MyLifeMyCareer.com

I spent half of my Saturday finishing up bringing all of the old posts from the old site over, finally. Sorry for the wait, and the slow migration on my part. They are all here now, though.

Quick little tip that could save your butt when planning an interview or office visit situation: Always take into account that you may be in a different time zone.

This is something that you will get the hang of soon after college once you start working. You should not only specify AM or PM when referencing a time, but also the standard time zone which you are in (CST, EST, etc). If a recruiter sends you an email asking you what time you would be available for a call or interview, just tack on the time zone to the end of the range of time that you give them.

"Oh, anytime after 1:00 PM would be fine as I will be asleep pretty much up until that time." - BAD

"Oh, anytime after 1:00 PM EST would work out great so that I have time to roll out of bed and find my phone." - GOOD (well except for the whole lack of initiative displayed)

So, it's a good practice to always state the time zone, even if the company is in the same time zone as you. You never know if the recruiter might be across the country and will be calling you from there for your phone interview. I imagine that some people have been burned by this, so don't shoot yourself in the foot when 3 letters could save you from screwing up.

How Not to Find a Job. Sign me up to read this, because it sounds so beneficial.

Actually, it really is.

There are a bunch of good tips in the article, and I especially like the one about keeping your story straight with interviewers. I'm not sure why you would lie to different interviewers in the same company. You know that when they pick candidates for their open positions that they sit in the basement of the office with some cheap beer, flash your picture up on the wall with an old projector, and all talk about you (Animal House reference, anyone?) until a decision is made. I guess you could be under pressure and feel like you're losing the interview so you start lying, but that doesn't sound like a wise thing to do. So, other than the "keeping your story straight" tip o' job searching goodness, it's a pretty resourceful article.

Crazy old bag. Keep your story straight? I'm just trying to get a job, not acquitted of some bogus charge in the court of law.

I don't know her name even though it was probably mentioned in the video (Sheila Curran, says it right below in the freeze frame, ha). She brings up several good points, though. The most important is that you figure out what you want to do by trying things, working in different internships, or being employed by different types of companies before and soon after you graduate. Don't sit around because you don't know what you want to be. Get out there and try a few things so that you have experience and a better idea of what you will enjoy doing after college.

I agree with the changing of positions and companies to build up your career and find what your calling really is, but don't take this to mean that you should jump around every six months or even every year. Training in a professional position as well as just settling in can take well over a year. Let things come to fruition, and commit to yourself that you will work through the good and the bad to see the light at the end of the tunnel (note: job-hopping also looks horrible on the resume) There will be days where you will be like, "Man, this job sucks", and then the next day you figure something out or have a great conversation with a client, and you realize that you actually enjoyed the day. That's work. You need to find the job where you have much more positive than negative influence on your life.

So, you had a few interviews, visited the office, went to lunch with a few people, and now you have an offer in your hand and it happened so quickly that you're not sure what to think. What do you do now?

Wait a day or two, or longer if you are expecting other offers from reputable companies. Go home and think about what they are really offering you (pushing papers or building your career with actual work and training), if you enjoyed the people at the office, and the location. Will you be in a cube, office, or share a long desk with many other associates? Will you be comfortable?

Take it all in, and let it register before making a decision.

Did the office smell good? Just asking.

The point from yesterday which may or may not have been clear was this:

Stop searching for the right positions.

Even if you find the perfect position that has requirements and job responsibilities that are so money that you can't possibly turn down the opportunity to apply, there is a good chance that you will be unhappy before your first 6 months with ABC company are up. Find a company that has a great track record for providing great positions and opportunity's for entry-level college graduates and a low turn-over ratio. Find a company that you could see yourself working for, not because of the name, but for what they have to offer. You will be happier and have a better chance of working for a company for an extended period of time. Searching for jobs is a lot of work, so make sure you won't be doing it all over again in six months.

