To all of the history, sociology, philosophy and literature majors out there, stop being apprehensive about putting your Liberal Arts degree on your resume. Humanities majors often present the question, “Well, what can you do with that?” Once you’re in the midst of your career search though, it shouldn’t hold you back—as long as you do the following.
Speak of your degree proudly, not defensively. Don’t give a potential employer a reason to doubt your choice. Part of their interview process involves seeing the personality of the potential employees, so show them a unique facet of yourself by conveying your passion for your major. If they’re worried about your skill set, stress that you’ve been educated in a well-rounded manner and you’re a fast learner, so you can learn any specialized skills on the job. Your liberal arts education probably also added some more general, but highly valued talents to your repertoire. Your classes most likely developed your written or verbal communication skills, your analytical thought process or your creative problem solving abilities. Draw the employers’ attention to the aspects of your education that can be applied to their position.
If you’re still in college, working towards a liberal arts degree, you may also consider getting a minor in a more conventional field like business or communications. Internships are another way to bump up your resume to show real world experience that can translate to where you may apply after graduation.
To learn more about this, read Ten Ways to Market Your Liberal Arts Degree.
Unfortunately, 2010 graduates will still have a difficult time finding jobs. A JobChoicesOnline.com article reports that employers will hire 7 percent fewer graduates this year than they did in 2009. The good news here is that hiring dropped an even more devastating 22 percent for 2009 grads. All in all, employers are characterizing this year’s career market at ‘fair.’
If you’re one of the many who will be clambering for a career opportunity this spring, here are a few things you should be aware of to better your chances. The national average for hiring is a 7 percent decrease, but when you look at the regions separately, you’ll see a different picture. Careers in the West are down an overwhelming 37 percent for new graduates. The Midwest and Southeast fall closer to the average, but the Northeast is the only region to see a hiring increase, 5.6 percent. So even if you’ve always imagined yourself working in California, you may find your place at a large company on the East Coast, where your chances are better, knowing that you could eventually transfer to their offices on the West Coast. Think about the long-term scenario before you rule anything out. The article also pinpoints government jobs as one of the hiring bright spots. They have a surplus of positions in various fields, including education and healthcare.
1stGig.com understands the complexities of today’s career market, which is why its unique matching system is designed for recent graduates. Sign up today and you’ll be notified when companies need someone with your skills and background for up to three years after your college graduation.
1stGig.com is pleased to announce its new partnership with Vonei, a company that provides easy to use web conferencing tools. The partnership allows 1stGig.com talent and employers to conduct career interviews via video conferencing. Users who take advantage of the tool will receive the 1stGig.com service at a discounted price. Vonei announced the news on its own blog in an article title “Helping College Students Find Jobs.” Here’s a bit of what they said about the exciting joint venture:
“1stGiG.com has partnered with Vonei to add a video interviewing service to their site, allowing employers and college graduates to quickly and easily conduct video interviews over the Internet from their computer. In today’s economic reality, employers don’t have the time and money to visit as many campuses as they would like. Video interviewing allows the employer to recruit from anywhere without travel. Video Interviewing service starts as low as $99/year, so it is an extremely cost effective method to link employers and college graduates.
Now is a perfect time to consider using these innovative services. Help graduates start their career and begin benefiting from what only 1stGiG.com offers the early career professional!”
To read the entire article, go to http://vonei.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/helping-college-students-find-jobs/
For more information about Vonei LLC see www.vonei.com.
In this job market, getting your foot in the door is the hardest part. How do you make yourself stand out on paper to land an interview? Here’s the problem: Everyone has a resume. It’s difficult to make your list of achievements speak for themselves and it’s even harder to make them stand out in a pile of seemingly indistinguishable resumes. Here’s one solution: Writing an amazing cover letter. While resumes are basically just lists, cover letters are sales pitches explaining why you are the perfect candidate for that specific position at that specific company. A cover letter works well because it can be perfectly tailored to a specific position and provide a taste of your personality and work style.
While your cover letter should be written professionally, it’s important to let your passion and enthusiasm show right from the start. The content should present some background about your education and goals. It should also describe why you’re qualified. A useful way to address this is by describing a recent job or internship experience and explaining how the skills you learned there could be applied to the position you’re seeking. Finally, you need to demonstrate your knowledge of the company and the industry. Start reading industry publications and go through the company’s web site to gage their business philosophy, the type of clients they have, the recognition they’ve received, etc. Use this knowledge to support why you are the right candidate for the position by referencing notable trends in the industry or explaining how your work style fits with their approach. Your cover letter has the power to deliver a solid reason why that company should give you twenty minutes of their time. Intrigue them on paper so that you can land an interview and impress them in person.
And don’t forget, 1stGig.com is the perfect way to surpass the random resume/cover letter send-out and target only those companies tailored to your skill set who are looking for talent.
