How many recent graduates are dreading seeing the family during the summer because you know they will ask? You just know they will ask it - that horrible question, the one that is slightly better than hearing, "So, when are you gonna settle down and get married?"
"So, what you are going to do with your life after graduation?"
AAAHHH!!!!!
None of us ever want to hear that. Especially since you've finished 12 years of school, 4 years of college, and quite possibly another couple of years of grad school/law school/med school. Most of you have even completed internships in your ideal industry. You don't want to think about a career. Not yet, at least. You just want one more summer off. Anyways, it won't be so hard. You'll just go online, post your resume to any of the online resume banks, and let the offers start on in, right?
WRONG! That's how you would go about to find a JOB - "Just Over Broke." You know, as in "You'll earn enough money to remain Just Over Broke for the rest of your life."
You want a career. You wouldn't have wasted the time and money pursuing a degree (or degrees, as the case may be) if you didn't. And a person who wants a career needs to search differently, smarter than the average person.
How do you suppose most people go about searching out opportunities?
* online resume banks/sites (i.e. Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, Jobster.com)
* Help Wanted ads from the Sunday newspaper
These will succeed in only one thing - finding a JOB.
I'm sure you are all thinking, "But, Mary, wait! Monster claims that millions of companies use their site!" That's true; however, most of these "millions" of companies are employment agencies, or for that matter, anyone who will pony up the $6,000 +/- that Monster charges them to access resumes - YOUR resumes. And these people are looking to fill JOBS - not assist you in jumpstarting your career.
And, before anyone asks, I am not an employment agency. I'm an executive recruiter, and I'll discuss the differences in a bit.
So, how do you start searching for a career? Well, that's why I'm here (and in business), to help you learn to navigate the waters and find your ideal career, and to not settle for just another JOB.
Tip #1:
Raid Mom's and Dad's address books, holiday card lists, and Outlook files. Seriously. Go over these lists and make your own list of:
* Executives
* People who are currently working in your chosen field
* People who are well-connected and always seem to be "in the know"
If you don't know these people personally, pester Mom or Dad for an introduction. Ask if you could call or email this person and use their name ("Hi, Mrs. Jones. My name is Jane Smith. You know my mother, Kate, from the Cleveland chapter of Dress for Success. My mother tells me that you are a Senior Manager at Deloitte. I'm finishing my Master's in Accounting, and I'm planning on sitting for the CPA exam within the next year...")
If you already know these people - Great! You're ready for the next step.
Email or call them to tell them that you finished your degree and would like a few minutes of their time. Suggest having coffee one morning before work. Keep it light and upbeat. Use this meeting as an "informational" interview. Ask them how the market is affecting their fields. Do they see many openings at this time? How does their firm go about finding new employees? Now is NOT the time to ask for a job. Make sure you give them all your personal contact information (if you have a business card, give them one - it looks professional.)
After the meeting, send them a handwritten thank you note. Trust me on this one. It makes a much bigger impression than an email. Plus, for whatever reason, people are less inclined to toss out a note right away, as opposed to hitting "delete" after reading an email. And FOLLOW UP with them periodically. Maybe a quick phone call or email in a couple of months. You don't want to pester them, but you do want to keep them in the loop.
Tip #2:
READ. A lot. The Sunday newspaper "business" section. Wall St. Journal. Crain's. Local and professional trade journals. All are great sources of information. Most of these sources list new hires, promotions, etc. Keep track of the names of people in your field. Even if they are recent grads themselves and are just starting their careers. In fact, they are great sources of information on companies that are hiring.
Maybe you see an established person mentioned constantly and you feel that they have the career you want. Track down their work email address or look up their office phone number, and initiate contact. Mention that you read about them and their recent promotion, having been awarded a new professional designation, whatever. Just make contact. Don't worry if you get voice mail or you don't get an immediate response. People are busy. It's OK. Most people will respond, even if it's just that they feel flattered that you contacted them in the first place. Some people will volunteer to help you start your career search, some won't. Either way, it doesn't hurt to call or email. At worst, you could get someone who says, "Oh, thanks. Bye." At best, you could end up with an "in" at the perfect corporation for which you would give your right arm to work.
Tip #3:
Make lists of companies where you would like to work. Ask around or review your contact lists and see who you know that could help you get there. If you don't know anyone, do some research. Approach it like an assignment. Check out their company website, do a Google search on them, whatever. You will turn up at least one name. Then, establish contact.
Tip #4:
DON'T post your resume online. You could end up with a legitimate opportunity. Most likely, you'll end up with a bunch of "Yes, you too can work from home" offers. Or worse, every employment agency in the area will call you. That is a guaranteed fact. Which leads us to...
Tip #5:
Get to know an executive recruiter in your chosen field. Unlike employment agencies, executive recruiters work most often with the high-end, top shelf companies that are on your "wish list".
You might be wondering, what's the difference between an employment agencies and executive recruiters?
Employment agencies are hired by lots of smaller, lower-tiered companies to find employees. They tend to be more focused on pleasing their clients. These are the people who search the online career boards, calling everyone. They are, also, the ones that will call you daily with jobs that you are either not qualified for or interested in pursuing.
Executive recruiters are hired by fewer high-end, top shelf companies. We're selective about which candidates we work with, as well as which companies with whom we work. We don't represent just anyone, nor do we search for just any company. We take the time to get to know our candidates up front. Since we routinely work with the same clients, we usually know the companies pretty well. So, while we may only call once every couple of weeks, you can guarantee that it is something that we believe would be a good fit for everyone.
Recruiters will give you career advice, revise your resume, help sharpen your interview skills, and show you how to best sell yourself. We do all of this for FREE. A good recruiter is paid by the client. There should NEVER be a charge to you, the candidate.
All we ask is that you be upfront and honest with us. If you are working with other recruiters, tell us. It's not unusual and we would much rather hear about it from you instead of from a client.
Tip #6:
Network. Network. Network. Become a member of professional societies related to your industry. Join young professional clubs. Be an active alumnus at your alma mater. Whatever it takes. Just go out and meet other professionals.
Also, join online network groups such as LinkedIn.com. It's free and a great way to connect with others. For those not familiar with LinkedIn, it encourages you to connect with your trusted contacts - which become your first degree contacts. Then, the people your first degree contacts know become your second degree contacts. And the people they know become your third degree contacts. In my personal case, I have 1,544 first degree contacts, which provide me with 470,500+ second degree contacts, and allow me access to 4,403,400+ third degree contacts worldwide. It's pretty cool to see who everyone knows, and allows you access to individuals you might not otherwise know. And these people may just be the key to starting your career.
While these are not the only ways to start your career search, they are the ways that, in my professional opinion, are the best. It's been proven that 80% of people start or advance their careers through "personal contact," be it networking with friends or researching and contacting companies directly or using recruiters.
So, to sum things up:
1. Find out who your parents know who can help you start your career
2. Read and make lists of names of people who could help you, then contact them
3. Research companies you highly respect and start making contacts
4. Don't post your resume online - you most likely will not get the type of offers you want and deserve
5. Work with respected recruiters, they can and will help you get your search started
6. Network 24/7
If anyone is interested, I am available by appointment, to work with you on an individual basis. Please contact me at mary@stewartmcgovern.com.
Thank you!
- Comments Welcome
Mary Stewart McGovern
President
Stewart McGovern Enterprises
www.stewartmcgovern.com
mary@stewartmcgovern.com