Take the example of the different types of car buyers. Some see a car that looks cool, so they buy the car regardless of the warranty, company history, and service record. A year down the road when it is breaking down and going in for repairs every 3-4 months they are looking for a new car, this time with a reputable auto manufacturer. Others buy a car because of the name and what other people will think of them behind the wheel of this car that does the same thing as any other car. They can't even afford the car, are strapped for cash even to pay the lease because they couldn't afford to buy it, but they had to have thee car. Then there are those buyers who search for the brand that has been getting the highest quality ratings, best customer service before and after the sale, and provide a product that they can stand behind. These people are satisfied long after the purchase which leads to a more comfortable and satisfying life. No buyer's remorse.

It's the same with college students looking for companies to work for. Some will see a flashy, new company that has only been around a few years, is on the stock market, and has potential for high salaries and bonuses. Once they start working for the company they realize that management is not very intelligent, they are working insane hours doing crappy work, and start searching for a new job a few weeks after starting. Others work for the big name companies that come with a nameplate, urban penthouse, and corporate expense account. They too end up working 60-70 hour weeks on the road, and end up burning out before they can spend any money or relax. But, they work for so-and-so which allows them to sleep at night.

You just put in 4-5 tough years of college, and there is nothing better than working in a relaxed atmosphere, coming home at the end of the day, and going out every now and then. That is what it is all about, and it is possible if you start searching for the right company instead of the right position.

Hint: the right companies have the right positions.

I was thinking today about how I had no idea what positions to look for when I searching for jobs and internships. I just remember that my thought process in college was, "Oh, I'm good with databases. I will be a database administrator because it is a position that was listed on so-and-so's website and it has to do with databases".

I think it is important to identify what you enjoy and what you think you would like to do after college. It's the best first step that you can take. Let's be honest, none of us really know what we want to be, but we have a pretty good idea and that's all that matters.

Once that is identified it is time to search and you search for what you like to do. Well, I like to study music and new artists, so I will be a.....hmmm. I don't really know what that is called. A new music study-er and listener of artists that play instruments? So, this person starts to search online for positions and finds a few that sound like they fit and start applying.

This is the equivalent of treading water while having a couple of bricks chained to your ankles. That's right - you will drown, or in our case not find a job. You need to think about finding a job in a different way. Start by researching the companies that you enjoy. You don't enjoy any companies? Sure you do, you just don't realize it.

When you're listening to music, the album is produced by a studio, distributed by a record label, and sold through many music distributors. Look on the back of an album or your favorite band's website for companies that they are involved with. Look at the stores where you buy the music. Look at the websites and blogs and magazines where you study and learn about new artists. Now, look for the career pages on these websites for these companies, and see what kind of entry-level positions they have. They may not have the position of your dreams listed, but they will probably have a position listed that will allow you to get your foot in the door and a few years from now have that position of your dreams.

You will find realistic opportunities this way, rather then searching for positions blindly (while treading water with cement - you get the point). Graduating from college does not guarantee you Awesome Position 2007. You still have to fight and claw your way into a position among hundreds of thousands of other graduates.

Who knows? After a few years working entry-level and learning the ropes you could be [insert dreamy position here] (in case you were getting sick of the music listener and study-er position).

The new site is up, and I am still migrating content from the previous site so bear with me. The look and feel is more consistent with the cover design of BPIAJ which makes sense to me. Commenting is finally fixed (try it out and let me know). Hopefully I can finish the rest of this in the next few hours and we will be good to go.

That's basically how a company views your summer time with them. They get a chance to see how you fit in with their company, what you are capable of, how big or small of a risk you will be to hire, and they may get you to do some work in different types of settings to see how capable and flexible you are. You, on the other hand, get to bag some professional experience, network with other professionals, and pick up the soft skills that will benefit you later on when you are interviewing and eventually selecting a full-time offer.

It's hard to get an internship as a freshman or even as a sophomore, but you need to try and at least familiarize yourself with the companies and positions that are out there, so by your junior year you know exactly what to look for. You may go to a career fair and experience the typical response from a recruiter, "Oh, you're only a sophomore. Well, we are really looking for juniors and graduating seniors...". Who cares? At least you practiced talking with a recruiter and made yourself available. That will go a long way in the long run.

