Transitioning into a career is a big life change. We know all about that. Whether this is your first full time job, or your third, we’ve put together some resources and tips to help ease your stress.
Resumes
Resumes are very subjective. Give just enough information to explain what you did, but leave a hook that will open up conversation. Intrigue them. I donât believe in giving away everything on a resume. Show your experience, but make sure you have highlights to discuss in the interview. You’ll have nothing to talk about if you give it all away!
List your skills, share your LinkedIn (make sure itâs updated). If itâs a job out of state, make sure you put somewhere youâre willing to relocate. Sell yourself and donât tread lightly on what youâve done. This is your time to shine! NEVER lie. If the job requires something you donât have, stress you are EAGER to learn – the excitement factor. No one wants someone who doesnât care about the job.Â
Find opportunities in your experience – think outside the box. You filed papers, but you didnât just âfile papersâ – that helped your organization level increase ten-fold and saved the company time and efficiencies.Â
There’s a mixed opinion on where to put your education – being fresh out of college, typically means youâll have little to no experience. Putting the graduation year is a little bit of a trap at times, it shows youâre young. I donât think thereâs anything wrong with just listing your degree – and if they ask, tell. But then again, if you are applying for entry levels – they know you will be young. So it just depends on what youâre going for.Â
Keep reminding yourself itâs a competition, so at the end of the day you need something that makes you different from everyone else. How will you benefit their company? Why will they do better with you there? What makes you an asset? Try to answer these questions with your resume.
Have a PDF, a Google doc, a Word doc, any and every version you can think of. Submissions can get wonky and you never know which type you’ll need to submit. Be overly prepared for any scenario.
Do not have a generic cover letter for every job – tailor it for each one, and remember to mark off which jobs asked for a cover letter in your notes.
Free Resume & Cover Letter Templates:
Interviewing
Tell yourself youâre excited. Even if youâre nervous. Youâre also excited. Especially if itâs a phone call. Itâs harder to make an impression over the phone, but if they can sense youâre excited – it goes a long way.
Employers KNOW youâre nervous. They expect it. Donât let fear and nerves consume you. Again, nerves mean you care! Do your research ahead of time, have your questions at the ready. The more prepared you are, the better youâll feel.
“What questions do I ask?“
Save your questions for the end and be mindful of their time. If thereâs 10 minutes left, only ask 1 or 2 – depending on their reaction when you tell them you want to be mindful of their time, will determine how many more you continue to ask. Be sure to ask your most important one first.
- If you have a question that canât be answered on their website – ask it. Avoid things that make it look like you didnât do your research.
- Ask the other person what they love most about their job. People love to talk about themselves, plus itâll give you insight and youâll be able to tell if theyâre being genuine about it or not.
- What does the company offer in terms of bettering your career? Do they train you? How will you grow there? You want to assure them you expect to be an asset, and they need to help accommodate that.
Employers know when you are kissing up to them vs. when you are being honest. Donât note that you absolutely love that thing you read about them 2 minutes ago – make sure youâre being genuine.Â
Be prompt on the phone. Have a notebook at the ready. Have a sheet with your questions in view. Smile when youâre on the phone. You can hear a smile, I swear.
In person, be early, always. (10-15 minutes) Be yourself but try your best to match the interviewer’s body language and tone. Example: I am quite bubbly and friendly – if an interviewer is more reserved, this can come off negative even when youâre not meaning to be. Depending on the job youâre going for (I believe itâs best) to have a portfolio and extra copies of your resume.Â
Eye contact is important. If you feel like youâre starting to stumble over your words, breathe and regroup. Remind yourself you deserve to be there, youâve earned it. You are capable of this job or you wouldnât be in the interview for it!Â
Follow Ups
These are important.
One time I got an internship position solely on the fact that I sent a follow up email thanking them for their time after my interview and no one else did.
Send an email as soon as youâre finished with your call. You are looking forward for next steps and you appreciated their time speaking with you. Youâre looking forward to the interview they scheduled. Follow. Up.
If itâs been a week and they told you, youâd hear back in a few days. Call them. Tell them youâre just checking in and look forward to hear from them soon. Send them an email if they donât return your call. Be persistent. Your name will resurface when you follow up during their time with other interviewees. The squeaky wheel gets the oil.
Sometimes you wonât hear back, and itâs crappy. In a perfect world, this wouldnât happen – unfortunately it does. You wouldnât want to work for a company like that anyway. Keep plugging away! All it takes is one yes.
Salary
The big and awkward question.
âIâm young and have little to no experience, so I should take whatever they offer me.âÂ
Do not do this. Research what the JOB is worth. Take the pay if itâs fair. You need to know ahead of time what types of jobs youâre applying for and what the job is worth. Do your research. Use Glassdoor. Use Payscale.
If the interviewer asks YOU what youâre looking for salary wise, tell them the halfway number of what youâve researched. If a job says 20k-30k, say 25k. Youâve researched the job, so you know what itâs worth. Say you are excited for the opportunity to grow in their company.
Itâs so important to do this research and to also create a budget sheet for yourself. You need to know what you can realistically take money wise and be able to live. You wonât be able to buy everything you want right off the bat, but you do need to live like a normal person. You deserve that. Gmail has budget sheets in their templates – fill this out. Plug in different numbers in that salary range you found and see what you can take.
Check out our additional resources here, that include job hunting tips and industry resources. We hope you found this helpful â if you have anything else to add or have ideas on how we can improve, please let us know! Weâd love to hear from you.