As you may have noticed lately- I expect to graduate this year- a year earlier than the typical bachelor degree plan. As exciting as that may seem, it’s rather intimidating. My past experiences with the next-step-in-my-life process were simple. I applied to colleges and I got accepted. I had good grades so not only did I get accepted, but they paid me to go to their school. I was blessed to receive such generous scholarships from Northwood.
But the job search process isn’t as easy as all of the other processes I’ve been though before. I apply and I’m the one begging them to bring me on, not the other way around as it always has been for me….
So I’ve had to get a little bit more creative in my job search. For example, I’ve been following some great blog writers, and I’ve subscribed to their blogs. To find some experts in the marketing industry, I’ve followed them on Twitter… Read their newsletters… and stalked them on LinkedIn (that’s what it’s there for right?). I got their names, and contact information and I learned not to hesitate to send them a message. What do I have to loose?
I pick out some things that I enjoy, and keep track of them. After some time, I write them an email, complimenting them and sharing some of my work. I explain that I’m about to graduate this year and ask if they have any advice etc. People like to be complimented on their hard work. It softens them up and they want to help you, because you’re devoted. By showing that you have read examples of their past entries and not just their last two or three, you are showing them that you really are interested. An even bigger plus, is if you actually use their advice in a school project or in your internship. Use that as an example and model it in your portfolio, it’s a win win for both of you!
If they’re within my region, I have learned to ask if I can job shadow at their firm or company. It’s like a free interview, with no pressure. You have nothing to loose because they probably don’t have an opening (if they did, it would be an interview not a job shadow) and you get to spend much more time with them and meet the whole team. You have the chance to win them over and ask questions. In the end, you can stay in touch. Email them every now and then. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Continue interacting with them and don’t hesitate to check back every now and then. If you come across something that reminded you of your time down there, just shoot them an email, let them know you’re thinking about them and that you appreciated their valuable time you spent with them.
These are my basic tactics to getting in contact with the right people. I’ve learned to put up some armor though, because since they’re not out there to be found for job openings, there are going to be a lot of declines in that area- but you never know what it could do for some day in the future when they do need somebody- and that’s what is important!
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