Congratulations, it’s your senior year, you have beat all the odds, silenced your critics, and even walked on water (at least it felt that way at times) to make it to this exciting milestone in your life. But before you declare “mission accomplished” remember you still have some unfinished business.  Some of you unfortunately have been so busy “walking on water” over the years that you somehow neglected to make the time to explore your future career options after graduation. The fact is, minus any serious case of senior fever this year you will be graduating from college in the spring. The question is what kind of future will you be graduating into? Will you be graduating into an exciting future and job opportunity with a top employer, or will you be graduating into an complicated post-graduation job market and facing a summer of unemployment, frustration, and competing with millions of other recent graduates for what some may call “McJobs”? The choice is yours. But fear not, this article will provide you with some exciting Power Moves that will fuel your senior year job search and help you step across your graduation stage this spring with an excellent job opportunity in your hand. 

Myths That Can Paralyze Your Job Search 

Before we review our power moves, let’s take a moment to silence a few myths, urban legends, and outright lies that can paralyzed and even kill the professional dreams of many students. Students that believe these myths have the potential to make misinformed decisions, lower their expectations, and unknowingly cut themselves off from the people and resources in place on campus to assist them in accomplishing their career goals.

 Myth # 1: Campus recruitment programs are only for business and technology majors.  

This popular myth is a dream buster for many college students, particularly many students with liberal arts majors. This myth is extended to include career fairs, on-campus recruitment programs, employer information sessions and career development workshops. Although it is true that business and technology majors are heavily recruited on campus, the exciting news is that there is a wealth of career opportunities and programs in place at your career center and usually campus-wide to assist most students in liberal arts and other academic majors in preparing today’s job market. If you are a student that has developed strong leadership and communication skills, excelled academically and has acquired work experience through internships and other part-time work experiences, odds are that there is an excellent employer and career opportunity on campus waiting for you. Schedule time to see a career center professional and review the many job opportunities and resource options available to you on your campus.

Myth # 2:  “C” Students Need Not Apply!  

This myth can be a dark cloud over the heads of many students that for whatever reason didn’t excel in the classroom. As some of you know a “C” Grade Point Average (GPA) can happen to the “just and the unjust,” but it is still not a reason to give up your dream of working for a top employer. Although a low GPA can make your job search process more challenging, a strong marketing strategy and presentation that highlights your successes and effectively matches your relevant capabilities with the needs of employers can convince many employers to “give you a second look” and consider you as a potential candidate. Even if you do not qualify for some positions advertised, your effective presentation of your skills may open the door for other excellent opportunities that can still position you for future success.

Shying away from employers because of your grades will only perpetuate the problem, so face it head on, and take advantage of the time and commitment of many employers who may be alumni or longtime partners of the college and have a vested personal interest in assisting and motivating students.  Lastly, remain positive, look to the future, and remember that many the world’s top professionals and leaders were also “C” students… not to mention many of the recruiters that you will be meeting throughout the year!

Myth # 3: Looking for a job is frustrating experience  

Believe it or not, job hunting can be an exciting experience. The process of looking for a job will require a great deal of interaction with many talented and dynamic professionals.  While engaging in the job search process you will also grow as a professional as you learn a great deal about diverse organizations that are national and global leaders in their industries. Some of you may also have the opportunity to travel to different regions of the country for interviews, conferences, and exciting professional development programs. Looking for a job can also be an excellent exercise in self-reflection, clarification of your life goals, and learning to positively frame and revisit many of your greatest past accomplishments while envisioning and moving towards a bright future. So get started in this exciting process, stop procrastinating, you may be pleasantly surprised with your journey into the world of work.   

7 Job Search Power Moves for the Class of 2006

Warning. The power moves you are about to review are for mature audiences only. Please do not try these power moves on your own if you are not committed to achievement, excellence, and making a significant impact on the national or global job market!

Power Move #1:  Be a Power Broker of Your Time!

The most valuable commodity you possess as a student is your time. If you waste it, invest it poorly, loose it, or let others steal it, you will significantly impact your ability to maximize current and future career opportunities available to you. Without question, students who manage their time effectively manage to fully engage opportunities to network with influential people, access critical professional information, and connect with valuable resources that give them a competitive edge in their job search efforts.    

