Building Your Network

As a college student, completing a degree in your specific field is the first stage of your journey to joining the job market. However, it is naïve to think that the degree alone is all you need to land the job of your dreams. We have all heard time and time again the importance of getting a foot in the door. However, if you want to get a good job in this economy, it isn’t always what you know that will get you your first pay check. It’s who you know.

In order to give yourself the greatest opportunity, you are going to need to start networking. With the growth of the internet, and in particular online social networking websites, you are able to sit in the comfort of your house and reach out to people who previously you would have no chance of contacting. Online networking websites such as LinkedIn offer fantastic ways to potentially connect with hiring managers, decision makers and even with Fortune 500 executives!  As part of your job search strategy online networking needs to pay a key part. However, it is as equally important to make yourself seen and physically meet people. It goes without saying that you can make a far greater impact on a person by shaking their hand, looking them in the eye and introducing yourself than you can make via an email!

Find below 5 tips to networking and the best places to go and meet the people who can help make your career sparkle.

Conventions or Exhibitions:

Major conventions/exhibitions are fantastic places to network and meet new people. Keep track of the people you contact and make sure you have a pen and paper so you can write down their contact details. Most importantly follow up with these people within a couple of days following the convention. The longer you leave it the more likely they are to forget who you are.

Job Fairs:

Similar to conventions/exhibitions. This is a no-brainer. Going to a job fair is a good way to meet people who are currently hiring, submit your resume, and also learn about what specific companies are looking for in an employee.

Friends, Classmates and Alumni:

Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends, classmates or alumni to help with your networking. You just never know who can help or most importantly who has contacts that may be able to help you.

Community and Volunteer Work:

Make a difference in the world and network at the same time! Community service is always looked upon favourably by companies but also will give you an opportunity to network with different members of the community.

Networking Meetings:

Search for networking meetings in your community. Networking meetings often require a small fee (for non-members). However this will enable you to meet a whole range of people from different backgrounds and occupations. Many times all you require is a small lead to kick start your career and networking events can be the perfect place to make this happen.

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Top 10 Winter Jobs for College Students

With winter slowly drawing upon us and the weather starting to get colder, it is time for the resume writing team at RedStarResume to provide our college student readers with the best winter jobs. Each new season brings about different seasonal jobs and although you may only be looking for a part-time role to get through the winter, there are plenty of fantastic opportunities to utilize this time to further your career. Who knows, a career change could be right around the corner!

Always ensure that your professional resume is updated and ready to be forwarded to a hiring manager. When applying for seasonal jobs you need to highlight your skills and focus these skills toward the jobs you apply for. Don’t be turned off if you don’t have experience or if you lack a certain type of skill. The art of writing a good resume includes highlighting the skills you have and how these skills can be an asset.

One last thing to remember – don’t forget to network. No matter what type of work you perform, you should always network.  Having an up-to-date LinkedIn account that matches your professional resume will further aid you in the job search.

Start your own businesses – An online business can be a cheap and effective way to make money over the winter. Do you have a unique skill that you can offer? That people would pay money for your service?

Barista – Learn to make coffees and stay warm at the same time!

IT Support – If you have the IT skills, then you can provide IT support. This also looks great on your resume!

Social Media: Do you have skills associated with social media? Setting up facebook fan pages or optimising LinkedIn profiles is a skill. You may take it for granted, but there are many people and companies who will pay good money for help with their social media

Writer: If you have strong English skills there are literally hundreds of freelancing jobs that could be right for you. With websites such as freelance.com, you can set up a profile in seconds and begin applying for jobs.

Copywriter: Again, do you have strong English skills? Use these skills as a copywriter

Translator:  Do you speak more than one language? If so there are opportunities waiting for you as a translator. Utilize your language skills and start earning money.

Work in Retail – With Christmas fast approaching many retailers will look to hire many part-time or casual staff to help with the extra demand. It may not be the most stimulating job, but it’s still a good way to make some extra cash on the side.

Ski Resort Jobs: If you like the snow, there is no better job than working on the slopes. From a ski instructor to a coffee server, working in the resorts is a great way to combine skiing/snowboarding while still being able to afford to go out and enjoy yourself.

