By Lisa Correu, Principal/Job Search Advocate AfterSchool Career Workshops

Welcome back to The Ten-Minute Job Search where we take the stress out of a day when you just didn't get time to focus on your job search.

In this installment we’ll focus on actually leaving your house and attending a networking event. C’mon keep reading, it’ll be okay, I promise. Grab a friend and make this a team outing.

Locate a networking event. Here are some ideas:

• Seek out professional organizations. The International Association of Business Communicators for ad/marketing or The American Institute of Graphic Design for well, you know.  There will often be speakers, mixers or fundraising events. Student chapters of these groups sometimes offer discounted memberships.
• An organized networking event. You can find notifications on LinkedIn in the "Events" section which is not so helpfully located under the "More" subhead. Or you can look in postings in the LI groups you've joined. Eventbrite is also a good source of upcoming meetups. Click on the "Networking" heading.
• Local newspapers or business publications will have networking listings. Don't overlook print resources!

Find one you like, register yourself and your friend. There. Done.

Don’t forget to take your business cards and personal marketing statement! A little tip: stand near the food (don't block the food, this is dangerous), people will come and go to the table. Make this a competition and see who can score the most business cards or contacts. Loser buys food. Goldfish count as food.

And remember, networking is a success if you meet just one new person, score one bit of good advice, find one new resource, or just get the feel for attending professional events. It's perfectly fine to stand and observe the first time.

Hang in there!

By Lisa Correu, Principal/Job Search Advocate AfterSchool Career Workshops

For the first time in history three generations of employees are working side by side. Baby Boomers met Generation X and now both are confronting GenY and scratching their heads. This seems rather silly since at one time Boomers and GenXers were the whippersnappers. Woodstock and Boy George anyone? So bring on the GaGa and let's have a party!

Allowing employees the opportunity to grow shouldn't stop at Gen Y.

So how do you incorporate this bright, enthusiastic and innovative workforce?

• Offer guidance on how to best perform. This group responds positively to instructions. A detailed job description and defined set of goals works wonders. Let them know that there’s room for growth.
• Make it known that yours is a place for new ideas. This will encourage all of your employees to speak up.
• Offer encouragement and support along with criticism. No, this is not handholding; it’s simply another form of guidance. And everyone, not matter how old, likes to be told they’re succeeding.
• Assign an office mentor. This just makes sense. Pairing an outstanding employee with a younger entry-level worker passes on good habits, wisdom and experience in exchange for alternative solutions to problems, new insights and energy.
• Plan a 30-day work review. Don’t forget that professional employment is new territory for a young person. Leaving them hanging for a year enforces unfavorable habits that developed without proper instruction. Outline the next set of goals and plan another review at 90 days. This also encourages a good examination of the job itself; do the duties need to be modified or streamlined?
• Understand that to them social media time is your water cooler time (do they still make water coolers?). They keep up with events in real time and it never hurts to have trend-spotters in your office. Just like anything else (like the too long smoke-break) if you see abuse point it out with consequences. Oh and make sure your social media policy is firm and in place.

Hiring staff with diverse attitudes, ideas and inspirations is where innovation begins and GenY thinks globally and without boundaries. They're eager to contribute and want to be a part of something meaningful. Let them inspire and energize your workspace.

By Lisa Correu, Principle/Job Search Advocate, AfterSchool Career Workshops

Photo Courtesy of Leo Reynolds

Welcome back to our series, “The Ten-Minute-Job-Search”.  We’ve designed it to spare you from the self-harm and guilt that comes when time gets away from you and your job hunt.  So just when you’re about to shut your hand in that drawer to atone just read on!

Most hiring managers will tell you that enthusiasm for a job is a prime motivator when making a hire. Just sitting there like a wet noodle will NOT get you the job. It will get you eaten by a hungry account manager looking for a doughnut. So in this segment we’re going to focus on just one thing: harnessing that enthusiasm and pointing it in the right direction.

Now ask yourself: Why do I want to work in the industry/profession I’ve chosen?

Write down five or more reasons why you’ve committed yourself to this career path. Explore and detail each one. Say them out loud, walk around the room and have a nice little conversation with yourself. Make sure you’re alone so your roommate doesn’t think you’ve completely lost it.  Imagine you’re in an interview and you’ve just been asked this question (because there’s an excellent chance you will). This isn’t about any particular employer; it’s about you and why you’re there. And if you’re not asked this question directly then use this as a great closer to your interview.