Time management strategies to help manage your job search

• Put first things first. Remind yourself there is always enough time for important things.
• Tame your schedule with the power of NO! The ability to say no is one of the most powerful time management techniques a young professional can apply. Learning to say no will give you more command of your time, and free you from weighty demands of others who are not necessarily considering your best interest.
• Invest in tools that will assist you in effectively managing your time such as a quality PDA, scheduling software, or pocket calendar.  
• Plan your day each morning with a list of things to do.
• Commit to a regular time to specifically focus on career development activities such as researching employers, meeting with a career development professional, or conducting information interviews with employers of interest.
• Establish a timeline for completion of major career development and job search tasks such as writing your resume, attending career development workshops, and establishing employer interviews. 
• When you catch yourself procrastinating, ask yourself, "Why, and how is this going to help my cause?”
• Identify the dates and times of critical career and professional development events for the year.      

Power Move #2:  Define Your Own Brand of Success!

In today’s world of remixes and sequels it’s sometimes hard to be an original. Yet if you truly want to build a successful career and don’t want to be a poor imitation of a great original, its critical that you take the time to honestly examine yourself and reflect in the deepest sense possible about who you are, what you are about, what is your life’s mission, and how do you personally define success.

It is through honest self examination that you will be liberated and ultimately empowered to move forward with your career with a sense of clarity, excitement, and commitment to achievement. Dishonest self examination leads to frustration, delays, and lack of enthusiasm and energy moving forward.

Self examination questions to ask yourself: 

• What is my definition of success?
• When will I know if I am satisfied?
• How do I want to impact the world around me?  
• What is my leadership and personal style, and what kind of professional environments would be the best match for me?
• What are my strongest talents and personal qualities? 
• What really motivates me to achieve?
• How will my career fit into my life purpose?

For assistance in examining yourself, consider scheduling an appointment with your career center to take the Myers-Briggs Type indicator or a similar self assessment tool that can assist you in clarifying your preferences, leadership and communication style. Self assessment instruments can also assist you in identifying people, industries, and even organizations that may be a match for you.

Power Move #3: Maximize All Available Career Development Resources

One of the greatest advantages you have as a college student actively engaged in a job search is the remarkable wealth of campus programs, people and resources around you to support your job search efforts. Review all related campus wide websites, organizations and bulletin boards that offer career development information and resources. Most career related programs on campus are open to all students across academic units, so venture out and meet some new people on campus. One excellent strategy to capture all the career related activities on campus is to establish your own “master calendar” of campus-wide career and professional development activities. By compiling this information into a master calendar you will be able to better plan your time to attend and position yourself to fully leverage all relevant career development activities that could assist you in launching your career.

Career related events to consider attending include: 

• Events scheduled by your career center
• Campus-wide and individual academic unit career fairs
• Career development work shops sponsored by various academic units
• Employer information sessions   
• Career related conferences hosted by academic units and campus organizations
• Alumni receptions and career related homecoming activities
• Student organization leadership and professional development workshops
• Lectures delivered by prominent business, government and world leaders  
• Visiting other campuses in your area that are hosting career development programs

Power Move #4:  Apply Research Strategically to Your Job Search 

In today’s complex economy and job market it is increasingly important for you to invest your time in thoroughly and strategically researching your field of interest and specific employers. Your research will provide you with a critical “snapshot” of the job market segments and specific organizations you are interested in pursuing. If your research findings are applied correctly in the networking and interviewing processes you can gain a strategic advantage in the job search process. Your research of organizations and specific opportunities will enable you to confidently discuss key organizational issues, goals, and challenges with employer representatives positioning you to interact in a superior professional manner with employer representatives which can easily win you favor with employers.

The following are key questions to consider when researching the job market:

• What is the hiring outlook in the industry of my interest?
• What industries and employers hire people with my background?
• What are the performance expectations of me in this industry or organization?
• What are the visions and values of the specific organizations I am considering?
• Has any organization I am considering been in the news lately? If so why?
• What are the key challenges currently facing the employer I am considering? What are my recommended solutions?      
• Where are employers I am considering located?
• What are the advantages or disadvantages to working in a select regions of the country?
• Is this organizational global in its markets and scope?   
• What are the salaries in the industry I am considering?
• Is the employer I am considering culturally competent?
• Is the employers I am considering committed to diversity?
• What are the retention rates of people like me in the organization I am considering?