Everyone has struggled with procrastination at one time or another. Stalling is a natural urge when doing anything that can be classified as ‘work.’ Hopefully you’re approaching the phase of your life where most of your ‘work’ is gratifying, but for those days when you just can’t focus, here’s how to improve on the bad habit. People procrastinate for very different reasons. Some have a fear of failure; some have a fear of success. Some have anxiety over their work being judged or wasting their time on a task that won’t get them anywhere in the long run. Your particular solution will be based on the root of your procrastination. If what you fear is failing, change your outlook so that you are working to ensure your success. By starting projects early on, you have more time to seek guidance and feedback from those more experienced than you. It’s all about taking your fear and capitalizing on it. You can end up feeling more confident about your work instead of feeling frazzled in a last minute rush.
The Internet has inspired even more distraction for many procrastinators. Frequent visits to your email and Facebook can really prolong the work process. To work more efficiently throughout the day, try mapping out your schedule in the morning. List the work you have to do and prioritize each project by how time-consuming and tedious it is. Then, give yourself several ten or fifteen minute periods devoted to Internet surfing. A system that works well for a lot of people is placing one in the morning, one after lunch and one scheduled as a reward for after you’ve completed a more time-consuming task. The same tactic can be used with rewarding activities like socializing with your coworkers, stepping outside to get some fresh air, having a mid-afternoon snack, etc. All of these things can actually help you be productive – as long as they’re done in moderation.
Check out this article to learn more about overcoming your procrastination:
The career-seeking stage in life is one of major transitions and goal setting. You’re looking into the future making decisions and predictions concerning where you’ll live, what you’ll do and how you’ll do it. When setting goals for yourself, keep these few things in mind to help you feel continually fulfilled and to stay on track. First off, write your goals down with realistic deadlines. Goals are somewhat intangible by nature, so the more concrete you can make them, the better. Deadlines can be flexible, but most people need them to stay focused. Repetition can also be helpful in ensuring you remember what you’re working towards, so take advantage of calendar alarms on your computer and cell phone. By creating a few reminders to go off at random points throughout the year, you’ll stay energized and focused on the big picture.
Also, make sure you set both long-term and short-term goals. Long-term goals are helpful, but having smaller milestones along the way will bring reassurance and the satisfaction of crossing some completed items off your list. Envision where you would like to be in your professional life in ten years and work backwards. What does someone in the position you dream of need to have accomplished in order to make it that far? Find out and make a list of short-term goals you can take one step at a time to get to there. This approach allows you to reach for the stars, working towards your dream career, while still setting realistic goals to keep you optimistic and on track.
You may have heard the phrase, “She’s a natural leader” before. Maybe someone’s said it about you. But it’s important to know that your leadership skills can be developed regardless of whether you were “born to do it.” The ability to lead is based on attitudes and behaviors concerning working and getting along with others. Here are a basic few characteristics you should push yourself on if you want to improve:
Learn everyone else’s role. If you’re going to be able to set a good pace for a group and utilize everyone’s skill set effectively, you need to know what they do and how they do it. Spend some time with each person to get a feel for the time and effort they put into their work. You’ll appreciate their labor more and they’ll appreciate you for understanding their role.
Be flexible. This may or may not come naturally to you, but as a leader you need to work at your adaptability. Situations arise, new data presents itself and new members get added to the team. You must be able to efficiently jump hurdles without losing momentum. Your confidence about any sudden changes will likely become the confidence level of the group, so don’t let change get you down.
Take initiative. This stems from a strong work ethic, but can be learned easily. Essentially it’s about using your common sense. Don’t wait to be told to do something if you think it needs doing. Thinking and acting decisively helps keep everyone on track.
Delegate. Being a leader doesn’t mean that all the work gets dumped on you. People with control issues have a hard time putting the responsibility in someone else’s hands, but there is an easy way to ensure you’re not being buried in work. The key is learning the strengths and weaknesses of your team members. Then it becomes a matter of matching tasks with people instead of randomly selecting and assigning. It’s a much more efficient way for you to feel control.
The many different personality types that exist in the world have lead to a vast array of leadership styles, many of which work effectively. Forbes magazine recently discussed the success of leadership styles at a few powerful companies like Wal-Mart, BMW and Apple. They identified one style as Visionary, when a leader can see opportunities for growth and capitalizes on them by staying true to their brand’s integrity. They also describe an Empathetic leader, one who ensures a positive work environment by being accessible to all levels of the company and using employee feedback and criticism to enhance their operation. The lesson to be learned here is that no matter your personality type, you can become a successful leader by utilizing your strengths. If you love listening to people and finding solutions, an empathetic approach might work for you. “If there’s any secret to leadership, it is ‘fit.’ Leadership style must fit the leader, and it must fit the organization.”
On a note more specific to young professionals, a leadership issue that often arises deals with age. You may find yourself in a predicament where many of the people under you are several years your senior. In this type of situation, you need to work even harder not to give your group any reason to complain. Prove to them that you deserve the position you’re in by arriving at every meeting with an organized agenda to show you put thought into the day’s activities. Keep everyone focused on the matter at hand and know when to end one discussion and move onto a new matter. Most importantly, as any good leader should, listen to everyone’s opinions to ensure they all feel their points are being represented or addressed. In other words, act to dismantle any stereotypes against younger professionals like yourself and make everyone feel their individual contribution is vital to the project.
