The big question: how do I get a job after college? We’re all wondering…

Here’s an answer. Check out this article for details on these six key steps to readying yourself for the job market after graduation. Though things like LinkedIn, blogging, or utilizing Middlebury’s Career Services in EIA (that’s us!) have seemed the work of over-achievers in the past, today they are absolutely necessary. If you haven’t started networking, putting together a LinkedIn profile and doing internships, you need to start… three years ago. Schwabel even suggests that we should have started in high school! Don’t panic, just read up on your career advice!

Do read all the article has to say, but for now here’s the skinny:

1. Create a LinkedIn profile

2. Establish a presence on WordPress or other blog

3. Get an internship as early as possible

4. Get creative about finding a mentor

5. Use your school’s career services office

6. Join a professional development or industry-specific group

At EIA we’ve noticed some common problems and recurring errors in your job applications in MOJO. We wanted to call your attention to these now, as early in the semester as possible, in order to prevent you from making these same mistakes in the future. You’re no doubt busy with your senior year, so it’s really important that the time that you invest in pursuing your post-graduation plans is most effectively spent.

Please make an extra effort to pay special attention to the following:

1. Unofficial transcripts: They should really be one page only. We’ve seen several submitted that are well over 5 pages. That is not going to work for the employers. In MOJO, and also at the following link, are simple instructions for using your Degree Program Report to create an unofficial transcript. http://www.middlebury.edu/studentlife/eia/resources/transcript

2. Blank documents: Proof your materials before submitting on MOJO! Sadly we’ve seen a situation where a resume submitted was entirely blank and unreadable. To avoid this issue, after you upload any document, please preview it and ensure it is what you want.

3. Old documents: Similarly, we’ve seen another scenario where a student used the wrong, old resume to apply for a job. Suggestion here is to remove documents you’ve used in the past for applications, and only leave current resumes and cover letters saved in MOJO.

4. Withdrawing applications: Did you know if it’s before the deadline, and you want to change something in your application, you can do that? All instructions are here: http://www.middlebury.edu/studentlife/eia/resources/mojo

5. Thank you notes and business cards: To our surprise, employers have given us feedback that students are not sending thank you notes after interviews. Always ask for the business card of the person interviewing you so you have the name and contact information for the thank you note you will send. If you are interviewing by phone, ask for the person’s name and contact information and write it down. If you need assistance learning what to say in your thank you note, read http://www.middlebury.edu/studentlife/eia/resources/thankyounotes

6. Generic cover letters. Employers reading through stacks of applications can tell if you have just dropped their name into your standard cover letter template. Take the time to do the research necessary to tailor your cover for each employer. You can get started here and be sure to stop by Drop-Ins to assure your application materials are looking good!

Thank you for paying attention to these important issues. We’re here to help and happy to talk with you more about any issue related to your post grad plans. Please come see us any day during Drop in Hours from 2-5.

-Tim

“It’s the presumption that building relationships in a professional context is like flossing,” writes Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn. “You’re told it’s important, but it’s no fun.” In his new book, The Start-up of You, Hoffman reminds us that with the right attitude, networking and the job search in general, can, in fact, be an adventurous process,

Check out this article for more job search tips from Hoffman.

For those of you thinking ahead to the job search, I’ve got some interesting news for you! I recently read an article in Fast Company called “The Four-Year Career” that offered some great insight into the future of the career search with the shortening of the job cycle. It offered many suggestions on how to adapt to this shift in the career market and how you can approach your search.

According to recent statistics,  a US worker has been in his or her current job a median number of just 4.4 years, a figure that has gone down sharply since the 1970s. The shortening of the job cycle has been driven by two specific factors: 1) a significant decline in the “long job” aka the traditional 20-year capstone to a career and 2) an increase in what is called “churning”—the movement of workers who, well into their thirties, have been at their job for less than a year.

           What you should know:

The article profiles several individuals who in recent years have begun practicing a “smart strategy”, each who has found his own way to adapt to and succeed to the new career world. In the future, everything that can be collected, condensed, and routinized will eventually be done by machines, and what will set humans apart is both their social and emotional intelligence. It’s important for younger people to build harder skills in the early part of their career—it will give you much more credibility as you move up to higher positions if you’ve done the work yourself. The repackaging of existing skills, along with building new ones, is essential for successful four-year-career shifters; and as Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s connection director explains, “So many skill sets are transferable” today. For job seekers, telling an appealing story about your career’s unusual and varied path is now an essential aspect of self-marketing.

See Adam Hassler’s background as an example:

Hasler has several of these skills in spades. His interests are transdisciplinary–he’s what might be called a “T-shaped person,” with both depth in one subject and breadth in others. He demonstrates cross-cultural competency (speaking fluent Spanish, living abroad) and computational thinking (learning programming and applying data to real-world problems). The intellectual voracity that drove him to write 50,000 words on Western cultural history while running a coffee shop is a sign of sense making (drawing deeper meaning from facts) and excellent cognitive load management (continuous learning and managing attention challenges). Above all, Hasler’s desire to synthesize his knowledge and apply it to helping people, and his ability to collaborate with those who have different skills, shows a high degree of social intelligence.

To learn more and read the full article, click here.

Dear Soon To Be College Graduates,

The ongoing recession has taken its toll on upcoming job opportunities as well, and companies are not as inclined to hire as they used to be.

Here are a few pointers to help you compensate for these “recessionary changes”:

Network, network, network! – it still pays (literally as well!) to  know someone high up in a company you are interested in.

Do not overlook internships! Even though they may not be the best source of financial income, they are a great way to get your foot in the door of a company you would like to work with.

Grades do matter- so don’t slack!

Last but not least, patience is a definite requirement.  Hard work and proactive job seekers will be successful during these times that require more endurance.

 Source: Economy Affecting College Graduates? Jobs 4 Grads Now.

By Catherine Rampell
March 1, 2011

If Alison Sadock had finished college before the financial crisis, she probably would have done something corporate. Maybe a job in retail, or finance, or brand management at a big company — the kind of work her oldest sister, who graduated in the economically effervescent year of 2005, does at PepsiCo.

“You know, a normal job,” Ms. Sadock says.
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I graduated this past February and got a job as a Seasonal Research Technician with the Rodale institute in PA. Rodale is a great fit for anyone interested in organics, climate change, research, etc.

Each year, Rodale hires 4-5 Seasonal Research Technicians to coordinate and execute our on-farm research. It isn’t an internship, but the position is seasonal and ends at the end of December. There is one opening for someone to start at the beginning of 2011 (great for a Feb!) and four openings for spring graduates. A description of the position can be found here:
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/seasonal_research_technicians.

Rodale Institute is a 501©(3) nonprofit dedicated to pioneering organic farming through research and outreach. The Rodae Institute was founded in 1947 by organic pioneer J.I. Rodale to study the link between healthy soil, healthy food and healthy people. For over sixty years, we’ve been researching the best practices of organic agriculture and sharing our findings with farmers and scientists throughout the world, advocating for policies that support farmers, and educating consumers about how going organic is the healthiest options for people and the planet.

After reading the title, don’t you just wish you had twitter?
You would have access to all these amazing tweets.
It’s never too late to jump on board.

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The Government of the Maldives’ International Volunteer Programme WANTS YOU!
YES YOU MIDDKID!
The program is currently recruiting volunteers to teach English to students aged 6-18 for the Maldivian Academic year from January to November 2011, and because you are so special, they want MiddKids!

The best part about this volunteer program is that the recruited volunteers are PAID! Yes, you will have to fly yourself out to the beautiful Maldives, but get this. Volunteers receive a $400 monthly allowance as well as a $1,100 stipend upon completion of the full program.

For more information: http://maldiveshighcommission.org/?id_w=22&id_w1=76

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!
Career Services will be hosting an info session NEXT WEEK, Oct. 27.
More information will come your way. But if you are really excited, swing by our office!