{"222711":{"#nid":"222711","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Summer Spotlight: Prepare for Your Job Search","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn August, many upperclassmen will return to campus with two main goals: graduating and finding a full-time job. If this sounds like you, gear up for your job search with these thoughts in mind:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E1. Decide what you want.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReflect on your recent work and academic experiences and ask yourself if you want to do similar tasks in a full-time job. Consider what you liked and disliked about past experiences. Then, turn your list of likes and dislikes into job specifications and focus your search on jobs that most closely fulfill those requirements. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/career.gatech.edu\/plugins\/content\/index.php?id=94\u0022\u003ECareer Counseling from Career Services\u003C\/a\u003E and advice from \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/money.usnews.com\/money\/blogs\/outside-voices-careers\/2010\/12\/06\/how-to-choose-a-career-thats-best-for-you\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EU.S. News\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E can help you decide what career is best for you.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2. Do your research.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPotential employers want to know what interests you about working with them, and you want to ensure the company will be a good fit for you. If you\u2019re targeting specific companies, arrange informational interviews with employees in positions that interest you to find out exactly what they do on a regular basis and what their career paths look like. You can master the informational interview with advice from the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/shiftingcareers.blogs.nytimes.com\/2008\/01\/29\/mastering-the-informational-interview\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/8301-505125_162-47540580\/the-informational-interview-7-easy-steps-to-success\/\u0022\u003ECBS News\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis will help you paint an accurate picture of the jobs you do and do not want to apply for and understand terms often found in industry-specific job descriptions. If you don\u2019t know where to start, ask friends and family in similar positions how they got to where they are and what they looked for when applying for jobs. If they can\u2019t answer your questions, they may be able to connect you to others who can.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E3. Define your strategy.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDepending on your goals, your job search may look different from that of your peers. Consider these questions to help set up a strategy that works for you:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAre you going to cast a wide net and apply to several different companies, or only target a few niche positions?\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAre you going to visit a career fair, or focus on information sessions and online applications?\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStrategies that are consistent with your goals and effective in your specific industry will help you stay on track. Don\u2019t be afraid to get creative. Five students told \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/finance\/personal-finance\/5-innovative-job-search-strategies-1.aspx\u0022\u003EBankrate\u003C\/a\u003E about how they tried something different to find what they were looking for.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E4. Start practicing.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPractice, practice, practice\u201d can apply to your job search as well as it does to thermodynamics or speaking a second language. During your job search, you\u2019re going to have to do things that you probably haven\u2019t done before.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELearn what your recruitment process is going to entail, such as the skills you will be expected to demonstrate and challenges you will likely face, and practice them until you can do what you have to do flawlessly. Attend mock interview sessions and practice case interviews with recruiters to see how you\u2019re doing, or ask a few people you trust to be honest with you to evaluate your performance during simulated interview conditions. Faculty and staff can be an excellent source of feedback, especially if your applications have writing requirements. Career Services also has \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/career.gatech.edu\/plugins\/content\/index.php?id=55\u0022\u003Einterviewing tips\u003C\/a\u003E on their website to help you prepare.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E5. Tell a compelling story.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen it\u2019s time to start interfacing with potential employers, your unique story will be what sets you apart from other job candidates \u2014 if you tell it well. Recruiters value detail and efficiency, so it is essential that you have a personal positioning statement and resume that demonstrate your core competencies and make employers want to get to know you.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=e3L7l3toZ2g\u0022\u003ESmartSelling offers tips on forming this kind of statement.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother effective way to tell your story is through a tailored resume. You likely shouldn\u2019t submit the same resume to two different companies unless their posted job descriptions are identical. Instead, use your resume to highlight what elements of your experience match up to the job description. As important as it is for you to find a job that fits your needs, recruiters are looking for candidates who fulfill their needs and fit their organizations as well. Your resume should tell them specifically how you will satisfy their wants and needs, not how you could potentially fulfill their requirements.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStay tuned: \u003C\/strong\u003EIn the last installment of our Summer Spotlight series, we\u2019ll discuss landing a co-op or an internship.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGear up for your fall job search with these thoughts in mind.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Gear up for your fall job search with these thoughts in mind."}],"uid":"27841","created_gmt":"2013-07-12 11:34:12","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:34","author":"Lauren Spikes","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-07-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-07-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"223541":{"id":"223541","type":"image","title":"The GT Career Fair","body":null,"created":"1449243535","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:38:55","changed":"1475894894","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:14","alt":"The GT Career Fair","file":{"fid":"197358","name":"09c2003-p35-053.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/09c2003-p35-053_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/09c2003-p35-053_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5387352,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/09c2003-p35-053_0.jpg?itok=vymK6_7S"}},"223551":{"id":"223551","type":"image","title":"Student Listens to Recruiter","body":null,"created":"1449243535","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:38:55","changed":"1475894894","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:14","alt":"Student Listens to Recruiter","file":{"fid":"197359","name":"0723218-p1-012.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/0723218-p1-012_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/0723218-p1-012_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":862616,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/0723218-p1-012_0.jpg?itok=u1N7PeJe"}}},"media_ids":["223541","223551"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.career.gatech.edu\/plugins\/content\/index.php?id=55","title":"Job Search Advice from GT Career Services"},{"url":"http:\/\/money.usnews.com\/money\/blogs\/outside-voices-careers\/2013\/05\/06\/10-key-job-search-tips-for-new-graduates","title":"Job Search Advice from U.S. News"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.careerbuilder.com\/JobSeeker\/CareerBytes\/Articles.aspx","title":"Job Search Advice from Career Builder"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/news\/job-search-advice","title":"Job Search Advice from The Huffington Post"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"9016","name":"Career Advice"},{"id":"6957","name":"Job Search"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:stucomm@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ELauren Spikes\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["stucomm@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}