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A Reality Check for Soon-to-be-Grads

April 6th, 2010 :: Robin Ferrier

by Sarah Morgan

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18425359@N03/ / CC BY 2.0

One of the What’s Next, Gen Y? bloggers, Thomas Madrecki, recently posted about trying to figure out what to do upon graduation.

Few things are more obnoxious than hearing from someone older that you’re mistaken because of your youth, so it’s with misgivings that I set out to do exactly that, especially because it’s obvious that Thomas is both intelligent and successful and I don’t want to take issue with him in particular. But what struck me in his post was this:

“The idea, of course, is that work-place competition and increased selectivity in turn engenders more successful paid hires in a tightly budgeted and relatively small industry. All of that is well and good, but even for the most confident of applicants, the idea of heading to a new city with no guarantee of long-term growth or a permanent job is a potentially worrisome hurdle to overcome.”

This started the wheels turning for me. Yes, competition and selectivity IS well and good. And “worrisome” is, often, a fact of life. The thing is, the system is not set up to care about the feelings of new entrants to it.

What bothers me is that frequently, undergrads are called out for having unrealistic expectations or for being entitled — and nobody fixes it. There are increasingly job-specific undergrad offerings, but still, no Reality 101. Sometimes parents or internships explain what you’ll need to wrap your head around, but many times, graduating seniors are in for a woeful shock.

So here I am to shock you. You don’t have to like what I’m going to say. I didn’t. But please believe that the sooner you accept it, the sooner you get through it.

You will be lonely at first. Your career so far has been education, in the company of a peer group that was growing together. You won’t have that company in the same way again, and it’ll be a jarring difference in life.

You will be the butt of jokes about your youth. These include, but are not limited to, references about musical acts, fashion trends, and which president was in office when you were born.
You will make friends with whom you have far less in common than your friends to this point. The work force makes college — yes, every college — look like a military school of conformity.
You will not understand where your coworkers are coming from.

You will have to do what your elders will refer to as paying your dues. This will be maddening. You’ll have a thousand very good reasons why it’s nonsense. It will happen anyway.

You will lose out on something due to office politics, outside relationships or tenure.
You will have to work later than your boss.
You will have to do stuff that is boring.
You will not get paid as much as you want.

You won’t know anything. Yes, despite all that you just went through to learn all that.

You will only use about 15% of your degree. The rest of what you find yourself doing will come from your experience with clubs, roommates, activities and internships.
You will want to use the theory that you learned. Nobody has the money or the support to work on those theories.
You will do things because that’s how your boss wants them, even when you have a better idea.

You will have to fight to be taken seriously.

You will get the same reaction as a precocious child at the grown-ups’ table when you first begin to try to contribute. Keep doing it anyway.
You will learn to get to the point faster. There aren’t any more assignments where you have to hit a maximum. Cut everything you want to explain in half.
You will, in five years’ time, either laugh or cringe about 90% of what is upsets you right now (just think about five years ago). Keep this in mind before unburdening yourself on your coworkers. They’ll be understanding, but you want to be taken seriously, not just understood.

Please don’t despair. I’m only telling you the bad parts on purpose. You’ll see them coming and they won’t sting as much. And you can enjoy the rest of it that much more. The good parts are fun and surprising and there’s no need to prepare for them. Congratulations and have fun!

Sarah Morgan has a decade of experience working in and with the top pharmaceutical companies in the world. She educates corporations, organizations, universities and media about social media; blogs at sarah-morgan.com; Twitters at twitter.com/sarahmorgan; appears professionally at linkedin.com/sarahmorgan, informally at facebook.com/profile.php?id=10908629, and in real life in the glorious state of New Jersey. (Yes, New Jersey.)

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Tags: job hunt, Job Search, post-college, questions, Reputation, Sarah Morgan, Thomas Madrecki
Posted in Job Search, Personal Brand, Sarah Morgan, Thomas Madrecki, WhatsNextGenY | 4 Comments »

The Tug of Truth

March 31st, 2010 :: Robin Ferrier

by Thomas Madrecki

cartoon of people jumping off a cliff like lemmings

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hikingartist/ / CC BY 2.0

When I talk to friends and family members about future job prospects, there is a now nigh standardized list of ideas and opinions that seems to inevitably meet the air: “You should go to law school.”

Yes, as a trained journalist and devout academic scholar, I seem to have a knack for all things research-based and detail-oriented. And ever since I began to see America’s legal system in action, there has been a part of me that readily identifies with the profession and feels I could easily become one of the thousands of well-paid lawyers across the country.