I’ve talked with many hiring managers and two of their top annoyances are candidates who don’t ask questions and those who can’t articulate why this is the perfect industry for them.  No one wants to work with an indifferent human.

Your job search is a lot more than resumes and emails. Getting a grip on why you love advertising, accounting, engineering, finance or persimmon farming can go a long way toward job search success.

So get cracking and don’t give up!

Want more quick job search tips? Look under our heading The Ten Minute Job Search.

By Lisa Correu, Principal/Job Search Advocate, AfterSchool Career Workshops

Here's a little pick me up for those times when the job search just feels sucky. Open your resume and save as another file. I like to call them Play files. Imagine the job you’re going for, maybe it’s your dream job, the job you want right now or an open position you’ve found that you’re going to pursue. Using job boards and company websites can give you great job titles and descriptions.  At the start of your resume work history simply add the job title and paste the job description below. Re-format to fit the rest of the resume. Embellish each job duty as if you were responsible for it and totally rocked it. For instance:

Assistant Account Manager-Super Duper Ad Agency

• Manage company web site with daily copy updates. Contributed new section highlighting company employees.

Add the rest.

Take a long look, imagine this is your new job and you’ve just updated your resume to include it. Sure this is a bit of fakery and it may seem silly but sometimes just  imagining your preferred outcome (and in this case actually viewing it) can help you reach that goal! Don’t give up!

By Lisa Correu, Principal/Job Search Advocate AfterSchool Career Workshops

Looking for a job doesn’t always have to be an all-day, um, job. There are things you can do in just a few minutes that will take the edge off the anxiety when you might not have time for a deeper commitment. Here are five things to choose from that you can do in ten minutes to keep your momentum going.

Photo Courtesy of Jon Jordan

1. Identify one new company to follow on Twitter and LinkedIn. Make a note to follow up with an in-depth investigation. This could be as easy as Googling your zip code and industry you’re in. Like this: 64108, advertising.
2. Update your LinkedIn status. Simply post your thoughts on how your search is going but remember to be positive and upbeat. “Today I identified a great company to work for!” Refrain from “My life sucks!” Especially at 3am. Everybody's life sucks at 3am.
3. Read your resume. Is there anything outdated, less important or have you acquired a new skill to add? It may not need a tweak but it’s still a good refresher.  Here are a few tips.
4. Check your Google Alerts or RSS feed and read one or two job search articles or blogs. Tweet or post if you liked them. BTW, this can take care of item # 2 as well! And you know you're reading one right now, don't you? Shameless plug, I know.
5. Simply write down five things about yourself that you think are valuable. This is great for a pick-me-up when you’re feeling crappy and also gives you a little recharge for when you bear down for a longer job search session.

We don’t always have time to devote to what’s important. We get bogged down by the minutiae of life and then beat ourselves up for not doing what we think we should. Breaking down your to-do list into ten-minute segments can keep the demons of divided attention at bay. So don't beat yourself up, just do a few things and move on.

Post your suggestions for other job seekers and check back here. I think I’ll make this an ongoing series!

By Lisa Correu, Principal/Job Search Advocate AfterSchool Career Workshops

This is the second of an ongoing series. You can find Part One here!

So your fledgling network is off the ground and humming. You’re adding people as you go and learning how LinkedIn works.  One of the really useful parts of LinkedIn is that it will continually guide you on building your profile. Listen to it and do what it says, paying close attention to the headline and summary sections.

The headline is in the section by your photograph (which you will have taken professionally, just go to one of the local photography chain stores, it’s not expensive and be sure to get a digital copy, both high and low resolution). The average view of a resume or online profile can be as little as 30 seconds so make this a priority. Stay away from tired and over-used verbiage. Detail-oriented and results-driven are profile killers. In fact, avoid anything with a hyphen. Be enthusiastic and emphasize your eagerness to start your career.  The more fleshed out this part is the better. Having a good Personal Marketing Statement will give you a strong foundation for this section.

Keep your status updated. This is an opportunity to post links to articles, industry news, job hunt stories or successes and don’t forget to post any kind of learning experiences you’re having. Employers will be impressed that you aren’t just sitting around waiting for your big break.

Groups. This is huge. There are alumni groups, professional groups, special interest groups, hiring related groups and more.  To steal from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: There are groups for the sportos and motor heads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies and another I can’t say in good company but you get the drift. LinkedIn has a top-notch groups tutorial for in-depth info.

