Oh, the places your resume will go!

I got an interesting email last week. It was from a recruiter from J.P. Turner out of Atlanta, Ga. Guess how he got my name, email and resume? Tiger Recruiting Link!

That’s right, there is a way that companies can come to YOU, not the other way around. In TRL, you can opt to have your resume and cover letters open to registered employers/recruiters. I obviously checked that box, and now I have been contacted.

Apparently, employers can look through internet based resume books, large books full of YOUR resumes, and then make their selections. This recruiter was looking for business, marketing and public relations (that’s me!) majors to meet the needs of an open position and internship program. This makes me extremely excited because I didn’t even have to fill out an application. In the email, he asked me to call him if I was interested in interviewing, and the rest is history.

What is holding you back from creating an account on Tiger Recruiting Link? This is a valuable resource that only requires a few clicks. If you don’t have an account yet, watch this video to learn how to create yours:



Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern

Phone Interviews: Land or Cell

The question was posed to me, "Should a student REALLY try to use a land line instead of a cell phone for an interview?"

My first instinct is yes. If you, like me, want to eliminate as many challenges to the job search process as possible, I recommend using a land line with a plugged-in-the-wall, attached-to-a-chord phone. (Yes, these still exist.) It eliminates the chance for a dropped call and increases clarity.

However, as I ponder this recommendation I fully recognize that most college students do not have immediate access to a land line and if they do have one, it is likely a cordless phone...and the clarity issue may be hampered there as well. And I recognize that if one can access a location with strong reception, the clarity on cell phones is pretty good these days. However...should a student wish to use a land line, the Auburn University Career Center can make a room and phone available to students. (Even if you want to use your own phone but just have loud roommates or a dog, you can typically use one of our interview rooms as well.) Please call 334.844.4744 to schedule an appointment.

Regardless of whether or not you think a land line connection is necessary to the job search, I DO recommend the following phone etiquette for college students as they prepare for the job search:

1. Make your message professional (no waiting music or inappropriate message to your BFFs). "Hello, this is Name. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message, and I will get back to you as soon as possible."
2. If you will not have access to your phone for some time (Spring Break), change your message: "I am out of the country and without cell service. Please leave a message, and I will be happy to return your call after xzy date." You don't want employers thinking you don't think they are important enough for a returned call...or email.
3. During the job search, don't pick up calls from unknown numbers when you are in places where talking would be difficult (restaurant, Tiger Transit, in route somewhere where you can't write notes, class!, etc.)...you can call back! If you DO pick up the phone and realize it's an employer and you are in a bad location, quickly apologize and ask if you can call them back at a designated time when you are in a more appropriate situation. Don't tell them, "Ugh...sorry...I'm in class. Can I like call you back later or something?" The answer will likely be, "Don't bother."
4. Find a location where reception is 100% available at an optimal level.
5. During a phone interview, turn off other alerts so you aren't interrupted by the ever present update "bing" of Facebook, Twitter, other calls, text messages, instant messages, etc.
6. During a phone interview, eliminate distractions (TV, radio, animal, etc.) and let roommates know that you are going to be interviewing so they can respect your need for a quiet environment.
7. Don't use your speaker phone.
8. Do smile during your interview.
9. Don't Facebook or Tweet about your interview experience...really. 
10. Do immediately start writing your thank you note (email or snail mail) after the phone interview.

For more interview tips, check out this tip sheet.

Crash Course for the Job Search Finals (Part One of Three)

As the fall semester comes to an end, students are busy finalizing papers, completing projects and studying for final exams. For those graduating in a few short weeks, the added pressure of conducting a job search looms closely overhead. My congratulations goes out to those who started the search early and have already secured post-graduation employment or acceptance into graduate/professional school. However, it’s not too late for those still on the hunt. Take this crash course in conducting an effective search and you’ll be prepared to ace the job search finals.

1. Establish Your Career Objective

To find a career that fits well with you, it’s important to know what you want. Think about these three questions: (1) What is important to you in your life? (2) What are you most enthusiastic about? (3) What do you want from an employer or a career? To help answer these questions, make a list of interests, skills, achievements, experiences, goals and values. Remember, no job will be perfect, but knowing what you want from your career and life will help you weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each opportunity

2. Brand YOU

Personal branding has been a bit of a buzz word lately in career planning, and for good reason: it’s critical to marketing yourself. Think about how others perceive you and how you want to be perceived. Take steps to make sure the person you are in your personal and professional life matches with the image you want to portray to others. Communicate your brand clearly and with consistency throughout the job search process in your online presence, your appearance, and your personal interactions with others.

