Feature Article: New College Grads: Focus on the Type of Job You Want
and the Skills You Can Bring to It
Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue
The Career Doctor: Answering Your Questions
What's New on Quintessential Careers: Latest Additions
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search
Notes from the Editor: About this Issue...
It's graduation time in an economy in which job prospects seem to be looking
up a bit, but in which job-seeking for new grads is still quite competitive.
That's why you need a sharp focus to your job search, notes new contributor
Robin Ryan in her feature article in this issue. New grads need to sharply focus
on the kind of job they want and the skills they can offer employers.
--Katharine Hansen, Credentialed Career Master, Certified Electronic Career Coach,
and editor at
kathy@quintcareers.com
Feature Article: New College Grad Tools
New College Grads: Focus on the Type of Job You
Want and the Skills You Can Bring to It
Copyright 2003 by Robin Ryan
You've invested thousands of dollars for the coveted diploma and now an important question
stares you in the face: Will it be worth it? Will you get a good job? And -- an even bigger
question -- What will you DO? Many new grads feel lost when they consider the endless list
of career choices and fields they could go into.
As a career counselor, I've seen so many new grads who do not know how to apply the degree they have
just earned. A typical example was Dave, who loved sports and had played baseball throughout his
college years. He had his heart set on working for Nike. An English major, he had never clearly
defined, even in his own mind, what kind of job he could do for Nike. When a family friend arranged
for a meeting with someone at Nike, Dave naively hoped the man would find him a job within the
company. Dave never stated what he could do, or where he might best fit in at Nike, so nothing
ever happened after that meeting. It
wasn't the Nike employee's job to figure out what career Dave could do -- it was Dave's responsibility.
Allison was a history major who wanted to work as an event planner but, unfortunately, no one
had hired her. She'd sent out hundreds of resumes but got no interviews. When she called employers,
everyone said the same thing -- we need experience. She was frustrated and didn't understand what
she was doing wrong.
Elena returned to college after several years at home with her children. She majored in psychology
and thought she might want a counselor job. A friend's mom, who worked in human resources, pointed out that
Elena's verbal skills -- necessary for the counseling field -- were pretty weak. Elena recognized this
weakness and felt even more lost as to what direction to pursue.
The colorful, attractively designed eGrad offers great information and resources about
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.
eGrad touts its is passion for "helping graduates get off to the right start in the real world" and
strives to be a one-stop resource for seniors preparing for graduation as well as recent grads.
The site offers advice and information about post-college life -- learned the hard way, through experience -- and
tools to help you figure out the basics.
eGrad connects students and grads with fellow classmates, while providing advice and support on topics that include
graduation, careers, travel, money, and moving. The site also sources money-saving deals on rental trucks, airlines,
insurance, credit cards, career clothes, long-distance telephone service, magazine subscriptions, and more.
Andy writes: "I am an April 2004 college graduate with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in sociology.
My career search is looking bleak. I can't find work anywhere. Please help me. I also need to find a job in the area rather
than relocate."
Anthony writes: "My girlfriend is a grad student in architecture, but she is finding she doesn't like it.
She is battling herself every day about what she wants to be. She is looking into historical preservation.
Any advice you might have would be appreciated."
Tanya writes: "I am looking to change industries. I have been in insurance for 10 years and I have experience in several areas
but I am bored and not very excited about my job.
I am thinking of taking a personality test to match me in a job that will
hopefully be more fitting. Can you tell me where to start and what services would be best? I really want it to be
available online."
Stephanie writes: "I am a career counselor for an IT training school. I am looking to find some information
on assessment tests for locating transferable skills. Our students have already chosen a particular career path,
therefore I don't need a 'self-directed search' type of assessment. I am looking for something more along the
lines of identifying their T-skills from past work experience."
Have you read the Quint Careers Weblog (Blog)?
It consists of career and job-search news, trends,
and scoops for job-seekers, compiled by the staff
of Quintessential Careers.
The blog is a great way to stay posted on the most
recent events occurring in the career and employment fields.
AllStarJobs.ca -- for job-seekers
searching for jobs in Canada, where you can search for job listings (by job category, province, or
keywords), post your resume, and find links to all the best career resources for Canadian
students and job-seekers. Free to job-seekers.
Computer Jobs Finder -- where
job-seekers searching for a computer-related job can browse job listings by one of 18
categories (such as networking, programming, ERP, help desk, etc.) or by state. You can also
post your resume. Free to job-seekers.
