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.

The Pros and Cons of Applying Internally To Other Jobs at Your Employer

iStock | AndreyPopov

If you're applying for a new job at your current company, being an internal candidate (i.e., a current employee) is your greatest advantage and your greatest disadvantage. On the one hand, everybody already knows you and you have a track record with which everyone is familiar. On the other hand, everybody already knows you and you have a track record. The trick is to reset perceptions and prejudices of you as if you were an unknown external candidate.

Advantages of being an internal candidate:

1.        You know the company and culture. When you walk into your interview, you may know more about the inner workings of the company than the people interviewing you. You speak the language. You know the buzzwords they want to hear and even the company’s long-term plans. You know or can inquire about, facts about the job that only an internal candidate has access to. This gives you a sharp edge over external candidates.

2.        Many companies favor internal candidates. Managing expectations is part of the recruitment process, thus many companies that favor hiring internally may not broadcast that fact. However, many have mechanisms in place to favor internal candidates. Think of it as being graded on a curve. You get points for already being on the payroll. What the rest of your employee file says is up to you.

3.        You have allies inside the company. In more situations than not, whoever is on your side can step up to the plate and bat for you. This behind-the-scenes influence may be more potent than anything else. The stronger and more influential your sponsor, the stronger and more influential the recommendation. 

4.        You can market yourself directly to the stakeholders. You have unprecedented access to everyone involved in the hiring process and can press your case. Don’t be overbearing and bring the receipts. You may remember your impressive achievements but others may not. Be your biggest fan but be respectful of boundaries.

5.        Hiring internally is an easier transition for all. Recruiting and onboarding is time consuming and expensive. If you misfire, you’re back at square one and the liability increases. You can know a lot of things at the end of a recruitment campaign but you’ll never know 100% that it will be the right fit. Some aren’t. The fact that you’re already an employee means less upfront costs and risk. Internal candidates can hit the ground running on the first second of their first day. New employees don’t know where the bathroom is and can’t remember the password to unlock their computer.

Disadvantages of being an internal candidate:

1.        If you don’t get the job, you have to go back to your old job. For many, this is the most anxiety-producing feature of being an internal candidate. In a typical get-a-new-job scenario, you go through a series of interviews, receive an offer, negotiate, agree on terms, and show up on day one. If you don’t get the job, you most likely receive a conciliatory email at best and get ghosted at worst. End of story. If you’re an internal candidate, however, and you don’t get the job (and you don’t quit your current job) then you have to report for work the next day with a smile on your face. Everybody knows you put yourself up for a job and everybody knows you didn’t get it. It’s a challenging and awkward situation.

2.        Haters gonna hate. Even Mother Teresa had detractors. Just like your allies will bat for you, internal opposition may be less than helpful. Hopefully, that’s not the case, but if it is, the forces that rally against you are beyond your control. Don’t get distracted, but know this is a potential part of going after an internal job.  

3.        Everyone already has a strong opinion of you. People have opinions and it takes a lot to change them, including opinions of you. Keep in mind that your role is not to change people’s opinion of you (that would be futile), it is to convince them you are the perfect person for the job. Focus on that.

4.        Don’t have the attitude that the job is yours. Nothing’s a given. That kind of attitude reeks and won’t help you with this cause or your next one. You need to impress people who know you, have a professional history with you, and already have strong opinions of you. There is no reason to believe they don’t take their recruiting responsibilities seriously and that a smug candidate isn’t going far. Exercise some humility.

5.        Your promotion or may not include the big pay increase you are ready to prove you deserve. Compensation may not be as aggressive for internal candidates as external in-demand talent or professionals you are trying to woo away from another company. You may get low-balled and they have the leverage. Good luck.

Other factors to consider:

1.        Don't assume you are the only (or even most qualified) internal candidate. When there are internal candidates for a plum job, many companies will try and keep the process as close to the vest as possible. Even if you have not heard anything definitive, chances are some of your co-workers are going after the job as well. Competing against other internal candidates levels out the advantages you may have over external candidates.

2.        Get your manager onboard with your candidacy. At your employer, your boss may actually be required to sign off on your application as part of the process. Regardless, approach your manager and tell them you want to pursue an internal job opening. If they are on board, that is a great starting point. If they agree to champion you for the position, that’s an even better outcome. If they discourage it, you may want to reconsider after hearing their reasons. There are already disadvantages to being an internal candidate, but if your immediate boss doesn’t recommend you, that’s a very steep uphill climb.

3.        Update your resume & LinkedIn profile. Don't expect HR to have a copy of your resume on file (especially if you've been in your current position for a while) and, even if they do, it is bad form to ask them to use if for your application or to send you a copy. And make sure it’s bleeding-edge current. 

4.        Update your resume & LinkedIn profile as if you are an external candidate. Yes, your co-workers and bosses know everything about you, but you should resist the temptation to approach your application like it is just a formality. It's not. It's a critical tool that will officially be used to advance or end your candidacy. When you add your current position, the section should be written as if you are applying to a different company. Use it as an opportunity to focus the reader on your best accomplishments.

5.        Have a plan for the day after. There are only two possible outcomes. You get the job, or you don't get it. If you got it, you're locked in. Get ready to live up to the promises you made. If you didn't, then it’s back to work with all the trimmings. Regardless of whether or not the new hire is an internal or external candidate, you have to work with them every day in peace and harmony.

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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.

