Job Hunting Tips For Recent College Grads In A Challenging Market

iStock | Rattankun Thongbun

History repeats itself. College grads who are facing a daunting job market are not alone. A tough job market has a million publicists. Focus on the task at hand and tune out the noise. The noise is not there to help you. With that said, the data is in and it’s not great. It’s not terrible, but it’s not great.

The percentage of hires who are recent graduates is down. That is a fact that The New York Times, NBC News, and Axios made official in recent pieces. Regardless of whatever you’ve done during your student days, you’re navigating the real-world job minefield for the first time. It’s proving impersonal and unforgiving and it’s causing ever-increasing levels of stress. The last thing you need to do is read data-heavy articles from the I-Still-Do-Not-Have-A-Job-A-Sphere to confirm what you already know. You need a job and nobody is going to knock on your door and hand one to you. You have to get out there and claim it.

Here are five tips for recent grads to decompress and get out there and claim it:

1.     Enjoy it. You are young. You have your whole life in front of you and minimum responsibilities. There are legions of people who would trade places with you in a heartbeat no matter how unemployed you think you are. Get your face out of your phone, look at your actual surroundings, and enjoy it. You will only be young once but you’ll probably be unemployed a bunch of times. It’s a normal part of the process. Of course, it’s hard. You’re asking strangers to legally agree to give you a bunch of money after they’ve met you a couple of times. That’s crazy when you think about it. So calm down, relax. Your first job is out there waiting for you to find it, so meanwhile, enjoy life.

2.     Be flexible. There are jobs to pay the bills and there are career jobs. You may need a couple of the pay-the-bills jobs while you land your first career job. If you have the circumstances, resources, and good fortune to be patient and picky, then, by all means, hold out for that first dream job. If you need money now, and the only way you’re going to have it is to get a job, then suck it up, take one of those jobs, and double your efforts to get the job you want. Think of it like the oxygen masks that allegedly fall from the ceiling in an airplane if it loses oxygen. You’re instructed to put the mask on yourself before you administer help to others. The short-term, pay-your-bills job is like the first mask. You need that oxygen to help the person next to you, who, in this analogy, is also you, get the “real” job.

3.     Be flexible, Part 2. There’s the ideal career job and there’s the other ones. If you’re facing a constrained market, you may not get everything you want. Your desires may not match up with employer offers. That’s when negotiating begins and whoever has the leverage will dictate terms. Recent graduates have declining leverage right now. That hybrid schedule? Maybe not quite yet. Relocation allowance? Don’t dismiss it entirely, but don’t count on it either. When employers don’t need compromise and perks to attract new talent, they’re uncompromising and stingy. There is nothing you can do about it except play the hand you’re given. By all means, ask for everything and the moon in a glass box you can carry around in your pocket. Just don’t expect to get all of it. Or any of it, maybe.

4.     Be the islands in the stream. This is a toughie. You may not believe it because there is a vast digital void between you and the people hiring, but they empathize with you. They want to help you because everybody has been in your predicament (and more times than you). You have to believe that and you should because it’s true. That’s the first step towards developing the diligence and patience you need to effectively conduct a difficult job search. Somebody on the other side is looking for you just as hard as you are looking for them. Eventually, you will find each other. Trust the process and accept you’re not in control. Events will unfold as they are meant to. And proofread your resume again.

5.     Do the work. You think updating your resume and writing a LinkedIn profile is work. Wait until you get a job! Consider the extra effort required to get your first job in a challenging and unpredictable job market to be on-the-job training for every job you will ever do. This stuff gets harder, not easier. When your first deadline is hurtling towards you like an intercontinental ballistic missile, you will pine for the days when you anguished over your LinkedIn headline. Finding a job is a job, and when you do a good job, you end up with a new job! Keep things in perspective. Focus.

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 Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Kickstarting Your Career: Why You Should Prepare Your First Resume Sooner Than You Think

iStock | Traimak_Ivan

Many people know early in life which direction they want their career to go, but it’s the rare soul that turns that knowledge into a professional resume. Even the most career-oriented student most likely doesn’t have a resume to use in applying for a college internship or, even more common, they procrastinate until they’re deep into their final semester before graduation (I admit nothing…). The arguments use to be that, typically, a resume wasn’t absolutely necessary until you were interviewing for your first post-graduation, full-time, professional job. That is no longer the case.

Some colleges now ask for resumes as part of their enrollment applications. Applying for any job or internship, whether during high school or college, has become more laborious, AI-driven, and in-depth. Basic information on a generic application is a thing of the past. Employers want to see resumes, LinkedIn profiles, job board profiles, social media accounts, and the details of any accomplishments that may differentiate you from another candidate.

When is it too early in your career to develop a resume? First off, dispel with the idea that developing a resume is a finite process that’s only necessary when you’re actively searching for a new job. A resume is a fluid living document that should be updated on a regular basis, and, second, you must be proactive in documenting your achievements in real time, ideally with measurable results as appropriate.

The earlier you start to develop a resume, the easier it is to modify and build into a professional document as you advance through the stages of your education and work life. You are the sole author of your story – and you must provide the details that give your story credence and authenticity.

Developing a resume in this way requires an advanced level of diligence whether you’re a high school student applying to a college or a senior executive at the top of your field. It’s a career-long engagement. Here are five things to consider if you recognize the future-thinking long-term benefits of resume development at an early age:

·      It is never too early to start developing a resume. Even if you’re a high school student who’s just completed your first summer job, the exercise of creating a basic resume with your one job on it means you’re ahead of the game and when the time comes when you need a resume it will be easier to update.

