STRATEGIES FOR CONDUCTING A JOB SEARCH IN A CHALLENGING ECONOMY

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STRATEGIES FOR CONDUCTING A JOB SEARCH IN A
CHALLENGING ECONOMY

• Presented by
• Renée Starek
• Assistant Director
• Career and Professional Development Center
• Carnegie Mellon University

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STATE OF THE CURRENT JOB MARKET

• Fewer companies recruiting on campus
• Fewer companies attending job fairs
• Economy is slow
• Many layoffs are occurring
• Bankruptcies and downsizing in the news
• Students getting fewer offers
• Companies taking longer to make offers
• Companies are being conservative with their money
• Campus recruiting is down by at least 25 this
  year

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STATE OF THE CURRENT JOB MARKETPASSIVE JOB
SEARCH OLD WAY

• Submit your resume on TartanTrak and wait
• Attend job fairs
• Go to Information Sessions
• Submit your resume on employer websites

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STATE OF THE CURRENT JOB MARKETACTIVE JOB SEARCH
NEW WAY

• Do everything in Passive Job Search and more
• Network a LOT
• Connect with more people
• Find the hidden job market
• Become more assertive

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STATE OF THE CURRENT JOB MARKETLOOK AT A VARIETY
OF SECTORS

• Public Sector .gov
• Non-Profit Sector .org or .edu
• Private Sector .com

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STATE OF THE CURRENT JOB MARKETPUBLIC SECTOR
.GOV

• Federal
• State
• Local (Counties, Boroughs, Cities,
  Municipalities)
• Military(Research Centers, Military Bases)
• Public Utility Companies(Energy,
  Telecommunications, Water)
• .Gov Federal Employment Career Fair, Wednesday,
  November 18th 1000 - 300, University Center

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STATE OF THE CURRENT JOB MARKET NON-PROFIT
SECTOR .ORG

• Foundations
• Performing Arts Organizations
• Visual Arts Organizations
• Universities and Colleges
• Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
• Social Service Organizations
• Hospitals
• Religious Affiliated Organizations
• http//www.idealist.org/

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STATE OF THE CURRENT JOB MARKET PRIVATE SECTOR
(FOR PROFIT) SMALL COMPANIES

• Often dont have human resources to recruit
  aggressively
• May not have the travel budget to recruit out of
  their local areas
• Great opportunity to wear many hats
• Research the company to be sure they are stable

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STATE OF THE CURRENT JOB MARKET PRIVATE SECTOR
SPIN OFFS START-UPS

• School of Computer Science Spinoffs
• http//www.cs.cmu.edu/research/spinoffs/list.html
• Carnegie Mellon Start-ups
• http//www.carnegiemellonctt.com/default.aspx?Entr
  yUIDa2ecd7b5-73ba-4f70-bbd0-87bec035af7b
• Directory of Start-ups
• http//www.convergedigest.com/StartupDirectoryX/ne
  w_listings.asp?categoryst

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STATE OF THE CURRENT JOB MARKET PRIVATE SECTOR
FORTUNE 500

• Now is the time to look at the old economy
  companies
• May not appear sexy and cool but they are
  stable and offer a variety of opportunities and
  training
• Although CMU is on the top list of many
  employers, there are other great employers who do
  not recruit at CMU

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STATE OF THE CURRENT JOB MARKET HIDDEN JOB MARKET

• Two ways to find a job
• The employer looks for you (TartanTrak, job
  fairs, websites, etc.)
• You look for the employer
  the hidden job market (networking,
  CareerSearch database, etc) 80 of all
  positions are filled without employer
  advertising

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KNOW THE FACTSSTART WITH THE BASICS

• You must assess the following BEFORE you begin
  any
• job search process
• your SKILLS
• your INTERESTS
• your VALUES
• your GOALS
• CAREER OPPORTUNITIES in your field of interest
  (i.e. know the current landscape)

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KNOW THE FACTSWHAT DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER AN
EMPLOYER

• Intelligent
• Curious
• Good Problem-solver
• Good Communication Skills (written and oral)
• Trainable
• Honest
• Dedicated and Focused
• Hardworking
• Good Personality
• Think Quickly
• Take Criticism Well
• Like Solving Complex Problems
• May be Published
• Conducted Independent Research
• Able to Work Independently
• Respond Quickly
• Trained Broadly
• Good Computational Skills (regardless of major)

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KNOW THE FACTSWHO HIRES CARNEGIE MELLON
GRADUATES?