There are some other tips and advice for landing internships and jobs as a college student in this article from USAtoday.com.

It's inevitable that you will search for jobs online through sites like Monster or Careerbuilder, and you should just to have your resume out there because you never know what may result. Your best opportunities for jobs are going to be found through your on campus recruiting resources or career services department. I will keep stressing this over and over, but to help you out if you are applying for jobs online through other more general sites which are not very beneficial to college students here are some pointers.

Do not apply for a job that has more than the position you are applying for in the title of the ad. You should see "Associate Analyst", "Entry-Level Registered Nurse", "Junior Layout Designer", etc. Avoid jobs with titles like the following (taken directly from cbcampus.com entry-level job search, try it out):

"Looking for Entry Level at 25?? Why not be in Management at 30?"
"TIRED OF DOING TWICE THE WORK FOR HALF THE PAY???"
"New Entry Level Openings - Training Provided"
"***Junior Account Executives*** Full Training / Entry Level!"
"Are You Tired of Being Turned Down For Lack Of Experience?"

The sad thing is, these and many more were listed on the very first page of search results. You will soon have a college degree. Do not even think about applying with a company that puts out crap like this. This is the equivalent of email spam in the online job search world. Any title that includes the words, "training provided", is a dead give away. You see, I received training when I was 16 and started my first minimum wage job. If a company needs to sell you on the fact that "training is provided", you have my permission to laugh at them because they are a joke.

Another dead give away for a POS position: using punctuation characters in the title. I am not a ***Business Analyst!!. I am simply a business analyst. However, this would spice up the ol' business card. Avoid job spam. Or joam. Or Spob. Whatever you want to call it.

Think about it. If you are interviewing with a company that is serious about providing you a great opportunity, and you respect the company and position then they will probably offer you a competitive salary. I would like to conduct a study to measure how content recent grads are with their new positions if they negotiated an offer compared with those who did not need to negotiate an offer because it was a great company and competitive offer. If a company is offering you a figure that doesn't seem right to you, "low balling" to put it bluntly, then do you think that they really value you? Do you want to work for somebody that is jerking you around before you are even officially an employee? Again, it comes down to what you value and believe in, and what you will stand for when an offer is waving within arm's reach. If there is truly a misunderstanding where a company missed a certification you hold or your experience truly warrants a higher salary then you may consider negotiating a salary. You should have a decently open relationship with your recruiter by the time the offer rolls around, and should be able to clear any misunderstandings up or negotiate. Here's an article that should help you with negotiating an offer in a professional manner. In most situations if you are interviewing with the right companies that respect you, you will not need to negotiate.

I hope everyone is using the time to relax somewhere, either a beach or a sofa at your house. Safe trip to those traveling this week.

Sort of. Many people try to make their resume stand out with fancy fonts, glossy marble looking paper, and lots of large words. Don't use fancy fonts. If you're going to use classy paper then buy the "exceptional resume" paper which is more of a parchment color and looks more professional rather than gaudy. It's not about the quantity of information, it is the quality.

Guess what though? You can't make a resume stand out no matter how hard you try, unless you have made yourself stand out the past few years. The resume is simply a snapshot or profile of your past three of four years of experience and education. Many people don't work hard enough when it matters, and try to make their resume stand out by listing positions that sound important but didn't really benefit them. You will have to explain your resume in at least 90% of your interviews and definitely in all of your first and second rounders.

Prepare by pursuing internships starting after your first or second year of college, and working while you are in school at a campus office or a place that is applicable to your possible area of work after college. By building up your experience you will naturally stand out, and hence your resume will stand out.

It's all in the hips. It's all in the hips.

Did you apply with at least 20 companies or submit resumes and cover letters to 20 different companies’ recruiters? It’s March 1st, and the challenge is over. If you missed your mark, and still have not hit your prize offer then keep going. Try to get some final round interviews and maybe an offer or two before you leave for a week of laying on the beach, kicking it in the ocean, and maybe even having a few drinks to take off the edge if you are 21+, of course.