NurseUniverse.com -- where nursing professionals --
RNs and LPNs, entry-level or experienced -- can search job listings (by state and discipline), as well as post
your resume. Other resources include nursing school information, articles, and message boards.
Free to job-seekers.
REALM Magazine -- the online version of the award-winning magazine
exploring the world of work and employment issues for young people aged 19 to 29. Lots of great resources to help young job-seekers
identify a successful and fulfilling career path. Based in Canada. Free to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest Additions section.
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Among the top criteria employers seek in new graduates, according to a new survey by
CollegeGrad.com are interviewing skills, internship/experience, miscellaneous qualifications,
GPA, the college from which the student graduated, personal appearance, and computer skills.
Tom Tarantelli, director of the Center Development Center of
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute said, "Students in the current
market need to be flexible and seek out what makes them unique." In other words, it is more
important than ever that students link their skills to employment opportunities and be able to answer
the question: "Why am I the best person for the job?"
Internships and other experience ranked highly in the survey and are seen as an important differentiator
both at the entry level and in the job market in general, especially now that college graduates are
competing with experienced individuals who have been laid off.
More information on the survey results along with a list of over 500 of the Top Entry-Level
Employers are posted at CollegeGrad.com.
Reference checks are increasingly common in the hiring process. Senior managers polled by Accountemps, a
staffing service for temporary accounting, finance, and bookkeeping professionals, said they typically speak
with at least three references before considering someone for a position, confirming the value of
a third-party endorsement.
Candidates can increase their chances of being hired by providing the names of people who will offer an accurate
account of their skills and experience." Accountemps offer these tips for candidates on preparing references:
Stack the deck. Develop a list of three to five references. Describe their connection to you (e.g.,
former boss) and the type of information each can provide.
Get permission. Never use a person's name without his or her consent.
Choose wisely. Some references may be more relevant for a position than others.
Provide references with a copy of the job description and your resume. They can put their responses into
context if they know the types of positions you are seeking.
Refresh their memories. To help a reference recollect your strengths, discuss examples of the accomplishments
you made while you both worked together.
Keep them in the loop. As soon as you refer someone, let that person know he or she may receive a call.
Follow up with a thank-you note and a status update
on your job search.
Those Microsoft Word resume wizards and templates are an easy tool for creating a resume, but most resumes
created from these templates are instantly recognizable to employers as such. There's nothing wrong with that
except that employers have seen a million of them, so they don't stand out. The employer immediately senses
a certain lack of imagination in the job-seeker. These templates are also somewhat inflexible and contain
problematic formatting. "Using a template or any kind of boilerplate to demonstrate your value to a company
is the worst thing you can do to yourself when job hunting," says Nick Corcodilos of Ask The Headhunter. "You're supposed
to be uniquely qualified so the company will choose you instead of some cookie-cutter drone -- right? Do you really
want a template?" If you've never created a resume before, it's OK to use a template to get you started, but once you
have a draft, consult resume books and Web sites to see how you can make the resume uniquely yours.
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If your school, organization, business or other
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appreciate it. If you don't have a link to us, please
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WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Dining etiquette
* Career Focus Quiz
* Surviving and Moving Beyond Low-Wage Jobs
* Pre-Employment Testing
* 10 Things for High-School Students to Remember
* First in a Series Tracking College Plans of a High School Student
* Importance of Junior Year of High School
* How to Make a Temp Job Permanent
* Temping Your Way to Career Change
* Mastering Second (and Subsequent) Interviews
* Interview Damage Control
* 10 Interview Mistakes
* Exude Confidence in Interviews
* Job Satisfaction Quiz
* Job-search Time-Management Skills
* Reinvent Your Career at Midlife
* Working Beyond Retirement
* Workaholic Quiz
* Building Your Brand
* Pros and Cons of Nontraditional Careers
* Nontraditional Career Paths for Men and Women
* Make Your College Application Shine
* Changing Landscape of College Admissions
* College Admissions Annual Report/Panel Discussion
* Internet Jobhunting Annual Report
* Top 5 Networking Strategies
* 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.
Quintessential Careers Announces Career Coaching
We now offer two types of career-coaching services!
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seeking help in developing a job-search plan?
looking for a solution to job-search obstacles?
desiring to bounce ideas off of a career expert?
trying to discover the keys to career success?
Let Dr. Randall S. Hansen, The Career Doctor, help you work through all your college, career, and job-search concerns,
issues, and problems. He has helped hundreds of teens, college students, and experienced job-seekers identify obstacles, develop
action plans, and achieve success -- and he can help you!
And for an economical online-only career-coaching alternative,
visit The Career Clinic.
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