College Students Advice by Topic
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Articles for College Students
The World Is Not Your Phone Booth: How We Have Failed You
Published May 29, 2009 @ 10:48PM PT
It’s college graduation season and 1.5 million of you are flooding a severely depressed job market. We want you to stand out, not to stand in your own way. We want you to feel valuable, not vulnerable; to value the skills and talents you do have, not what you don’t have. We have failed you; when we hear the stories, we have to wonder what’s in your heads. Don't be the young woman who tattooed party girl (well, that’s the family friendly way to say it) on her knuckles so that’s the first thing the interviewer saw when she stuck out her hand at a law firm; or the girl who posted Face Book shots of herself doing belly shots in a bar…let me be clear; it’s not that I care what you’re doing on the weekend on your own time, as long as it’s legal; it’s the extreme lack of judgment you exhibit with your exhibitionism. And yet I don’t think it’s entirely your fault, although I wish you knew better. In the world of reality TV, in which everything is on display and everything is fair game to be displayed, we have somehow not communicated that there are professional boundaries of propriety. So you follow the leads you see in the media, and I can’t blame you..but I want to train you!
There are better ways to use the internet. Stop sending your resume hurtling into the black void of cyberspace and start connecting with people who will get you inside. Stop looking for a job and start looking for a person. The right person will lead you to the right job. How many times have you heard me say THAT?
Everything is an act of self-presentation when you’re job-hunting and you’ve got to clean up your on line act. It starts with your e-mail address: I can’t hire dizzymissizzy@gmail or hotmama at hotmail. Your name will do just fine.
You have grown up in a cell phone world, but the world is not your phone booth. When your cell phone message is "Yo, What’s Up?" with loud music playing and you answer the phone "Hey Dude" and I say I‘m calling for an interview and you say “Awesome”, I remember that you are 22— and not in a good way. The way I want to think of your 22 years are this: you are young, energetic, capable of all nighters, enthusiastic, flexible, trainable--and less expensive than a senior hire.
But when you come for the interview and you’re on your cell phone within earshot of the receptionist animatedly recounting the details of your latest date in very graphic terms, she has every right to go running back to the boss and report back. You asked for it.
So take control of how you’re presenting yourself, from your paper trail to cyberspace. We want to hire you, and we want to help you.
7 Deadly Job-Hunting Sins in the Public Sector. OK, in Any Sector!
Published May 27, 2009 @ 10:41PM PT
Please, please. Learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of others. You need to know which job-hunting conventions to lose and which to choose. Here are some great ways NOT to get hired. Are you guilty of any of these job-hunting sins?
1. Sending résumés hurtling into the black void of cyperspace. STOP! Find someone inside the organization to talk with. A personal referral from someone is the best thing you can have.
2. Wasting valuable résumé real estate on objectives (your only objective is to get that job or another job there); your GPA (unless asked specifically—do you want to work for someone who cares what your GPA is?) or “References Available Upon Request.” What’s the alternative: your references are NOT available upon request, maybe because you killed someone at your last job? Tailor each résumé to the job at hand.
3. Keeping things like “Work Experience” or “Relevant Experience” or “Other Experience" as categories on your resume. Instead, make your own categories: Customer Service Experience. Office Management Experience. Whatever the job at hand requires.Take control of the categories on your résumé and re-cast to reflect the language in the description of the job for which you’re applying.
4.Forgetting that Facebook and other social networking sites have now become professional space. Good use of Facebook: a discreet posting “Does anyone someone at change.org? I really would love to talk with somebody there.” Bad use of Facebook: posting photos or yourself doing belly shots in a bar. I don’t care what you do on your free time (as long as it’s legal) but the lack of judgment and maturity you reveal in posting it in what has now become a professional and public space, like it or not, is scary.
5. Not having a business card. You need a card with professional contact information before you’re in business.
6. Getting bored and not getting out of the house while job-hunting. You’ve got to get out! Exercise, volunteer, meet people! If not, you may show up for an interview looking like a depressed and unkempt slug with not much to talk about. You must radiate energy and enthusiasm.
