10.1: How to Get a Job

This chapter is all about how to get a job. The good news is there are lots of jobs out there. The bad news is that even though you have the skills, you might not get hired. How can this be?

One problem is that employers want experienced workers. While there is some indication this may be changing, for the most part, they want people whom they don’t have to train, who can come in and do the job from day one. This is what high school guidance counselors don’t tell you, and it is what college counselors don’t tell you. And, frankly, it is what college faculty all too often don’t consider when we design curricula.

If we did, college everywhere might look a lot more like Drexel University, a world-class, comprehensive, top-ranked research institution in Philadelphia. Students who attend Drexel don’t just “go to college.” Not only do they complete rigorous and challenging coursework under expert faculty and mentors, but they also work side-by-side in alternating semesters in cooperative education, which partners with more than 1,700 employers around the globe ranging from Fortune 500 companies and emerging startups to innovative nonprofits and government agencies in up to three six-month, full-time professional work experiences.

When the students return to class, they possess enhanced insights and an advanced, practical understanding that can’t be found in any textbook. This lets them serve as a knowledgeable resource for their classmates and instructors.

Some students in community colleges are able to achieve somewhat the same experience by obtaining jobs in their desired career field. A student who wants to be a nurse, for instance, might begin by working as an LPN while attending a community college to become a Registered Nurse. The student earns money and learns the theory and skills necessary to earn the RN certification. Once the student has an RN, the student might then attend a four-year college to get a BSN. If the student has aspirations to be a Nurse Practitioner or a doctor, the student might continue their education, working as an RN while taking additional classes.

Students in some communications fields can achieve somewhat the same benefits by working on student media. A well-run student newspaper or student radio station can be a stepping-off point to a career in media, in public relations, in marketing, or advertising. Think back to the video you watched in which Ann Bastianelli discussed the importance of building a personal brand.

In the following video, Ann Bastianelli tells me how her career progressed from commercial arts student at one university to fine arts major at another, how she “walked onto" the women’s volleyball team – and how that one action led to her getting her first job out of college, which probably set the path for the rest of her career. She candidly talks about her resume mistakes, why she turned down her first job with a big-time advertising agency to return to college and get her MBA, and how networking continued to play a major role in her career. You’ll learn how the fact she was a single mother led her to turn down one job but opened the way (again through connections made during the interview) to a job she hadn’t even applied for.

Ann Bastianelli on the Unexpected Connections that Build a Career

 

• She makes some important points for career development. Be prepared to discuss these in class. If in an online class write short answers for your instructor.

· What does she say about how you have to approach things like recession, inflation and other things that happen?

· What was the mistake she made in writing cover letters and resumes?

· What does she say you should always be looking for in your career?

· What does she say networking really is?

· Do you agree that your career should follow your interests?

· What happened when she turned down a job as president of her college alumni association?

· Complete this sentence: “This whole notion that you’re always being interviewed, sometimes for jobs that don’t even exist yet comes back to the notion that ______”

So, networking is critical. That’s why if it is at all possible, you should get a part-time job working in the field you’d like to be in. You want to be a nurse or doctor? Get a job in a medical office, lab, etc. Or complete EMT training and work with a local volunteer fire department as a volunteer EMT while taking courses to advance your career. Want to be a lawyer? Try to get a job in a law firm. No, you won’t be working as a lawyer. But you’ll be working with lawyers. Want to be in advertising, public relations, or media? Work on student media. If possible, intern in professional media.

According to Sci.bio, of those who found jobs through contacts, only 17% saw their contact “often,” while 56% saw the contact “occasionally,” and 28% saw him “rarely.” “The people in your life who you don’t know too well are the ones who often matter the most when it comes time to find a job,” the website says.

Self-Assessment

A leading Midwestern university was known for producing outstanding accountants. Unfortunately, after seven or eight years at major accounting firms, its graduates were not invited to become partners. The chairman of the department asked a couple of recruiters from the major firms to lunch to discuss the situation. At lunch, he was told that his graduates were truly exceptional in their accounting skills. They were the best. But, unfortunately, they lacked the necessary “soft skills.” Many were afraid to make presentations to bring in new business. Others had personalities that rubbed their colleagues the wrong way and created a hostile work environment, etc. That luncheon led to the business school creating one of the first communication skills programs within a business school.

One of the keys to the program’s success is that all students are required to take a personality test that indicates whether their personality is such that they are likely to be successful as an accountant or as a marketer, as an investor or as someone who is more concerned with operations (who might be more successful as a plant manager, for instance). Your college probably provides such a test for free as part of the services offered by its career services office.

• Be prepared to discuss the services offered by your college’s career services office. Are those services also available to alumni?

Do you have skills you acquired outside the classroom that were acquired through school or community-related activities? Leading a club, for instance, involves skills that can be transferred to a professional environment, as does publicity for a student organization. Tip: Keep a portfolio of the work you do for others outside of class.

Understand your values. Which is more important, a high salary or time with your family? Many teachers choose that career field because they can have a satisfying career and yet be at home when their children are growing up.

Consider your personal interests. Think about your interests. What brings you the greatest satisfaction in the classroom, at work, and in your personal life? Your interests can be important indicators to important career decisions.

Industry & Occupational Research

The last thing you want to do is to go into a career field that is dying or, even worse, that pays so little that if you have to take out student loans you won’t be able to repay them and have a reasonably decent life. That’s why after thinking about your interests, skills, and values you need research the industry and occupation that interests you.

Some of the information that you will discover includes, but is not limited to:
• Requirements for working in an industry or field (e.g. skills, education, experience)
• Job outlook and future projections
• Potential for growth in the field (i.e. career paths and
promotional opportunities)
• Salary ranges, including cost-of-living considerations
• Financial health of specific companies in the field
• Working environments (e.g. culture, hours, locations)

As part of gathering the information, conduct informational interviews. Watch the “Self-Made Millennial” share her secret to networking and job seeking – the informational interview:

How to Have an Informational Interview - My SECRET to Networking & Job Seeking!

• How do you find someone to interview? What are the 5 steps in an informational interview?

PRACTICAL EXERCISE – ROLE PLAY

Informational Interview

Find someone in a career field you might be considering and conduct an informational interview with that person. Write a report and submit it to your instructor. Be prepared to discuss the interview in a future class.

Be sure to be thorough in your research before you do your informational interview. Don’t rely on generic job boards such as Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com. Rather, target specific organizations. If you think you’d like to work for Walt Disney Company, research both the Walt Disney Co. corporate website and those of its constituent companies. There’s a big difference between working at Walt Disney Parks and ESPN or NatGeo, and working at the National Park Service and the Central Intelligence Agency!

References

Sci.bio (2023, July 30). Using your personal connections to get a job. https://www.sci.bio/personal-connect...getting-hired/