Job Search Techniques

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Job Search Techniques
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Marquette University ? Career Services Center
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Job Search Techniques

• Know yourself
• Define your criteria
• Perfect your job search materials
• Three ways to find a job
• Set goals and time commitments
• Master networking and interviewing skills

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Know Yourself

• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What sets you apart from your peers?

Helpful handouts for this slide can be found at
http//www.marquette.edu/csc/students/handouts.sht
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Top skills employers seek Transferable skills
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Define your criteria

• What are FIVE things you need in a position for
  it to be satisfying?
  
• Working with people or data or ideas or things
• Distance from home
• Size of city
• Pay vs. cost of living
• Fit with co-workers

Helpful handouts for this slide can be found at
http//www.marquette.edu/csc/students/handouts.sht
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The Decision Making Process Handout
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Define your criteria

• What are your goals?
• How could your first job get you closer to those
  goals?
  
• Can you concretely put those criteria into words?

Just like dating, you must know what you want
BEFORE you start out to finding the right
person. Remember, you are just looking for what
you will do next, not what you will do for
the rest of your life!
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Remember your criteria when...

• Thinking over your first offer
• Just because its your first job offer, doesnt
  mean you have to take it. If you got one offer,
  there are surely more to follow.
  
• Vice versa, if it fits your criteria, its okay
  to take your first job offer!
  
• Applying for a WACKY job
• Sure you can make about 75K fishing in Alaska,
  but does it give you skills consistent with your
  long-term career goals?
  
• You are tired of the search, ready to be
  finished
  
• As they say, a job search is a full-time job.
  No one said it would be easy (at least we didnt).

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Remember your criteria when...

• All of your peers have great jobs
• Stop comparing yourself to your peers, especially
  if they are in high-demand career fields.
  
• Instead congratulate them and use that positive
  energy to boost your own search.
  
• Faced with making some compromises
• You may have to make some sacrifices. Be sure to
  prioritize your criteria and understand exactly
  why you are compromising.

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Its okay to be flexible and open...

• as long as you are paying attention to any RED
  FLAGS
  
• Turnover within organization
• No one could say anything good about working
  there
  
• Seems too good to be true

Does your offer sound too good to be true?
Chances are it probably is. Check with mentors,
family members, and career services professionals
if something doesnt seem right.
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Perfect your job search materials

• Resume
• Based on your resume, would YOU hire you?
• Have your resume critiqued by career services by
  e-mailing it to career.services_at_marquette.edu
  
• Cover Letter
• Have a solid draft of your cover letter outlining
  your skills and how they fit with the position
  you are seeking

Helpful handouts for this slide can be found at
http//www.marquette.edu/csc/students/handouts.sht
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Resume and cover letter writing
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Perfect your job search materials

• Interviewing
• Feel confident as an interviewer
• Just because you are personable, doesnt mean you
  can nail an interview
  
• Make a list of 10 skills and 10 examples of each
  skills
  
• Sign up for a Mock Interview using InterviewStream

Helpful handouts for this slide can be found at
http//www.marquette.edu/csc/students/handouts.sht
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Frequently asked interviewing questions
InterviewStream can be accessed online
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Three ways to find a job

• Respond to position openings
• Develop target list of employers
• Network with potential contacts and employers

? ? ?
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Respond to position openings

• Develop a list of online job search sites that
  are best suited for your career field.
  
• We recommend starting with those outlined on the
  Career Services website.

Career Services Center http//www.marquette.edu/
csc
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Respond to position openings

• Golden Eagle Search
• Search local, regional, national, and global jobs
  and internships using this web crawler.
  