Snow Shoveler: A fantastic winter job for the college student. Make good money and get fit at the same time – It’s not easy work, but a job that needs to be done.

Snow Shoveler: A fantastic winter job for the college student. Make good money and get fit at the same time – It’s not easy work, but a job that needs to be done.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

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Can’t Get A Job …..

Time for an Interview? Learn everything you need to know from the Step Brothers!

How to land a job interview in 2011!

The economy is slowly turning around and 2011 can be your year to make a change

What can you do to be competitive when looking for a new job? Writing a quick resume late at night and applying for random jobs is NOT going to get you the job you are looking for.  Is there an educational or university course being offered which could help you now or in the long term? What skills do you have to shine above and beyond other candidates.  Make a  portfolio of your accomplishments you have achieved in your academic or professional life. In the current economic climate employers want to know what YOU have to offer them. You need to sell yourself! and sell your success. 

Below are some further ideas and suggestions to find yourself a new job

Learn new skills: It’s never too late to try to learn a foreign language, or a new piece of computer software. (Best example was a senior archaeologist of 10 years who came to me wanting to change life direction. After 6 months learning spanish then travelling through Spain for another 6 months, The senior archaeologist is now a junior English/spanish translator)

Research: Find out where the demand is. While many industries are having trouble in this recession and laying of employees other areas are increasing employment

Sell yourself: Take time writing your resume, and tailor your resume specifically to each job you are applying. Do not send out the same resume to every job advert you see. Remember if you’re sending out generic resumes then you will get the same generic responses

Use your social network. Don’t be embarrassed about looking for work. Tell your friends and family. You never know who may be looking at hiring staff with your set of skills

Use free networking sites to advertise yourself and your skills. Promote yourself via sites like LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/ 

Use a recruitment agency that specialises in your particular area. Get to know the recruitment consultant, and follow them up weekly. The more you appear visible, the more they will remember you

Share with friends: Brainstorm ideas and share experiences with friends that are also looking for jobs. Exchange advice, strategies, and plans

Act straight away: When you get a lead or hear about a job opening apply immediately. There is no need to wait. Prepare your resume and send it immediately. The longer you wait the more likely another candidate will apply ahead of you

Don’t let a lack of experience discourage you from applying for jobs: When tailoring your resume towards the job you are applying for, concentrate on the skills and abilities you have to match that certain job

Most importantly: Don’t give up – Never stop looking.  While you’re searching for your new job is there something else in the meantime you could be doing. Do you have skills to freelance?  Maybe you can sell goods online. Keeping yourself occupied helps you to stay positive and upbeat rather than moping around the house feeling sorry for yourself

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

33 Employer Interview Questions

With the current economic climate and changing job market, employers have now started to alter the types of questions they ask in interviews. With hundreds of Internet pages dedicated to types of interview questions and all listing the same “general” type questions (what are your strengths, where do you see yourself in 10 years, etc.), employers are now steering away from these types of questions and introducing a new set of questions that test your creativity and flair. Below is a list of questions which you may not have thought about previously. Think about how you would answer these questions if faced with one of these in an interview:

• If you had the option, would you change your college career?
• How do you go about deciding what to do first when given a project?
• What are the most important rewards you expect in your business career?
• Provide an example of how you are a risk taker.
• If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
• Why do you want to work for us and not for our competitor?
• What did you think of your previous manager/supervisor?
• What did you do in your last job to increase value?
• What are some of the things that bother you?
• Tell me about the last time you felt anger on the job.
• Do you need other people around to stimulate you or are you self-motivated?
• What management style gets the best results out of you?
• How can our company offer you what your previous company could not offer?
• How long do you think it would take before you were making a significant contribution to our business?
• How ambitious are you? Would you compete for my job?
• What do you like and dislike about the job we are discussing?
• Why did you choose a career in…?
• What do you think is the most important dilemma facing our business today?
• How much does your last job resemble the one you are applying for? What are the differences?
• Why did you decide to join your previous company? Did the job live up to your expectations? Why are you leaving now?
• Explain the organisational structure and hierarchy in your last company and how you fitted into it. Did this suit you?
• Do you prefer to work in a small, medium or large company?
• What interests you about our company, product or service?
• You have not done this sort of job before. How will you cope/succeed?
• Do you consider yourself successful in your career to date?
• What was your greatest success in your professional career? How did you achieve it?
• What has been your biggest failure in your professional career?
• Did you feel you advanced and progressed in your last job?
• How do you handle criticism?
• What would you like to avoid in your next job?
• How did you get on with your previous manager, supervisor, co-workers and subordinates?
• What will your referees say about you?
• Fantasy questions – What would you do if you won the Lottery? Would you come to work tomorrow?

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Stop Stressing About Writing Your Resume!!!

The Hardest Challenges Facing College Graduates

Competition (too few jobs and too many graduates)

Here is the scenario… You have graduated college with a good looking degree; you feel on top of the world and ready to pick and choose your dream job. The reality however is that your one of a many in the same boat. While you feel as though you would be best suited for a particular role there can be hundreds of other people who feel the same way as you. I often tell the story about my days as a recruitment consultant where I used to recruit for graduate positions. I would post a graduate position on the job boards and by lunch time I would have 200 applicants in my inbox. So what can you do to differentiate yourself from the rest of the crowd? You need to ensure that your resume is in the top 5-10% of all resumes. A single mistake in your resume can be the difference between your resume ending up in the interview stack or in the deleted folder

Downturn in the economy:

We are all sick and tired of hearing about the global financial situation, sluggish economic growth and rising unemployment. Unfortunately this is the situation which new graduates find themselves facing when looking for a job in 2010. My best advice is to network, stay patient and increase the effort into the job search. You are going to have setbacks and days when you feel like the whole world is against you. The real challenge will be ones of Continuing perseverance and confidence.

Lack of Real world experience:

My advice to all graduates (and those preparing to graduate) is to seek work experience. I personally hated this advice while I was at university but looking back now my work experience helped me plan out my career and gain vital experience in competitive industries. When the time came to put forward my resume, my previous work experience set me apart from many of my competitors.

Too high expectations:

Many graduates (myself included) complete university and expect to hand pick the job which they want. Furthermore in 2010, graduates have an expectation that they know what is best and should actually be the boss rather than working for the boss. So many times I have had graduates apply for job positions which are so unrealistic and then get despondent because they are not getting interview requests. It’s important for graduates to realize that they need to gain the experience before they can call themselves the boss.

Debate between further higher education and job seeking

Do you continue to study or start straight away with the job seeking? Many graduates don’t have a choice in this matter but for those who do continuing to study can lead to greater results long term (financial and job position) and also further help distinguish yourself apart form other graduates. On the other hand is it better to start working and get your foot in the door? There’s no better education then real life experience of learning on the job.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

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Need a Job? Top 20 Best Online Job websites

Monster: The premier global online employment solution for people seeking jobs and the employers who need great people               http://www.monster.com/

Yahoo Hot Jobs: Leader in the online recruiting industry: http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/

Indeed: Indeed.com is a search engine for jobs, allowing job seekers to find jobs posted on thousands of company career sites and job boards. http://www.indeed.com/

College Grad: The #1 Internet job search service for college students and recent grads.  http://www.collegegrad.com/

College Recruiter: The leading job board for college students searching for internships and recent graduates hunting for entry-level jobs and other career opportunities  http://collegerecruiter.com/

Simply Hired: Simply Hired is building the largest online database of jobs on the planet. Our goal is to make finding your next job a simple yet effective, enjoyable journey http://www.simplyhired.com/

Career Builder: As the U.S.’s largest online job site, CareerBuilder.com puts over 1 million jobs in front of poised job seekers wherever they are – at home or at work – in print and on the Internet http://www.careerbuilder.com/

Jobster: Search for Jobs, build a career network, and connect with the hiring team at the companies you want to work for. Meet your future employer with Jobster. http://www.jobster.com/

Job Central: Find local jobs and apply online via company employment career sites. No middle man. Job Central is a free service of Direct Employers Association http://www.jobcentral.com/

