A couple of weeks ago I posted a self-assessment to help students determine whether they were prepared to start job hunting. So how prepared are they? Not too badly. The vast majority have up-to-date resumes and have had internships, or part- or full-time jobs already. Almost everyone is already on LinkedIn. But the majority haven't done a single informational interview yet or rehearsed interview questions.
People look for different things in a job: one person might want to change the world, while another just wants a paycheck. What type are you?
Do you have what it takes to get a job? Here's a quick assessment which will help you determine whether you are ready to starting scheduling interviews - and, if you aren't ready, how to fill any gaps in your preparation. Some things - like building a network - take time, so it's best to get started as soon as possible.
A few weeks ago I posted a blog entry debunking the myth of 'Following Your Passion'. It was one of the most viewed of anything I've published - getting more than 10x as many views as its next competitor.
Competition for jobs after graduate school is brutal. Whether you are staying in academia or moving to the business world, you are going to need every advantage. Doing great work in your field is advantage number one, but it's not enough. Not only do you have to acquire great skills and do great work, you have to make sure people know about you. Here are things to start doing today to build your professional presence:
"Follow your passion" is a familiar theme for high school graduation speakers and career counselors. It was Steve Jobs' subject when he spoke at my daughter's commencement and I was reminded of this phrase by a recent blog by Cal Newport in The New York Times. It's always troubled me a little. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for passion, but for this strategy to work you need two prerequisites.
So many people I talk to think that the key to getting a good job is to have the right skills. That's necessary, for sure, but it's not enough. With the start of the new school year, I thought it would be a good idea to review all the things you need to get a job. Whether you're a freshman, senior, or graduate student - or have been in the job market for a while and need to find something new - here are the five essentials:
I was recently thinking about how people learn the fundamentals of teamwork, and how to deal with the challenges of working on a team. Most college courses won't expose you to working on a team - with the exception of maybe small teams in science lab courses or in programming classes. When you get to your first job, it's likely that you'll be working on larger teams and you'll have to develop teamworking skills real fast.
I had a drink with my good friend Chris Lochhead recently and he told me how a CEO he worked with used to ask "Why do we need all these people?" It's a good question for a CEO to ask every once in a while. What are all these people doing - and is it necessary? Can we get along with fewer people? Should we be outsourcing more?
Henry Blodget published an open letter to Facebook employees presenting the 'truth' about their stock price.
