Category Archives: Applying For Jobs

GUEST POST: So You Got That College Degree—What Should You Do Now?

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What To Do After Getting Your College Degree
Photo by Lauren Bates

You’ve earned a college degree (congrats!) and have been out of school a few years. Now you fall into one of these 6 categories. Pick one:

  1. I have a job and I am willing to do what it takes to advance. There is no indication that my job is one that I enjoy or love.
  2. I just don’t know what to do. I am still working at the job that I had when I graduated. I’ve applied to over 200 jobs and have not heard from anyone.
  3. I am still at home with Mom and Dad and fighting because I yearn to break out on my own!
  4. I’m living a secure life. I have a nice cushy job but my job lacks passion. I have a family; I travel; my kids are enrolled in the best schools; and on the outside I look great! My job, however, lacks focus and direction.
  5. Uhhh, maybe I will take my degree and join the military. I am sure that the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines will take me. Perhaps the Coast Guard or the Army National Guard surely would—after all, I have a degree.
  6. I love my job, but I can hardly buy groceries. I am grossly underpaid.

In each scenario, it appears that each graduate has failed to become a subject matter expert on his or her own career. If it’s to be, then it is surely up to YOU.

Here are a few quick suggestions on how to change your multiple choice selection:

  1. If you have a job and you can’t wait to advance, continue in it but develop your talents by seeking out and partnering with a mentor to help you to steer your talents.
  2. Follow companies, professional industries and recruiters via Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to help steer your talents, passions, and interests.
  3. Start with your alumni career center. Then progress to the One Stop Career Centers. Then see the services offered by the Department of Labor career and job search services.
  4. Don’t settle. Leverage your talents by working with a professional career coach to get assistance on merging your skills with a job/career track that fits your heart’s desire. See Career Directors International, The National Resume Writer’s Association, or Career Thought Leaders for recommendations.
  5. If your only reason to join the military is that you can’t think of any other options to suit your skills, interests, and talents, well…maybe they want you and maybe they don’t. You may be sorry if you jump into the military for that sole reason. Then again, the military offers hidden gems such as sign on bonuses, advanced positions based on your degree, additional educational bonuses, and two, four, and six-year commitments. So on the other hand, check out your options. And if you decide to do it, thank you in advance for your service.
  6. Join a professional association and leverage your unique skills to garner consulting opportunities, blogging gigs (paid), and advancement within the profession. Take this free copy of Supercharge Your Job Search http://bit.ly/1cH3GPM.

About the Author:
Debra Ann Matthews is a resume’ writing specialist and owner of Let Me Write It For You. If your resume’ is not getting you the interviews you are working so hard for, contact Debra at letmewriteitforyou@gmail.com, or connect with her online:
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Helpful Articles Compiled by Readyjob.org

After Landing The Job, Applying For Jobs, Getting Started, In Transition, , , , , , , , , , ,

Helpful Articles Compiled by Readyjob.org
Readyjob.org, a website that helps young people prepare for their first job, recently reviewed over 100 resources and recommends these below for some helpful information on your job search.

Job Choices – Find the Job That’s Right for You

Job Postings – Evaluating Job Opportunities

Resumes – How to Write the Perfect Resume for Any Job

Interviews – Preparing for an Interview

Before You Move – The Ultimate Job Relocation Guide for the Newly Hired

Workplace Rights – Understanding Workplace Rights & Benefits

Stress – Coping with Stress at Work

After Drug Rehab – A Guide to Keeping Your Job Before, During and After Rehab

 

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MUCHO MONDAYS – The Chaser: Why You Should “Backdoor” After Applying For A Job

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second method, thoroughness, job application, applying, online, follow-through, LinkedIn, help, kindness of strangers, resume, cover letter, decision maker, hiring manager, HR
Anytime you’ve just applied for a job you really want that’s a solid fit for you, you’ll want to “backdoor” your way in too. Aside from calling, that involves using LinkedIn to find someone at the company who is probably the hiring manager for this position and emailing a brief note with your resume’ and cover letter attached. Sometimes this a great bypass of the HR screening process. And sometimes it’s a good double-hit, showing initiative, interest, and thoroughness if, for instance, it’s a small company with no in-house HR department.

As you peruse LinkedIn, if you see you have a close colleague who works at the company, you could backdoor through that person. If you don’t know anyone, look to see if the person you choose has worked anywhere you have before. That makes a great introduction in the beginning of your email. If you can’t find anyone who might be at a hiring manager level, send it to someone in the same department as the job opening.

People want to help. But make it easy for them to do so…think about when you have a job and someone who’s in transition asks for your help. Be polite but specific with your request. For example, I asked a former coworker, Matt, to 1) put in a good word for me at his current company (with the hiring manager if he knew who that was) and 2) forward my resume’ and cover letter after I applied online. This is the standard backdoor message I work from:

Dear ____,
After having seen the posting for the ____ position you are seeking to fill, I just applied via ____ ((method)). In addition, I wanted to make sure my resume’ and cover letter are seen by someone in the ____ department. If you are not the hiring manager for this position, I would appreciate it if you would forward this email to him or her. Thank you very much for your time and help.

Sincerely,
((your name here))

Then, make the email subject line “Could you help?” Most people like to help–especially when it doesn’t take too much time or is not that difficult.

When you completely can’t find anyone to email, there’s no general email address listed at the web site, and you don’t want to call, here’s another idea. If the company has a Contact Us page with fields to fill in to email them, do this: With most browsers, right-click, and choose “View Page Source” to reveal the html code. Then, press Ctrl-F to search for “@”. This may show you the general email address. https://www.thegeneral.com/about/contact is a good example where this technique works is (no pun intended) . Then you can email your backdoor message with attachments.

Sometimes, like with Craigslist, you won’t know the company at all. In this case, don’t fret about not being able to backdoor. Just use your spreadsheet to keep up with the TO email address you used when you applied, and email your follow up.

What tips can you add about backdooring? What successes have you had with this approach?

If you have family, friends, or colleagues that are on the job hunt, please share this blog with them. Don’t miss the next topic in this series! Sign up for this blog at the lower right corner of this page to be alerted via email!