At the same time, though, I must say there is some aspect of law school that strikes me as undeniably mundane and typical. To employ a clichéd description, I don’t know if anything screams “selling out” quite like attending law school. Of course, that’s my personal opinion – but to me, it is the sum of all things “safe,” “expected,” and “what your girlfriend’s parents might like their future son-in-law to do if he isn’t a doctor or a celebrity.”

If not law school, though, what course of action might best suit my talents and interests?

With a background in editorial decision-making and writing, not to mention a decent amount of print and web design experience, I’ve naturally focused on job opportunities within those sectors. But communications agencies are tough to break into and many require that potential full-time entry-level employees fulfill an internship post-graduation. Those internships are frequently unpaid and there is an upfront emphasis on the fact that interns may not – and, in this economy especially, chances are, will not – be hired after the summer months. The idea, of course, is that work-place competition and increased selectivity in turn engenders more successful paid hires in a tightly budgeted and relatively small industry. All of that is well and good, but even for the most confident of applicants, the idea of heading to a new city with no guarantee of long-term growth or a permanent job is a potentially worrisome hurdle to overcome.

Elsewhere in the communications world, truly viable job prospects seem few and far between. There are plenty of interviews to be had, even in this tough economy, but what is missing is an easily accessible pool of entry-level positions tasked with the type of far-ranging creative work in which I have an interest. I might be able to find work as a marketing associate or as a corporate communications assistant, but the degree of responsibility – how multi-faceted an opportunity is – entrusted to me would most likely be lacking if the average job description holds any truth.

The end result is a feeling on my part that accepting a job for the sake of having a job would be, much like law school, settling for something I don’t whole-heartedly want to do. I’m a passionate person, a devoted person, and a hard-working person – but I have to believe in what I’m doing, and I have to feel like whatever I’m working on takes full advantage of all my talents and mental abilities. Perhaps from a pejorative stance that makes me highly selective and/or slightly inflexible. On the other hand, I consider this potential weakness one of my greatest strengths: Whether in good or bad times, I won’t settle for anything less than the best.

That notion of “refusing to settle,” though, brings to mind perhaps my biggest fear about the “real world” and the job market. I’m a firm believer in the pursuit of happiness – in a quest for existential meaning and philosophical understanding. Some might even say that the questions of truth – What makes living worthwhile? How can man better his condition? How does one become a hero if becoming a hero is possible? – tend to dominate my thinking on a wide range of subjects.

And so, now on the verge of entering a consumerist, very non-philosophical world (in which the bottom line reigns supreme and one’s only goal is to fulfill the demands of his job), I am somewhat concerned that any job opportunity will require me to make a personal sacrifice – to X-out or subdue the Nietzsche-loving student, to replace the self-directed author and literary critic with a mechanical businessman removed from higher, more human devotions.

Which is better? Which is more immature – to obsess over truth or to obsess over completing menial tasks?

The answers to those questions are profoundly personal, and everyone has a different opinion to share. That much has been made clear to me while I’ve searched high and low for the elusive perfect opportunity.

As for how I’ll respond to such musings, I have yet to determine what I’ll do next. I’ve come to a cliff – it’s time to jump or run…

Thomas Madrecki is a fourth-year Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia and the former managing editor of The Cavalier Daily newspaper. A true media chameleon, he hopes his extensive writing background and knowledge of various print/web design options makes him the perfect candidate for a career in brand management, communications, journalism, and/or public affairs. On the side, he’s also a former Dexter USBC High School All-American bowler (averaging about 225) and a budding, Nietzsche-adoring philosopher with a keen interest in existentialism and the pursuit of happiness. Make sure you check out his online portfolio!

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Tags: Job Search, law school, lemmings, post-college, Thomas Madrecki
Posted in Job Search, Thomas Madrecki, WhatsNextGenY | 4 Comments »

The Rules of Recruiters… and Why Commitment Matters to Them as Much as it Does the Guy You're Dating

March 29th, 2010 :: Robin Ferrier

by Allison Kapner

So rather than go in a boring step-by-step order and continuing with Step 2, I’m going to share a bit about working with recruiters… which, in the dating world, translates into dating guys that are just out for one thing.

For those of you who don’t understand the face of recruiting, times have changed. Employers used to hire recruiters for all levels and all functions. During the recession, companies began realizing how much they were spending on agency fees and started creating strategies around working with recruiters.

