Landing a Job in a Difficult Economy
By Tim Augustine, Author and Professional Speaker, How Hard Are You Knocking?
During the past 15 years, I have interviewed and surveyed thousands of business executives, human resource directors and recruiters and asked them the same question “What are you looking for in job candidates.” I have compiled these findings in my book titled, How Hard Are You Knocking? The job seekers guide to opening career doors. (Oakhill Press, 1996, 2005). During this time, I have also presented my seminar and workshop to thousands of college students and job seekers around the country and have found that most job candidates place too much emphasis on their resume and not enough time on their overall job search strategy and preparation.
This article will review the top 10 attributes companies are looking for, as well as a detailed step-by-step approach that you can deploy to obtain an internship or full-time job after graduation.
1. Personality and Enthusiasm
2. Professional Attire
3. Communication Skills
4. Interpersonal Skills
5. Ability to learn and adapt
6. Achievement Oriented
7. Knowledge about the Firm
8. Result-oriented Resume
9. Experience
10. Confidence
Develop your Job Search Strategy
Step 1: Personal Assessment
The first question I ask all candidates that I coach is “Why should I hire you?” Companies hire people that fit within their culture, can adapt to their team and can work within the company’s environment.
Take out a blank sheet of paper and write down all your unique strengths that you bring to an organization. In addition, list all your accomplishments and the factors you feel differentiate you from all other college students. Is it your communication skills, confidence, enthusiasm, ability to get things done and/or your experience that would benefit an organization? This list of strengths and attributes will be very useful throughout your job search and career.
Step 2: Target Specific Companies
Your job search success is based on your ability to research firms. Identify 15 target companies that you would like to work for, including internships or full-time positions. This list will continue to fluctuate, but will give you a road map to conduct your research. As you do your research, make sure that you understand the basic information about the firm, such as product lines, key executives, markets that the company serves, number of employees, etc. One finding from my research indicated that executives need to understand that you have done your research and have knowledge about their firm. Make sure you are prepared!
Step 3: Identify Urgent Industries
When you are identifying your top 10 or 15 firms, you need to think about the type of industries you would like to work in. In today’s economy, research multiple industries and firms and try to identify industries that are growing, receiving capital invest and public interest and provide current opportunities to succeed. There are a couple of things to consider.
1. Identify an industry that you have an interest in and passion to be a part of. Indentify an industry where you like the products and services, the type of clients, and the types of firms that make up the industry. Urgent Industries today include Healthcare, Alternative Energy, Information Technology, International Logistics, and Specialized Management Consulting.
2. Identify financial and geographical opportunities. Identify industries that that are financially stable and can provide financial reward and compensation.
In addition, research your local geographical market or the market where you would like to live. Many geographical markets have a dominating industry such as Silicon Valley, CA and Austin, Texas that has a large concentration of information technology / software firms.
3. Identify and define your unique skills that you bring to an industry or job. For instance, job seekers who have strong math abilities tend to gravitate towards the engineering industry or bio-technology industry and thrive. Research the industry and match your skills and abilities that are common within that industry.
4. Research and understand the economic and market conditions of your industry. Market conditions are critical during your identification of an industry and will enable you to determine if an industry is performing well and growing or suffering and experiencing significant downsizing. For instance, in 2008-2009 the United States economy is suffering a recession specifically in the financial markets, retail markets and real-estate industries.
In today's economy, you need to think about the stability of your industry and the firms within that industry. You will not always be able to predict an economic downturn, however, try your best to arm yourself with as much information as you can regarding the current and future grow of an industry or firms.
Identify industries that align with your passion and interests, provide a financial and geographical opportunity and provide an opportunity for you to leverage your skills and abilities. Identify industries that positively align with market conditions and are coined urgent industries with significant capital investment and growth.
Step 3: Develop a Result-Oriented Resume
Your resume is a selling tool that outlines your skills and experiences so an employer can see, at a glance, how you can contribute to the employer's workplace. Use the information found in your research to pepper your resume with specific industry terms and descriptive attributes. The first impression you make with a potential employer is usually on paper — through your resume. The format of a resume can show how organized and intelligent you are. Keep it short — one page or two full pages (max). Be neat – print every resume on a quality desktop printer. Be honest about your skills, experiences and attributes. Include your name, address, phone number, email, education, and work experience. Also, include your job objective or summery statement, which states the type of position you are seeking, or your unique attributes you bring to a company.
Most importantly, make sure your resume is result-oriented. I recommend describing your job responsibilities, the tasks assigned to you, the activities you leveraged to complete the job and the results of your performance.
There is not an absolute format for your resume, therefore, have a few trusted individuals read, edit and modify your resume to identify errors and areas to expand or extract.
Step 4: Find Job Openings
The best resource to use to find job opportunities is your network. Over 82% of the 1500 executives I surveyed found their jobs through their personal network. Develop a list of everyone you know in your personal life such as friends, family and church and within your professional life network including past employers, professors, advisors and peers. Then categorize your list to find links – a link is a degree of separation. Who do you know that knows someone at the firm where you would like to work? Then get the word out. Talk to your network about your target firms and about the role or position you are interested in. This will be your most efficient and effective method to find job opportunities.
Other proven resources include your university’s career center, alumni center, company literature and the internet. The internet is a good way to quickly research company information, find associations and organizations in your field of interest and link to job boards such as monster.com and careerbuilder.com. These sites have position postings that can provide information and specific skills needed for open positions.
As you start your job search, review your public on-line personal information such as myspace.com. Employers often review candidate’s home pages to learn more about you.
Step 5: Prepare for the Interview
The first impression is critical. I can evaluate a candidate in the first 30 seconds based on first impression. Have a firm handshake, be confident and professionally dressed. Eye contact is important and be engaged with the person you are talking with. Your goal is to build a relationship and rapport with the interviewer. Bring three copies of your printed resume, three references, information that will help you complete a job application and 10 questions you will ask during the interview to show how engaged and excited you are about the opportunity.
Be prepared to highlight your experience. Leverage the experience you gained within school, professional organizations and career. Highlight your ability to work in a team environment, your communication and presentation skills and your leadership experience. Emphasize your ability to deal with conflict, your delegation capabilities and your ability to motivate others.
To learn more about your job search process or inquire about the new seminar / workshop titled “Landing a Job in a Difficult Economy”, visit www.howhardareyouknocking.com.
Tim Augustine is the author and professional speaker of How Hard Are You Knocking? The job seekers guide to opening career doors and an owner of Atwell-Hicks, a national land development consulting firm based in Ann Arbor, Mich. Augustine has presented to over 100,000 people across the country, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, LA Times and Chicago Tribune and featured as a career expert by ABC, FOX and NBC. He has made numerous radio and television appearances and is a contributing writer to Inc. Magazine, Fast Company and Monster.com on topics pertaining to the people strategies of successful organizations. Similarly, he has published two “How-To” guides with Inc. Magazine focused on career development and corporate growth.
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