new job search · 2020. 8. 28. · beginning your job search now that you know more about who you...
TRANSCRIPT
Agenda• Developing a Clear Objective
• Define What You Want, Know Yourself (Interests, Values, Skills) • Beginning Your Job Search
• Job Search Sites and Resources• Job Titles & Software Skills – Ways to Search Using O*NET
• Networking• Using LinkedIn, Going to Job Fairs and Events, Your Professional Pitch
• Overcoming Challenges• Professional Degrees from Other Countries• Resources for Refugees, Asylees, and English Language Learners• Formerly Justice Served (Incarceration history)• Getting Your Resume Past Applicant Tracking Systems
• Internships, Externships, and Volunteering• Recruiting and Staffing Companies• Staying Motivated, Dedicated, and Following Up• LWTech Employment Resource Center (ERC) Services
Developing a Clear ObjectiveDefine What You Want• If you ask a goat what
it wants to eat, it will say, “I’ll eat anything you offer!” Don’t be a goat in your job search. You need to define what you want and make sure it fits into your long-term goals.
Narrow Down Your GoalDo you want to work at a non-profit, large corporation, small startup company, government (city/county job), or small family-owned company?
Define your job search plan by industry. Do you want to work in healthcare, education, manufacturing, public services, high-tech, or aerospace?
Location: Are you willing to work remotely or do you prefer to work on-site? Can you move to a new city or state? Are you willing to commute?
Know Yourself
Who Am I? What Interests Me?
Analyze yourself in terms of:
• Interests: Includes your major or minor, career field, preferences for working with data, people, or things, hobbies, and preferences for working in groups or alone.
• Values: Includes placing importance in areas such as independence, prestige, variety, creativity, security, growth, surroundings, and economic return.
• Skills: Includes specific skills (knowledge about your field of study and experience) and transferable, college-acquired skills (communication, leadership, technical, organizational).
Career Ideas• You might be open to
changing careers, but aren’t sure what careers would be a match with your background.
• Use JobScan’s Career Change Tool to see what job titles it suggests based on your resume.
Beginning Your Job SearchNow that you know more about who you are, what you want, and what you’re looking for, you can start your job search. This is exciting! You can use job search sites help you find open jobs and apply to them. There are many; here are some popular sites: • Worksourcewa.com Partnership between
WorkSource and Monster.com to connect job seekers with thousands of jobs.
• Hire Lions Online job posting system for students and graduates administered by LWTech’s Employment Resource Center.
• Indeed.com Search for jobs by distance, salary, part-time/full-time, location, company, and experience level.
More Job Search Sites
• LinkedIn Make your own profile, search for jobs and internships, sign up for job alerts, connect with companies and people in your industry.
• USAJobs Federal government job postings.• HigherEd Jobs Jobs in education at colleges/universities. • The Spectrum Careers Jobs in many industries posted by
companies that support neurodiversity and inclusive hiring.• Government Jobs City/county government job postings. • ZipRecruiter Easy-to-use platform with quick-application
process.
Job Titles and and Jobs –Search by Software • Job titles can vary by
location, company, and may change over time.
• If you know how to use a particular software program, you can use O*Net’s Hot Technologies tool to “search by software” to find job titles (and open jobs) that match.
What is Networking?Networking is all about connecting with people and helping each other professionally. By networking, you increase your chances of finding a great job. You also build relationships with like-minded people in your industry so you can share ideas, trends, and knowledge now and in the future. According to Payscale.com, “80% of jobs are not listed and 85% of jobs are found by networking.” Networking is connecting and communicating directly with people with the intent to exchange information about a common profession, develop professional relationships, and share ideas. This includes:
• People who work at companies you’re interested in• People in your same or similar industry or field• People who have connections to industries/companies
related to your job search
You Want Me to Do What?!Networking gets easier – the more you practice, the better you get!People like to help other people. How do you feel when someone asks you for help if you’re in a position to give it?
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a virtual social media networking platform used for professional, business-related purposes. Use it to:• Find jobs and internship postings. Get automated job
notifications matching your profile. • Follow companies you want to work for.• Post business and industry-related content.• Connect and network with people you meet at conferences,
former/current co-workers, supervisors, students, former classmates – people related to your industry.
• Go to your former college, click on alumni, put in year you attended, see what people did with their degree!
Your LinkedIn Profile
Your Profile can include:
• Industry (the industry you are in or you are interested in pursuing)• Summary “About” (paragraphs, first person is best practice)• Work experience• License & Certifications• Education• Volunteer Experience• Skills • Course List & Endorsements (Shows LinkedIn Learning courses you completed.