• Any public-domain job search site including
  corporate web sites, those owned by newspapers,
  and major sites such as career building and
  monster
• Use your emarq account to access via Career
  Gateway https//www.mu.edu/gateway/
  
• MU CareerTRAK
• Students and alumni are encouraged to submit
  their resume for inclusion in the MU CareerTRAK
  program. This comprehensive online job search
  tool connects students with employers in three
  main ways.
• Full-time and Internship Position Openings
• On Campus Interviews InterviewTRAK
• Resume Referral
• Send resume for critiquing to career.services_at_marq
  uette.edu

Different career fields use different sites for
posting jobs, however ALL use the web. The
Career Services Center subscribes to many
fee-required sites for your access.
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Respond to position openings

• Search the internet for
• Field specific job search sites
• Go to favorite search engine
• Type jobs
• Example public relations jobs
• See what comes up

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Respond to position openings

• Search the internet for
• Professional Associations
• Go to favorite search engine
• Type association
• Example public relations associations
• See what comes up
• Look for words like career, employment, jobs

Student memberships cost considerably less so now
is a good time to join your professional
association. Ask faculty and mentors which prof
essional associations they belong to.
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Develop target list of employers

• For whom would you like to work? You must
  determine which organzations typically hire
  someone with your skills and experiences

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Develop target list of employers

• Vault
• Vault is the worlds leading source of career
  information.  It will make your efforts at
  researching employers, industries, and career
  subjects infinitely easier and more efficient.
  Resources include 80 Career Guides 3,000
  Company Profiles 1,100 Career Articles
  Industry Profiles
• Access via https//www.mu.edu/gateway/
• Reference USA
• Reference USA is a database of 12 million
  companies and organizations. It is searchable by
  geographic location, SIC codes, company size,
  etc.
• Access via https//www.mu.edu/gateway/
• Book of Lists Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis
• Lists of organizations such as
• The top 25 publicly-held companies
• The top research and development orgnaizations
• The top women-owned companies
• These are only available in the Kimberly-Clark
  Career library

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Develop target list of employers

• Once you have your list, actively pursue them
  by
  
• Contacting MU alumni within the organization
  using MU Connect
  
• Follow instructions on the corporate website for
  applying

Do you want to really stand out? Hand deliver
your resume and cover letter. Dress
professionally and be prepared to interview. You
never know who might be available to speak with
you. Be bold!
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Network with potential contacts and employers

• MU Connect Career Alumni Network
• The Career Alumni Network is a link to alumni who
  have expressed interest in helping MU students
  with career options.  The program can assist you
  in many ways whether you are researching career
  fields or seeking a position in a particular
  state, industry, or organization.
• Access via https//www.mu.edu/gateway/
• Professors
• Friends of family/family of friends
• Campus networking events
• Speaker series
• Alumni events

Always be prepared to sell yourself and your
skills. I know a student who got a job just by
talking with a man on an airplane on his way down
to Florida for spring break. The man was so
impressed, he asked for the students resume and
later hired him! Be bold!
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Career Fairs

• Career Fairs
• Using MU CareerTRAK, students can see which
  organizations will be attending our career fairs.
  
  
• Fall Career Fair Two-day fair for Marquette
  students and alumni only. FALL
  
• WorkForce Wisconsin Private Colleges Fair held
  in Marquettes Student Union for MU students and
  those from other private colleges in Wisconsin.
  EARLY SPRING
• National Jesuit Collegiate e-Fair 17 Jesuit
  colleges and universities offer an e-Fair to the
  students and alumni of participating colleges and
  universities among the Jesuit consortium in the
  United States. EARLY SPRING
• Big East Fairs Colleges and universities from
  the Big East Conference schools have joined
  together to form a Big East Recruiting
  Consortium. They hold both an on-site fair in
  Madison Square Garden, New York, NY and a
  virtual fair. EARLY SPRING

Helpful handouts for this slide can be found at
http//www.marquette.edu/csc/students/handouts.sht
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Making the most of a career fair
See who is coming to the fairs by checking on our
website
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Set goals and time commitments

• Dedicate part of each week for your job search
• Take advantage of the resources available to you
• Develop a job search mantra
• I am a copyeditor
• I will find the job I want
• I love being an account executive

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Success can be yours with the help of the Career
Services Center