Power Move #5: Developing a High-Impact Resume

Your resume is the single most important document you will send to a prospective employer and has the potential to quickly and decisively establish the tone for your entire interviewing process. Your resume is an employer’s first comprehensive impression of your level of professional competence, understanding of their industry and organization. If your resume is well written, has a crisp and easy to follow format, and is appropriately tailored to the position you are applying for, you will have the potential to by-pass early prescreening processes, and make a strong first impression with a potential employer.  If your resume is mediocre or poorly written, it has the potential to be one of the greatest liabilities in your job search effort.  

General Resume Tips:

Make sure your resume is in compliance with the format standards of your college or academic unit.  See your career center for details on formats acceptable on your campus.

• Your resume should separate you from the crowd, and project your high value as a future professional.
• Your general formatting including boarders, bullet use, headings, style and size of fonts should highlight the most important information in your resume.
• Your resume should have current and permanent mailing addresses, telephone, mobile phone and email information.
• Your objective statement should be concise and targeted to the position you are applying for.
• Your resume should be tailored to the industry or position you are applying for.
• Your resume should have “ZERO” spelling, grammar, or sentence structure mistakes.  
• Your resume at the collegian level should ideally be 1 page. More experienced candidates may have up to 2 pages. See your career center about the general standards at your college.  
• The summary of qualifications on your resume, if used, should outline critical competencies that are transferable from your career to the position your are applying for. 
• Your work experience should reflect key job functions performed, and value-added accomplishments.
• Your resume should include student leadership positions, association memberships, community service, computer proficiency, language proficiency, and grade point average (if above a 3.0).

Tips for Utilizing Your Resume:

• Remember to apply online if requested by employer.
• Send your resume within 24 hours after point of contact with potential employers.
• Send your resume to multiple identified contacts within a targeted organization. 
• Follow-up on sent resumes within 1-2 weeks.
• Ask receiver to pass on your resume if they believe others would be interested.

Additional Resume Writing Resources:

• Your campus career center and career center website
• Monster Jobs, www.monster.com
• CareerBuilder, www.careerbuilder.com
• MSN Careers, www.careers.msn.com
• Black Collegian Magazine, www.blackcollegian.com

Power Move #6: Identify and Develop Job Opportunities

In searching for job opportunities you will find that your campus will have a number of excellent resources for you to use. Using campus resources also give you the opportunity to leverage the established relationship between your campus and the employers actively recruiting at your college. Also consider generating additional job opportunities through networking and utilizing online job boards.  

• Campus Job Listings. Your campus career center receives hundreds of job listings that are faxed and emailed by employers throughout the year. Campus job listings can be found in hard copies in the career center, and through online job listings hosted by your campus. 
• Career Fairs. Your campus career fair provides you with an excellent “one-stop” shopping opportunity to explore career opportunities from many organizations at one time. Many of the organizations represented at your campus career fair are also strong employer partners with your campus and are committed to hiring students from your college.
• On Campus Interviewing. Most colleges have on campus recruitment programs that coordinate employer interviews which are conducted in the career center. Students can apply for participating employer interview opportunities online.  
• Networking. It’s an old cliché, but networking is still the number one way to find a job. Plan to attend campus networking events, local networking programs, alumni programs and activities, and if possible national organizational conferences that often have excellent job fairs. Identify additional job opportunities through your personal network of family, friends, fraternity or sorority contacts, church members, and professional association contacts. Consider also developing a “contact list” or database to manage your networking efforts and to assist in effective follow-up.  Remember also that many top employers formally use employee referral processes (networking) as a key method in identifying and recruiting new employees.
• Leveraging Job Board Listings. Although many have criticized job boards as an over-used job search method with poor response or return rates, job boards like Monster.com, Career Builder.com, USAJobs.com, and others are still an excellent resource to identify current opportunities in the job market. If you are applying for positions through job boards don’t stop with your online submittal, follow-up with a direct visit to the listed employer’s website to apply directly with the organization and to find out additional information about opportunities posted. You may also want to follow-up with your career center to cross reference if the campus has a relationship with the employer who has posted the job board- find out the contact information and follow-up with the contact person who recruits at your college. In addition in your networking efforts you may have come across people within the organization that have posted on the job board-contact those individuals for additional information and insight on the potential job opportunity you saw listed.  

