Black Collegian Career Center

At Norfolk State University, students frequently ask us for career advice as they plan for career success in the new millennium. Our advice focuses on what it takes to gain and maintain a successful career. Students must develop and maintain excellent job search skills to include writing the perfect resume, conducting a winning job interview and career networking.  Selection for an interview requires you to provide an accomplished resume. It must be grammatically correct and reflect the appropriate format and style. We recommend that resumes start with a career objective followed by education and experience. Your education and experience should clearly support the objective.  Winning job interviews are about preparation and performance. To prepare, you must research and learn a great deal about the employer. Nothing impresses a recruiter more than a student who can effectively communicate detailed knowledge of the employer, and how the student would be an asset to that employer. Career networking  is absolutely essential in conducting a successful job search as well as being successful in the career.  It is often said, and surveys support the adage, that most who get a job “knew someone who knew someone,” who had a job to provide.

At Norfolk State, our advice and assistance does not end when the student has conducted a successful job search. To enhance career success, assistance and advice are keyed to what we consider the four A’s of job/career success- the first “A” being ATTENDANCE. Surveys indicate that unsatisfactory attendance is the primary reason that employees are unsuccessful on the job. Attendance is a direct reflection of dependability and employers do not promote or retain undependable employees. The second “A” is APPEARANCE. Students must quickly learn the organizational culture to include appearance and then exceed those standards. The third “A” is ATTITUDE. Students must always display a positive and winning attitude developing a reputation of being solutions- oriented. The fourth “A” is APTITUDE.  That is being able to exceed established performance standards. We advise students to stay abreast of technology trends, enhance interpersonal skills and continuously seek new learning opportunities. All this is critical to positioning oneself for career success in the new millennium.

Benjamin Ellis is the director of Career Services at Norfolk State University.