Advice to job-seekers: Get creative

There’s good news and there’s bad news for the current crop of job searchers who soon will graduate from college. The bad news, obviously, is the uncertainty of the economy and resulting hike in unemployment rates. The good news is that because millions of baby boomers who are preparing retire in the next few years, Class of 2009 job searchers will be in the perfect position to fill those jobs and begin their careers.

 

Dick Dawson, vice president of Career Curves, offered that forecast of the job market, along with advice for successful job searches when he spoke to members of Tau Pi Phi business honorary on Tuesday (April 28). His presentation was sponsored by the Berg Enterprise Resource Group, and arranged by Dr. Margo Kraft, assistant professor of business administration.

 

This year’s graduates will face a marketplace that offers 22 percent fewer jobs. “This means competition is going to be very tight, so you have to do things (in your job search) that others don’t,” Dawson told the students.

 

That “something more” starts with doing research about companies prior to interviews. “Fitting the job requirements only  gets you in the door,” Dawson said.

 

“Being hired is a tough process. It’s a lot of stress. When you get a face-to-face interview, that’s a lot of stress.”

 

The job search process involves a lot of “no’s” before finally hearing a “yes.” “If you really do it well, you’ll have three or four ‘yes’s,” he said.

 

He outlined the components of a successful job search: preparation, self-marketing, testing the market, jumping into the market, interviewing and follow-up, and ultimately, job offers.

 

And of course, timing is important. In the next 20 years, some 70-80 million baby boomers will retire, and companies are starting to worry about where they’ll find the talent to fill those positions.

 

“Your careers, when we get out of this economic slump, will skyrocket,” Dawson told the students. “You are in the perfect position to have a fantastic career.

 

“Successful people do things unsuccessful people don’t. You have to think differently. Think outside the box,” he said.

 

He closed with his three keys to getting the job you want.

 

1.      Effort = Results

2.      Creativity gets you noticed

3.      Showing up 100 percent gets you invited back.

 

Following the presentation, the following students were inducted as members of the 2009 class of Tau Pi Phi: Kyle Anderson, Leigh Ball, Stacey Barker, Janice Baum, Nolan Baum, David Bumb, Joshua Calver, Erik Davis, Steven Decker, Alyssa Esposito, Brittny Gaietto, Farrah Heft, Anita King, Zachery Koinis, Yulu Liu, Amanda Newbauer, Jaimee Olmstead, Carl Pakish, Ashley Reinhart, Seth Robertson, Michael Slauter, Ashley Smith, Herman Thomas, Samantha Wairimu, Jingjing Wang, Jennifer Wargo, Brian West, Ann Washington and Douglas Wiedemann.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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