Category Archives: Career Advice

A Great Reputation Is Your Best Asset

great reputation

This post was originally published in 2016. In light of the recent college admissions scandal, I felt it needed to be republished with minor updates. David Singer, the parents who hired him, the coaches who sold their reputations for money, the proctors who helped students cheat on their ACTs and SATs have destroyed their reputations and quite possibly those of the unknowing students who benefited from their actions.

In life, there are very few things that you do where you can’t get a second chance. There is, however, one notable exception: your reputation. Creating a great reputation takes practice, hard work, consistency and time. Seth Godin, author and branding guru, said it well in a recent blog post: “Early assumptions about you are sticky and are difficult to change.”

Because a great reputation may be the single most valuable asset you can possess, you need to be diligent in your choices and actions. A positive reputation is important at all stages of your career, whether you are just embarking on your post collegiate job search or are well into your career.

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Posted in Career Advice, Social Media |

Time is Money in a Job Search

job search, college gradTime is money in a job search. Being unemployed, or underemployed, carries a hefty price tag.

If you just graduated from college, without a job, I have bad news for you. While the economy is strong and unemployment is at its lowest in years, the number of companies planning to hire new college graduates declined this spring. Clearly not the graduation gift you wanted.

According to NACE, the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average college graduate spends 7.4 months searching for their first post college professional role. That’s nearly as long as an academic year at almost the same cost. (more…)

Posted in Career Advice, College Student, Job Search |

14 Tips to Ace your Second Interview

happy young professionals

second interview
Congratulations, you made it to the second interview. Now what? Getting to a second interview is confirmation that the company generally feels that you have the qualifications to do the job. You should be pleased that you made it to the next round. That does not mean, however, that the job is yours. Most likely you are competing with two to three other finalists, candidates about whom you know nothing. They may even be more qualified than you, at least on paper. Now most definitely is not the time to sit back and coast. These 14 tips will help you prepare for and ace your second interview. (more…)

Posted in Career Advice, Interview Tips, Job Market | Tagged |

How to Learn the Skill (& Art) of Good Decision-Making

decision-making, career coach

Good decision-making is a critical skill that has an enormous impact on your life. Whether they are decisions about your career, relationships or everyday life, developing skill and confidence in your decision-making will pay huge dividends. Good decision-making is learned – learned from practice, from trial and error, from taking risks and by (gulp) making mistakes.

As a career coach working with college students, recent graduates and young professionals, I see the anxiety many of my clients face when making a big decision. The first major decision most undergraduate students have made is where to attend college.

For a significant percentage of college freshmen, that decision will have been a poor one. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, of those attending four-year public universities, nearly 30 percent will transfer after freshman year, compared with a 25 percent freshman transfer rate at four-year private colleges. Either way, those numbers are high and can be costly.

An article in the Graziodo Business Review (Pepperdine’s School of Business and Management), cites decisiveness and the ability to make challenging decisions as a critical trait of great leaders. Developing strong decision-making skills requires emotional intelligence, the ability to manage uncertainty and limit choices, and good intuition.

So, how do you develop better decision-making skills and reduce the associated stress and anxiety? (more…)

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15 Things to Do on Winter Break

winter break

There’s nothing quite like endless papers to write and final exams to set you dreaming about winter break. That said, sleeping in late and lounging on the couch binge watching Netflix is not the best use of your time off. Nor is it likely to impress your parents.

Ramping up your job search over winter break will help you make the most of your senior year. Having a job lined up before graduation or better yet, by spring break, is the best way to really enjoy your final time on campus.

Here are 15 things to do on winter break to make the most of your senior year. (more…)

Posted in Career Advice, College Student, Job Search, Resumes & Cover Letters | Tagged , , , , |

13 Tips for Crafting Killer Cover Letters

Crafting killer cover letters is one of the greatest challenges job searchers face. Too many cover letters miss the mark by failing to focus on the critical key words. The worst ones, by far, are the ones that go on and on. Here are 13 tips for crafting killer cover letters that hiring managers will want to read. Following these tips will help you to get that coveted interview instead of the dreaded rejection letter. (more…)

Posted in Career Advice, Resumes & Cover Letters |

5 Tips to Get Hired With No Internship Experience

 

career coach, resume help

It is still true in today’s economy that if you have graduated without one, ideally two, internships that your likelihood of getting a good job, quickly, is much, much lower. According to Forbes, “66% of employers view interview performance and relevant experience” as the most critical factors in making a hiring decision. So what should you do if you’ve graduated and your resume is seriously lacking in pertinent experience? Here are 5 tips for getting hired with no internship experience. (more…)

Posted in Career Advice, Interview Tips, Job Search |

Does Your Job Search Need a Reality Check?

Reality Check
College graduates today have been bombarded with messages about pursuing their dreams and passions. Forbes calls them ”relentless optimists” stating that “millennials would rather hold out for the best job.” Unfortunately, pursuit of the perfect position can often lead to frustration and a failure to launch. That’s why it’s wise to see if your job search needs a reality check.

So how do you put a reality check on your job search without sacrificing your dreams? (more…)

Posted in Career Advice, Job Search |

The Must Have College Student Checklist

college student checklist

There’s a long list of must-have items on every college student’s checklist. Do a Google search and you will find numerous helpful options, with lists running the gamut from bedding, room décor, laundry needs (yes, you will have to do your own laundry), food, kitchen, bathroom and, surprise, school supplies. I find it interesting that school supplies are the last items on all the college lists, but that’s a topic for another time.

While planning for your campus entry is important, arguably what you do once you arrive on campus is far more important. This is especially true for college freshmen. College life is a new, exciting, and sometimes overwhelming, world. (more…)

Posted in Career Advice, College Student |

10 Tips to Conquer your Networking Anxiety

networking

 

If you’ve recently graduated from college and are looking for a job, networking is, by far, the single most effective tool in your job search. Yet many recent grads fear networking and fail to grasp why it’s so important. Understanding why you need to network and how to do it effectively can help you move past your networking anxiety and on your way to finding a great job.

According to a recent study published on LinkedIn, 85% of jobs are found via networking. Career experts agree that the majority of your job search time should be spent networking. In my experience as a career coach, my clients who actively network find jobs in nearly half the time as those who don’t. (more…)

Posted in Career Advice, Job Search, Networking | Tagged , |