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.
Pat writes:
I heard you and your wife speak the other day, and while I wanted to stay
around and ask this question, I just didn’t have the time to do so.
Can you explain again the importance or relevance of storytelling as it relates
to me as a job-seeker?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Thanks for attending one of our workshops! Hope you received some useful and practical
information that will empower you to the next step in your career.
I should probably let Katharine answer this question since she is the one who conducted
research on career storytelling for her doctoral dissertation, but let me take a quick stab
at it because the topic is near and dear to me as well.
We’ve always known, from talking with recruiters and hiring managers, that the job-seekers
who are evaluated the highest in job interviews are the ones who provide the best and most
compelling answers. As you dig a little further, you discover that these best answers are all
basically stories that job-seekers tell to describe a situation, task, and accomplishment. We’ve
also found that job-seekers better remember details and respond better to interview questions
when they have developed stories in response to specific interview questions.
And having these stories gives job-seekers more confidence in the interview, which also leads
to a more positive review by hiring managers. Stories can also be incorporated into your resume
and career portfolio, providing employers with solid proof of your past performance, something
especially important when lying on resumes continues to make news.
One final benefit of career storytelling (though there are many more that don’t fit this column space):
using stories to respond to interview questions showcases your communications abilities, one of the
skills that employers constantly rank as a vital skill necessary of employees -- and often sorely
lacking among job applicants.
Allison writes:
My professors keep telling me I need to get at least one internship before I graduate, and I am
thinking of trying to get one for next summer. I was planning on waiting to look for internships
until like Spring Break, but one of my friends told me that I should start looking like sooner.
Also, what are the best sources for internships?
Thanks.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
All college students should complete at least one internship, and ideally, several,
while you attend school. I actually encourage my first-year students to consider an
internship after their first year of college (even though the most sought-after internships
usually require junior or senior standing).
Internships give you valuable work experience, help you learn more about your intended
career, and can help you decide on a specific career path. Internships also help you
expand your network of contacts, and in some cases, can make you drastically rethink
your career focus if you have a really bad experience.
Your email comes at a good time, because I would actually start looking for internships
NOW. Hot internships (with companies like Nike) have very early deadlines because they
receive so many applications for so few internship slots. Start now, but keep working on it
over the next few months and try for at least a couple of internship offers so that you can
choose the one that best fits your needs.
Here are my top sources for uncovering internship leads:
Company Websites -- look in their career/jobs area.
Career Services -- check with your college’s career center for leads.
Professors -- many professors are connected with companies and alums offering internships.
Career Network -- ask all the people in your network of contacts about internship possibilities (and additional contacts)
Internship Websites -- there are a few top internship Websites that offer great leads for internships.
Here are three tools for you to consider using as you move forward with your internship
search -- and then when you actually intern:
Sarah writes:
I have always wanted to work for a certain company but they are currently not hiring,
how do I get my name to their HR person so they may consider me for a position later?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
First, let me say that in some ways, job-hunting is easier when you have a specific geographic
location or a specific set of companies in mind. While your options are limited by the number
of employers, it also allows you to have a more focused job-search -- giving you the ability to
direct your time and energy to getting your foot in the door at one or more of them.
Let me offer you several pieces of advice.
While I won't advise you not to try and get your name and resume to the human resources
department, I will say that unless you are trying to get a job in HR, sending your resume
to that department is not going to do you much good. Do it because in some companies it
is standard procedure, but certainly do NOT stop there... and do not expect much to happen
as a result of doing so.
Instead, turn to your network of contacts and see if they know anyone who works for the
company. If you find one or more who do, see if you can leverage their inside position to get
your name and resume into the hands of the right people. Remember that network contacts
can't get you the job, but they can help get your foot in the door. If you have no network
contacts within the company, consider expanding your network (which you should be doing anyway).
Another approach is to target the prospective hiring manager, such as the marketing director.
If you do not have a contact within the company, call the main number and ask for the name
of the hiring manager in the marketing department. Get the person's name and title. Then write
a dynamic cover letter explaining why you should be considered for a marketing position at the
company. When writing your cover letter and editing your resume, be sure to use some of the
same words to describe yourself as the company does in describing itself.
Most larger companies have put their career center on their Websites, and some of these career
centers give job-seekers explicit instructions for applying for posted openings. Even though they
are not currently hiring, check out their Website and follow the advice they have posted.
Finally, whichever of these techniques you used (and hopefully you used several of them), take
the time to follow-up. Do so politely and professionally -- and do so more than once if necessary --
by simply calling or emailing the person and asking about the status of your resume or application.
For more suggestions, please read this article published on Quintessential Careers:
10 Ways to Develop Job Leads.
Q:
Muhannad writes:
I was wondering if there are websites or organizations which allow networking online.
This came to me from all the student or teenage networking sites like Facebook or
MySpace. I was wondering if there is such a thing on a more professional level where
by job seekers and employers have to opportunity to network and connect.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
The funny part about Facebook and MySpace is that the people using those sites, for
the most part, do not even realize the power of the tools as their disposal. These sites --
and the ones I am going to mention in a minute -- offer users an amazing opportunity to
build both personal and professional contacts that could help them in a plethora of ways.
First, let’s be clear about networking. Networking is not using people or asking people for jobs.
Networking involves developing a broad list of contacts -- people you've met through various
social, professional, and business functions -- and -- at a time you are in need of career
assistance -- asking them for help and guidance. People in your network may be able to
give you job leads, offer you advice and information about a particular company or industry,
and introduce you to others so that you can expand your network.
Online networking is an interesting opportunity for job-seekers to greatly expand your network --
certainly greatly expand it geographically. And many of these sites have existed much longer
than the trendy ones for teens and college students.
Some of the best online networking sites include: Company of Friends, Ecademy, Friendster,
hi5, LinkedIn, Meetup, PowerMingle.com, and ryze.
