7 Links for College Grad Job Search - No Experience Necessary! - CareerAlley

7 Links for College Grad Job Search - No Experience Necessary! - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius I recently had to interview a few college students for potential summer intern positions. This was probably the hardest interview Ive ever had (and I was the interviewer!). Interviewing people who are first starting out is so different from interviewing people who have experience. All of my questions were regarding relevant courses, hobbies, computer skills (yeah, most college students have better computer skills than my coworkers) and what do you want to do when you graduate. So why am I telling you this? As a college grad you are up against very different challenges than those with experience. Most hiring managers use a point of reference when interviewing candidates (like, how does this person compare to other people who work here, or people with similar experience). When interviewing someone for an entry level position, the interviewing manager has no point of reference. Okay, this is where you come in. As the person being interviewed, you can drive the interview process and kill two birds with one stone (so to speak). You can drive the interview by providing relevant information and you can help the hiring manager by giving them a point of reference (and thereby help seal the deal). Todays post continues to dig into our deep store of job search resources for college grads and entry level job seekers. Preparing for the Interview: Tips For the College GraduateMastering Your First Job Interview Ive already told you my experience interviewing college students and how you can turn the interview into a great opportunity. This article, posted on googobits.com supports my view that how you present yourself during the interview can be the determining factor as to whether you are given additional consideration. Lots of good advice show up on time, come prepared, speak up, etc. The article is definitely worth a read. Resumes: Powerful New Grad Resumes and Cover Letters: 10 Things They Have in Common A great article with lots of resources advice and links provided by Quintcareers, the ten tips offer advice on targeting your market and leveraging your college career experience. The page has additional related links on the left hand side of the page as well as some additional links at the bottom of the page. Student New Graduate Resume Answers This article, from 1st-writer.com, offers examples, how to make your resume look good (even though you dont have experience, what to include and so much more. On top of this, there are a bunch of related links for your use. Entry Level Resumes The first and most important thing you will need is a resume. Take your time with this as your ability to get your foot in the door is heavily dependent on the content and look and feel of your resume. There are so many choices these days. This resource, from Collegegrad.com, provides a list of links to help you get started (or to improve on what you already have). Are you Safe for Prime Time: Its too late to regret all of the crazy things youve done in College, but it doesnt hurt to check up on your image before you start interviewing. Google Yourself: Colleges Help Students Scrub Online Footprints What about checking on yourself? Do you know what stuff might be out there on the World Wide Web? You may think you are clean, but you just never know. This article tells you several things you should know (and do) like be aware of your online image, how to Google yourself and more. There are a few additional links which provide more information on the topic. Background Check Yourself? Sounds like a good idea. The purpose, of course, is to make sure you find out any negative information about yourself first. This particular article is for multiple purposes (like checking your credit), but employers are also on the list. This is likely to cost you something, as I dont think there are any free background check services. So I would save this option for those who are worried something might come up. Warning: Social Networking Can Be Hazardous to Your Job Search Just about anything youve written or posted online has the potential of showing up during a background check. This article, posted on Careerbuilder.com provides a few real examples where stuff posted online killed the candidates chance of landing a job. The article also provides some advice on how to protect your image online. Good luck in your search. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook