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Land A Job In A Tough Economy Janet Civitelli, Ph.D. Associate Director [email protected] State of the Union 2009 – College hiring for new grads is down 22% 2009 – February unemployment rate is 7.6% 2008 – Highest annual job loss (2.6M) since 1945 2008 - Underemployment rate is estimated at 12.5% How The Economy Affects Job Search Boom Economy: Tough Economy: Jobs are plentiful Jobs are scarce Job seeker’s market Employer’s market Salary negotiation First offer, best offer Short job search Long job search Dream job Compromise job Top 5 Labor Market Areas: 2008 1. Houston, TX 2. Austin, TX Dallas/Fort Worth, TX Raleigh, NC Seattle, WA 3. 4. 5. Source: BizJournals.com Industries That Are Hiring Government Education Health care Energy “Green” employers Jobs Seeking Employees Nursing Sales and Business Development Mechanical Engineering Software Design and Development Account Management / Customer Support Accounting Source: jobfox.com More Jobs Seeking Employees Administrative Assistant Counseling and Social Work Accounting & Finance Executive Networking / System Admin Store Management Finance Staff Source: jobfox.com The Big Picture Interests – What do you love to do? Abilities – What are your strengths? Values – What matters to you? Personality – Who are you? Labor Market – How is the economy? What Does It Take To Get Job Offers? 1. Focus 2. Accomplishments 3. Attitude 4. Action 5. Connections Focus Candidate #1: I can do anything. Please hire me. Candidate #2: I’m a marketing major who completed internships at Disney and ABC. I’m seeking to use my communication and project management skills in a public relations role. Accomplishments Work history of on campus or off campus employment Internships Volunteer work Leadership positions with student organizations Team leadership from class projects Attitude: Optimism “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” Colin Powell Optimism is helpful but not required. Optimism facilitates greater sense of control and well-being during a job search. Optimism can be learned. Attitude: Courage Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.” Mary Anne Radmacher Attitude: Persistence “It is not that I’m so smart…it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Albert Einstein Attitude: Persistence Dr. Seuss’ first book was rejected 27 times by publishers; he went on to write 60+ books and sell 222 million copies Action 22 hours per week is a good goal More hours = diminishing marginal returns Talk to everyone you meet about your specific goal Action Pretend your job search is a semester-long school project Use techniques from project management I can predict who will land jobs by looking at a job seeker’s written plan Use The Internet: Research careers and companies – UCS pays for Vault.com and CareerBeam subscriptions for students – log in at career.uh.edu Use The Internet: Visit company Web sites Get contact information Online networking like listservs and LinkedIn.com Personal job search agent at Indeed.com More Internet Tips Stay off line during the valuable time of the business day Do not hide behind the computer screen Focus on niche sites for specific careers, such as JobsInTheMoney.com, MarketingPower.com, etc. Connections Human nature hasn’t changed The more people you know who like you, the better your chance of being hired You can make connections through work or non-work avenues Homework: Have Conversations Every week, describe your job goal and your skills to five people. Example: How To Start Conversations “I’m an English major graduating from UH and I want to find a position where I could use my writing and project management skills. I’d like your advice about which companies in the advertising industry might be hiring.” Connect Through UCAN UCAN = University Career Advisory Network Professionals with experience, skills, and ADVICE Available through www.career.uh.edu Graceful Networking It is always a good strategy to ask for advice and information, which are free to give. Jobs are not free to give. Practice Conversations Career counselors are great at role playing networking conversations until you become comfortable doing them in real life. Where Employers Find New Hires Internship programs Co-op programs Campus recruiting Employee referrals Career / job fairs Professional associations Faculty contacts Direct application to the company’s Web site Student organizations Job advertisements Conferences Resume 101 Include a Career Summary that tells what you have to offer and what you want to do: CAREER SUMMARY: Mathematics major with strong analytic skills seeking entry level position in the actuarial field. Resume 101 (cont.) An ad, not a legal document Tailor each resume and cover letter Ask faculty, professional contacts, and career counselors to critique your resume No spelling or formatting errors! Resume Grade A resume gets an A+ if it lands you interviews! Interviewing Tips Prepare! Two column method Practice with a career counselor Practice with a voice recorder Interviewing Tips: C A R Challenge – Situation you faced Action – What you did about it Result – The outcome Survival Strategies for a Long Job Search Temp Volunteer Survival job More education or specialized training Self employment or consulting Portfolio career A Word of Warning! Never pay thousands of dollars to anyone who says they can introduce you to potential employers University Career Services Individualized Career Counseling Workshops Campus Recruitment JOBank Extensive online resources at http://www.career.uh.edu Walk In Hours For University Career Services, Spring Semester Monday and Tuesday, 9 am to 11 am, 2 pm to 6:30 pm Wednesday and Thursday, 9 am to 11 am, 2 pm to 4 pm Please come visit us! Questions & Answers