Job Searching Tools and Tactics

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Job Searching Tools and Tactics Presented
for Information Networking Institute MSIN in
Athens Program Carnegie Mellon Career
Center University Center, Lower
Level 412-268-2064 www.cmu.edu/career
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Career Exploration Process

• Assess yourself
• Evaluate work tasks environments
• Identify matches

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Career Exploration Process (cont.)
Current Skills Interests
Target Job
Resume, Interviews, Job Fairs
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How INI/Athens Students Found Employment

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Job Search Advice from Carnegie Mellon
Alumni Be proactive. Start Early. Use a
variety of potential employment sources. Work on
polishing your job search tools.
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• Starting Early
• Let people know that youre looking for a job.
• 2. Identify potential employers.
• 3. Begin to inventory your skills.

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Let People Know That Youre Looking

• Family, friends, classmates, former employers.
• Provide a copy of your resume or Curriculum Vita.

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Purpose of Networking

• Advice about your job search or a career field
  of interest
• Validate your choices
• Uncover job and employment information

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Networking Sources

• Co-workers (past and present)
• Classmates
• Friends and Family
• Professors
• Employers
• Speakers and Career Fair Representatives
• Anyone you know

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Networking Procedure

• Person-to-Person
• Letters
• Telephone Calls
• Email

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Identify Potential Employers

• Use your contacts (especially faculty).
• Check online directories.
• Attend on-campus events that feature company
  representatives.

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Begin To Inventory Your Skills

• Take some time to sit and reflect on your
  background. Have your resume, transcripts
  handy.
• Ask yourself What sets me apart from other
  candidates?
• Focus on four areas Academics, Experience,
  Activities, and Intangibles

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Begin To Inventory Your Skills (cont.)

• Focus on identifying broad skill areas (teamwork,
  problem-solving, etc.), then move to specific
  skills (i.e. programming expertise)
• Come up with at least one example that
  demonstrates your competence in each of the
  skills that youve identified.

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Work on polishing your job search tools

• Both resumes and cover letters are important
• Networking and interviewing skills allow you to
  showcase soft skills

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Resume Writing
What is the purpose of a Resume?

• A Marketing Tool. . .
• Summarizes your experiences that are of interest
  to potential employers
• Establishes enough interest to land an interview
• Shows relevance of qualifications

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Resume Writing (cont.)
The Initial Employer Scan

• Employers only spend 30 seconds per resume
• Emphasize results and accomplishments
• Must be flawless no spelling errors, neat, easy
  to read
• Demonstrate contributions you can make to the
  employer
• Communicate your qualifications to employers in
  the most effective manner possible.

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Resume Writing (cont.)
Elements of a Resume

• Identifying Information
• Education
• Relevant Coursework
• Academic Projects
• Skills
• Experience
• Activities or Leadership and Service
• Honors

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Interviewing Skills
Putting it all together What to do in the
interview . . .

• Use the interviewers questions to highlight
  skills
• Use your example the first time that you discuss
  one of your skillsyou dont need to repeat the
  example later.
• 3. Dont be afraid to bounce off of the
  recruiters question to include more about
  yourself in your answer. Remember that theyre
  interviewing you to learn more about you.

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Interviewing Skills (cont.)

• When answering questions, use stories or examples
  from your past to provide evidence of your
  skills.
• Each of your examples should take about a minute
  or minute and a half to relate, and should
  consist of three parts . . .
• Background
• Action
• Result

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• Sample story (illustrating teamwork skills)
• Background
• A project team was formed in our office to
  identify technology needs. I volunteered to
  serve on the team.
• Action
• My role on the team was to survey staff members
  about their problems in getting things done with
  our existing technology. I was surprised to
  discover that many of the problems reported by
  staff members could be solved by using our
  existing hardware and software. I reported my
  findings periodically to the team.
• Result
• We reported our findings to the office
  director, who is
• in the process of implementing a technology
  strategic plan thats partially based on our
  report.

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How to Prepare for A Job Fair

• Research the Employers
• Review the list of employers who will be
  attending
• Identify employers you would like to meet
• Research those employers web sites
• Consider less known organizations

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How to Prepare for a Job Fair (cont.)

• Research Yourself
• Review your resume skills, experiences, and
  goals
• Prepare a 30-60 second commercial about
  yourself
• Prepare questions to ask

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How to Prepare for a Job Fair (cont.)
What to Bring

• Plenty of resumes in a folder
• List of targeted employers
• Notes about targeted employers
• Pen/paper

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How to Prepare for a Job Fair (cont.)
What to Wear

• Dress for success- wear a professional business
  suit
• Safest bet is to dress as you would for an
  interview

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How to Prepare for a Job Fair (cont.)
What to Do the Day of the Job Fair

• Obtain a job fair booklet and look to see if
  there are any last minute additions
• Explore the layout of the job fair and make note
  of where your targeted employers are located
• Plan your strategy to make the best use of your
  time (Some may have longer lines)
• Work alone!

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How to Prepare for a Job Fair (cont.)
What to Say and Do

• Approach with confidence, smile and introduce
  yourself
• Offer your resume
• Present your 30-60 second commercial
• Be direct, clear, and brief

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How to Prepare for a Job Fair (cont.)
What to Say and Do (cont.)

• Ask questions to learn more about the
  organization and its hiring practices
• Inquire about suggested follow-up
• Take a business card and literature. Be sure you
  get the card/name of the actual employer you
  spoke with
• Thank them for their time

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How to Prepare for a Job Fair (cont.)
What to Expect After the Job Fair

• Send follow-up/thank you emails
• Assess your interactions
• Complete appropriate follow-up per your
  conversation with the employer
• Keep notes on the companies that received your
  resume

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Closing Thoughts

• Looking for a job is a job in itselfschedule
  time for it.
• Job searching is not always a logical
  processdont get discouraged.
• Be aware of possible cultural differences in job
  searching protocols.
• Never turn down the opportunity to meet with a
  potential employer.