• HERES A SAMPLING OF RECENT EMPLOYERS
• Consulting (Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton)
• Consumer Products (PG, Reckitt Benckiser, JJ)
• Defense (Lockheed Martin, Raytheon)
• Education (University of Pittsburgh, Teach for
  America)
• Financial Services (Jane Street Capital, Goldman
  Sachs)
• Government (USPTO, NIOSH, NSA, FDA)
• Manufacturing (Dow Corning, Lutron, PPG)
• Pharmaceuticals (Merck, Pfizer)
• RD Centers (MIT Lincoln Labs, Johns Hopkins APL)
• Services (Schlumberger)
• Technology (Google, Microsoft, LinkShare)
• PLUS MANY MORE

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GET READY FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH DO I NEED TO
FOLLOW A TRADITIONAL CAREER PATH RELATED TO MY
ACADEMIC MAJOR?

• No! Rememberthe important aspect is to
• make sure that your plan fits your career goal.
• Your Career Consultant is here to help you
• regardless of your intended path.

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GET READY FOR YOUR JOB SEARCHBUILD A SOLID
FOUNDATION

• What type of work do you want and where can you
  find it
• Apply for jobs that will move you a step closer
  toward your desired career goal (this may not be
  your ideal job)
• Determine available and applicable resources
  (talk to your Career Consultant)
• Develop resume, cover letter, and portfolio (if
  appropriate) that is congruent with your career
  goal
• Prepare for job interviews with lots of practice
  (mock interviews)
• Know what content belongs in a cover letter and
  secure samples
• Think about who you will ask to be your
  references and create a reference list
• Secure sample thank you letters to review in an
  effort to help you draft your own after your
  interview

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GET READY FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH!ATTEND WORKSHOPS

• You were not born knowing all of the nuances of a
  job search
• Job search skills are learned through time and
  practice
• See the workshop schedule at www.cmu.edu/career
• If you cannot attend a workshop, stop by the
  Career Center for handouts from the event and
  make an appointment with your Career Consultant
  to summarize what was covered.

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GET READY FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH!SCHEDULE A MOCK
INTERVIEW

• When the economy is uncertain, good interviewing
  skills are essential!
• You have options
• REAL RECRUITER Sign-up the first week of each
  semester via TartanTrak (note this is a general
  interviewthe employer does not need to be within
  your target industry)
• CAREER CONSULTANT Call 8-2064 to schedule or
  stop by the Career Center to schedule in person

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GET READY FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH!KNOW WHAT YOUR
SKILLS ARE WORTH

• Check the career website for your college to view
  average salaries reported by the 2009 senior
  class
• Stop by the Career and Professional Development
  Center to review the average salaries reported by
  NACE
• Confirm your salary range with your Career
  Consultant

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GET READY FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH!DEVELOP AND
PRACTICE YOUR SAMPLE 60 SECOND COMMERCIAL

• The statement tell me about yourself exists in
  many
• situations besides interviews. Your commercial
  should
• cover three parts
• 1. Your background
• 2. Brief statement of skills, strengths, and
  accomplishments
• 3. Your job focus

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GET READY FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH!SAMPLE 60 SECOND
COMMERCIAL

• Part One Your Background
• My degree is in Chemistry and I am graduating in
  May
• 2010. I work 20 hours a week in the Collins lab
  here at
• Carnegie Mellon where I have been able to get
  hands on
• research experience in environmental chemistry.
  In
• addition, I work as Student Ambassador which has
• allowed me to improve my interpersonal skills.

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GET READY FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH!SAMPLE 60 SECOND
COMMERCIAL

• Part Two Brief Statement of your Skills,
  Strengths,
• and Accomplishments
• Through my experiences, I have refined my
  technical
• research skills as well as my communication
  skills. I am
• analytically oriented and have strong problem
  solving
• and computational skills. Last summer, I was a
  recipient
• of a Small Undergraduate Research Grant from
  Carnegie
• Mellon. I was also elected as president of my
  sorority.

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GET READY FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH!SAMPLE 60 SECOND
COMMERCIAL

• Part Three Your Job Focus
• My career goal is to work in research and
  development for a
• consumer product company. I believe I have the
  traits to
• make me a successful candidate. I have research
• experience, I can juggle multiple tasks, I have a
  positive
• attitude, and excellent communication skills. I
  believe my
• strongest assets are my solid work ethic and my
  ability to work
• with a wide variety of people and personalities.

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES JOB FAIRS

• Are job fairs really for all students?
• Prepare NOW - have your resume checked beforehand
• Write and practice your elevator pitch
• Research the companies that interest you and have
  a plan of action
• Wear a suit
• Make sure you have a ranking of the companies you
  want to visitlines are long and you may not have
  time to get to them all
• Be assertive!

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES ALUMNI DIRECTORY

• Available at www.cmu.edu/alumni
• Profiles of alums willing to help you with your
  job search
• Searchable database that you can access now
• Allow your Career Consultant help you with best
  practices for communicating with alumni

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES CLASSIFIED ADS

• For classified ads from several cities and
  locations,
• check
• http//bonafideclassified.com/voyager.cfm
• Consider Bizjournal listings for popular cities
• http//www.bizjournals.com/jobs/

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES NETWORKING

• Network within your comfort zone
• Networking with everyone you can may put you in
  contact with someone who can offer you the type
  of job you are seeking
• Some networking ideas include
• Faculty
• Family
• Friends
• Internship Supervisors
• Alumni
• ANYONE you know!

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES COLLEGE CAREER WEBSITE

• Check the career website for your college and you
  will
• find valuable job search advice and resources
• You can connect to your college career website
  at
• http//www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/career/students_
  alumni/index.html

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES TartanTrak

• Very good resource for some, but not an abundance
  of opportunities for others.
• You must actively submit a resume for each and
  every position of interest to you
• Check at least once per week to view new
  opportunities

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES INFORMATION SESSIONS

• Great way to network and learn what companies
  have to offer
• Schedule is found on TartanTrak
• No need to register for these events

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES INTERNSHIP SITES

• If an organization offers internships, they most
  likely have full-time openings
• Check with your Career Consultant for the best
  internship resources for your career goal
• Good method for finding places to apply when you
  feel out of ideas

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES COMPANY WEBSITES

• Virtually all mid-size to large companies will
  post their opportunities on their company website
• Consider always following-up an online
  application with networking (i.e. use the Alumni
  Database)

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES CareerSearch DATABASE

• Allows you to search for companies by industry,
  geographic location, and/or keyword
• Good resource for finding a job in a particular
  industry or geographic location
• Access via your college website

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES GOING GLOBAL

• Allows job seeker to search for opportunities
  abroad
• Provides information regarding country and
  assimilation into the culture of the country
• New offering showing where international students
  can work in the United States
• Link to resource via your college website

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES VAULT

• FREE resource via your college website
• 90 industry career and employer guides
• Occupational profiles
• Company research to help prepare for interviews
• Internship database
• Job search message boards
• Graduate school application advice and resources

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES JOB SEARCH WEBSITES

• Not all sites are created equal! Make sure the
  site you are using is a legitimate and ethical
  source of information
• Contact your Career Consultant for the best
  websites based on your career goal and interests

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES SHORT-TERM JOBS

• Upon graduation, some students seek short-term
  opportunities prior to graduate level training
• Consider the following
• Americorp
• Peace Corp
• Teach for America (and similar programs)
• Teaching Abroad
• Research in an Educational or Medical Institution
• Reputable Professional Search Firms (i.e.
  Aerotech, Ian Martin, Ciber, Lab Support,
  Manpower Professional, Kelly, etc)

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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES TO BE CONTINUED

• New resources and programs are constantly being
  planned. Watch your email for details.
• READ ALL EMAILS FROM YOUR ADVISOR AND FROM THE
  CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER

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JOB SEARCH ALTERNATIVEGRADUATE SCHOOL

• Is graduate school the right choice for you right
  now?
• Is your rationale pure?
• Are you passionate about your intended area of
  study?
• What are the application deadlines for your
  target schools?
• Have you taken the GRE? Subject tests?
• Work with your advisor!

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JOB SEARCH ALTERNATIVEVOLUNTEERING

• Many Programs Offer
• Room board
• Modest stipends
• Health insurance
• Student loan deferral
• Paid travel to and from site

• How You Benefit
• Satisfaction from serving a community
• Gain a better understanding of yourself
• Develop career skills
• Global experience (if abroad)
• Interesting resume builder
• Networking

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KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH

• Start earlyyes this means NOW
• Treat your job search like a 9 unit course in
  terms of time spent in preparation
• Develop a PERFECT resume and EXCELLENT interview
  skills
• Start a spreadsheet and stay organized
• Plan on distributing potentially over 100 resumes
• Network with everyone and tell them what you want
• Create your job search strategy and know the best
  places to look for your career goal
• Be persistent and resilient!
• Work closely with your Career Consultant!