Job and Internship
Search Strategies
in a (Really)
Tough Economy
Catherine W. Swearingen

Graduation is racing at you,
you need experience,
and you need a job.
Now what?

Make a plan.
Self-Assessment/Branding
Marketing Research/Networking
Where are you going and
how do you get there?

Know Yourself
•values
•transferable skills
•accomplishments
•experience
•career path
•goals
Self-assessment

Some More Things
to Think About . . .
What is my work style?
How do I accomplish tasks?
What is my learning preference?
How do I like to learn?
What is my interaction style?
How do I communicate?
Self-assessment

Branding
You are the product.
What is your career identity?
What do you present to potential employers?

Career Identity
What do you want potential
employers to know about you?
Your skills and how they will benefit their company.
Branding

Career Identity
How do you tell the world how great you are?
Make a portfolio.
No one will know if you don’t tell them.
Branding

Career Identity
What is a portfolio?
A job-search tool that gives employers a complete picture of who
you are - your education, your talents, your attitudes, your
accomplishments, your activities, your experience, your skills
and abilities, and what you have the potential to become.
Branding

Career Identity
What goes into a portfolio?
Resume Evidence of community
Transcript(s) involvement
Student involvement transcript Letters of recommendation,
Awards, honors, scholarships, grants testimonials
Area of emphasis Letters of commendation
and appreciation for excellent
Presentations work or service
Organization membership, List of references
committee Involvement
Branding

Career Identity
Elevator Speech (the 30-second pitch)
List the benefits that you can provide to the employer.
Articulate the benefits to identify the most
compelling reason for the employer to hire you.
Quantify the benefits wherever possible.
You are the product.
Branding

Research and Networking
craigslist
www.rileyguide.com
Job boards represent approximately 20% of available jobs.
The other 80% isn’t posted anywhere.

So Where Is This 80%?
Look for people who are in a position to
hire you at some point in the future.
The “insiders” know where the jobs are.
Focus on ten to fifteen companies you really want to work for.
Develop a list of “these people” and establish a relationship with them.
Sell your services to them.
Research

How Do I Find These People?
Look for companies, products
and services that impress you
(whether or not they are currently hiring).
Do some snooping . . .
Learn about the owners, managers, board of
directors, the company culture, competition, etc.
Research

Where Can I Snoop?
Company websites
Business Week Online
Hoovers Online
Forbes Private Company List
Inc. 500 List
Zoominfo
http://www.learnwebskills.com/company/index.html
(“Researching Companies Online”)
Uniworld
Research

How Do I Reach These People?
Network.
The most important tool
in your job search.
Network. Network. Network. Network.

Six-degrees of Separation
Create a list of people you know. Aim for 100.
school family and friends neighbors
summer jobs internships social clubs
professors parents of friends church
coaches DU alumni mentors
Tell them you are job hunting. Ask for four connections.
Ask their connections for four connections . . . .
Networking

Get Out There!
Unusual places in which people have networked:
“Some of the wildest ones include during a slaughterhouse fire, in a
cadaver lab, while getting a mammogram, as a car-accident witness,
on a gondola ride to a mountain top, during a prolonged rain delay
at a baseball game, while donating blood, in a hot tub at a
conference, and at a psychic fair waiting for a tarot-card reading.”
Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.
Creative Director and Associate Publisher of Quintessential Careers
Networking

Marketing
It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.
44% of employers use social networking
sites to view profiles of job candidates.
Vault.com

So What About That Portfolio?
Put your brand online.
Linkedin
VirtualCV
Twitter
Facebook
Brazencareerist
Be confident and leverage your strengths.
Marketing

So What About That Portfolio?
Use your brand to market yourself
through distribution channels.
Networking contacts
Job postings
Informational interviews
Career and internship fairs
Professional association meetings
Marketing

What Else?
Utilize Available Resources
•One-on-one counseling •Webinars
•On-line library information •Networking events
•Resume review •Interactive tele-classes
•Workshops •Job postings
•Blogs •Career Fairs
•Podcasts •Alumni networks

And Finally . . .
Be flexible.
You might not find the job you expect when you set out.
Be aggressive.
Put yourself out there and get noticed.
Be persistent.
Don’t stalk, but follow-up.
Most of all,
Don’t give up.