3. Motivate Yourself to Make a Plan

Let’s face it; job hunting is a job within itself. Sleeping in til 11:00 am on a weekday is not the best use of your time as a job hunter. Don’t sit around waiting for the perfect job to fall in your lap; instead, take an active role in your future. Make a daily schedule and set aside time to make phone calls, research companies, write resumes and cover letters, and prepare for and attend interviews. Establish deadlines for accomplishing tasks such as, “By Monday December 14 I will have used Tiger Recruiting Link and corporate websites to research and identify five companies I’m most interested in working for, taking notes on what interests me about each one.” Break the overall task of finding a job into smaller pieces. Taking one step at a time will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed.

4. Do Your Research

Education does not end at college graduation. Employers expect applicants and employees to stay abreast of trends and developments in their industry. Visit the websites of professional associations in your field to find articles and news or follow people at the top of the industry on social media applications like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Also, research the variety of careers available to someone with your educational background. Look for opportunities to align your education and experience with interests and values listed in Step 1. Investigating your options may uncover new leads on jobs you hadn’t previously considered. For example, a public administration major with an interest in health and wellness may explore career opportunities with healthcare facilities, nursing homes, or community agencies with a focus on public health.

Your Assignment: Tackle Steps 1-4 this week, take a quick breather and come back next week for Steps 5-7.

Priorities

Have you ever found yourself overwhelmed by the influx of school assignments, job requirements, involvement and social obligations and just plain life? Yea, me too.

This semester has been one of the most fun and exciting ones of my college career, but it has also had some of the most stressful and hard times. This is the last semester of really hard classes for me. I’m in all of my higher-level public relations courses, which require group project after group project and portfolio builders after portfolio builders. I’ve been in a group building a campaign for a local crisis hotline, and I’ve been building my own website from the ground up (no, I had never written HTML code before). I’ve also created a magazine, brochure and video tutorial, written several press releases, a job description and specification and performed a Jewish wedding (for my religion class). To say the least, scholastically this semester has challenged me in ways I did not know were possible.

I also, obviously, am the career center intern, which keeps me rather busy on Mondays and Wednesdays. And did I mention I’m engaged? This is definitely the most exciting part of my life right now, but makes it extremely difficult to concentrate on anything other than flowers, stationery and colors. I sit in class and literally wage war on my mind to remain concentrated on the material, because if I’m completely honest I’d much rather wedding plan than do homework. Also, now that I am officially committed to someone for the rest of my life, my job search becomes a bit more real. Before, if I didn’t get a job right out of college, then I could hope that my parents would pick up my slack. However, that isn’t the case anymore. On May 12, my last name is no longer Robinson, and my parents should not be picking up for me. (Note: Even if I was not engaged, I would not want them to. However, now the fallback plan is completely removed.)

How do I keep sane in this sea of schedules, assignments and meetings? I have set my priorities. By no means am I claiming to be the best at time management, but I have become really good at it. Below are my tips on effectively and efficiently managing your time.

1. Get an agenda, and write EVERYTHING down.
My date book gets me through the day. I write different errands I need to run in a bulleted list on the right, and all assignments due are on the left. This way I am prioritizing my mandatory things over my “can wait” things.

2. Have the ability to say no.
Earlier on in college, I never said no. If you asked me to lunch, to go on a walk, to send my notes, anything, I said yes. I had to learn that it is not rude to say no. It is rude, however, if you agree to go to lunch and cannot concentrate on any conversation because all you’re thinking about is what all you should be/need to be doing. I may or may not have been guilty of this in the past.

3. Be proactive.
Work on things ahead of time. I have this huge project due the last day of class, so I could let it slide, and then do it all in 7-8 days without sleeping. However, I’ve chosen to work on it a little along the way, and now I’m almost finished. There were some weeks I was too busy with other assignments and couldn’t devote a lot of time to it, but on those relaxed weeks I would spend a lot of time on it. This is paying off because instead of spending my entire Thanksgiving break doing this project, I now can use that time to choose invitations, stationery and my cake for the wedding.

