Quick Tips
Are you soon-to-be grad or recent grad and trying to differentiate yourself in a sea of sameness? Are you applying for jobs but not hearing back? Or are you not sure where to even start?
How to Get Started in New York
I recently received an email from a grad who is going to graduate in December — “I’ve been looking at jobs in NY, but I’ll admit I’m a little bit discouraged. I wanted to reach out and ask you for a piece of advice you have for someone who’s looking for a job in NY. What’s a piece of advice or word of encouragement that you have? It could be resume or cover letter related, or anything including life advice!”…
How to Prep for an Informational Interview
Research. Once you have a target for who to have an informational interview with, research your person. Cull talking points from LinkedIn and social media, such as details about their current position, prior experience, and professional memberships. See if you can discover how they spend their time and what hobbies they enjoy. Be prepared. Now that you know a bit more about this person, write down specific questions that target the information you need. What did they learn most from…
Create a Badass Resume
A resume is the most important tool in your toolbox to sell yourself, but most people are lazy and do a terrible job of crafting theirs. They use Word templates so their resume looks like everyone else’s, including generic duties and responsibilities, and invariably fly under the radar of a recruiter. Boring resumes simply don’t get noticed. So craft a good one to sell yourself in the best possible way. Go through your resume with a fine-tooth comb to edit…
What to Remind Yourself When you Graduate
1. Don’t freak out 2. Your first job won’t be your dream job 3. Live in the city where you want to work. Move there. Do anything to get there. 4. Temp jobs are an option – be open to it. 5. Network like hell. Getting a job is not about WHAT you know. It’s about WHO you know. 6. Be patient with yourself. This is not easy for anyone. 7. Have a great attitude. It shines in anything you…
Ask for In-Person Informational Interviews
Once you’ve crafted your elevator pitch, you’ll need to meet people face to face. Ask your friends, professors, family, or connections to introduce you to working professionals who would be valuable for you to meet. This could be a grad three to five years out of school or a seasoned professional with more than 20 years of experience. Either way, you are now on a fact-finding mission to understand their professional path and listen to any advice they have for…
Craft The Perfect Elevator Pitch
Imagine the CEO of your dream job company just walked into the elevator. You now have 16 floors to make an impression, get noticed, and get hired. What do you say? Do you panic, convinced that this person won’t care, is too busy, too important, or not interested? No! You have from floors 1 to 16 to make an awesome impression. What do you do? Ok, so maybe this rarely happens in an elevator, but creating a version of the…