- a job site for job-seekers with a degree
in accounting or finance and who specialize in taxation. Job-seekers can search job postings -- but
only after completing an information form -- as well as post your resume. Free to job-seekers.
TopUSAJobs.com -- a job site that lists the top jobs from
numerous "niche" industry and geographic-specific job boards. Job-seekers can search for job listings
(by category, location, job title, and job detail keywords), or go directly to the individual job boards.
Free to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest Additions section.
Ad: The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need
College students and new grads should check out this e-book,
The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need:
How to Find -- and Get -- The Job or Internship of Your Dreams!
The book contains must-read contributions from 149 of North America's top employment experts
and is available risk-free for 90 days.
William writes: "I have recently graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering and am having trouble finding any
form of work. Every place I turn, the employers seek years of experience. I have tried most sites on the 'Net, gone to
company Web pages, gone to agencies to help -- but no luck. I am trying everything I can; I even can't get work at
low-level places (grocery stores, fast food) because I am now too educated. So please give me some help and guidance."
Ginny writes: "I graduated from graduate school nine months ago and have been looking for a good career-supporting
job since that time. I interviewed with Company A last week, and it went very well. This is my first choice for employment,
and I am almost certain that I will be offered a position. I will find out in two weeks. If they do offer me a position,
it will be conditional based upon passing a security clearance (which shouldn't be a problem) but will take a minimum of six months.
"Three days after my interview with Company A, I was offered a position at Company B to start immediately. This isn't my top
choice of job for my career but it is with a good stable company with good benefits and salary.
My dilemma is this: Do I accept company B's offer and then resign if Company A's offer comes through in six months? Personally,
I believe this to be ethically reprehensible. But Company A's offer isn't in stone and I don't want to be left unemployed for potentially
another year."
Jim writes: "Can you tell me of an online resource that would tell me what careers would relate to a specific type of degree.
I have a degree and cannot find what job can relate to it."
Ben writes: "Dr. Hansen, you indicated in your Quintessential Careers section on
do's and don'ts on resume writing that
job-seekers shouldn't list too much experience on your resume. My resume has over 18 years of experience. Do I eliminate
earlier jobs or in my summary state "with over 15 years of experience or with 15 years of experience?"
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Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
CollegeGrad.com has announced the Top 500 Entry Level Employers for 2003. The list represents more than 100,000
jobs from employers hiring as many as 6,000 new grads to those hiring as few as 10. But large or small, they
all are all in hiring mode for the Class of 2003.
"This list of employers provides critical job-search information for college students who will be graduating in 2003. It gives specific
hiring numbers and Web addresses needed to make contact with employers
that are actually hiring," said Brian Krueger, founder and president of CollegeGrad.com and author of the best-selling book on job search
for college students, College Grad Job Hunter. Here's the full employer list.
The majors most in demand? Accounting, engineering, business, and management continue to be the highest demand majors, with computer
science, finance, marketing, and biology not far behind.
The first week in May has officially been designated as International Update Your References Week(tm) by the Professional
Resume Writing and Research Association. Job-seekers are invited to seek the assistance of leading professionals in the careers industry
with references, resume updates, cover letters, interview coaching, career coaching, and all services that match those in need with
professionals in the careers industry and help create a stronger world economy. See a list of
Frequently Asked Questions (with answers) about references.
Employers expect to hire about the same number of new college graduates for 2002-03 as they hired in 2001-02, according to a
new report published by the National Association of Colleges and
Employers (NACE). Overall, employers responding to NACE's Job Outlook
2003 Spring Update survey indicated that they plan to bring in approximately the same number of new college graduates this year
as they did last year. In earlier surveys conducted by NACE, employers projected a 3.6 percent decrease in college hiring.
In addition, nearly 90 percent of employers said the war in Iraq would have no effect on their plans for 2002-03 college hires.
The hiring outlook is best among service-sector employers; overall, they expect their hiring to be up 4.8 percent over last year. Among
service employers, 40.5 percent plan to increase their college hiring, 36.5 percent expect to cut back, and 23 percent plan to hire the same
number of new grads this year as they did last year.
By type of employer, overall, those projecting the highest increases in college hiring are construction companies (35.7 percent increase),
consulting services organizations (14.3 percent increase), and public accounting firms (14 percent increase). Those looking at the steepest
cuts in college hiring include utilities companies (31 percent decrease), engineering/surveying firms (29.1 percent decrease), and chemical
manufacturers (22.8 percent).
If your school, organization, business or other
entity has a Web site, we welcome you to link to Quintessential Careers.
If you already have a link from your site, we want you to know we
appreciate it. If you don't have a link to us, please
send a request to your site's Webmaster to establish a
link to Quintessential Careers. Thanks so much!
For more details (including sample HTML copy), see our
Link to Us page.
QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* The interview as sales call
* Getting the raise you deserve
* 10 things I wish I'd known before starting my first job
* Letters of recommendation
* Employer research: step by step
* Learn about careers through job-shadowing
* 10 job-search reality checks
* Is job flexibility right for you?
* First days on the job: Strategies to get ahead
* Dealing with a bad boss
* Making your case for telecommuting
* Don't wait by the phone: Following up on all job leads
* Dining etiquette
* The relationship between personality and career choice
* What employers are really looking for
* New series: 10 mistakes to avoid in: resumes, cover letters, interviews, salary
negotiation, career change, networking, job-search
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more!
Quintessential Careers also offers writing services
for those who have been asked to give a speech and
need assistance in researching and writing their
remarks.
Need a speaker for your career-oriented conference or
event at your college or organization? The Quintessential
Careers Speakers Bureau can help! Our quintessential experts
can provide presentations/workshops on a variety of
career-related topics.