7. Not following up after an interview with a thank you note and expression of interest.
Guilty? Wallow in your guilt for just a few minutes and then move on--these sins are easier to wash away perhaps than the original 7...Make the fixes and get back out there!
Non-Profit Job-Hunting By The Numbers This Year
Published May 26, 2009 @ 10:22PM PT
You've heard the statistics. There are 1.5 million students graduating this year, of whom only about 20% have jobs. And one March survey projected that non-profit hiring would be down 20% this year compared to last: The Nonprofit HR Solutions 2009 survey revealed that " 41.6 percent of nonprofits intend to create new full-time positions, down from 61.9 percent in 2008. In addition, 26.1 percent indicate that they intend to downsize or lay off staff in 2009 vs. 7.6 percent of nonprofits that planned reductions in 2008."
Not great news, but focus on this: the fact that over 40% still plan to create new positions! Should you be afraid? NO!
Last week, SAVETHEASSISTANTS.COM asked me what I thought college grads fear most about graduating into this economy. Here's what I said:
I don’t know if they’re more afraid that they won’t get a job, or that because of the economy, that they’ll have to take a job they don’t want or stay in one they don’t like for longer than they’d like. I find that most young people are afraid of their lack of experience. But you’ve got to focus on what you do know and the skills and experience you do have, not what you don’t have. I want today’s grads to feel valuable, not vulnerable. We don’t expect you to have decades of professional experience; you can’t have that at your age, and we know that - that’s why we can hire you inexpensively. Don’t tell your mother I said this, but you’re cheap! Your assets? Recent grads are perceived as creative, tech savvy, flexible, adaptable, willing to work hard, energetic and full of stamina, and stereotypically bound by fewer family commitments than older employees with spouses and children. So if you can convince an employer that you’re smart and articulate, ready to take initiative but also to defer to authority, and that you can not only be a great assistant but do some of the thinking and work left in the void created by more senior people who have been laid off, you’re golden.
If you're in the 80% of recent grads looking for a job, take heart. There are jobs out there, and jobs.change.org has impressive listing across the country!
Take Time Off Before Your Public Interest Job-Hunt
Published May 25, 2009 @ 08:18PM PT
Memorial Day--formerly known as Decoration Day-- seems like a good day to talk about taking time off. While you might think of it just as a long weekend, a time for BBQs and sales, the holiday initially honored Union soldier who had served in the Civil War, then expanded after WWI to include U.S. military casualties of any war. It's a national holiday to honor those who truly served in the public interest, but of course not everyone has the day off.
But when you graduate or finish school as an undergrad, if you don't have a job lined up right away, I urge you to give yourself a few weeks off, if you can afford it, before you start your non-profit job or internship search. And when you find one, if you've just graduated and you're taking a full time job, don't feel you have to start the day after you are made an offer. If you were leaving another job, your new employer would expect you to have to give at least two weeks' notice, so you can probably negotiate your start date. It's much easier to delay starting than to get time off after you've started; then, the vacation clock is ticking and usually when you're new, you're at the bottom of the vacation totem pole. For many non-profits, unless they are desperate to have you start right away, it's cheaper for them to have you start later and even to give you more vacation time than a higher salary, so don't forget this when you're negotiating.
If you're going to spend your few weeks off worrying about not having a job or being hounded by parents, then obviously I wouldn't recommend this course of action. But after finishing your college career or another academic year, you deserve some down time--and you'll probably find yourself readier and fresher for the job hunt if you're relaxed and well-rested. So take a break! You don't know when you'll get another chance...
4 Things You Need Before You Graduate or Leave Campus
Published May 22, 2009 @ 10:01AM PT
Don't worry--even if you've already graduated or left campus for the semester if you're an undergrad (you are the lucky ones; there are many people still in school!), you can still get these by calling, e-mailing, or writing...