Jobfox: Expand Your Job Opportunities with Our Revolutionary Job Technology. http://www.jobfox.com/

Jobserve: Search JobServe for over 50000 permanent jobs, contract jobs and temporary jobs advertised weekly. Jobs in IT, Accountancy, Engineering and Sales plus other http://www.jobserve.us/

Snagajob.com:                                                                                                                                                                                                                Search over 100000 jobs on SnagAJob.com. Find all types of employment – full time, hourly and part time jobs. Our jobs are updated daily. http://www.snagajob.com/

topusajobs.com: Jobs and Careers: Search jobs from specialized job search engines. Find your ideal career. Jobs updated daily. http://www.topusajobs.com/

Job Monkey: JobMonkey is to help you find seasonal or year-round jobs working for employers who can offer you unique opportunities to travel the world, have fun, and earn good money doing it. http://www.jobmonkey.com/

job.com Start your job search at Jobs.com. Find jobs that are close to home. Search job opportunities in your field. Jobs.com makes your employment search easy. http://www.job.com/

Dice.com, is the leading career website for technology and engineering professionals, and the companies that seek to employ them, in the United States http://www.dice.com/

Careerjet: Job search engine designed to make the process of finding a job on the internet easier for the user. It maps the huge selection of job offerings available on the internet in one extensive database by referencing job listings originating from company websites, recruitment agency websites and large specialist recruitment sites. http://www.careerjet.com/ 

BankJobs Welcome to Bankjobs.com, the #1 career site for banking and financial services jobs and resumes! http://www.bankjobs.com/ 

Americas Job Exchange: AJE is America’s Career Destination! Our mission is to provide everyday Americans the job opportunities and career tools to find that dream career. The American dream is alive and well on AJE! http://www.americasjobexchange.com/ 

Hire My Parents: If you’re a parent looking for some flexibility in your work life, so you can spend more time with your family, this is the place you’ll find every option, from freelance to fulltime. http://hiremyparents.com

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How to make sure you WON’T get hired!

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The Job search market can be a tricky place to navigate. Whether you are just starting out, moving up the ladder or changing your current situation, RedStarResume have all the resources to help improve your chances of success. http://www.redstarresume.com/

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Top 20 Best Summer Jobs

Ideally the best thing you can do is try to find an internship which is related to your degree or passion. One of my favourite rockers, Ozzy Osbourne worked in a slaughterhouse before rising to fame with Black Sabbath! This is the best way to gain real life experience as well as having something terrific to put on your resume. For example, if you’re studying business then an Intern in a big financial bank would be fantastic and also good pay (but long hours!) In reality however you have left finding an internship to the last moment and now you find yourself searching for a summer job that pays well without consuming your entire summer.

No matter what job you’re doing over the summer never forget to network. Speak to people, ask questions, learn new skills and most importantly have fun.

And if you think you’re too good for a summer job think again. Some of the biggest stars in the world spent their summer mopping floors at a local Dairy Queen (Gwen Stefani) or saved up some extra cash as a paper boy (Tom Cruise). Matthew McConaughey found himself short of cash when travelling around Australia (before he was famous) and took a job on a farm moving chicken manure.

Top 20 Summer Jobs:

• Sales: The skills you learn in a sales job will help you for the rest of your life.
• Post office worker (great pay!)
• National Park services
• Camp counsellors (not great pay but accommodation and food is free)
• Resort or country club (Get paid to live by the pool)
• Tour guide
• Restaurant staff
• Web design
• Tutoring (Be your own boss – great pay!)
• Telemarketing – Can you sell? Are you a talented speaker? Telemarketers may annoy you but the good ones can make a lot of money
• Campus Jobs – Working in the labs – Check out jobs area in your university
• Construction worker
• Valet
• Pet and House Sitting
• Writing articles for sites that will pay you
• Convention Worker – Is the boat show in town?
• Landscaping
• Lifeguards
• Dog walker
• Barista

© RedStarResume Publications

Gavin is the founder of RedStarResume: http://www.redstarresume.com/

We are an online business helping college students, graduates and young professionals with their resume writing and job searching

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