Why Don’t You Just Get a Job?!

Oh, get a job? Just get a job?  Why don’t I strap on my job helmet and squeeze down into a job cannon and fire off into job land where jobs grow on jobbies!” – Charlie Kelly

We’ve all felt like Mr. Kelly at one point or another.  Let’s face it, without the proper training and contacts, the job market can be a very intimidating space.  Here are a few tips to help navigate those choppy waters.

First and foremost you must figure out where the heck you’re going.  The career search can be a difficult journey, but it is a lot simpler when you have a specific destination identified.  You should be able to succinctly articulate your preferred career path.  Contrary to popular belief, a career path goes beyond your major.  If you are majoring in finance, you should have a function identified within finance (Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, Real Estate, etc.) and an industry vertical selected.  Once you have the domain and industry selected, you should research potential employers and career trajectories.  The question, “What type of career are you looking to get into?” should be answered with very specific detail.  Just don't answer that question with the words, “something in business.”  Saying you are looking to find a job in “business” is like saying you are planning to major in “college”.

Pretend that Hiring Managers are stupid and lazy.  They aren’t.  But it is a lot of fun to pretend that they are.  Hiring Managers (and more importantly recruiters) do not have the time in their day to connect the dots from your resume to their posted job description.  When applying, take note of the listed responsibilities and qualifications on the job description.  You should see these traits somewhere on your resume.  You must give the hiring manager enough information on your resume to show that you are a fit for the position.  Make their job easier by making the connection as clear as day.  Do not expect the Hiring Manager to go out of their way to decipher and theorize on the connection from your resume to their need.

In the words of a Hiring Manager that currently recruits with UIC, “I prefer to hire candidates that understand their job is to grow my business and ultimately make my life easier, not create extra work for me."

Be proactive.  Submitting your resume on UICcareers.com is only one step in a long process.  Use your creativity and resources to bring your resume to the top of the review pile.  Utilize Twitter and LinkedIn to network with other employees within the organization.  Once you’ve made introductions, ask for informational interviews.  These interviews will provide insider expertise and properly allow you to frame yourself as the solution that the organization needs in order to achieve their objective.  For more information about setting up informational interviews, please check out some guy’s poorly written blog about networking.