Internal HR staff are now trained to make cold calls and use social media to reach out for certain positions. So, for example, analyst roles most likely will not go through recruiters because of the number of applicants who apply on their own. Ask yourself, why would a company pay a VERY hefty fee for me when I can apply directly and not go through a third party?

So while recruiters who are experts in their field can be extremely helpful and add value, if you’re young and inexperienced, I wouldn’t count on a recruiter landing you your first job.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/randysonofrobert/ / CC BY 2.0

Recruiters – of the internal and external sort – can be your best friend or worst enemy. They can act as the gatekeepers to your dream employer, or can be the reason you don’t get your dream job. The genuine ones (such as me in my past life) care about you and put your needs first even if it means missing a deal. They do this because they know and respect good karma. The ruthless recruiters are only focused on you as a dollar sign. Recruiters, by nature, stay on top of their star candidates, the people who can actually interview successfully for the roles they are looking to fill. They woo you, keep you on their good side and walk you through the interview process. The second you mess up or the client decides to “pass,” you are back to the starting line until another job comes along that you’re the PERFECT person for.

The funny thing is, the worst thing you can do to a recruiter is work with other recruiters. They’ll say whatever it takes to keep you from others because they don’t make money if someone else places you…which leads me to a dating story and point that recruiters and men (sorry guys!) can in fact consciously or subconsciously share the same mentality.

I once met a guy – we’ll call him Aaron – who has an intense personality and acts as someone who is driven and motivated. For the first few weeks of knowing each other, he contacted me. I didn’t think much of it and didn’t respond much. In fact, he was upset that I wouldn’t friend him on Facebook. I was impartial. (Similar to how most candidates are in a good market when approached by a recruiter.) He persisted and we went out to a three-hour first date dinner. It was great. He wanted to know all about me (1st interview or “screening” per a recruiter) and I “passed” round one. He suggested going to get ice cream a few days later, and after going to four places and striking out four times trying to get ice cream, Aaron finally figured out a way to find us ice cream. I was impressed, he was creative and innovative. (Similar to a recruiter getting you a first round interview, if you’re a strong candidate, they’ll do whatever it takes.) This continued and things were going well. A few weeks into it, I decided it was time for me to finally give in and be nice and after him asking many times for a housewarming gift (weird, yes), I brought over cookie dough as a housewarming gift.

Stop the presses!! From then on, every time I received a text or spoke to him, the question was “how many guys do you bring cookies to?” Well, he obviously couldn’t handle the idea of me dating other people and he freaked himself out (later apologizing, then falling off the face of the earth). In his apology, he admitted he freaked himself out because he wasn’t ready for someone who would expect something out of him but he was too insecure to have me date others.

Moral of the story: If you can’t make a recruiter a quick buck or be a quickie to a shady guy, you’ll get dropped – and fast – which is probably for the better.

Second moral: Keep your options open until a recruiter asks you to only work with them (or until a guy asks you for a commitment). Don’t give either the satisfaction of being your one and only unless they prove themselves worthy.

Allison Kapner is a Relationship Manager in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School where she is responsible for building partnerships with employers to ultimately create job and internship opportunities for students and alumni. She also advises and coaches students on job search techniques and brings a unique corporate expertise to assist candidates, as her past experience was as an Executive Recruiter in financial services in New York City.

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Tags: Allison Kapner, job hunt, Job Search, Recruiters, recruiting
Posted in Allison Kapner, Dating, Job Search, Recruiters, WhatsNextGenY | No Comments »

How are dating and searching for a job the same? Pt 2

March 22nd, 2010 :: Robin Ferrier

by Allison Kapner

… Continued from my last blog post.

Step 1: Finding the date, finding the Job….What’s the Difference? NOTHING!

My last blog examined some of the different media outlets for job and mate searching. We continue that discussion below with other sourcing techniques used.

Networking

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hikingartist/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Your Personal Networks
The best way to land a job (or a man or woman) is through friends, colleagues, family and people you know. Network, network, network. If you’re looking for a job, tell people you know and trust. (The trust part is important if you already have a job and don’t want your employer to know you’re looking.) Likewise, if you’re single, make it known you’re open to dating. Don’t act desperate, but realize that you never know who people know or what other circles they run in.

If you do make a connection – job or personal – through your network, manage the process wisely: Make sure that you remove the person who set you up. You don’t want it to be awkward for the middle-man if things don’t work out. I’ve gone out with many friends of friends, colleagues of friends, etc. and I’ve never ruined a friendship. The same goes for job searching. If your uncle sets you up with a company that you end up not liking, remain professional and leave things on a positive note.

