Job hunting tips for recent college grads

Q:  My daughter is graduating college in the spring of 2017.  She has replied to many online postings and seems to be getting frustrated.  Many of her friends are landing jobs.  I am sure that job hunting has changed since I graduated from college.  Can you share any tips on job hunting, more specifically for recent grads?  We thought after laying out some pretty big dollars for an undergraduate degree, she would have job offers coming through our front door.

A:  How wonderful that your daughter has just graduated from college!  Congratulations to her!  Finding a job, especially a first job out of college, can be a challenge.  Here’s some practical job hunting advice for your daughter:

1. Make sure that your daughter is using the career services office of her college or university. Part of your tuition likely funded this office! A career services office can help with development of a resume, coaching in interview skills, and connections to employers.  Some employers even visit college campuses with the intention of hiring graduates or students.   Your daughter should also become active in alumni groups.  Fellow alumni are often very helpful in finding job leads and contacts within companies.
2. Review her resume. No typos, spelling errors or wild fonts are allowed.
3. She has probably already received this advice, but your daughter should consider joining LinkedIn. Recent college graduates will often protest and explain that they don’t have any connections. Now is the best time to start building a professional network.  Your daughter can connect with fellow graduates, professors, friends and neighbors.
4. Your daughter should have an elevator pitch. This is a 1-2 minute summary of who she is and where she hopes to land in her next job.
5. Introductions to others can lead to job opportunities. She should never say no to an intro. It is not just the person with whom you are meeting, but all of their contacts too!
6. Your daughter should stay close to email. Email should be checked daily, even on weekends.
7. Sometimes recent grads need to be reminded to send thank-you notes or emails. Even if someone has just met her for coffee, a quick note of thanks should be sent.
8. If your daughter interned with a company, she should re-connect with that company. Companies like to hire interns into regular full-time roles, if they have appropriate roles available.
9. Networking is more valuable than spending time behind a laptop. A reasonable guideline is 75% of a job hunter’s time should be devoted to networking, while the remainder can be spent behind a PC.
10. A social media check-up may be smart. College grads need to make ensure that their social media pages portray them in a positive light.
11. Finally, stay positive. Every interview is helpful, because every interview practices a skill.  Interviewing is a skill!  No recruiter wakes up in the morning and says, “I am eager to hire a negative person today.”  Even though your daughter might be getting frustrated, it is important not to share that frustration with a prospective interviewer.

Your daughter will land.  Have faith!

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

When I walk into a networking event…

Q: I have been told to network at different professional events.  I don’t know where to find these events.  Beyond that, I am nervous about what to do.  How does one actually “network” at these events?  Please give me very basic rules.  I have no idea what people mean when they say I should “network” at professional events to find a job.

A: Network, network, network — it’s our mantra to job seekers.  We encourage, preach and cajole job seekers to network and then network some more!  You are right though – we don’t share enough on the specifics!

Here is my best list of networking events for job seekers:

1. Alumni associations which connect you with others from his or her school (undergraduate or graduate). Often, at these events, you will see friendly faces.
2. Professional associations which link you with others within your profession (HR, finance, IT, etc.). A common profession is easy to talk about with other attendees.
3. Trade associations which are professional groups within your industry (biotech, higher education, etc.). Often these attendees know of companies hiring or expanding.
4. Events which specifically target job seekers. Acton Networkers – www.actonnetworkers.org is a very active group.
5. Meetup groups (www.meetup.com) connect people with common interests, from salsa dancing to meditation. There are also meetups for technology job seekers or those who want to learn more about interview prep.

How to prepare yourself for such an event:

1. Print business cards and make sure that they are simple and easy to read. Include a quick phrase which describes your career interests (e.g. “controller with public accounting experience.”) A phone number and email should also be included.  I think a LinkedIn URL is also helpful.
2. Dress appropriately. Spiffy business casual is what I suggest.
3. Research the event. Arrive on time. The fewer surprises the better.  No one likes to circle searching for a parking space.  Understand the format in advance.  Have your 1-2 minute elevator pitch ready.
4. If it is a larger gathering (20 or more attendees), don’t try to shake every hand in the room. It is better to leave with 3 to 5 new contacts who are most relevant to your search.
5. Follow-up after the event. If you met a few people who could be beneficial to your search, ask to meet them for coffee. Or at least connect on LinkedIn.
6. Be gracious. Always email a quick note of thanks to anyone who meets with you.

With each event, you will gain more confidence.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

How to apply on LinkedIn

Q: I recently applied for a role on LinkedIn and never heard back from the company.  Is this typical?  I would expect when a company posts a job on LinkedIn, they are serious about recruiting.

A:  LinkedIn is a great recruitment tool for most roles.  Most employers post roles on LinkedIn when they are eager to generate a pool of qualified candidates for the role.  However, there are ways you can use LinkedIn more successfully as a job seeker.