Join the groups that apply and appeal to you but don’t just let them sit. Watch and read at first but then begin to engage. Be a presence on them, ask questions, provide informed opinions, contribute meaningfully. Don’t just ask for job leads, or favors,  this is off-putting to the community and paints you as selfish and unwilling to help. LinkedIn groups are a great source of information, advice and even support when you feel adrift. And a little side note: you can send messages to fellow group members whereas you can’t to connections out of your 1^st tier.  Mouse over the far right side of the name of your fellow group member to locate the “Send Message” selection. Shhhhh...

Keeping a current LinkedIn profile isn’t just good for job hunting. It’s fabulous for business intelligence, resource building and contributing to a greater community.  It will be invaluable for the length of your career and who knows, a great job may also find you there!

By Lisa Correu, Principal/Job Search Advocate AfterSchool Career Workshops

I was at a marketing communications breakfast presentation and talking with a friend who also happens to be a total rock star. He said something that really stuck with me, “If you need to start networking it’s probably too late.”

This applies to college seniors and recent graduates as much as it does to anyone already in the workforce. Second semester of your senior year is NOT the time to think about starting your network. You’re going to need to make contact, establish relationships and start a dialogue if you want any kind of network to pay off. And yes, you don’t know that many people in the profession you’ve chosen for yourself but unless you’re graduating from a Tibetan monastery you do know people.

So start early, add often and use it. Don’t let the thing die just because you got Netflix.

And just how might we start this network you speak of?

Try this: find a piece of paper (I know it sounds archaic but studies have shown that the act of writing something down helps the thought process) and make four columns:

1. My friends
2. My parents and their friends
3. My faculty and staff at school
4. Contacts from my internships
5. Random people I know, or know of. This could be friends of friends, people you’ve heard about or a referral

Start writing in each column. Taa Daa! Here’s your network. Begin by reaching out to these people in your brand spanking new LinkedIn account and request to be linked to each of them. Encourage your friends to do the same so you can establish connections with them as you grow your network, they'll also be able to take advantage of your network. When you send invitations to groups 2-5 include a note as to who you are, how you may know of them, what kind of work you’d like to do and ask for any other recommendations of people you can also connect with. This is yet another reason to have a concise statement ready about yourself.

Keep an close eye on how this network begins to grow as your connections also add connections. The true beauty of LinkedIn is how your reach expands even when you may not be adding tons of people. Your connections do some of that work for you because as they add contacts you are also able to take advantage of them as well. Fabulous!

We’ll cover what’s next in our next installment. So get started, it’s painless and establishing a network is critical to getting that first job out of school.

Next: Updating your job hunt status, posting links, joining groups and exploring what LinkedIn has to offer.

By Lisa Correu, Principal/Job Search Advocate, AfterSchool Career Workshops

Are you derailing your career before it’s even begun? On the outside do you look like a gung-ho job seeker, sending out resumes, networking with a vengeance and plotting world domination while on the inside (and in reality) you’re hesitating, procrastinating and really only plotting your next Facebook post? It happens a lot more than you think and one reason can be sheer size of scope.

When you identify or express interest in working for an organization (especially if it’s a large one) it’s hard not to picture the entire company at once and not simply your role in it. It can be intimidating, thinking about all those people with tons more experience than you have, all working hard, contributing loads of significant input and being promoted every day.  They probably all have perfect hair, too, the bastards. This kind of thinking can seriously inhibit your confidence, your attitude about your own value, experience and likelihood of ever working for anyone. It can cause you to hesitate in your job search, putting off the necessary work to find employment and derail your career before it even gets off the ground. Fear of success isn’t a new concept.

So remind yourself when you find the weight of the job search heavy on your shoulders that ALL job seekers began where you are now, worried about their chances of success, their ability to contribute meaningfully and be a valuable member of a company or team. Stand back and know that small steps are the best way to succeed.

Here are a few:

Read job descriptions-this is what big job boards are great for. You’ll realize you can do just what they need because what they need right now is someone to do the tasks you've learned during internships, summer jobs and (wow!) in school. And get this: you can learn the rest!

Meet with people in your peer group-informational interviews with entry-level workers can give you a great perspective on just what you’ll be required to do. They’re also great sources of information and advice on your job search.