And if you’re the connector: Make the intro and then REMOVE yourself. Otherwise it will backfire. I guarantee it.

Happy Hour and the “scene”
More often than not, when you go to happy hour you will meet like-people that can help you for dating and job hunting. (It’s foolish to approach a happy hour – and happy hour – as merely a social situation.) Take advantage of this. Again, you never know who someone’s network is. Plus, many bars have specials, so it can be easy on your wallet. How can you use this to your advantage in your job search? Find out where the company you want to work for is located. Chances are the neighborhood bar is their after work spot. Make it yours as well.

The more obvious happy hour – job search connection are the myriad of professional networking events (as well as social meet ups and groups) that happen every day. Take advantage of people looking for the same things as you!

When you’re starting to feel down, you MUST remember for both, it’s all about…

….Timing
When all else fails, just remind yourself, it’s all about timing. Being in the right place at the right time when the other person/people are in the right place at the right time can and will change your life both personally and professionally.

…Believing
The second you feel defeated in your job search (or dating), you’re not setting yourself up for the next best thing. Keeping the optimism and faith that it will work out will be your strength when it seems that you’ll never get the call for the interview… or find that perfect mate. You must believe they will both come (see timing).

…Smiling
A smile says a gazillion words and can be all it takes to secure your next move.

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Tags: Allison Kapner, job hunt, Job Search
Posted in Allison Kapner, Dating, Job Search, WhatsNextGenY | No Comments »

You Have Questions… We Have Answers!

March 17th, 2010 :: Robin Ferrier

by Robin Ferrier

http://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/ / CC BY 2.0

I’ve said it before — in my “welcome” post and on our “about us” page — but I think it bears repeating: This blog is about you.

Why is this important? Because sure, we’re all experts at some level and can write about what we think you need to know. But you’re the ones out there every day living in this world of job searching, interviewing, etc.

So I want to encourage you to send us your questions. What do you want to know about this process? An etiquette question? Resume troubles? Cover letter confusion? No question too small!

So let us know. Email me your question and the appropriate blogger — or bloggers — will post your question (without your name) and a response. I promise!

Robin Ferrier is the editor of What’s Next, Gen Y? and Communications Manager for the Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus. She is also the President of the Capital Communicators Group and the co-chair of the Marketing Committee for the Tech Council of Maryland. She has inadvertently become a frequent career / professional / job hunt resource for friends and colleagues due to a career path that has included five jobs in 12 years.

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Tags: Cover Letters, job hunt, Job Search, networking, questions, Resumes, Robin Ferrier
Posted in Cover Letters, Interviewing, Job Search, Networking, Personal Brand, Recruiters, Resumes, Robin Ferrier, WhatsNextGenY | No Comments »

How are dating and searching for a job the same?

March 15th, 2010 :: Robin Ferrier

by Allison Kapner

Let’s examine Step 1: Sourcing your date or job lead through the internet.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/ / CC BY 2.0

Step 1: Finding the date, finding the Job….What’s the Difference? NOTHING!

So how do you go about finding a new job and a new mate? This post could really go on for days. In fact, I could probably do a PhD on the topic, but I’m trying to keep this fairly concise.

Back in the day you would pick up the newspaper every day, circle the classified ads that looked appealing, fax in your resume and hope for the best. (Believe it or not, in 2004, I actually got my first job this way!) Nowadays there are endless job search engines, job boards, recruiting agencies and other ways to find jobs using the internet. Talk about information overload!

Back in the day, parents set up arranged marriages, or maybe you and the neighbor across the street were stuck with each other because there were so few options for meeting new people. Dating wasn’t socially accepted the way it is today. Nowadays, there singles events, meet-ups, speed dating, online dating… and the world of online dating is segmented out for every type of person: fitness singles, eHarmony, Jdate, etc. The list goes on and one. Seeing a theme? Information overload!

The Internet: Broken out by effort level, where do you look?

Least amount of work – job search: The most common sites are obviously Monster, Yahoo! HotJobs, CareerBuilder, etc. You scroll, search around and stalk these boards and assume every single job that’s available in life will be posted there. (Hint: They’re not.) LinkedIn has become an obvious tool, and over the past few years, LinkedIn has really grown and been a huge asset when used correctly. Twitter and Facebook are now jumping on the job search bandwagon. My point? The jobs that are blasted to the public result in thousands of applicants for each job, and for some reason people apply to jobs no matter whether they meet the qualifications or not.

