It’s up to your child to find a job after college graduation – and that's not an easy feat these days. But parents can help by offering gentle advice, when asked. Here are six job hunting tips that may help your new college graduate.
- Is your child using his college career center? These centers are treasure troves of information and assistance. Counselors will help new grads, as well as younger students, figure out internships, take aptitude tests and explore career paths, as well as assemble a resume and practice interview skills. They also post job and internship listings and encourage a network of alumni contacts. And the benefits don’t stop on diploma day. Many university career centers continue to offer their services, free, to unemployed alumni months and years after graduation.
- Has your child posted his resume on his college association site, via the career center, as well as on Monster.com, CareerBuilder and so on? Remind him to use key words wisely. Employers looking for prospective hires don’t read all the postings. They use a search engine to winnow the list, so your child should make sure his resume includes the appropriate key words for the job and field that interests him.
- In the same way that your child probably changed his e-mail address from partyboy@gmail to something more serious, like his name, when he applied to colleges, job applicants need to make sure there’s nothing unprofessional or mortifying lurking around his Facebook profile. That includes party pics, scanty costumes, and anything of dubious legality, including underage drinking. (Facebook also offers opportunities for job networking, not just social networking.)
- These days the problem isn’t being impressive in the interview room. It’s getting an interview at all. That’s where networks – alumni associations and circles of friends, including parents’ friends - come into play. Your child will increase the chances of getting an interview if someone the interviewer knows personally says, “Hey, you might be interested in this person.”
- Has your child joined the professional organization for his field? Chemistry students who join the American Chemical Society, for example, don’t just have something nice to add to their resume. ACS meetings boast interesting speakers who work in the industry, so members get a heads up on different aspects of the field, but it’s also a fantastic opportunity for networking.
- It’s not just unrealistic, it’s downright depressing to spend all day every day searching for a job. Encourage your child to use the extra time to network, take classes and/or volunteer in his field. Every bit of experience makes him more marketable.