These courses are free for LWTech students!)• Connections (your classmates, LWTech ERC)• URL (Usually your name, ability to customize. Can put on your resume, too, under
your contact information.)
Networking using LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a great place to start to find people in your profession and people you already know. You can connect “virtually” by sending a connection request and adding a short note.
Connecting on LinkedIn: Best Practices How and why you found their profile• “I noticed that we’re both connected to Jerri
Smith. Let’s connect!”• “I’m glad we were able to meet at XYZ
conference last Thursday. Let’s connect!”• “We are both members of the LinkedIn Group
‘Digital Marketing Seattle.’ Let’s connect!”Similar education or past work experience• “I saw that you graduated from LWTech in 2016.
I am a current student there. Let’s connect!”
Networking at Events
Find events where people in similar industries will be or where people who work at companies you’re interested in working at will be. After you meet them, connect with them on LinkedIn!
Attend industry association functions, conferences, and events.
Attend job fairs in-person or virtually to meet like-minded professionals and companies for future job prospects, ideas, and contacts.
Meet and Greet Opportunities
• Attend WorkSource Redmond meetings, events, and workshops.
• Attend King County Library System Events (online or in-person)
• Volunteer at community events and activities where you can meet people with similar interests (Example: Horticulture students/graduates could network at the City of Kirkland’s landscaping volunteer projects to make connections.)
Your 1-Minute Professional Pitch
When you meet people, it helps to have an “ice breaker” to open the conversation. You also need to be able to explain in a concise manner who you are, what you do (or want to do) and your top skills.
• Career Spots Video The Elevator Pitch• More Career Spots videos online at LWTech
Employment Resource Center • YouTube JobSpeaker Tell Me About Yourself
Professional Pitch - Example“My passion is working with children and families. I recently volunteered at Kirkland Health Fair to connect families with resources to improve their health and educate parents on the importance of vaccinations. I’m currently studying Medical Assisting at LWTech to earn my associate’s degree and I’ll graduate in June. My goal is to increase access to affordable, quality healthcare for everyone.”
- Medical Assisting student
Networking is Awesome!Because networking helps you get a job faster, you can ”fake it until you make it.” Here are some tips: • Read Susan Cain’s book The
Power of Introverts, available at the LWTech library.
• Listen to Pat Hedley’s TedxDartmouth talk “Meet 100 People” on YouTube.
• Practice smiling, being friendly, and taking breaks as needed to recharge your energy.
Overcoming Challenges Professional Degrees From Countries Other Than the USAIf you recently moved to the USA or if you have a professional degree from another country, we have specialized resources to help navigate your job search: Upwardly Global (UpGlo) • Non-profit that helps recent immigrants and refugees with
advanced degrees from countries other than the US find professional jobs in their field.
Welcome Back Centers• Located at Highline College and Edmonds College. Email
[email protected] or call 206-592-3345. Graduation from college in another country, now live in Washington state, and need assistance with professional job search or orientation around existing licensing procedures. Examples are Engineering, Nursing, and Architecture – professions requiring licensure to work.
Refugees and Asylum Seekers Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA) • Helps increase language proficiency and
improve employability. In Seattle, services available in over 50 languages!
Refugees Northwest• Services include job fairs, resume building, and
educational workshops.
English Language Learners During a job search, if you find challenges communicating using the English language, it helps to practice your speaking skills! Here are some resources: • LWTech’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Program.• Talk Time at the King County Library System. It’s free, open
to everyone. • English for Work classes at Hopelink. For immigrants,
refugees, and anyone who wants to practice to improve their English for getting a job. Free! ([email protected] or 425-250-3007)
• Be a guest for free or join a ToastMasters club (charge/membership fees) to work on public speaking skills, improve grammar and word usage.
Formerly Justice Involved (Incarceration History)
Washington Fair Chance Act • Employers may not ask about an applicant’s criminal record until after the employer
determines the applicant meets the minimum qualifications for the position. For example, an employer’s initial application must not require criminal background information. (But they can inquire during an interview after the initial screening.)
CareerOneStop.org• This site has a section for “Worker with Criminal Conviction” for talking points and
how/when to disclose for best results. You can find out how to get bonded for free and how to explain tax benefits of hiring a person with a criminal history to potential employers.
FareStart• A non-profit organization for those interested in a career in the culinary industry
(Includes barista, catering, cafes, restaurants, food services.) Pioneer Human Services• A non-profit organization who helps people with incarceration history with training,
apprenticeships, and employment services. Follow them on Facebook and contact them for job seeking assistance.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)99% of Fortune500 companies use Applicant Tracking systems (ATS) to screen resumes. ATS only send resumes to real people if the resume matches the job description by 80% or more.
How ATS’s Work• When you submit your resume to the company, the
ATS automatically filters resumes with an algorithm based on keywords.
• If your resume doesn’t meet an 80% keyword match with the job description, no one sees it.
• Fun Fact – ATS’s have been around since 1994. Even some small companies use them now to find the best candidates and make hiring easier for them.
• Common ATS names are Workday, Taleo, SAP, ADP, ICIMS, SAP, Lever, Jobvite, and many more. If you see “Powered by Jobvite” on the company’s career site, that’s a tip they use an ATS.
Try an Internship or Externship Sometimes you need more experience and training in a particular field, and internships/externships/apprenticeships can help. These are opportunities – sometimes paid, sometimes unpaid – to help you gain work experience. They can be temporary, short-term, long-term, and may or may not include a full-time job offer at completion. Here are some links to help you find these options: • Hire Lions – For LWTech students/grads. Includes internship
category. • Apprenti – For careers in technology. • Indeed.com – Type in your job title desired and then add the
word “internship” in the search box. Example: Mechanical Design Internship. Also under “job type” can select “internship.”
• Idealist – Has an “internships” category. • LinkedIn – Under “Jobs” has a drop down for “internship.”
Volunteering to Gain Experience Volunteering gives you opportunities to learn new things, make connections with possible employers, and gain experience to add to your resume and talk about during interviews. There are many places to volunteer – try to find something related to the industry you are seeking to enter if possible. Find volunteer options at:VolunteerMatchCity of Kirkland – Volunteer City of Redmond – VolunteerIdealist - Volunteer
Recruiting & Staffing Companies
These companies connect you to employers with open jobs. They may be contracted by a company to help them find employees, or they might be independently looking to connect job seekers with employees for a fee that the employer pays if the company decides to hire you.Robert Half Creative Circle ManpowerGroupVolt
Dedicate Time to Your Job Search Staying Motivated, Dedicated, and Following Up • Set up a schedule and stick
to it. Plan to job search when you have the most energy. Are you a morning person or an evening person?
• Create a Job Log so you can track your progress and remember where you applied/interviewed.
A Week in the Life of a Job SearcherMake sure you devote enough time for job search since finding a job is a fulltime job! Decide how much time you can realistically devote. The average person should spend 25 hours a week if not working, 15 hours a week if already working full-time. 25 hours of job search time per week could look like this:• 3 hours per week: Searching for and applying to posted jobs
through online job sites and employer websites.• 5 hours per week: Writing and customizing resumes, cover letters, follow-
up letters or emails.• 3 hours per week: Researching and identifying organizations and
companies you want to work for. This time would include completing online profiles and inputting resumes into employer databases. Setting up job alerts.
• 14 hours per week: Devoted to networking with people who can help you find your dream job. (LinkedIn, informational interviewing, job interviews, attending virtual and in-person job fairs, industry conferences/events, industry association meetings, hiring events, sending thank you emails.)
Following Up & Be Persistent Be sure to: • Follow up on all contacts immediately. • Follow up with prospective employers and
contacts to get hiring updates.• Send thank you emails to everyone you meet
with or talk to within 24 hours. • Don’t let a contact fade away. • Continue to keep in touch either by email,
LinkedIn, text, or phone.
Staying Motivated
• Keep your positive energy up! Find activities that fill up your “positive energy tank” because job search can be challenging. Take breaks as needed.
• Join a Job Club to get support and ideas or form your own job club. (Hopelink Job Club: 425-250-3030)
• Randstad commissioned a survey of 2000 Americans in 2018 and found that it took an average of five months to find a job. Look up current stats to see how long it’s taking in the current economy in your industry to set your expectations.
Connect with Us on LinkedIn
To get career and job-seeking tips, connect with LWTech Employment Resource Center on LinkedIn!
Employment Resource Center Services
• 1:1 appointment with a career specialist • Resume and Cover Letter development • Job Search help • Mock Interviews and referrals for free interview clothing• Access to employment events (Employer panels, guest
speakers, internship/externship opportunities, and job fairs.) • Visit the ERC webpage: www.LWTech.edu
• Career Spot Videos • Hire Lions online job board • Follow us on LinkedIn
• Contact us to schedule an appointment at (425) 739-8113 or [email protected]