The Job-Search: Resources and Strategies
Written by Colleen Coleman
Career Services hosted a series of short workshops on career-related topics for students working or studying on campus this summer. At the second event in the Summer Series, Mr. Ken Koopmans, Executive Director of Career Services, presented on resources and strategies students can use to conduct a successful job-search. The job-search is often thought of as something along the lines of a once-in-a-lifetime event. Mr. Koopmans corrected this misguided thinking. “How many times,” he asked the students, “do you think the average person changes careers?” Most students cast their vote for 5 or under. The correct answer, however, is 7. This means that knowing how to job-search is a valuable, lifelong skill.
Mr. Koopmans next asked the students to pick a number between 1 and 10 to represent their career-confidence, with one meaning “I have no idea what I want to do after graduation” and ten meaning “I know exactly want to do after I graduate.” He then outlined the pros and cons, for students at both ends of the spectrum, of the three primary job-searching resources Career Services directs Hillsdale Students to: Career Shift, Linked-In and Handshake. Below are the tips he shared with students so that they can best utilize these resources.
- CareerShift
Career Shift is comparable to Monster.com. It acts as a catch-all, pulling in even the job-postings placed on personal company websites. If you would rate your career-confidence somewhere between a 1 and 5, Career Shift is a good place to start exploring different career paths. Search some of the industries you have considered working in. Read different job descriptions and note the ones which sound interesting and enjoyable to you. Career Shift can also be helpful if are very confident about your post-graduate career plans, especially if you have in mind a specific company you would like to work for. The only downside to keep in mind when using Career Shift is that these employers are not specifically targeting Hillsdale students. - Handshake
In the past, Handshake has resembled Career-Shift. Any employer approved by the College could post a job for Hillsdale students to see. Handshake will now be used only for people specifically seeking to hire Hillsdale students. The employers on Handshake will be alumni, donors, or friends of Hillsdale College. There will be fewer job postings, but the positions available will be of higher quality. Handshake is a great resource both for those in the stage of exploring different career paths and for those who will soon be ready to apply for jobs, seniors, for example. - LinkedIn
Approximately 75% of job-searchers land a job through networking. This statistic speaks to the importance of meeting people and making connections while you are a student in college. Most of the people you know are fellow students and most of your fellow students do not have hiring power. LinkedIn is the best resource you can use to network, to connect with the people who do have hiring power—Alumni, Family, Sponsors, Professors, Company Executives, and Organization Leaders. After building your LinkedIn profile, look for contacts in these different groups. Use LinkedIn to see where Hillsdale Alumni are working and to start discussions with Alumni who are working in industries or positions you are considering. To start a discussion with an Alumnus about their career, join the Hillsdale College Alumni Group Network on LinkedIn. Find the Alumni you would like to speak with and send them a 4 or 5 line email in which you introduce yourself and briefly describe your career goals.
Whether you are conducting a job-search on Career Shift, Handshake, or LinkedIn, there are a two other things you should keep in mind. First, do not let a “3 to 5 years of experience” requirement on a job-posting prevent you from applying for a job. Even if you do not have the said experience, employers like to hire people who have concrete skills. When applying for a job, think about the experience you do have. As a final tip, try not to rely too much on your college major to steer you through your job-search. An English major doesn’t automatically qualify you for a teaching position, nor does an English major automatically disqualify you from a career in politics. Focus on the skills you have acquired from your classes and your experience.
Happy Job-Searching.