Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Attention Seniors! De-mystifying the job application process


Spring is a busy time for every student on a college campus, especially those in sororities. Philanthropies, classes, speakers, Greek Week, spring festivals, planning for next year; the list could go on and on. But for seniors, there is the added responsibility of graduation requirements and applying for your first professional position post-college. While this list is not comprehensive, hopefully this blog post will get you thinking about what your next steps should be towards finding your first post-college job. Delta Zeta alumnae – what else would you share with our upcoming graduates or young alumnae conducting a job search? Comment on Facebook or share with us on Twitter.

Get Your Ducks in a Row
A great place to start with your job search is to tackle the “task-y” items. Update your resume. Have advisors/mentors review your resume and offer feedback. Discuss your job search with mentors/professors and ask if they are willing to serve as a reference. Review and update your social media for what it says about you. Ensure all your graduation requirements have been met. Reflect on your collegiate and volunteer experiences and how you may discuss those during an interview. Research positions and/or companies for which you would like to apply. Practice writing some cover letters and seek feedback. Investigate the locations where you will be job searching. Questions to investigate include:
  • What is the average pay for position type with my experience? Does it change geographically?
  • What is the cost of living?
  • What type of work environment am I seeking?

Take Advantage of Campus Resources
Be sure to take advantage of all the resources that your campus offers. If you have a career center, visit. Career centers often assist in reviewing resumes and cover letters, offering mock interviews and some even maintain lists of prospective employers or positions. Attend job fairs that your campus hosts. Often colleges or departments within the institution may hold job fairs as well (for example, engineering and technology focused or communications focused). Attending these allows you to network, submit applications and at the very least practice talking about yourself and your skills.

Submit Applications
When all your materials are ready, submit your applications. Consider starting this process soon. Consider several options when searching for positions – job search engines (LinkedIn, Monster, Yahoo, CareerBuilder), individual company/organization websites and job fairs. You might even use your Delta Zeta connections to learn about openings. Make sure to check out the postings that members make to our JobBound Board in DZ Metro.

Prepare for Interviews and Negotiating
Interviewing can cause nervousness in even the most confident individuals. Try to ease your anxiety by practicing interviewing and doing your research on the position and company/organization ahead of time. Once you have been offered a position (first, congratulations!), it is time to start thinking about negotiating. This is your opportunity to really make a difference in your position with the company. Can you negotiate for additional salary, professional development funds or benefits? Additional interview and negotiating tips are included below in articles under “Further Reading”.

And, as always, one of your greatest resources and support throughout the entire process is your Delta Zeta sisters. Practice interviewing with your chapter sisters. Connect with alumnae in similar positions via DZ Metro. Both your fellow collegians and alumnae are here to help!

Further Reading



Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)