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Studint.com Career Center
Okay, so you're done with school. You've graduated, you're out, you've reached the finish line. Congratulations! Now comes the hard part - putting your talents to work. Where do you start? Why, right here of course, in our career center.
Before you begin your career search, you'll need:
- A resume that doesn't suck
- A cover letter that doesn't suck
- An idea of what you want to do for work
- An idea of where you want to work
- An idea of how much money you need to make
- An idea of how much money your existing skills are worth
>>
I've already got all that, just send me to the resume machine
Otherwise, read on...
Resumes that don't suck are clear, easy to read, and concise. A recruiter for a well known storage company in Westborough, Massachusetts said that for a recent job posting, he received over 11,000 resumes. The ONLY way to defeat that kind of noise is to have a resume that is attention-getting without being obnoxious.
- Short, sweet, to the point
- Eliminate noise (i.e. "my hobbies include...")
- Visually eye-catching
Read our basic tutorial on resume writing here!
Not sure whether your resume sucks or not?
The cover letter is your foot in the door. Some recruiting firms even advocate sending cover letters to determine interest before sending a resume. Some really obvious points:
- Use your spell checker
- Format it like a correct business letter
- Ensure that it is factually correct
>>Have
it professionally done, too
An idea of what you want to do for work
Work will occupy approximately 1/3 of your life. If you work a normal 40 hour week, that's 40 out of 168 available hours. That doesn't count the commute or the getting up early or getting dressed, or pretty much everything you don't do on your days off.
The golden rule of thumb for finding work: if you're not passionate about it, you'll probably end up hating it. What are you passionate about? What keeps you awake at nights (in a good way)? That's what you want to do for work.
An idea of where you want to work
If you were to ask 100 professionals what part of their job they would like to change after pay, most would answer "shorter commute". Be sure in your job search that you take into account the commute and the associated costs - in time and money - that commuting incurs. You may work an 8 hour day, but if you live 30 miles from your office, you will effectively have a 10 or 11 hour day.
An idea of how much you need to make
Before you start dreaming about that million dollar salary and stock options, take a realistic inventory of your life. Determine on a monthly basis what your expenses are and what income you need to make to meet those expenses. Rent, food, cable TV, your cell phone, Internet access, Grey Goose martinis, whatever you spend in a month, be sure to note it and know, realistically, what you need to make.
A handy rule of thumb is to account for all your expenses and then add 20%. What's the 20% for? Allot 10% to savings right off the bat so you have some cushion, and then the remaining 10% for unexpected expenses.
An idea of how much your existing skills are worth
The toughest part of any job interview process (aside from getting in the door) is dealing with money. How much are you really worth? Is that degree in 17th century French Literature going to work for you or against you? Before you interview, get a salary report that details your geographical area, salaries of people with similar skills, and cost of living adjustments.
>>Get your salary report right now
Now that we've gone over your basic career needs, and you've got your documentation together, let's begin your career search: