Grad studies are almost over and its off to the real world again...?

Question

i got laid off from a great job few years back which i thought would last forever. well, it didn't, and so i began the temp job-hopping process.. got sick of that, went back to school full-time and found another job, which i hope will last, but must assume it won't. If there's one thing i learned from all this, it's don't stay too comfortable in one spot and always keep your resume updated.. i just wanted to share. IF you have any useful advice, please, i'd like to hear them as well...thanks, and "bababooey to ya'll!" (copyright howard stern show on E!)

Answer 1

I would advise readers that the best time to look for a job is when you have one. Employers who are adding staff are generally doing it because they feel there's going to be a future need for that employee. If it was just a short term need, they'd hire a temp or a consultant. Hiring a regular employee, complete with sign-on bonus and full benefits, implies there will be good prospects for medium term employment.

Employers are suspicious of applicants who have been laid off, and the longer you've been out of work the greater will be their suspicions. Some companies use layoffs as a means of jettisoning marginal contributors without taking the risk of firing them for cause (especially if the cause isn't well documented). Such companies will find ways to keep their star contributors.

So, if you do get caught in an unavoidable layoff, make sure you get a letter from the company that clearly states why the layoff was necessary. Get in touch with others who know you and know how you work. Your immediate manager will be a key resource, but don't overlook others you've networked with successfully. Ask them if you can use them as references and get their personal cell phone numbers. Cell phones are key, because a prospective employer will be able to reach them even if they change jobs or move. Before you list their numbers, call them to make sure they're still using that number. Get a personal email address, too.

Take a personal and professional inventory of yourself. Determine just how you'll be contributing to an employer's bottom line profits. If you haven't figured that out, it's time to do so. Being aware of how you contribute to a firm's profits shows potential employers that you have your eye on the ball and won't be wasting time pursuing petty matters. Hint: There are only 3 ways to contribute to a company's profit: (1) increase sales, (2) reduce costs or (3) improve operating efficiencies. Everyone who isn't dead weight contributes in one or more of those three ways.

When you're putting together your resume, pump up your bottom-line contributions for each position you've held. When you're listing them, use figures to support your contributions. ("I increased sales to the XYZ account by 27%." "I negotiated the cost of widgets from the ABC company down by 40%" or "I implemented changes in the production of our LMNOP product that reduced rework by 75% while also reducing 'Dead on Arrival' complaints from customers by 30%") Don't bother listing assignments you've had where the contribution has been marginal. Don't make claims you can't talk about intelligently in an interview. And don't worry about using estimates or claiming full credit. There isn't a company in the country that will confirm or deny your level of involvement or your figures. They will probably only give reference checkers your dates of hire and departure and the job title you had when you left. Make sure those are correct on your resume. Sometimes, if you've taken time off during your employment you'll end up with an adjusted date of hire so make sure you check with your company to find out exactly what they think your date of hire is.

Use that resume as a basis for cloning other resumes that are tailor-made for each job you're applying. Have a plain text version for emailing. Keep a file for each company to which you apply, the position description for which you've applied and any copies of ads to which you've responded and any personal contacts you've made. It will help to have all this handy when someone calls you. It will also help when you are in the process of interviewing with more than one company at a time. That's the ideal situation, but you'll have to keep all your negotiations with each company separated and easy to locate.

And above all, check your spelling and grammar.

Finally, once you do accept the right offer, update your resume and begin the whole process over again as soon as you have some good "bullets" to add to it and the job becomes comfortably routine.

Answer 2

Well its a great attitude. I will be enrolling in for grad school myself. Getting well paid full-time jobs is not just a function of the resume. We have to understand and gauge the hiring manager's requirements and just keep pushing.

Answer 3

thanks for the info dude, im looking for the job too