Readers: Dr. Randall Hansen, a nationally recognized career expert, is the Career Doctor.
Discover more about Dr. Hansen, read about the purpose of this column,
and find previous issues of this column at the home of The Career Doctor.
Dr. Hansen writes this column on a biweekly basis. If you have any college, career, or job-related questions or comments that Dr. Hansen could
provide valuable assistance with, please
feel free to email him at: careerdr@quintcareers.com.
Debby writes:
How do you contact a company that does all their job posting online?
Resumes have been sent in, no response received but there is no way
to contact anyone.
I know you say to contact the companies, but can you tell me how to
contact a company who does everything online.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Yours is a common question among those job-seekers who rely heavily on the Internet
for job-hunting, and it’s a good question, but before I answer it, let me talk about job-hunting
in general.
Job-hunting on the Web is becoming an essential part of most job-seekers job-search
strategy, and there is evidence (some contradictory) about the importance of it to
finding a new job. My belief is that the Web is best used as a research tool for job-seekers
and as a secondary source for job leads. And if you are using the Web heavily, remember
to spend more time at company career centers than simply searching for job listings on job
boards.
To me, networking -- both traditional and online – is still the most powerful tool of job-hunting.
Your network is simply your collection of friends, family, and professional contacts. The more
people in your network, the more likely that one of them will hear of a great job opening that is
perfect for you. And just about all employers agree that a job-seeker recommended by a
current employee receives a longer look than one that has no such connection.
One of the biggest complaints about job-hunting online is that many job-seekers feel as though
their resume disappears into some cyberspace blackhole. That’s partially true -- more like a
cyberspace database.
So, what can you do? Assuming you have the employer’s name, track down the postal address
and mail a hard copy of your cover letter and resume to the employer. If you do not have a
hiring manager’s name, try calling the company to get it. The extra effort involved will pay
off tremendously for you.
Robert writes:
How, if possible, can I with a nonexistent (besides work done without pay) work
history, but some college, along with some time spent not working, successfully
complete an employment application? Any suggestions?
Be mindful that I have no criminal background. Thank you for your time.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
I am on a big marketing kick right now, perhaps because it is the start of another
academic year and I teach marketing at Stetson University, but in reality it is because
a job-seeker has to have some basic marketing skills in order to best showcase his/her abilities.
Let me stress again to you doubters out there that applying some general marketing principles
to job-hunting does NOT mean lying or stretching the truth. I think of marketing in job-hunting --
polishing the resume, developing better interview answers, researching prospective employers,
developing an effective elevator speech, networking -- in the same vein as someone selling their
house spends a little time and effort on increasing its curb appeal.
For example, in your case you need to stop downplaying your volunteering experience. Volunteer
work counts as work experience! And for you students, so too does work-study, class projects, and part-time work.
Your challenge is to pull relevant accomplishments and skills from your volunteering and college
classes that fit to the requirements of the jobs you seek. You may need to gain additional training or
experience, and you will need to have an explanation of the gaps spent not working.
In terms of a traditional job application, complete it as best you can, marking “will explain in interview” in
areas where you have gaps. Whenever possible, attach your resume to any employment application.
A great new tool for all job-seekers -- to help you take your career to the next level -- is a free
career branding tutorial that is
now available on Quintessential Careers.
Anonymous writes:
How do get a job in waitressing or retail without work experience in those? I
have degrees but no work experience. No one told me I needed to do part-time jobs
like this before graduating from college. They just said get a degree and go to grad
school, even counselors said this. Is it too late to do this? Should I give up? I would
like a job as a hostess/waitress or clerk or something now.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Wow. There are two major flaws in your job-search situation, one that your
college should never have allowed and one that you need to change now.
Not to sound elitist, but as a college professor and a big believer in the value of
education, I have to tell you that you should not be trying to get a job as a waitress
or store clerk now that you have a college degree -- unless you are doing so as a
stepping stone to some sort of management training program.
I’m not blaming you for this flaw in your job-search. One of the problems I see in a
number of universities is an almost single-minded focus on graduate school with little or
no career counseling for those who choose job over grad school. You should have
already had at least one internship, perhaps several informational interviews and job-shadowing
opportunities, and perhaps some volunteering work – all giving you a much clearer focus on
your career goals as well as beefing up your resume.
My suggestion is to first research the jobs for which you qualify, then narrow the list to jobs that
interest you, and then develop a resume that will get you into the hiring manager’s door. While
you gained no outside experience while in college, look to school projects and part-time jobs
to build at least some experience on your resume. If you really have very little experience,
consider professional temping (certainly before waitressing or clerking) to gain experience
and a foot in the door of prospective employers. If possible, also try volunteering in your
field to gain even more experience.
Katina writes:
I was just wondering. How can I implement transitioning a new career
onto my resume? I am currently in customer relations, but am trying to
into human resources.
However, a lot of employers do not want to bother if you only have education
and no previous experience. How can I present myself to get my foot in the
door because if I get the opportunity I know I can become an asset for a
company? I appreciate any information or suggestions you can provide.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Changing careers takes a lot more effort than simply changing jobs, and at times
the process is often quite frustrating, so hang in there. You’ve conquered the first
step -- which is deciding you need to make a career change and determining the
new career you seek.
The next step is to identify the skills you currently use in customer relations and
how they apply to human resources. (We call these
transferable skills.)
Once you have the new skill set, rewrite your resume, showcasing your education and skills.
While you are currently working in customer relations, you might also try and gain
human resource experience through volunteering or temping. You should also consider
joining a professional organization such as SHRM and building a new network of contacts.
Since you work for a large employer, you might also be able to make a move to human
resources without leaving the company. If you have a mentor within the organization, talk
with him/her about doing so.
Since career change often takes a while to implement, remember to reward yourself for
every small step you make in the transition to your new career. Good luck!
