How to Kick-Start Your Graduate Job Search

How to Kick-Start Your Graduate Job Search As a soon-to-be graduate, it is an exciting time for you, as you’re about to begin a new phase of your life. However, you may also begin to feel the pressure of finding a job and setting the ball rolling for your career. Don’t stress yourself out! Each year, there are tons of new grads who successfully find work and the perfect opportunity could be waiting just around the corner for you! Here are some tips that will help you kick-start your job search. 1. Start early: Job searches usually take much longer than expected and I dont mean to dishearten you, but its unlikely that you will nab the first job you apply for. It’s understandable that you want to take a post-graduation vacation before you start your job search. However, there could be a price to pay, because the longer you put off job searching, the harder it’ll be for you as a new graduate to find work. Ever heard the early bird catches the worm? 2. Reach out to your network: Let your friends and families (and their friends and families) know that you are actively looking for work, as you never know what connections they may have or if they have heard of any vacancies that may suit you. The companies they work for may even have unadvertised job opportunities that only “insiders” know about and they may be able put a good word in for you. 3. Learn how to job search effectively: Nowadays, you can find information about anything online. If you are not sure how to write a cover letter or a resume, do a web search and you’ll find tons of information (not to mention all of our super helpful articles on Undercover Recruiter!) If in doubt, ask for help. Chances are that nearly every person you know who has been employed at some point in their life  has probably had to write a cover letter and resume before, so theres bound to be someone who can lend you a hand.   4. Don’t leave out your work experience: As a new grad, employers don’t expect to find an enormous amount of work experience on your resume. However, don’t leave this section empty. If you really don’t have any work experience, include any unpaid experience, such as volunteer experience, to highlight your skills. Keep in mind that sometimes your academic achievements may not be your strongest qualification in the business world. Many employers value work experience, even if the work is not in your field, more than your academic results. 5. Connect with people who work in the field: If you know people who work in the field that you want to work in, take them out for lunch or coffee and ask them for advice. If you don’t know anyone in the field, seek them out on social media, such as LinkedIn and Twitter, or attend industry events. You’ll be surprised to know how many professionals are willing to help and they may even be able to give you a recommendation. 6. Look and act professional: Once you graduate, you are not a college student anymore, so don’t act like one. As a start, sign up for a professional email address if your current email address looks something like smartypants@email.com. When you go for job interviews, leave your t-shirt and shorts at home and wear something more appropriate. Its also a good idea to clean up your social media presence.  Uploading those photos of alcohol fuelled nights seemed like a hilarious idea at the time, but its probably not what a prospective employer wants to see when they look you up. If you dont want to remove the photos, make sure that your security settings are set for just your friends to view your profile. Platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn can be great tools for building yourself a professional personal brand.   Image Credit: Shutterstock

Guest Interview Marty M. Fahncke and his Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Guest Interview Marty M. Fahncke and his Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I had the pleasure of interviewing Marty M. Fahncke. Marty has over 18 years of experience in sales and marketing and has been involved in campaigns responsible for nearly $1 billion in revenue. He is also the mind behind FawnKey Associates. ___________________________________ Me: Marty, you have a lot of experience through different industries and being a CEO for a few companies. If you were to give a core messaging pitch, how would you summarize your accomplishments? MMF: My entire career can be summed up by the advice given by Zig Ziglar, which I’ve always tried to follow; “You can have anything in life you want, if you help enough other people get what they want”. You’ll see that quote right on top of my website at http://www.FawnKey.com. Me: By building your Personal Brand over time, how do you feel it has been either altered or strengthened? MMF: My personal brand has strengthened over time, as I’ve had the opportunity to serve more people, and technology has allowed those people to share their experiences of my Personal Brand with others. Me: Did you have mentors or professional help along the way? MMF: Professional help? You mean like therapy? Just kidding! Actually, in my overall career, I’ve had tons of help…from mentors to paid instructors, and coaches. It’s good to be open to help and advice from others. With regard to Personal Branding, I haven’t really had anyone teach me that…it has just come naturally. Me: If you could share one Personal Branding strategy with my readers, what would it be? MMF: ALWAYS keep your personal brand in mind whenever you are communicating with anyone, whether it is face to face, via email, on a blog, or anywhere else. In today’s communication environment, everything you say, you say to the whole world. Me: As a business owner, how do you feel that your Personal Brand has an affect on your products and/or services? MMF: I know for a fact that keeping my Personal Brand spotless has had a significant positive impact on the products and services we offer to our clients. As a result, my clients know me and trust me to provide the best possible products and services. Due to this, with both of my companies, we are very careful what we offer and promote to our clients and customers, and they appreciate it. Me: Is your Personal Brand in real life the same as it is online? How do you match your voice with your customers using both medium and keep it consistent? MMF: The easiest way to keep it consistent is to just be honest. I’m a very open book, whether online or offline. If someone wants to know who I am, they can easily learn whatever they want to about me, whether it is online by Googling me, or offline by asking my friends, family or business associates. Me: Any last words? MMF: The concept of a formal Personal Brand was first introduced to me by Tom Peters through Fast Company magazine in 1997. I immediately started talking about it to everyone I knew, but most people thought I was a bit nuts. They may have been right about the nuts part, but they weren’t right about the Personal Brand part. A decade later, I’m glad to see people finally starting to talk about it, to acknowledge it, and to pay attention to their own Personal Brands. Daniel, it is people like you who are helping to bring this subject to the mainstream, and I appreciate your work on the subject. Me: Thank you for your time Marty.

How to Excel in a Political Science Career

How to Excel in a Political Science Career Choosing your career path is a huge accomplishment but, unfortunately, it’s only half the battle. For those looking to get into politics, that battle can be quite a bit more cutthroat than in any other field. You have to be tough, driven, and sure of yourself to make it in a political science career. Of course, there are some other ingredients for success that you can also gather. Start with a Solid Foundation While many people assume that anyone can start up a career in politics, regardless of their professional background and training, the fact is that if you wish to get far in your career this isn’t exactly true. For those who are interested in politics in a local sense, meaning in their own city or town, and not moving past that level, then you may be able to get away with your current career background. However, if youre thinking of working at state or federal level either in political science or political management, then youre going to need a much more solid foundation. It stretches further than just experience in your job; you’ll also want to look into pursuing your masters. An online political science masters is available through a number of top-notch institutions and will provide you with the foundation you need to thrive and succeed in the field. Because an online degree in political science can be pursued from your own home, on your own schedule, it also means you can keep working and gaining more hands-on experience. What’s Out There for You? When people think of working in the field of political science the first job that usually comes to mind is that of a politician. While you can certainly do that, you shouldn’t feel limited to that career alone. In fact, there are dozens of jobs in the field, allowing you to choose where you want to specialize and what you hope to accomplish. By having that masters in political science you can think about such positions as advocacy jobs, government jobs, campaign management, ad creation, consulting, conduction research on the opposition, fundraising, polling, a lobbyist, a career in law, a teacher of political science, a journalist, working in the business industry, and plenty more. Many of these fall into the category of political management. The key is to have an open mind. Learn about what makes you happy and what makes you feel satisfied in a career. This can certainly help to narrow down the options. So You Want to Become a Politician If youve looked at all the careers available to you in politics and you still want to become a politician, then there is no time like the present to get started. The first step should always be to learn about your own community and this is usually done by volunteering and working at the local political party offices. Think of this as the ground floor and an excellent place to learn and network.  And start to carve out a name and reputation. A Bright Future Ahead As you look for ways to excel in your political science career you’ll find so much of it involves getting out there and learning. However, that solid foundation of your masters will certainly help to get you in the door.

