Job Search Strategies for New Graduates

posted by Penny Loretto
Aug 31

Penny-1

New graduates seeking employment are now facing the toughest job market in over 25 years. Keeping a positive attitude in such an economic climate can be an extremely difficult task but believing in your skills and abilities will go a long way to ultimately finding a position that meets your goals and expectations.

Today I published an article in our local newspaper, “Recession Proof Job Search Strategies for New College Graduates”, that includes positive techniques for finding a job in a tough economy.  To view the entire article, please click on the tab  – New Graduates, above.

Recession Proof Job Search Strategies for New College Graduates include:

  1. Keep Motivated & Maintain a Positive Approach in Your Job Search
  2. Focus on Your Goals yet Remain Flexible in Your Job Search
  3. Create Targeted Resume & Cover Letters
  4. Increase Your Professional Network
  5. Prospect for Jobs
  6. Become an Entrepreneur

20 Comments


Even in a Recession There are Jobs Available

posted by Penny Loretto
Aug 28

 
PennyEven with approximately 14 million people currently looking for work and the average time now is six months to even find a job, there has been some reported turnaround recently in the following industries:
 
Healthcare 
Web Development 
Networking
Accounting
 
The industries that are expected to take awhile to bounce back, include: manufacturing, automotive, and construction.  
 
It’s interesting to note that a number of companies actually got their start during times of a  recession. Like the highs and lows experienced in the stock market, each economic climate brings different opportunities with it.  The key for those looking for a job is to follow the proven strategies that increases the liklihood of success – networking, prospecting for employers where you think you’d like to work, researching jobs in industries that are hiring, and dusting off and targeting your resume and cover letter so they adequately portray your unique skills and accomplishments; and not get yourself bogged down listening to news media reports on the current unemployment rate or the state of the recession.

If you are currently unemployed, it’s important to remain  flexible in your job search and take the time necessary to research job vacancies as well as industries that are hiring.  Motivation is a key factor in keeping the job search going.  Although it’s difficult not to let the current economy affect your job search, individuals who stay positive and believe they are going to find a job - achieve the best results.

4 Comments


Surviving a Company Lay-Off

posted by Penny Loretto
Aug 17

PennyAlthough initiating company lay-offs are one of the first things a company does during a recession, alternatives to company lay-offs are usually a much better course of action and ultimately the best thing for both the company and its employees. For example, restructuring within a company is more beneficial to the overall long-term health of an organization rather than immediately focusing on making decreases in employee retention and compensation that is usually used as a quick cost saving measure.

Job-hunt.org offers a number of tips to prepare employees for a company lay-off. They also offer some important do’s and don’ts to be accomplished immediately when you are actually being laid off. One of the key things to do is to remain active and not let yourself slump into inaction due to depression, fear, and a growing sense of hopelessness.

Being laid off from a job can often be seen as a blessing in disguise. It can be an opportunity to check out career options, especially if you look back and realize that you were not happy in your previous job.  Discovering your personal interests, values, and personality traits can lead you to finding a more satisfying and rewarding career.

Doing a thorough self-assessment, reviewing career options, researching available careers, and deciding on a course of action can be very positive steps to take for those who have found themselves recently laid off or those who anticipate that a job loss may be imminent.

7 Comments


Strategy #4 for Finding a New Career

posted by Penny Loretto
Aug 6

PennyThis week I have been reviewing the top 4 strategies for finding a new career. Of all four, this strategy is definitely the most important.  If we don’t take action in what we hope to accomplish, we will never achieve the results that we are looking for.

Once we’ve done a complete self-assessment, reviewed career options, and made some decisions on careers we’d like to pursue, it’s time to take some action.  This consists of looking for prospective jobs and/or employers, sending out cover letters and resumes, and beginning to do some networking with people currently working in the field. 

Once you send out your resume and cover letter, be sure to follow up with employers. If you are called in for an interview, take some time to research the employer’s website prior to the interview.  In the interview, be prepared to ask thoughtful questions based on your research.

In this competitive job market, making a professional impression is an absolute must if you hope to get hired.  This begins by sending a well developed resume and cover letter that’s targeted to the position and the employer to which you are applying. 

Follow up is also important since it lets the employer know that you really are interested and it will also hopefully encourage the employer to take out your resume and review it for a second time.  The interview is a time to wow the employer by doing your research  and taking the time to be well prepared for questions the employer might ask as well as having some questions of your own based on your knowledge of the position and the employer.

1 Comment


Strategy #3 in Finding a New Career

posted by Penny Loretto
Aug 5

PennyThis week we are talking about the strategies for finding a  new career.  On Monday we discussed self-assessment and yesterday career exploration.  Today is about Strategy # 3 – decision making.