4. Establish good working relationships with your professors and employers.
I truly love all of my professors! Maybe yours are really scary and mean, but mine definitely are not. I wouldn’t know that if I never spoke to them though. They can be your best friend or your worst enemy. One week, my mom came to Auburn to help me get some things planned for the wedding. The only day she and I could get together was a Tuesday, which conflicted with one of my classes. Because I had been talking to my professor throughout the semester AND been going to class consistently (MAJOR IMPORTANT), she told me not to worry about missing class and that she would fill me in on what I missed.

I promise you can do all the things you want to and still succeed in school and in your future career. Start prioritizing your activities, and you’ll see a huge change in your calendar and stress level.

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern

One-Size-Fits-All? A Bad Resume Bargain

Properly fitting, tailored clothes look better on you and make a better first impression than a baggy one-size-fits-all t-shirt. You take time looking through racks of clothing and trying on different sizes to make sure the style and size fit your body type. The same should apply to your resume and cover letter. However, much too often, applicants send out the same generic “one-size-fits-all” cover letter and resume package that lacks proper fit to the job description and fails to fully flatter their best qualifications. Taking the extra time to make sure your marketing materials are tailored to each job description and company culture allows you to highlight the specific skills the employer desires and shows an attention to detail and added interest in the position. In short, it makes a better first impression.

Most job descriptions give you all the information you need to write a resume and cover letter targeted to the company's specific needs. If the description states “Ability to work independently with occasional assistance from supervisor or others in a collaborative manner,” then you will want to highlight experiences you’ve had working both independently and in team settings. If the position involves “managing strategic customer and supplier relationships,” you will include relationship building experience and showcase your interpersonal skills. Make sure the vocabulary in your resume and cover letter mimics that of the job description. HR departments and computer scanning systems often search for certain keywords that match their specifications.

To go one step further, tailor your resume and cover letter not only to fit the job description, but to fit the company’s individual values and mission. Visit the corporate website and read the “About Us” or “Careers” section to learn about the company’s goals and values. Highlight shared values and reasons why you want to work for that company. This is not permission to get too soft and mushy; remain professional, but show some personality and enthusiasm for the company. For example, GE describes their company as a “diverse set of businesses in which to work, and a development-focused culture in which to grow” in the “Why GE?” section of their webpage. If one of my reasons for wanting to work at GE is an interest is cross-disciplinary collaboration or I am personally focused on growth and development, I might highlight this match in my cover letter or included collaborative experiences in my resume.

Tailoring your resume and cover letter to fit each job does take more time than sending them out willy-nilly, but HR professionals can tell when you put in the extra effort. A representative from a government agency visited Auburn last spring and I asked him what made a resume stand out from the crowd. His response was that resumes that were tailored specifically to fit his job and his organization were the ones that made it into his “Yes” pile. He was interested in meeting with and interviewing students who went the extra mile to make sure that their resume fit the job description.

You wouldn’t show up to a job interview in a poorly fitting one-size-fits-all suit, so why would you send in a generic one-size-fits-all resume? Tailor your resumes and cover letters to help land the job you want.

Office Lessons

This post does not pertain to my job search or resume or cover letter writing, but I think it is still very important. Today’s post is on affirmation. No, I’m not going “love languages” on you. I’m merely pointing out the effectiveness and necessity of affirmation in the workplace.

One of my weaknesses is giving and receiving compliments. I feel fine without being complimented, so it never occurred to me that others may really need that verbal encouragement. I know it sounds like I’m giving a relationship lesson, but continue with me. Affirmation is very important in relationships, both working and non-working.

Last week I watched a webinar on the myths of careers. It included many great lessons, but one of them was on the myth of modesty of your achievements. The speaker said it is important to express your successes, not hide them. She said that when you or a team you’re on have finished a project successfully, a great way to recognize the success is send an email highlighting the project and the people who worked on it. Do you see how this is beneficial for you?

