Oze Jobs

Finding work today is tough for anyone. Recent college graduates are walking into a depressed economy with some of the highest unemployment rates seen in decades. What can you do to help yourself in finding a job as a recent graduate?

Tips For Landing A Graduate Job

1. Start an internship while still in school.

An internship is a great starting place for working in your chosen field. Many companies will look inside their own workforce before seeking outside help. There are several ways to land an internship.

Ask your teacher. Many companies contact teachers and colleges for available students.

Network with friends and people you know in your major.

Go straight to the company itself.

Get listed with an online job board.

2. Attend job fairs.

Many companies will send recruiters to job fairs throughout the country to help take applications, and hold interviews, for promising candidates. Make it a point to attend those that are close to your school, and if you can, a few that are across country. You never know what connection you’ll make, or what opportunity will present itself.

3. Be aggressive in promoting resume on online job boards.

The Internet has made a huge impact in people trying to find graduate jobs. The trick to success with an online job board such as Monster.com is to be aggressive in promoting your resume. Don’t hold back from applying to various jobs. Sometimes the person reading your resume will see your potential in another area and contact you about that.

4. Attend company presentations.

At times throughout the year, several companies will take the time to visit a university, or college, and present information about their company, what they do, what they can provide employees, and how you can be a part of it. Being present at these (with resume in hand) can lead to a job after graduation.

5. Look outside your local area.

Many times college graduates want to either locate themselves back in their hometown or in the place where they went to college. Expand your search for work to include a wider range of area. Check out newspapers, classified, and trade magazines from other parts of the country. When you find something interesting send them a resume. Opportunities are always available if you are willing to look.

Despite the growing unemployment rate, there is still a great opportunity to find graduate jobs.

Your employer is most concerned about his bottom line.  As a resource into which an investment is being made you are of the greatest benefit when you are a cost-effective part of your company or organization.  Here are 8 qualities or skills that you should possess or develop to dazzle your employer:

Punctual

Be on time and ready to work whenever you are scheduled to begin.  Nothing is more frustrating to an employer than having a list of things that need to be done and having to wait on someone to start them.

Reliable

Keep your word.  If you say you can do something in a certain amount of time and at a certain quality level; then do it.  If you run into issues it is better to communicate them when you discover them and extend your deadline then to simply not meet it.

Follow Directions

An employer gives you directions in order to guide you toward a particular finished product.  Following directions will help you to produce the desired result.

Motivated

It is extremely frustrating for an employer to constantly have to direct you to do your job.  It is equally as frustrating for your employer to constantly have to answer your questions.  Learn to motivate yourself and increase your competence and skill level.

Skilled

Everyone starts with particular levels of skill.  Even the janitor has a specific skill level.  What dazzles your employer is that you keep your skills sharp and maintain a steady growth in your skill set.

Coachable/Teachable

If you maintain a coachable/teachable attitude your employer can always help you become a better employee.  Areas where you have low level skills can be transformed into high quality assets if you are willing to learn.

Quality Work

Have pride in the quality of your work.  If you are never satisfied with a low quality of work you will always be striving to produce greater quality and that will get you noticed.

Long Term

The cost of paperwork and training for new employees is a huge expense.  By having a long-term attitude, taking on an extra work-load to avoid hiring additional employees and working toward advancement you can help your employer keep his costs down.  A greater return on the investment in you will definitely dazzle your employer.

The two most terrifying words for employees are cut-back and lay-off.  Due to the economic situation those words have become common in every day language.  As employers look for better ways to make their companies more cost-effective, their investment in employee resources becomes more critical.  Here are 5 ways to help you get or keep your job in 2009:

Diverse experience

As companies look to make their workforce more cost-effective they will eliminate certain jobs and redistribute the duties under those job descriptions to those of jobs that they do not eliminate.  Some who is not only diverse in his experience, but willing to take on a job with a broader scope is more valuable to a company.

Sharp skills

Sharpen your skills and keep them sharp.  These are just a few of the most valuable skills:

- Communication

- Solid work ethic

- Initiative

- Adaptability

- Problem solving

Highly Productive

Highly productive people have a competitive edge in a struggling job market.  A highly productive person has good work habits:

- They are punctual and reliable.

- Ready to work when they arrive.

- Don’t watch the clock for breaks or end of shift.

- Push themselves to complete tasks on time or before a deadline.

Quality Producer

A quality producer is also a valuable asset, because the amount of time and therefore money spent on producing goods and services is more cost-effective.  A quality producer has certain qualities, including:

- Never satisfied with less than their best work.

- Always trying to improve the quality of their work.

- Always looking for more efficient ways of producing quality results.

Perseverance

Solid, long-term employees are a greater asset in difficult economic times, because they can be called upon to produce more with a lower increase in cost.  Therefore, perseverance is a highly competitive asset to help get or maintain a position in a struggling job market.  Here are several reasons why:

- The cost of paperwork, background checks, human resources activities and training are a huge expense.

- Long-term employees know the company and are able to do more than one job.

- Quality of product can be maintained at a lower cost for production.

All of these character traits or skills can help you maintain a competitive edge in the struggling 2009 job market.

Employers and agents actually hire after an interview.  To decide who they will interview they examine resumes to get a quick glimpse of a prospective employee or client.  They want to spend no more than five minutes of their time looking at each resume.  Consequently you have five minutes to sell yourself.  Use these seven tips to sharpen your resume and bring yourself better luck:

Have a specific objective

Be specific and communicate clearly why you would like to be a part of the company to which you are applying and why you want a specific position.  This should be at least one concise sentence and never 3 or more.

Always list the newest first

When listing education or job experience always list your newest schools or jobs first.  Your potential employer wants to know where you’ve been recently and what skills and knowledge are freshest.

List your skills according to the objective

When you are listing specific skills that you have make certain that you list them in order to target your objective.  You may have several dozen skills, like shoeing horses for a water-polo team, but that isn’t a priority to someone who needs a staff accountant to do tax returns, so it should be lower on your list.

Hobbies, interests, clubs and awards are important

The main purpose of a resume is to sell yourself well enough to get an interview.  By including hobbies, interests, clubs and awards in your resume you can create common ground with your potential employer or agent.  It also helps create lead-in questions for a more comfortable interview.

Clean and sharp is a must

A crisp, well organized presentation that is pleasing to the eye tells an employer that you are conscientious and take pride in your appearance.  Make your resume look crisp and clean just like you will dress yourself when you go for your interview.

Cover pages must be targeted to the job

Pay attention to what the employer requests in a cover letter if required.  Put only a brief statement of your employment objective, plus the information requested; typically contact information.

Less is more

Remember the 5 minute rule.  The information on your resume should be thorough, but concise with lots of white-space for a quick read.