Least amount of work – dating: Post on Match.com. I used Match.com once in my life while in NY. The result? People of all shapes and sizes banging down my door. Why? Because it’s easy. You post a quick profile and picture and that’s that. People can contact you as long as you pay and you don’t have to do much work other than throw up a profile.

Large amount of work and focus – job search: If you are really focused – and truly want to be successful – you will go to specific companies’ websites, register (if needed), and stalk properly until they post your dream job, then wait for days, weeks, sometimes months until you watch the job disappear or you get that magical call. You’ll be targeted and strategic and put a lot of work and research into finding the “right” companies.

Large amount of work and focus – dating: Sign up for eHarmony or other sites that make you actually do work. I’ve used it, and wow do they put you through the ringer. If you think someone is attractive, chances are they are too “shy” to use the fast-track way of communicating, which means you go through about a 10-step process just to get to writing emails to each other. But eHarmony is more targeted. They send you matches based on a values profile you fill out. You hope that the system matches people who share similar beliefs and values….and I do have to say the work may be worth it sometimes.

Feeling lucky?
If you are feeling lucky with your job search, check out Craigslist. I’ve randomly heard people that have had found a great job posted there. (It is free after all, a lot of smaller companies tend to use it as a tool.) But watch out for sleazy sales jobs. They try to hit the masses with them. One small piece of advice: I’ve know someone who has tried to date through Craigslist. You probably won’t have the same good luck. I recommend staying away from the single classifieds.

To be continued…

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Tags: Allison Kapner, job hunt, Job Search
Posted in Allison Kapner, Dating, Job Search, WhatsNextGenY | 1 Comment »

Finding the Perfect, Perhaps Unlisted, Top Secret, No One Knows About It Job

March 11th, 2010 :: Robin Ferrier

by Robin Ferrier

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bixentro/ / CC BY 2.0

So if you’ve done any reading on how to undertake a job search you’ve probably heard some variation of the following sentiments:

There are a lot of jobs out there that just aren’t listed.
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
The most important thing in a job hunt is network, network, network.

Maybe you’re thinking those are all crazy sentiments. Or maybe you’re unsure how to feel about them. Need proof of this sentiment? A story from a colleague, with the names redacted to protect the innocent:

“So two days ago I was called to provide a reference for a previous intern of mine for her new job at [COMPANY]. The recruiter was very nice, super friendly etc.

“Out of the blue she said ‘I wish you were looking for a job’ and of course I said, ‘Actually I am.’

“Now I have a job interview this morning with the recruiter for [JOB TITLE] at [DIFFERENT COMPANY]!!!!”

Sure, in this case, it was a higher level position, but that doesn’t mean this same theory won’t work for you. (Heck, I got my first interview merely because the person selecting who to interview went to the same school and knew about certain activities in which I’d been involved and what kind of time commitment they’d been on top of my school work.)

My point? While searching for a job, EVERY SINGLE INTERACTION is an opportunity to connect with (and hopefully impress) someone, to discover the perfect (up until now unknown) job opportunity, to get your foot in the door… and you have to approach it as such. Because if you’re searching for a job – just like if you’re a PR person dealing with the media – everything is on the record, no matter what you say.

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Tags: job hunt, Job Search, networking
Posted in Job Search, Networking, Robin Ferrier, WhatsNextGenY | No Comments »

The Importance of Adaptation and Survival in the Job Search Jungle

March 9th, 2010 :: Robin Ferrier

by Thomas Madrecki
A caveat: I am a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia with a good grade point average (3.79/4.0) and a solid background in journalism and communications, and I have yet to secure full-time employment. That being said, I still believe in the following recommendations…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/icelight/ / CC BY 2.0

There’s no question that we live in an ever-changing digital and Internet-driven environment, an environment that affects every aspect of our lives, including the job search process. And with so many mediums and so many options out there, it’s more important than ever that we learn how to stand out from the crowd and how to efficiently and effectively communicate our professional proficiencies across a wide media stratum – not only because it will make us stand out, but because it showcases skills that companies are looking for in the hiring process. In an odd – if convoluted – way, selling yourself successfully means selling to recruiters the idea that you can sell … anything.

The first step? There are several very easy and readily available ways to boost your resume and its appearance. A little bit of effort will go a long way toward impressing future employers and making your application stand out amid a sea of less marketable candidates.

The first of these suggested technical skills is a familiarity with the Adobe creative suite. And I’m not suggesting this just as a skill set for someone looking to enter the communications/design arena. I see no reason why any job-seeker wouldn’t stand to profit from even the slightest InDesign and Photoshop experience.