·      Document your achievements. This is probably the hardest thing to do. First, you have to remember to do it, and, second, you have to remember to do it. If you are disciplined enough, the best course is to keep a running journal of what you do in any given position. The more salient details the better.

·      Get the metrics. Now that you’ve remembered to document your latest work accomplishment, the best thing you can do to bolster your position is to include metrics. This can be tricky if you don’t have access to the kind of data that may help you. If necessary, request the data from the appropriate person as soon as possible. This is another important area where incremental changes to your resume is the best methodology. If you wait until you need a resume (e.g., termination, dream-job opportunity, moving to a city, etc.), willingness to share sensitive internal data, such as sales figures, may be non-existent.

·      There’s nothing like a good job appraisal. Many jobs – even part time roles or internships – have periodic performance appraisals designed to guide you to a higher level in your career. While many people hate writing self-assessments and appraisals are certain to include constructive criticism, the final documented appraisal can be a treasure trove of information you can mine for your resume. Take an appraisal process seriously and use it as way to get as much information as you can about the work you’ve done and its impact.

·      The fact you even have a resume at an early age is a great first impression. If you develop a resume long before you may even need one, it’s easier to update, it’s a stronger more impactful document, and instantly creates the perception you are an ambitious, career-oriented individual who takes their future vocation seriously. It will make a positive impression on savvy recruiters and hiring managers.

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 Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Attack Of The Robots! How To Prepare For The AI Job Interview

iStock | Intpro

You may have seen recent headlines about Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven apps like ChatGBT or Chinchilla. Or maybe you're familiar with AI image generators like DALL-E2. AI is an exciting, scary, and imperfect game changer -- and it’s changing how people get jobs.

The machines seem to be taking over. You may have noticed that the number of digital walls (obstacles) during the job search process has quietly increased. Pre-interview assessments and automated phone screens have joined applicant tracking systems (ATS – employer recruitment software) to put more digital space between you and the recruiter or hiring manager. 

And now, AI is moving out of the shadows and onto the main stage. If you’re scared that you’re going to be interviewed by robots, then you’re not going like this next statement:

Prepare to be interviewed by robots.

AI-driven video interviewing has arrived and it’s inevitable that you will soon be one of its victims. Just like there is an ATS between your resume and a person, AI is now between you and a person. You’ve been demoted from person to inanimate object. Just like you must craft a resume to get through the ATS, you must learn how to get through a HireVue interview.

HireVue is a “talent experience platform.” You are the “talent.” The “experience” used to be called, “interviewing for a job.”  The “platform” is an AI wall that will interview you.

Think of a Zoom interview; now take away the other person – the course of your professional career will partially be determined by an algorithm. Welcome to the warm and fuzzy world of AI video interviewing, where software will be asking you some predetermined behavioral questions and having you play some logic games, then synthesizing your visual, verbal, and cognitive inputs to provide the recruiter and hiring manager with a recommendation about your efficacy as a job candidate.

You can survive a HireVue interview. Here are some general tips on how to get through AI interviews:

1.     The robot is assessing you. AI algorithms are hidden. Just like guessing what keywords will help your resume, you have no idea what data is being mined, assessed, and prioritized. Regardless of the details, the AI video interview approach is both visual and verbal. You must pay attention to every detail. 

2.     Visuals matter. The way you are dressed. The background. Your body language. While these are important factors during a regular Zoom interview, an AI interview reads visual data the same way an ATS reads a resume’s format. The data is quantified and the result contributes to your “HireVue assessment score,” “average rating,” and “average recommendation,” (Yes, No, Maybe). Stay focused on the camera, make good eye contact, and try to minimize unnecessary body motion. 

3.     Questions will be behavioral. Be prepared to answer behavioral questions like, “Please describe a time you had to change your course of action while working on an assignment,” (HireVue, 2023).  Computers are less forgiving than people, and there is less wiggle room than in a regular interview where charisma and a positive connection can overcome some difficulty. You must be ready to go the moment the light comes on. Remember how you answer a question is just as important as the answer itself.

4.     Be focused and succinct. To follow up on the previous comment, the AI records delivery as well as the content. The content is up to you. As far as the delivery goes, you want to have a smooth natural delivery that requires an extra level of polish that can best be achieved through practice. You don’t know what the questions will be but practice some common ones. You’ll want to minimize the appearance of uncertainty.

5.     You can’t make a machine laugh. There are people out there who are so extroverted and personable that they sail through every job interview and they get offers – qualified or not! They are the ultimate example of “winning it in the room.” HireVue is a filtration system. It’s meant to defer human decision-making to the late rounds of the job interview process. You can still win it in the room but now there is an additional obstacle to clear before you can get into the room. That obstacle is humorless. Save your brilliant charm for people. With AI, keep your answers focused, succinct, and all business.

6.     Make human contact. After your AI “talent experience,” take the opportunity to contact the recruiter and thank them. Your HireVue video interview is an assessment. It’s not a decision. People are still making hiring decisions and you can influence those decisions by acting like the professional you are.

7.     Nurture your professional network. Now more than ever, making a regular practice of nurturing your professional network may be the best thing you can do for your career so that you’ve cultivated an advocate within an employer. Getting around the machines is getting more difficult and it’s not going away. If you can circumvent the digital walls through actual human connections, you’ve already won half the battle.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.