When you send that email out saying thank you to everyone for making this project so successful, not only is your name tied to the success (bonus points with your boss?), but you are affirming your co-workers. Happy co-workers are always a good thing. Who doesn’t like being told thank you or that they did a great job? I am confident that if you are consistently affirming your co-workers, then they’ll begin affirming you and working harder for you.

One example of this happened to me Friday. One of my tasks as an intern at the Career Center is to plan two orientation breakfasts a semester. I invite another office on Auburn University’s campus to come to the Career Center for breakfast and a discussion of our services. The main goal is education of our services and an improved relationship between the two offices.

This Friday was our first breakfast, and everything went really well. There were zero crises. After it was finished, most, if not all, of the career counselors told me how wonderful I had done. Some of them even told me twice! As I said earlier, I’ve never been the person who craves compliments or pats on the back, but I must admit it felt nice. An email was even sent out thanking everyone for his or her work, and it highlighted me specifically! The rest of the day I was so happy, and even did work on my way to North Carolina for a family trip. If it motivated me, the “I don’t need compliments” girl, to go above and beyond, then what could that do for others?

The lesson here is one I am learning, and I want to impart to you. Encourage co-workers. Not only can it make their day, but it also can help you out when you’re in a pinch!

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern

Branchout vs. LinkedIn

I feel that most people know what LinkedIn is, but for those of you who do not know, this is what it is. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and allows you to connect with contacts to exchange knowledge, ideas and opportunities regarding your profession.

Most people probably do not know about BranchOut. It is a Facebook application that helps you expand your professional network into your Facebook friends.

Today, what I want to do is compare the two options giving you the pro’s and con’s of both.

LinkedIn
One great thing out LinkedIn is that it’s already established. This isn’t a new idea; people have been using it for years and having success. Your contacts can refer you to their contacts for jobs or knowledge-seeking opportunities. I’ve read numerous stories on how people found jobs through their contacts on LinkedIn.

Maisha Walker on inc.com said, “One of the simplest ways of using LinkedIn is just as a ’modern Rolodex’ a list of the people you want to communicate with on a regular basis so that they remember you're out there, what you have to offer, and why they like you. The only tools you need for this is your LinkedIn profile, sending LinkedIn invitations to people you know and an hour per day to make phone calls.”

As Walker said, using LinkedIn is fairly simple. One of the other things I love about LinkedIn is that you can upload your resume, and it will put your information in your profile by itself. Of course, you should proofread it all to make sure it is in the appropriate place, but my resume loaded without an issue.

I really like that LinkedIn’s reputation is unblemished, and everyone on it are there for the same reason: to build their professional careers. Yes, some people may be job searching, while others are building their personal brand or advertising their company, but it is all career-oriented.

Branchout
As stated earlier, BranchOut is a Facebook application, so finding friends is very easy. As long as you already have an account, which most people’s grandmothers even have accounts, then it shouldn’t be a problem.  This is the main gimmick for BranchOut-simplicity. Their argument is, “Why have another profile when you can just add to the one you already have?” I understand this logic, but I have a few concerns.

First, the majority of Facebook users created their account for the social aspect, keeping up with family and friends. If users begin adding BranchOut to their profiles, then Facebook may not be purely social anymore. My other concern stems from one of my previous posts. Most college students and even some adults do not have the most professional Facebook profiles. I would think twice before mixing my social life with my professional life. If your photos, quotes, wall posts etc. are completely clean, then this isn’t a worry for you. However, many people should take this under serious consideration.

However, according to BranchOut's privacy policy, you should be able to avoid the "mixing" problem: BranchOut only shows your name, profile picture, work history, and education and other professional information you choose to share on BranchOut. Our use of limited information keeps your private life on Facebook and your professional profile on BranchOut. This means that your status updates, photo albums, and other personal information are not visible on BranchOut to your contacts, including employers, recruiters and your professional contacts. For this reason, BranchOut is also the perfect place to connect with professional contacts when you do not want to friend them on Facebook.

In summary, my recommendation is to join LinkedIn. With it being branded as a professional networking site, you never have to worry about mixing your social and professional life or annoying people with requests to join. Although, it will require a little more work (adding contacts and updating your resume), I find no problem in a little work. This is already making networking easier than it should be, so who cares if I have to search for contacts and proofread my profile?!

If you would like to learn how to network effectively, check out the resources available through the Career Center.

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern