It is well known that young job hunters are facing a tough
job market. Below are nine tips this
demographic of employment seekers should keep in mind while looking for
work.
1. If you do not know what you want to do,
don’t pretend you do.
It is natural to be uncertain what your job options are when
you are young and do not know what it feels like to work in a particular type
of work setting.
What is important to convey in a job interview is an
understanding of you. For example, what
you are good at, what kind of work environment you thrive in, and how much
autonomy you feel comfortable with on the job.
Be prepared to provide examples to illustrate your skills and
preferences.
2. What’s
real, what’s fake.
Conveying that you believe in yourself and your skills is
important in a job interview, but it is also acceptable to express some
uncertainty given your career inexperience.
Hiring managers will likely understand the uncertainty, and should
interpret it as a willingness to learn on the job.
It is critical in
an interview situation to express enthusiasm, even if you may not be keen to do
a particular job. Just don’t go
overboard in your eagerness in an effort to appear professional as you could risk
coming across as insincere.
3. Know your audience
When looking for work remember that talking to professional
contacts implies a different set of boundaries than talking to other adult
acquaintances. Avoid sharing too much
information.
4. When offered help, take it!
Most people feel good when they get an opportunity to help
someone, so if someone offers to help you, take it.
If you do need assistance don’t be shy about asking, but
don’t expect endless support either. 5. You might not be remembered
Most people have short memories and come in contact with many people. In advance to any conversation you may have, remind them who referred you and why you are calling.
Be enthusiastic and sincere when
expressing gratitude. Keep in mind that
those who helped you will feel better about doing so if you work into your
thank you message specifically how they helped you.
7. Entitlement: A word of caution
Right or wrong, many older hiring managers think that the
younger generation of job seekers suffers from a sense of entitlement. Be careful with your word choice, don’t be
overly friendly, and don’t come across as overly self-confident as it can be
misinterpreted as being cocky instead of conveying a sense of self-worth.
8. The value of timeliness
If someone offers to pass along your name to a colleague,
follow up with that person right away or you run the risk of being forgotten
and offending the person who passed your name along.
If someone offers to get back to you promptly and does not,
get back to them promptly. People do not always do as they say, they may
forget, or they may get distracted.
9. Don’t be overly picky
A crappy job is neither a life sentence nor a death
sentence. Try not to be psychologically
crushed and keep focused on longer term goals.
Take what you can from the job including experience, income, exposure
and self-knowledge . The skills you are developing on the job are a
steppingstone to other things in your future.
The Northfield Public Library has a great collection of
resources for job seekers. Below are a
few sample titles of interest to young job seekers. All are located in the Business and Employment
Resources area:
1,001 phrases you
need to get a job by Nancy Schuman and Burton J. Nadler. Avon, Mass.: Adams Media, c2012. Call number
is 650.14 SC
Job Interviews for
Dummies by Joyce Lain Kennedy.
Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, c2012. Call number is 650.144 KE
Résumé 101: a student and recent grad guide to crafting
résumés and cover letters that land jobs by Quentin J. Schulze. New York: Ten Speed Press, c2012. Call number
is 650.14 SCA Year Up: how a pioneering program teaches young adults real skills for real jobs--with real success by Gerald Chertavian. New York: Viking, c2012. Call number is 331.21 CH