Personal Branding

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The term “brand” is 5,000 years old. It comes from branding cattle to prevent theft but grew to mean a mark of origin and reputation. In the ancient world east to west artisans would use stamps and seals on their creations so everyone would know who made them, so the art of personal branding is a long-running tradition. Notably, the personal brand pre-dates product brands, which first appeared in China circa 1000 CE.

Mass production, as we understand it, was ushered in by the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s and early 1900s and gave rise to brand marketing on a global scale. The historic practice of personal branding was relegated to a secondary and all but invisible role. However, in our digital era of globalization and instant communications, the very thing that buried personal branding has been the catalyst for its rebirth.

The labor matrix has become complex and more difficult to effectively navigate. Personal branding is a creative and effective way to break through and become as memorable as McDonald’s Golden Arches.

Personal Branding – What is it?

According to Harrison Monarth’s article in the Harvard Business Review (02/17/22), “Your personal brand… is intentional. It is how you want people to see you. Whereas reputation is about credibility,  your personal brand is about visibility and the values you outwardly represent.”

Defining and promoting what you stand for as an individual is the culmination of your experiences, skills, and values.

Truths About Personal Branding

1.     Reflect on how you market yourself and your career.

2.     Present the image you cultivate through your actions and communications.

3.     It’s a combination of online and in-person presence.

4.     It helps you define who – and what – you are.

5.     Your brand is subject to change.

The first step to molding those into a brand is to adopt a branding mindset.

Adopt A Branding Mindset (From Arruda &Dixon’s “Career Distinction”)

1.     Stand Out: Stand for Something

2.     Be your boss.

3.     Forget the ladder. Think of it as a ramp.

4.     Think like a brand.

Building a personal brand takes patience, strategy, and setting clear goals for yourself. There is no magic wand. You must develop and perfect it over time, yet learn to communicate it on demand in the present.

Tips for Building Your Brand

1.     Do your best work and act with integrity.

2.     Collaborate cross-functionally.

3.     Document your wins.

4.     Expand your network and impact.

5.     Build influence.

·      Bonus tip: Clean up your social media.

Easy, right? Get that to me by noon! Remember, your personal brand “is how you want people to see you,” but for it to have any integrity you have to follow up your ideal version of yourself with successful action. At some point, you must walk the walk, and that comes with experience. If you want to lead, influence, and achieve, don’t wait for the opportunities, make the opportunities come to you.

Lead, Influence, and Achieve

1.     Ask for new opportunities.

2.     Use facts and data to promote your points.

3.     Bring people along for the journey.

4.     Come up with alternative solutions.

5.     Don’t underestimate your influence.

·      Bonus tip: Find a sponsor/advocate/mentor.

·      Bonus tip #2: Learn what makes others tick.

The most difficult personal brand to cultivate is that of a leader. The visibility of the trials you may face means there is always an equal possibility of reward and disaster. Over time, your achievements must be impressive and well-communicated but if you want to be seen as a leader you can take the steps right now to establish yourself as one.

Establish Yourself as a Leader

1.     Expand your role boundaries - influence is taken, not given.

2.     Inspire consensus.

3.     Nurture your visibility strategically, track and celebrate victories, and own your losses.

4.     Understand how an organization likes to communicate.

5.     Invest in professional development.

·      Bonus tip: Leverage your new experiences to reposition yourself.

·      Bonus tip #2: Think proactively and flexibly in driving career paths.

·      Bonus tip #3: Take your performance review really, really seriously.

To review, you can act in your long-term interests by staying on brand in your words and actions throughout your professional life while also delivering an ideal version of yourself based on your real-world strengths right now. Your personal brand does not exist in a vacuum.

The next step is to market it like your Coca-Cola with a much smaller budget. Much smaller. So small in fact it’s limited to communicating through the standard tools of contemporary professional life – your resume and LinkedIn profile. The glamour!

Your Resume and the Age of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the social media for serious and ambitious working professionals. Owned by Microsoft, it has over a billion users in over 200 countries that speak twenty-six languages and 67 million registered companies. Your resume and your LinkedIn profile are great vehicles for your personal brand, networking potential, and, if the case should arise, a place and tool to find (and land) a new job.

Craft Your Resume and Digital Identity

Take a “public relations” approach to your career reputation management.

·      Know your audience.

o   Potential future employers.

o   Executive recruiters.

o   Industry experts.

o   Fellow students.

o   Your current employer and its employees.

You need a strong resume and LinkedIn profile with a professional presentation. Focusing on LinkedIn, there are simple tricks to maximize its integrity and visibility. This is your game – you control the message but you should be thoughtful about what you include.

1.     Create a complete profile. LinkedIn likes complete profiles for search and credibility.

2.     Use a professional photo.

3.     Headline – 240 characters MAX.

4.     About/Summary – 2,600 characters MAX.

5.     Tell who you are and what you have to offer.

6.     Load it with keywords.

7.     Include a call to action.

8.     Demonstrate your impact via achievements.

9.     Keep your content and tone professional. Don’t get too personal.

10.  LinkedIn has many members but only 3 million users (out of over a billion) post every week. Be a regular content creator to stand out.

·      Bonus tip: Share your news and work.

·      Bonus tip #2: Like, Share, and Comment on other’s posts.

·      Bonus tip #3: Get Recommendations.

·      Bonus tip #4: Stay on brand.

Final thoughts: If you have the resources, the LinkedIn Subscription is worth the price of admission. Do your homework, but there are many benefits. LinkedIn is great for networking and allows ambitious proactive users to build a professional network and nurture existing relationships. Find your people and join their community.

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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.