10 Smart Tips For Savvy Job Seekers

by Matthew C. Keegan

Yesterday, SayCampusLife shared tips on how using LinkedIn—the professional networking site—can be beneficial in helping you find work, particularly if you are a college senior.

Today, we’re going to share with you some advice from Andy Chan, vice president for career development at Wake Forest University, who identifies three major roadblocks to the job seeker’s success: poor marketing, poor networking, and poor mind-set. To that end, let’s review what Mr. Chan identifies as ten resolutions to help people overcome these obstacles:

Roadblock #1 – Poor marketing

“Many people don’t realize that the way they are marketing themselves just isn’t working, and they never get any feedback,” Chan said. “The best way to get feedback is to ask for it from people who do a lot of hiring.”

1. I will ask friends or acquaintances who manage and hire people to evaluate my cover letter and resume and give me real feedback – even if it hurts to hear it.

2. I will ask these same friends to conduct a practice interview with me and give me “tough love” feedback.

3. When I find an attractive job on the Web, I will apply immediately (with a tailored cover letter and resume) and search for friends and colleagues who could act as referrals to help me network into the organization.

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