For starters, any product crafted in Adobe software looks and feels light years ahead of anything composed in Microsoft Office. Every employer receives hundreds of applications that originated as 8.5 x 11 documents in standardized, size-12, Times New Roman font. Maybe, if they’re lucky, some bold soul is creative or design-oriented enough to fashion his resume in Helvetica instead. Far better, though, to use InDesign in composing your resume and sample materials, as the number of advantages vastly exceeds any initial drawbacks in terms of a learning curve. If you’ve got an eye for print design – just an understanding of what works and what doesn’t – you’ll be able to reap numerous benefits:

A “cleaner,” more sophisticated look.
A quicker and easier ability to convert documents into secure .pdf format.
Generally speaking, more space to include outstanding achievements and career experiences as a result of straightforward, customizable line kerning/leading and font selection/sizing.
Another great technical skill on the bottom of your application.

As a final note, be careful not to “go crazy” with your resume. I shouldn’t have to say this, but tailor the look of your resume to the impression you wish to convey to employers. Maybe a serif font with dozens of bold, dramatic flourishes speaks to your inner poet, but it’s probably unwise if one is seeking employment as a financial adviser (though I’d have to inquire why any poet would stoop to such mundane, middle-class work). Similarly, though, I personally love groundbreaking graphic design and all things “modern” and “clean.” Precisely because I’m not seeking employment as a graphic artist, my own resume reflects a more traditional, perhaps refined, taste. After careful consideration, I attempted to utilize a standard layout with relatively easy-to-read boxes and a few eye-catching design tweaks (the Trajan font header, for example, as cliché and overdone as Trajan tends to be). The result is something that is slightly more text heavy than I would ideally like, but provides an adequate representation of who I am.

Providing that link brings me to the second technical skill recommendation – WordPress web site design as a way to showcase your work portfolio online. Initially a blogging platform, WordPress has been molded into a viable content management system with the help of an open-source (and mostly free) design community. An entire instruction manual could be devoted to conveying how to best utilize WordPress, but the bare bones are these:

You have two options – WordPress.com and WordPress.org. The first is a free-to-host service with more limited design and URL options, while the latter is a fully customizable option used in conjunction with a paid hosting service and URL. The best option is up to you, but my personal route of choice was first to explore the system using WordPress.com and then transfer over to my own domain.
WordPress uses customizable “themes.” There are dozens of blogs and sites devoted to the latest WordPress designs, so common sense would dictate that you research as much as possible before starting your new site.
Get your hands dirty. WordPress is easy to use, but one has to experiment, naturally, before one can get the most out of the system. Looking into the coding framework and going beyond the initial capabilities of various templates is the only way to separate oneself even to a greater degree, so it can’t hurt to tinker.

I apologize upfront for the scarce introduction, but all that really needs to be mentioned is the “wow-factor” possibility. To be perfectly frank, I didn’t know a lick of coding and still barely know my way around PHP and CSS. But with a bit of determination and outside-the-box thinking, I put together a creative portfolio that most college students charting a career in my field of choice (i.e., not web/print design) can’t match. As a side bonus, my experience using WordPress later provided me with several freelance opportunities, the most important of which was the chance to redesign an internationally distributed magazine’s web site.

So, what’s the takeaway? There are plenty of ways to distinguish your application during the hiring process. I haven’t found the right job yet, but I can’t imagine being in today’s job market and not being armed with the technological survival and adaptation mechanisms highlighted above. After all, it’s a jungle out there.

Thomas Madrecki is a fourth-year Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia and the former managing editor of The Cavalier Daily newspaper. A true media chameleon, he hopes his extensive writing background and knowledge of various print/web design options makes him the perfect candidate for a career in brand management, communications, journalism, and/or public affairs. On the side, he’s also a former Dexter USBC High School All-American bowler (averaging about 225) and a budding, Nietzsche-adoring philosopher with a keen interest in existentialism and the pursuit of happiness.

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Tags: Job Search, Skillset, Thomas Madrecki
Posted in Job Search, Thomas Madrecki, WhatsNextGenY | No Comments »

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Posts Tagged ‘Job Search’

A Reality Check for Soon-to-be-Grads

The Tug of Truth

The Rules of Recruiters… and Why Commitment Matters to Them as Much as it Does the Guy You're Dating

How are dating and searching for a job the same? Pt 2

You Have Questions… We Have Answers!

How are dating and searching for a job the same?

Finding the Perfect, Perhaps Unlisted, Top Secret, No One Knows About It Job

The Importance of Adaptation and Survival in the Job Search Jungle