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Transcript for "The Secret to Getting a Job After College"
Interviewer: Finding a job is hard enough for some folks, but it can be even more difficult for those just out of
college. There’s a new book out called The Secret to Getting a Job After College that students can [use to] help find
their way. Author Dr. Larry Chiagouris has helped hundreds of students obtain their first job right out of school and
joins me now. Welcome to Connecticut Style!
Dr. Chiagouris: Thank you very much. Good to be here.
Interviewer: This is such a timely topic since graduations are happening as we speak. Now on a personal note, I have
to tell you, it took me about a year to find a job on TV after I graduated. So, this problem is getting worse or better, do
you think?
Dr. Chiagouris: The problem is still about the same. I won’t bore you with too many numbers, but there are about 3
million people that get a degree of some kind every year, and in the recession, we lost 8 million jobs. So we had these
3 million people coming out to the world saying, “Here I am,” competing for what are basically fewer job
opportunities. So it’s a competition, and it makes it more difficult.
Interviewer: Okay. Now, what made you write the book in the first place?
Dr. Chiagouris: Every year, my students would ask—I spent many years on Madison Avenue, and when I came on
board at Pace University, my students would ask me how to get a job, and I would give a lecture. And the lecture
would get longer, and they’d have more questions, and finally a student said to me, “You ought to write a book about
this.”
Interviewer: And, lo and behold…
Dr. Chiagouris: So here I am.
Interviewer: Alright. Well, let’s get right to it. Let’s talk about some of the key points for students that are graduating
to find a job. You mentioned it’s a competition, so a lot of people are going after the same types of jobs.
Dr. Chiagouris: Many people are going after the same type of jobs, and not just people in this country, but people
from other countries. And that makes it important. As in any competition, you want to win the competition. You have
to demonstrate that you’re a little bit better than somebody else.
Interviewer: And that leads us into our next question, “What makes you unique? What makes you stand out?”
Dr. Chiagouris: Right. People think that having a degree is enough, and it’s not. You need to understand what your
advantage is, what makes you a little bit better than everyone else. There are some exercises in the book that help the
readers with figuring that out. But you don’t have to be the best in the world at something. And everybody has some
talent. You just need to understand what aspect of your gifts, of your skills, might set you apart from other people, and
that’s the thing you need to focus on when you prepare your marketing package, when you go on interviews, and
everything else associated with your job search.
Interviewer: It’s almost as if a college degree is equivalent to a high school degree now because everyone is usually
heading off to four-year schools.
Dr. Chiagouris: That’s right. Everyone’s heading off to four-year schools. Many are going out for master degrees.
But those degrees [still don’t necessarily equate with a job]—I have parents come to me and say, “I spent $150,000
and my son or daughter still doesn’t have a job.” So the important thing is to finish one more piece of work and learn
how to market yourself. And that’s the other piece to it. That’s what the book is really about.
Interviewer: Okay, and then the next point you make is “[Don’t] limit your opportunities.”
Dr. Chiagouris: Too many students think that if they majored in, let’s say English, they need to do something that is
for a newspaper, let’s say, or [be] an English teacher, and they limit their opportunities. There are so many
opportunities for every major, but students oftentimes narrow the range. They need to think more expansively. They
need to understand—for instance, with an English major, that they can learn—they could work for a TV studio, they
could work for a company that has to have manuals prepared and written material prepared. So what we say in the
book is make sure you broaden your view. And we show examples of the different types of majors and the different
type of opportunities that people can take advantage of.
Interviewer: Alright. And earlier you spoke about a marketing package. This is a package for yourself?
Dr. Chiagouris: Right. Students at a minimum will say, “Well, I’ve got a résumé, isn’t that enough?” And the answer
is, “no, that is not.”
Interviewer: Everyone’s got one, right?
Dr. Chiagouris: Everyone’s got a résumé, so that doesn’t make you different. You’ve got to approach it as you’re
marketing yourself. You’re a product, you’re a brand. And what makes this book different is it goes into a lot of detail
about all the different kind of résumés you can have. There are many examples from many different popular majors in
the book. But you start with who you are, and you make sure you got your business card. Maybe you have an
interesting quote on the business card that reflects who you are and what you’re all about.
Interviewer: Again, separating yourself from everybody else.
Dr. Chiagouris: Exactly. Students will say, “Well, professor, I’m just graduating. I don’t have a title.” “Yes, you do
have a title. You’re a marketing specialist. You’re a geography specialist, an English specialist. You have a title.” And
then you work on the cover letters and the résumé that make sure that they are pace with and consistent with what the
message is you’re trying to convey to employers. And then you take those pieces, you build yourself a very
inexpensive, usually free website. There are websites you can put yourself out there in five minutes. Upload your best
term papers, upload your best PowerPoint presentations, testimonials and references from your professors. And there
you are, there’s your package.
Interviewer: There’s your package. I love that. Alright, we’re running out of time, but I just want to briefly say, the
most effective tool for finding a job in this day and age is…?
Dr. Chiagouris: Networking, and networking, and networking some more. Students think they can go on a website,
submit their résumé, hit a few clicks, and now they’re going to get a job offer. No, you need to put yourself out there.
You need to physically meet with people. You need to go to events, to conferences, to fairs. Go face-to-face with
people. Don’t be shy. The stranger you meet today could become your best friend or your employer tomorrow.
Interviewer: I like that. Don’t burn any bridges along the way, either.
Dr. Chiagouris: Never burn a bridge. Never.
Interviewer: Alright, Doctor, thank you so much for being here. The book again is The Secret to Getting a Job After
College. Coming up next, Sultan’s Turkish Restaurant shares two of their popular dishes when Connecticut Style
returns. Don’t go anywhere.