Scott Rasak | Blog

  After working full time straight out of college, the 9-5 may seems like a comfortable reality. However, after recently seeing close friends who have graduated and are now left job hunting- it’s like watching them tread water in the open ocean from the deck of a cruise liner while sipping champagne and getting a neck massage. It’s difficult to explain the best job hunting techniques or interview tactics to help them along because everyone is so different in their approach.

Besides the obvious- dress professionally, update your resume, speak from experience, get an internship, network, sport good interview capabilities- there is more behind the art of getting work. I have researched what is out there on the web regarding “Landing the first job” and I found a laundry list of “Top 10 Tips” or something to that effect. Tips are great. Though, if they worked 100% we wouldn’t have a 10% unemployment rate.

What about philosophy? What about call to action? In this post I will attempt the impossible- land you a job. As you may or may not know my area of interest is in advertising and marketing. I consider myself a lucky guy because my field of work has a certain personality that goes with it- outgoing, creative, energetic, opinionated- so it’s rather easy to immerse myself in the industry without the cold shoulders. But what about you?

Less we forget Make up your mind. Now is the time- you need to figure out what direction you will take in your professional career. FACT: within ten years, seventy percent of college graduates will not be working in a field related to their major (factoidz.com). Find your starting point and go with everything you have, you will surprise yourself- trust me.

Get involved. One of the best things I did to get me to a full time position in my industry was to get involved in local organizations that put me in the hot seat with successful professionals in my industry. How many of these professionals were looking to hire? I would guess 3%. But it is the 97% that you can build into your network and help you get a foot in the door into your desired industry. There is nothing more helpful than surrounding yourself with the people you want to become in the future. Case in point, find the movers and shakers in your field and be personable to them. You may forget they once were in your exact position.

Stay educated. Just because you graduated does not mean that it’s time to forget everything and relax. It’s the exact opposite- you now need to be on the cutting edge of news and trends in your industry. Find a publication or two that you enjoy (for me this is AdAge and Mashable) and stay fresh on your headline stories. If you can talk the talk with industry professionals it is more likely they can relate with you and you increase your chances of being noticed.

Trade your time for experience. Do not expect to get a 60K salary job right out of the gates. Gen X & Gen Y have a strange belief that since they were raised in a middle/upper class lifestyle that they are just going to fit right in. The reality is that only a fraction of your peers will get even over 50K. Do not expect to be cashing checks right away. The most valuable asset at this point is experience. Employers want to know- what have you done lately? Getting your BA is not part of the answer. Find a family friend or a local internship that you can be a part of for a few months and get some experience in your field. This is another way to build your network and also get the real world experience for your portfolio or resume. This way you can sit down in an interview and say ” I am qualified because I can do this, please see example A”.

Look one step ahead. So you had an internship in college or had work experiences in your field. Now look a step ahead of your resume verbiage- how can you leverage that experience to open more doors? Can you call your old manager or boss and ask for contacts? Can you find any sister companies or opportunities within that organization? What is your next move?

The job hunt is like a game of chess- only so many moves you can make with a wide variance of short term outcomes; yet, only one long term outcome (win or lose). Enjoy the ride while you are going.

Bottom Line: Only you can control your outcome, do not settle for anything you can get, remember your personal value and the value of doing what you enjoy.