1. A TRANSCRIPT FROM THE REGISTRAR'S OFFICE
You might not think you need this, but it's always good to have a current copy in case you are asked when applying for a job, grant, fellowship, internship or travel program. It may take some time so it's good to order them before you need one in a rush.
2. A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION
While your professors, TA's, or campus supervisors still remember you, ask for a letter of recommendation or offer to draft one for them. Ask if they're willing to serve as a reference for you and then this letter may serve as the basis for a recommendation.
3. SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK
Don't throw out the papers you wrote or the fliers you created for your extracurricular activities. These are great samples to have to show what you're capable of. You should be compiling a portfolio of your work, both academic and "professional"/ extra-curricular.
4. COPIES OF CAREER GUIDES FROM THE CAMPUS CAREER OFFICE
Many career offices have free or inexpensive guides they've prepared on job-hunting, fellowships, internships and so on. At the very least, check out their website. I've been so impressed with the amazing resources compiled for students. Don't limit yourself to your own school!!! Browse the sites of any college or university you can think of. Since you're not a student there, you won't be able to access everything, but there's lots of great material available to the public.
Anything else I've forgotten? What has been most useful to you? Let me know! Have a good long weekend!
A Major Decision: 3 Questions to Ask Before You Choose Courses for a Public Interest Career
Published May 21, 2009 @ 08:34AM PT
I've been seeing a lot of questions about what courses or major someone should choose for a non-profit or public sector career, so I wanted to ask YOU some questions.
1. What area of the non-profit or public sector or government are you most interested in?
If you have a specific area of interest, then it's easy to tailor your course load and major. If you're interested in immigration or refugee issues, then take every course you can get your hands on about this topic, likely located in history or sociology or government or political science departments. If you're interested in a particular country or population from that country, let that be your guide. If you can identify a particular agency you're interested in, find someone to speak with there and get a sense of what kinds of educational backgrounds and degrees employees have. Ask your college career service and alumni association to help. Ask your professors for their opinion on this subject. They're in the field and they are or know practitioners!
2. Do you want to work in another country or with a non-English speaking population?
If so, you need to study another language. But study isn't enough. You should try to live and work in the country or language you're interested in. Get an internship at an agency serving Spanish-speaking families if you're learning Spanish; see what travel grants may be available for studying Chinese in China if that's the population you're interested in. You don't necessarily need to major in the language and culture but coursework will help. There are many programs which will take you to another country to do community service and other volunteer projects.
3. Have you had any hands-on experience in your intended area of interest?
Taking courses is nice--and you will gain a lot of content knowledge as well as reading, writing, research, analysis, and presentation skills (I hope)-- but there's no substitute for getting a summer job, part-time term time job or internship. Get your feet wet and your hands dirty, to mix a few metaphors. You'll find out soon enough what floats your boat and what doesn't.
A final note: if you're thinking, "but I have no clue what I want to do" then reverse the process. Which courses do you enjoy most? What content or skills you're learning are most interesting to you? When you read a newspaper or magazine, what do you gravitate towards first? These may all offer clues for the clueless. Good luck!
All the World Loves A Student: Load Up on Perks While You Can!
Published May 18, 2009 @ 09:59PM PT
Don't take your student ID for granted!
Take advantage of your student status while you can, particularly since you're exploring the non-profit sector with notoriously fewer "perks" than some corporate environments. Not that aren't lots of intangible wonderful things about mission-driven work--like the fact that your soul and spirit are elevated on a daily basis, even if your bank account isn't.
As summer looms and exams end, spend more time on campus or on-line finding out what you're eligible for.
As a student, you are eligible for grants, internships, summer and term-time jobs, career advice from alumni, housing leads and things like travel, computer and other discounts. You may have access to free or reduced fee career and psychological counseling; sports facilities; art, music, and dance classes; theater subscriptions and movie tickets; museum entrance; and maybe even health care (including annual checkups, inoculations, and glasses.)
All these things might not sound so interesting now, but believe me, you'll miss them when you graduate and your student ID expires. So take advantage of all these perks while you can!
