Your College to Career Journey

First of all, as a reminder - Send your resume to careeraftercollege@gmail.com to get it edited for FREE!

I recieved an email asking the question, "What are some specific ways that introverted/shy people can network?" I thought the question was important enough to make the answer public.

First of all, no one who has ever had a conversation with me would label me as the shy or introverted, perhaps because of these two facets of my belief system:

1. If you don't voice your opinion, no one can hear you. Even if you dont have
the most fascinating opinion at the table, but one thing is for sure. Most of the time, its better to say something and have your thoughts challenged than have your presence forgotten. So, practice the tips below to work past the shyness.
2. If people don't like what you have to say, there are a LOT of other people who will. Thats not to say that you should not give careful consideration to your audience and their importance; Its just that most people worry too much about what other people will think of them; Relax and be yourself - Chances are you will be more well-liked any way.

I'm not asking you to subscribe to my belief system, but I know this much is true - Getting a job is as much based on how well liked you are, as it is on your skill. Most of us have been taught similar lessons within the same major in college, so whats your differentiator for getting a specific position? Even in a major like Computer Science, which initially calls for you spending many many hours by yourself in a cubicle programming, most recruiters still ask the question: Is this the kind of person I want to see at work every day?

So, answer that question for the person considering working with you, by having an upbeat positive attitude! Being shy and keeping all those brilliant thoughts to yourself makes it very hard for them to make that judgment. Here are some things you should do to stop being shy, and reach out:
1. Send 5 emails to people you think are JUST FABULOUS - whether its bloggers your read, authors of books, people who have jobs that you aspire to, or even just fascinating people, EMAIL THEM, and ask them questions you are dying to know- Ask them anything (stay appropriate)! The point is you are going out of your comfort zone! Trust me - If they are as awesome as you think they are, they will want to reach out and get to know you too!
2. Tweet, Link yourself in and Start a blog - Doing all these things online makes SHYNESS just an excuse. Use the online tools, and start letting other people in on your thoughts.
3. Make Eye Contact - Proper (not the creepy kind) of eye contact shows that you are confident and comfortable with yourself. Looking down when talking to someone makes someone else think less charmingly of you.
4. Ask Questions - Shyness could be mistaken for a lack of interest in the person you are talking to. So, if you dont want to say something right away, ask the other person to talk about themselves and what they do(we all love it, dont we?)- it feels like cheating and it works. Focus on making someone else comfortable, and soon, you will be comfortable!
5. Deliberately meet the friends who make you uncomfortable - Everyone has comfort friends and everyone has friends who make them intimidated or, less than comfortable. Work on this skill and meet them for coffee/lunch! Its really hard at first,but it gets a LOT easier a LOT faster than you think.

Bottom Line - If you dont reach out, talk, and understand the person recruiting you, you may just find yourself without a job. Making your personality known makes the answer to the question "Do I want to work with this person in the future?", a LOT easier.

Last Night, I read the book, "The Power of Nice" (Thaler/Koval) and it really inspired me to do something for others first thing this morning. In that light, I want to offer my awesome readers a chance to get their resumes looked at, redone, or just re-polished.

2 Rules for Contest Entry -
1. You must subscribe to the blog.
2. You must send me a pdf (no docs) of your resume to careeraftercollege@gmail.com (dont worry - im not going to sell your email address or anything), before March 28th, 2009.

I have been receiving a bit of criticism lately about how my blog is becoming very resume-centric, and that there are a lot of blogs that do that already. Many people do provide resume ideas, so I am going away from that a bit and showing you the whole picture- what really matters.

1. Attitude - Here's a bit of perspective - 600,000+ people are UNEMPLOYED (if you missed econ that day, it means WILLING and ABLE to work- so, it doesnt include anyone whos not actively looking for a job). You are not in any of this alone - its the nature of our cyclical economy and I believe that the economy WILL get better. So, stay positive, actively work on your job search, and still try enjoy each day as much as you can - you are not getting it back.

2. Network - Who you know may not help you keep your job, but now more than ever, it will help you get one. Even if you aren't entirely comfortable with the idea, talk to everyone you can. Engage yourself in real life and online conversations everywhere - you really will be surprised at how someone may be able to help you. Join job-clubs, go to conferences, stay in touch with campus visits, and keep learning about new opportunities.

3. Experience - I already blogged about the things you can do to gain experience - Now's the time to create your own projects, research for a professor, go abroad to work, or do some probono work! Or here's an interesting one - Start a [Click Here for Continued Article]

I was watching the last season of 24, when I was inspired to include this important resume lesson! Can you just imagine what [the "previous experience" portion of] Jack Bauer's resume would look like?

Unless you are Jack Bauer, You don't need so many bullets!

One of the sure signs of an amateur resume is saying TOO much. We all know that Everyone Likes a Good Tease, but I cant emphasize enough the value of saying just what is needed, and nothing more.

Bottom Line - Do not include 4 bullets on your resume for each position, especially if what you did there is self-explanatory (yes, waitress-ing and cashier-ing is considered self-explanatory)- Include as little information as possible to convey the HIGHLIGHT of that accomplishment.

* For a technical position, list the technology (or languages) you used, and include one statement on the main objective of your work at that institution.
* For other positions or any other position, state on your main objective from your work at that institution, and include as many significant numbers as you can take credit for (for example, "I improved product sales by over 6%", or "I handled over $500,000 worth of products through the site I supported/created")!

For each bullet you write, ask yourself if its really necessary. Chances are, you are just filling up space! And, Filling up space is not a good objective - instead add to your experience, get a new certification, or add an "interests" column on your resume.

Here are some other resume rules to remember:

1. GPA Rule - If its above a 3.0, write it on your resume (Otherwise, just prepare to be asked about it if and when you get a call for an interview)!
2. Include a Professional Email Address, and Voicemail - Its better to play it safe, and have a professional (ie, firstname_lastname@...com) email address and voicemail to avoid bad first impressions.
3. Dont include your references - Whoever interviews you is a professional - They know that they can request references, so don't say so, and more importantly, don't include their names or contact information.

Main Moral: Use less bullets, and convey just enough.

Applying Online is time consuming and fairly frustrating. Whats worse? Because of the thousands of applications that come in for each position, its very possible that your resume wont even be looked at! To make sure that your time is well spent, and to maximize your results when applying online for jobs, here are some wonderful tips you need to succeed - Click Here to View my Article!

As promised, for our first interview for the 1000 Hires (should be 10,000 hires), I interviewed Wells Fargo's college recruiter, Susanna Lee. Before this interaction, I had been interviewed by her for their famous rotational technology program, and know firsthand, that she is very professional, knowledgeable about assessing candidates and has done interviewed people like me many times before. So, I know you'll find something valuable in this interview:

1. What do you look for in a candidate applying to Wells Fargo?
Ans - First of all, we look to make sure that candidates meet minimum requirements. Candidates always seem to think that they can "get by" without having what we ask for, but it usually doesnt happen. Next, we look for those who can grow and eventually, be leaders of this organization.

2. So, tell us, what is the process then for selection of a candidate?
Ans - First we screen all the applicants (based on their resumes) and if a candidate's qualifications match what we are looking for, we invite them for an phone/campus interview. If we like them after that, we invite them to our Headquarters in San Francisco for their 2nd round of interviews, where they meet their possible managers. Then we gather all the feedback from those managers and narrow the candidates down to the best ones.

3. What is the top 2 mistakes that candidates do when they apply to Wells?
Ans - People dont always follow all of our instructions in applying (ie, they dont apply through our online system when we tell them to, or apply when they need visa sponsorship, etc), and candidates still make many many mistakes on their resumes - We get approx over 590 applicants for each position, and close to half of the candidates make some mistake in applying.

4. How can candidates who apply online be successful in getting a phone interview?
Ans: First of all, If we don't come to your campus, APPLY online! We do look through every resume- really. Just remember to highlight the skills that match what we are looking for, and make it easy to read. Add a cover letter- Although it is not a requirement, it could serve you well, and make us understand you better.

5. What are some tips (other than the ones from previous blog) to add experience on your resume?
Ans: You can take some classes (especially if you are applying for something technical), get a part-time job and internship (even if its unpaid), or create a website utilizing your skills and showcasing your work.

6. Any advice for people deciding what to do?
Ans: Well, it is really important to think about your career development holistically, so don't get too hung up on salary- If an opportunity seems great, then just go for it! Try to think about the big picture, and explore different options (especially if you can go through a rotational program, do it!)

So, hopefully, you learned something from Susanna. If you have more questions for her, please let me know, and I will try and get a response for you! Thanks.

Hi All,

So, here is the blog entry on CV's as promised. Its on my Examiner Page, so please click here to view the article! It has useful tips for research and what is often needed to get a research project...which is a Curriculum Vitae (or CV). Click here to learn More!

I am launching a new series called, a "1000 hires- Straight from a Recruiter". Occasionally, this blog will feature guest interviews from recruiters and HR Managers who have hired (or considered) over a 1000 candidates. It will provide really valuable advice straight from the source, and will give you guys the opportunity to ask them any questions you would like. We launch that series this week with an awesome recruiter from Wells Fargo!

To help this series along, please send/comment about any questions you would like to have answered from hiring managers, and a request (if you have one) for any companies in specific that you would like to see here.