#3 Strategy – Decision Making

Decision-making can be one of the most difficult steps in the career planning process.  Finding out more about yourself by doing a thorough self-assessment and then engaging in some career exploration is definitely different than taking this information and coming up with a career decision. Since there are often some conflicts in this part of the process, it’s important to have an objective party to bounce your ideas off of.

Many people freeze at this stage of the process since there are often still many unknowns and very often there’s a fear of making the wrong decision.  The key to making a career decision is to take the first two steps into consideration and make a decision based on these results. Also, it’s important to realize that decisions can be changed so making a bad decision is better than making no decision at all.

3 Comments


Strategy #2 for Finding a New Career

posted by Penny Loretto
Aug 4

PennyYesterday I discussed the first strategy for finding a new career – self assessment. Today’s focus and the #2 strategy is on career exploration.

#2 Strategy: Career Exploration

Career exploration is a fundamental step in the career planning process. This step can be the most time consuming of all four steps but can also be considered to be the most rewarding since we will be working on identifying new opportunities and career options that meet your personal career goals. In addition to researching career options, getting an insider’s perspective about different careers can be extremely helpful. Informational interviewing, job shadowing, and internships are all excellent ways to learn more about the jobs you are considering.

At Career Choice a good deal of time is spent on helping clients explore their career options. After completing the self-assessment phase in the career planning process, we will then branch out and learn more about the various careers available that match your individual interests, values, and personality.  This is a very exciting part of career planning. I usually recommend that we begin with brainstorming – the sky’s the limit – and then we will begin to work on identifying our dreams versus our current reality.

Tomorrow I will discuss the #3 strategy – decision making.

6 Comments


Strategy #1 for Finding a New Career

posted by Penny Loretto
Aug 3

PennyThere’s a great deal of fear and pessimism going on in relation to people and their jobs today.  I know many people who have either lost their jobs due to company lay-offs or perhaps just live in fear of losing them; as well as those people who desperately wish to leave their jobs but are too afraid to quit in such an uncertain job market.  This week I’m going to be talking about “The Top Four Strategies for Finding a New Career.”

#1 Strategy: Self-Assessment

The first step in the career planning process is doing a complete self-assessment.  In order to get a job that meets your personal goals and expectations, you really need to know yourself well and understand what motivates you and makes you tick.  Learning about your interests, values, and personality will help you make a better career decision and find a job that more closely matches your unique individual qualities. It has long been understood that working in a job that closely meets your individual interests, values, and personality will ultimately make you a much happier and more successful person.

At Career Choice we work directly with you on completing reliable and valid assessments that are used by many career professionals in the field.  It’s important to use these types of assessments to get a true picture of who you are and discover what you need to make your life fulfilling and rewarding. Although a large number of career quizzes, tests, and assessments have popped up online over the course of the past several years, most career professionals do not recommend or endorse the majority of these online offerings and believe that many of them can be harmful or detrimental to individuals who are truly looking to better understand themselves.

Career Choice offers these assessments as part of a regular career counseling session or they can be administered via the internet after speaking with a career counselor.  Once the assessment is completed, a career counselor will interpret the results and go over them with you.  Have you ever wondered what career options are available that would make you happy and successful?   Do you wonder what people with similar interests are doing in their jobs?  By completing several career assessments, you will have a much better understanding of yourself and how to best use that knowledge to make a positive difference in your job and your life.

Tomorrow we will talk about Strategy #2 – Exploring Career Options.

1 Comment


WELCOME TO OUR CAREER BLOG

posted by Penny Loretto
Jul 17

Penny-1I’d like to welcome you to Career Choice’s entry into the blogosphere. Although I’m not new to blogging, I wanted to make sure that this blog focused primarily on issues relating to career planning and decision-making,  the  job search process, and concerns and strategies for  making a career transition.

Career Choice was established in 2006 and after three years working with people in the throes of making a career transition plus ten years doing career counseling with college students and alumni, and twelve years working in Human Resources, this blog has been developed to assist individuals who are seeking assistance with the career development process and in answering the questions people often ask when deciding to make a career change.

Each week I will bring you information that is most asked about:

  1. Career Counseling & Career Assessments
  2. Career Planning & Decision-Making
  3. Career Transition & Return to Work Issues
  4. Effective Job Search & Interviewing Strategies
  5. Developing An Effective Resume & Cover Letter
  6. Creating A Healthy Life Balance

Please feel free to post your comments on your experiences with job searching and making a career transition. This blog has been developed for us to be able share information and assist each other in making positive career changes and maintaining a healthy life balance.

If you have recently been laid off or in fear of losing your job, please take a look at an excerpt from a article I recently wrote for the Employment Quarterly of the magazine Saratoga Today on “Strategies for Finding Jobs in a Tough Job Market”.

3 Comments


Next Entries »