Commentary

Dear Bev, What Career Advice Do You Give Recent Grads?



Turns out a lot of the advice I give isn’t really age-specific. It applies equally to the recent grad or anyone in a job search.

Over the past few months. good friends, clients and relatives have asked me to interview freshly minted college grads. Job search basics are pretty universal.  Following is a snapshot of some of the advice I’ve doled out recently. The stories that follow illustrate why.

  1. Appearance counts -- not only your personal appearance, but also how the material you present looks.
  2. Listen to what you’re saying. Really listen or have someone else listen carefully. It’s easy to unintentionally raise a red flag.
  3. Follow-up makes a difference.
  4. Flattery will work every time.

advertisement

advertisement



The Almost Perfect Ivy Leaguer
He graduated from an Ivy League school with a 3.7 GPA, played varsity football and called me Mam. Pretty great start, except for the Mam part. He was well-dressed, no suit but a nice sport shirt and slacks, had perfect posture and the confidence a background like his suggests.

I asked if he had a copy of his resume with him. That’s when the image dimmed just a bit. Content was fine. Appearance wasn’t.

The resume looked like he had been carrying around in his gym bag too long, corners slightly dog-eared and there was even a smudge. Rookie mistake.  

Criticism gratefully accepted, and we were back on track.  I made a few phone calls and netted him two interviews. He’s been following up with me on his progress via emails. Now he calls me Ms. Weinstein. No doubt he’ll get an offer from my effort or his own determination.

Follow-up + Flattery Earns Big Points
He just graduated from the alma mater of a former client, and the client had been his senior-year mentor. He had been interviewing but not connecting.

It took less than 15 minutes to identify one of his issues. When I asked “What’s one of the things you want to change about yourself or that’s a fault?” His answer: “I’m slightly OCD.” Alarm bells went off, and yes, he had answered the question the same way in interviews. When I asked what he meant, he explained he was a perfectionist. Better description, I said. Lose the OCD.

Next, I looked at his resume for format and content. Both needed work. I asked him about accomplishments in college. He has some good ones, which he added. Format wasn’t bad, but there are better ones. I sent him to some online sites with samples. He did the hard work of revision. It paid off.

Although he sent me a thank you e-mail, I got a call from him about a month later. He wanted to thank me again. He said he was getting more interviews with his new resume and had just accepted an offer. Almost no kids I see ever follow up after the first thank-you email. I was flattered he was that thoughtful and appreciative. I’ll be watching out for him and told him to call me anytime he needed advice.

No Follow-Up - No Points
He had just finished his MBA from an OK school and had an undergrad degree from one of the best creative arts programs. Interesting mix, but he had no idea what he wanted to do. My brother sent this young candidate so I made some real effort.

How about a business development job in media connected to programming? I asked. He didn’t know what business development was -- what’s wrong with grad schools! No worries. I knew some great execs in biz development. I set up some information interviews. He sent an email thanking me, but I never heard from him again.

He didn’t follow up with the people I sent him to either, after his initial e-mail.  I don’t know if he has a job and honestly don’t care. My brother now owes me, and you know what they say about payback!

Next story loading loading..