4 Easy Tips For Creating and Achieving Your 2019 Goals - Classy Career Girl

4 Easy Tips For Creating and Achieving Your 2019 Goals Last week we kicked off the 2019 Planning Challenge inside of the Classy Career Girl Network Facebook group.  On Day 1, I shared a story of how I have been using these 90-day planners for TWO YEARS!! I have made it a habit in my life and truly cannot imagine not doing them now. Using these 90-day planners has helped me accomplish so many goals over the last two years, personally and professionally. I am busy and dont have a lot of time but these planners we created here at Classy Career Girl have helped me focus just on the priorities. I say no to a lot of things and I definitely dont have a lot of time in my day to do much, but my secret is that I do the most important things and that is it. The 90-day planner recently helped me launch the first physical version of the planner which I decided to do just 4 months ago on maternity leave. I had prepared well for a 3-month maternity leave and batched as much content creation I could before my daughter was born so I could focus on soaking up the newborn baby moments. So while I was on maternity leave, I didnt have any work to do and I didnt have the normal 20 things to do in my to-do list. So it really allowed me to dream again. I was able to visualize better where I wanted my life and the Classy Career Girl brand to go. I was able to remember that one of my huge life goals was to create a physical planner and I had been sitting on a digital version for 2 years. 35,000 women had downloaded the 90-Day Planner and I heard so much great feedback, but I could not get the physical planner out the door. Why? Because I was scared! I was dealing with all the same fears as you are probably dealing with. I am just like you. I had doubts. I had no idea how to make a physical planner. The shipping and costs associated with it freaked me out. So I just didnt do my dreamfor years! But when I had the clarity during maternity leave to really re-think my vision and brand. I knew I had to get the physical planner out there. So I wrote it down in my 90-day planner and made the commitment to do it even though I had NO IDEA how I was going to do it. One thing led to another and I just kept taking baby steps trying to figure out how to launch the planner and on December 2nd, we officially launched it for sale! 4 Easy Tips For Creating and Achieving Your 2019 Goals If I can make a physical planner launch happen in 90 days with two kids and a crazy schedule, so can you! You have the system and planner right in front of you so lets get to it! Believe You Can Mindset is the most important thing. You have to believe that you can accomplish your goals. You may not know how you are going to do it and it might be super scary but its ok! Just keep repeating affirmations and staying as positive as you can. Create a vision journal or vision board that you look at every day. Setbacks will come up and things will get tough, but if you know you can do it, youll be able to move past the tough times and make your goals happen. Also, remember to write down 3 things you are grateful for every day. This will also help you stay positive. In our new Create Your Future Planners, we have a spot for affirmations and gratitude every single day because its so important to keep your mindset right when going after your dreams.   Don’t Worry About Being Perfect Many people get overwhelmed trying to figure out what to write down. They worry that its not perfect so they just dont write anything at all. Or they have doubts that they cant make their goals happen so dont want to write anything. My tip for you is to not worry about it being perfect. Just write down the first thing that comes to your mind. Don’t worry that your goals have to be a certain way or the how  they will get done. Just put what’s important to you down when it comes to creating your plan. You can always go back later and put deadlines. Later on, you can review if they are achievable or SMART goals. If you are new to this or get stuck creating your goals, the most important thing is you just get SOMETHING down. It shouldnt take too long if you are just writing down the first thing that comes to your mind. Dont overcomplicate this!   Make It a Habit   Make a commitment to do a new 90-day plan every quarter, a new monthly plan every month and a new weekly plan each week. This consistent action won’t take long and is crucial to your success and happiness. If you stick with it, you’ll find that this planner will become part of your routine. Planning time will become a habit and you will reach your goals, even with a busy schedule. Youll also want to get into a habit of writing down a daily to-do list where you prioritize 3 things that need to get done each day. Theres a lot of things you could do each day so you have to know what is the most important thing. You might not get everything done each day and thats ok. As long as you get the most important things done. Take Advantage of This Community You dont have to do this alone! If you are feeling stuck, ask for help! Join the Classy Career Girl Network Facebook group and ask your questions. With over 17,000 women, Im sure there is someone who can help you in the group or at least point you in the right direction to complete your goals. I highly recommend getting an accountability partner or starting your own mastermind group of your peers to help each other out and give feedback to each other. If you do this, your 2019 will be a really fun and incredible year.   If you keep taking the baby steps and implement these tips in your 2019 planning, youll be ready to have your best year ever. Im excited for you!

How To Find A Resume Template For Free

How To Find A Resume Template For FreeWriting a resume is not an easy task, but if you can write it well enough, you'll find that your job search will go much smoother. However, with so many resumes out there, how do you choose the right one?As a matter of fact, one of the things you can do to help make this process easier is to use your own personal experience to help you come up with a good resume. You see, writing a resume can be much easier when you're already accustomed to doing it. After all, most people are much better at writing a resume than they are at actually doing the work involved in completing a job search.This is why it's recommended that you write a resume template for free first before actually starting the job search. This way, you can get an idea of how much work it will be before spending a lot of time and money trying to find a job. And remember, a resume that looks good doesn't necessarily mean that it will stand out in a crowded pile of other applications.Anot her benefit of using a template is that it gives you a chance to practice before actually submitting the resume to the company. Of course, the most important part of a resume is the covering letter, but you can also practice writing the resume if you want to. Just make sure that the cover letter includes all of the information that the resume needs to have.Finally, when you're looking for a resume template for free, there are a few things that you should look for. First, make sure that the template you choose offers a good variety of format options. As you may have noticed, not all templates offer the same things.Another thing to consider when searching for a resume template for free is the kind of job that you're going after. In order to find a template that you can use for all different kinds of jobs, you need to look online. The best sites are usually those that offer plenty of different formats and have been used by a lot of people before.Once you have found a template for your job hunt, you just need to make sure that you have the appropriate formatting included on the application as well. You also need to make sure that you put all of the information that is required in the cover letter, and then provide some kind of demonstration of previous employment or credentials. This way, if the company has questions about what you've already done, they can easily find your resume online and check out your past work history.Finding a resume template for free doesn't have to be difficult. All you need to do is take some time to research which companies offer these templates and how long their designs have been available. If you take some time to do your research, you'll be able to find the template that will best fit your particular needs.