1. A candidate is qualified. Applying for a role requires less of an effort than it did 20 years ago. Most of us have a current resume on our desktop and we can easily respond to a posting with a resume.  However, there are “perpetual posters” who apply for almost any open role available.  It is difficult to take those candidates seriously because they seem to apply for any and all jobs, rather than the roles for which they are most qualified.
2. A resume is attached, as part of the online application. This might seem like a no brainer to some but many candidates do not attach a resume with your online application. This is frustrating!  The recruiter then has to reach back out to the candidate, and request a resume.  Yes, I can view a candidate’s LinkedIn profile but most of my clients still want to review a resume too.
3. The LinkedIn profile is complete. A professional photo is part of the candidate’s LinkedIn profile. The LinkedIn profile includes a well-written job history and contact information.  There are some LinkedIn profiles which are very thin and offer limited information.
4. A candidate is responsive. Sometimes recruiters work odd hours and on weekends. When we reach out to a candidate, we are hoping for a quick response (within 24 hours or sooner).  With smart phones and other technological innovations, we expect job hunters to respond if we call or email them.  If a candidate takes several days to respond, that is a sign that this opportunity is not priority in their lives.
5. The first impression is positive. The resume is well written and there are no typos. The same standards apply to a candidate’s LinkedIn profile. It should be well written and logical.
6. Check out who you might know at the company.  A connection to the company may be helpful!

Finally, sometimes hundreds of candidates apply to posted jobs.  It would be difficult to respond to every candidate.  If you feel like you are a well-qualified candidate, you can reach out to the recruiter listed on the posting.  However, there may be a reason why they haven’t contacted you and it may be unrelated to you.  The job may have been put on hold or another candidate has been hired.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

Landing a finance role in 2017

Q:  I recently applied for several senior financial management roles.  I have experience at large, international organizations.  The roles I am currently interested in are roles working for smaller organizations.  Typically these roles are working for entrepreneurial start-up organizations.  I am not getting any responses apply online.  I have attached my resume for your review.  Any advice for me?  My New Year’s resolution is to land a new job.

A: Your resume looks quite strong.  It is well-organized and follows a logical format with no gaps in your professional work history. It describes much of what you have accomplished.  It is easy to read with no typos or spelling errors.

However, there is one yellow flag on your resume.  You use words that may scare an entrepreneurial start-up.  Words like “executive” are rarely used in start-ups.  Also, the title “CFO” may turn off start-ups.  Start-ups typically want to hire individuals, even at senior levels, who can roll up their sleeves.  Sometimes even the senior-level financial leader in the organization may help process accounts receivables or payables, especially in the early days.  Start-ups often are eager to hire individuals who don’t need a large team to run the financial side of the business.

If you are targeting smaller organizations, you may want to emphasize your “hands-on” work style or that you are able to run a team efficiently and cost effectively.  You might want to emphasize that you are ok with working for an organization with limited resources.  You may want to remove the word “executive” and replace it with “leader” or something similar.  Entrepreneurial organizations have less of a focus on hierarchy and more of a focus on getting the work done.

Large company names can also scare smaller organizations, because of compensation expectations. Smaller organizations may pay less than larger organizations.  If a hiring manager reads a resume with international experience, a CFO title and the word “executive” used repeatedly, you might be passed over.  Instead the hiring manager may gravitate to candidates who has start-up experience, use titles like finance leader and focus their accomplishments on introducing and implementing systems and processes at a place, where previously there had been none.

Take a critical look at your resume and compare to job descriptions or postings available online, with a focus on roles for smaller companies.  My guess is that you will see that your resume reflects verbiage used more commonly in larger companies.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

Networking tips for an introvert

Q:  I am introvert.  I have been told to network.  How does a network introvert?  It is so anxiety-producing!  HELP.  The thought of walking into a giant room of strangers has me feeling sick.

A: Networking is still a critical part of the job hunt puzzle.  According to a recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics report, about 70% of new jobs are still found through people who the job seeker knows.  Most outplacement firms also share this statistic to the job seekers with whom they work.  Networking is important.

Knowing that networking is essential to your job hunt, how does an introvert network?  Here are some tips.

1. Hold yourself accountable. LinkedIn and your PC are useful tools. Make sure though you don’t spend all of your job hunting time behind a screen.  Aim for 75% of your time as networking time, while about 25% should be spent online.  Simple math means about four days of out of a work week should be spent networking!
2. Update your LinkedIn profile A photo, a complete job history and a few recommendations are the bare minimum.  Your network of contacts will likely find you on Linkedin at some point in time.  To gain confidence, start small. Ask a neighbor for coffee. Invite your brother-in-law out for a beer.  Remember, it is not just the person in front of you that could be helpful.  It is their entire network of contacts.
3. Consider events like meet up and other professional networking groups like the Acton Networkers  (www.actonnetworkers.com) and the Hopkinton Networkers group. Everyone is in the same boat. With a shared purpose, others will be empathetic and helpful.
4. When you enter a large room at a networking event, don’t strive to shake every hand. Instead your goal should be 3 to 5 strong and meaningful contacts.
5. Print business cards! They make it easier to approach a stranger.
6. Practice your pitch. Jot down a 1 to 2 minute pitch.  Your pitch should include who you are and what type of job you hope to land.  Practice, practice and then refine and practice again.
7. Send a thank-you note after every meeting.  An email thank-you note is fine in most instances.  People will remember that you sent a note.

Finally, after you land a job, be sure to be willing to connect with others who are job hunting.  Someone, some day will ask you how you landed your job.  Take the time and share what worked and what didn’t.  You will have some real-life experience to share!

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

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