Power Move #7: “Own” The Interview Process

The interview process is where all of your hard work and initiative in the job search process needs to come together. This is your time to convince the employer that you are a competent and well informed professional who is capable of adding immediate value to their organization. The interview is your opportunity for you to shine after years of study, hard work and sacrifice, prepare to completely own this moment!

Preparing for the interview:

• Start by reviewing any campus provided employer information, industry research, and recent articles about the organization.
• Review the organization’s website for current trends, and insight into their corporate visions and values.
• Plan to attend the employer’s campus information session if one is being offered.
• Take advantage of excellent online career resource sites such as Monster Trak, NACE Link, Vault, and Wetfeet.
• Begin the process of reviewing national salary information to formiliarize yourself with salary trends and expectations. Visit the Salary.com website or your career center for recent campus and national salary survey information provided by the National Association of  Colleges and Employers (NACE).
• Contact Alumni and other personal contacts you may have within the organization for insight and guidance.
• Review listings of current interviewing questions and practice responding fluently and with confidence.
• Attend an on campus interviewing workshop.
• Schedule an appointment with a career center professional to practice interviewing, and review employer information.
• Consider practice interviewing using new online tools such as RezFuzion if available in your career center. The RezFuzion program will allow you to tape a practice interview and review it by yourself or with a career center professional.
• Dress professionally
• Have directions prepared in advance if the interview is off campus
• Arrive early
• Keep your responses concise, yet conversational, and elaborate where necessary with specific examples of your capabilities in previous experiences.
• Ask intelligent questions about the employer’s expectations for new hires, and future developments within the organization.  
• Close the interview with questions regarding next steps, gathering contact information from the employer, and thanking him or her for their time. 
• Follow-up within 24 hours with a thank you letter, email, or card (see follow-up information below).

Power Strategy#8: Professional Follow-Up and Closing the Deal  

In today’s job search process it is critical that you seek every strategic advantage to stand out in the crowded pool of applicants. As in many areas of life it’s not how well you began this job search, but how well you finish it that will determine if you finish with a job opportunity. The following are excellent ways to manage the follow-up and closing process to gain a competitive edge and close the deal with a job offer in hand.

• Send a follow-up thank you letter within 24 hours of the interview. This letter can be an email, fax, or an overnight letter or card.
• Thank the interviewer for their time, and highlight key discussion points in the interview, restating your qualifications and ability to meet their specific recruitment needs.
• Make sure the employer has your updated contact information.
• Encourage the employer to contact you if after an interview they may have any additional questions.
• Contact the employer within 2 weeks if you have not heard from them.
• Contact references you may have shared about your interview, providing them information on the organization, and guidance on potential information they may request.

Salary Information and Closing the Deal

• Prior to the interview as stated earlier, know the salary range for the position you are interviewing for.
• Remember to consider regional cost of living expenses when in contention for positions outside of your area. This information is available on Salary.com. 
• Before you receive an offer from an organization, carefully consider what non-monitery elements of a potential offer would make it a valuable experience for you such as benefits, location, tuition reimbursement, and even the long-term value of working for that specific employer. 
• If the employer makes an offer for employment that you are not statisfied with, do not cut off the process, but request additional time to consider the offer and the value it may have to your career. Do share if you believe the offer is beneath industry standards, quote your resources, and ask why?
• Follow-up with a career center professional if you would like to review an offer or to receive guidance in how to effectively facilitate this process. 
• Remember to always remain professional and poised throughout the job offer process. Your professional approach to this could pay off financially if the organization sees additional value in your ability to professionally facilitate this process. 
• If you are able to come to an agreement with an employer, thank them for the offer, request information on next steps, including additional documents that may need to signed, starting dates, and training you may have to attend.
• Ask for your job offer in writing for your records.
• Follow-up in writing to confirm your acceptance of the offer.

Last Words

Remember to thank everyone who assisted you with your job search. Inform your contacts where you will be working, and how their support was of great assistance to you. Call your career center and academic department to tell them of your offer so they can congratulate you, and also record your accomplishment with information on other job offers made to students at the college.

Celebrate your success with friends and loved ones, finding a job after college is a major milestone in your life.

When the celebration is over, and the dust is settled, begin to focus on the new job at hand, and ways you can contribute and develop along the way. It’s your time, move forward into an exciting career and make us all proud.

Mr. Kim R. Wells is the director of career services at Howard University. Mr. Wells has over 15 years of experience in consulting and human resource management, and is a freelance writer with other national publications.