Get a handle on your skills and goals. Write them down and refine until you’re satisfied. Knowing how great you are is a fabulous way to energize a job search. It’s also the best way to express yourself in a networking situation.

A job search can be an intimidating and infuriating experience but it’s also wonderful and exciting. And don’t worry: any job is a learning experience even if it turns out not to be what you want or expected. Stick around for a while, make new contacts and new friends and keep looking!

We're proud to feature another entry in our series, "How I Stopped Worrying and Got the Job", guest posts from past workshop attendees, new acquaintances and other clever job seekers who used their noggins and landed their first job.

Annie Thompson is a 2009 graduate of the University of Kansas with a Bachelors Degree in Communications with a Concentration in PR and Business. She is now Account & Field Coordinator with Department Zero

Internships.  Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. And let’s face it, need to turn them into a job.   Well, in this day and age it’s more like you really can’t live without them.  And the potential of a full-time position being offered has more to do with your performance and less with just timing than you may expect.

So, really, you’ve done the hardest part. Once you’ve been offered an internship, it’s important to use the confidence that gives you – someone obviously was impressed enough to tolerate you for a bit. Or at least your dad’s best friend’s older brother’s next-door neighbor pulled a string or two for you.   A foot in the door is your best asset (if you aren’t a total zero when you arrive).

Today’s internships have become an imperative in the process of job hunt, no matter what industry. Sometimes there is loads of work to be done (and by work I mean endless hours of Google research, excel spread sheeting and potentially heavy lifting) or things are slow (i.e., they don’t quite trust you yet to give you a project) and you have an opportunity to get some real job searching done.  Which means you’ll Facebook.

But, for the sake of the future, let’s pretend this is a positive and growing experience.  There are a few suggestions I would make up front in order to gain the most good.

Off the bat, this is what I say (and maybe somewhere someone else agrees with me) …

1. Ask Questions

2. Set Yourself Apart from the Pack ASAP

3. Volunteer for the Dirty Work

4. Be Ready to Learn, Their Way

5. Be Yourself

During my most recent internship with Department Zero, I made a decision from the beginning to look at the experience with eyes wide open and a mind turned sponge, ready to absorb. Truth: land myself a job in order to move out of my parent’s house. It is important to know what you want to get out of an internship.

I took it as my responsibility to volunteer for any project in order to get the most out of my time with the company. Then there was the day when things shifted – the Earth tilted, the stars aligned, somewhere a relentless prayer was answered. I was assigned to a big (big in my world) project.  Just one other in-house employee and I were to run things together. I quickly noticed it was scheduled to run longer than the rest of my internship – the golden ticket had arrived. Not only had I gained responsibilities, there was an open door to keep myself around as long as possible.

During this quick yet opportune window of time, I proved myself. I asked questions, and adopted company processes and principles as quickly as I could. I was bold.  I put myself out there and made sure I got the meeting maker to get myself in front of clients ASAP.

You are your own biggest seller. Performance coupled with effort and personality is what will get you hired.  At the end of the day, the most important lesson I could share is to be you and be known.  There is no bigger advocate to your work than you, other than your mom or blue haired grandmother, but no one really cares what they think.

Ultimately, I was offered a full-time position before the culmination of the internship. I was told I proved myself as a valuable team member and am still hanging around 9 months later in my first, real Job.

An internship is a great way to land that first job out of college and there are many ways to secure one. Learning how to source, network and interview in a way that gets you in the door are all things we cover at AfterSchool Career Workshops.  Now offering private coaching so if you want that one-on-one attention to guide you through your search send us an email at info@succeedafterschool.com

By Lisa Correu, Principal/Job Search Advocate, AfterSchool Career Workshops

Once there was a little sentence that no one noticed. It was bland and boring and sort of sad. It lay on a resume just hoping to be noticed. People read it and then went on with their lives, never remembering what it said or even who wrote it. It was a lonely little sentence and when it finally admitted it needed help (for admitting you need help is the first step) it went looking for an active verb or two to turn its life around.  It discovered an active verb list in the land of Internet and began to add them to itself.  It ventured out and invited more active verbs to join it.

Let AfterSchool Career Workshops help you find that first job after college! We can give you the tools and techniques that put you ahead of the job seeker that just applies online and waits. With networking skills, the ability to speak about yourself effectively, the power to ace that interview and soooo much more AfterSchool will put you on the path to career success!