November 5, 2018November 4, 2018

Summer Internships

Dear college students welcome back to class. Hopefully, you’re finally unpacked, getting into a rhythm and hitting the books. Oh, and by the way, have you started thinking about your summer internships yet? I know, it feels like you just got back and finally settled in. You might not even be sure which classes you’re taking next quarter, let alone when you’re going to start applying for an internship.

Boeing, Hershey, Expedia, and Google all have internships posted for this summer internships already, and there’s more to come. All of my college recruiter friends are on the road through November trying to fill their positions. We all know that college internships carry a lot of weight on a resume and can lead to future job offers. Get started now, so you will be able to relax this spring during the second round of recruiting.

Campus Visits

A lot of prominent organizations send recruiters on campus to meet students. It helps to make friends with the people who coordinate these visits. Visit the career center often. Ask them to help you update your resume and write a cover letter. Get to know the people who work there, because they can have a lot of pull. They’re the people who companies tend to work with when scheduling the on-site visits. If you build a relationship with them, they can and sometimes do put in a good word for you with the companies coming to visit.

Companies tend to do two types of campus recruiting. The first approach is info sessions and the second is the On-site Interviews. With the info sessions, recruiters come on campus and give a presentation about life at their office, what their internship program looks like and sometimes even offer free food. At these events, they might take resumes and spend a bit of time networking with students. They might have a job posting(s) for you to apply. Attend these! First of all, what college student doesn’t want free food? Second, you get face to face time with the people who are influencing hiring decisions, why wouldn’t you go!

On-Site Interviews

On-site interviews are usually combined with an info session and or career fair. This type of event is fast and furious for the recruiters. They’re reviewing resumes, filling interview slots and interacting with students all in a brief period. Sometimes they’ll work with the college directly to fill some select particular spots before they show up with students that come highly recommended or through pre-selects. Once they’re on campus, the businesses spots fill up quickly. Stay on top who’s coming to town by checking in with the career center weekly.

Occasionally, a company will do on-site interviews at a target school without being associated with a career fair or info session. These tend to be much less publicized, and the schedules are set before they visit the school. They may leave one or two slots open for recommended students upon their arrival, but mostly the candidates have already applied online.

Internship Applications

Don’t fret if your dream company isn’t coming to your school. There’s a ton of colleges out there, and an excellent way to can’t make it to each one. Applying for the internship is a step that everyone has to take, regardless. Again, set up your notifications early for the companies you are interested in. If your school doesn’t have a lot of on-campus visits, you might have to cast a broader net to land an internship. When you are applying, attention to detail is one of the best skills you can demonstrate. Avoid spelling and grammar errors by enlisting a friend to proofread. If the application allows for a cover letter, don’t skip it, and be sure to customize it for the particular internship.

If recruiters aren’t coming to your school, use LinkedIn to find them and let them know you’re interested. I ran this post past an experienced college recruiter for a large company, and she added:

“Reaching out to recruiters directly on LinkedIn is a great way to let a company know you are interested in internships with them. So if a company you are interested in is not coming to your campus, apply online and find a recruiter from that company on LinkedIn and reach out directly, expressing your interest. You only need to do this once, and they will follow-up if they are interested.”

How to Prepare

Head back over to the career center to get started. Find out which companies typically come on campus each year and do some research. Figure out if you want to stay close to home for an internship, or spend the summer in another state. Once you’ve narrowed it down, pick 5-10 companies offering summer internships that you’d love to work for and set up job notifications on their websites. Then, follow them on Social Media – Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn. Some of them have targeted college recruiting accounts, so keep an eye out. They’ll post events for the schools that you’re visiting.

When the jobs come up, customize your resume to match the position. Write a cover letter that demonstrates you know what the company does and highlighting how your skills match their needs. You can use the career center for help with your resume and cover letter. Look for opportunities to get feedback on your interview skills too. Do some research on behavioral interview questions or technical coding questions and practice as much as you can.

If you see their events on Facebook, be sure to RSVP and don’t flake for Taco Tuesday. Dress as if you are going to an interview. Depending on the company, this could look different, but it still should be professional (clean, wrinkle-free and no sweats). For Banking and Finance wear formal business attire. At high-tech & startup companies wear nice slacks and a button up or blouse. This lets the recruiters know that you’re serious, and you aren’t just there for the free food

Was this helpful? Feel free to pass it along. I wish you all the best of luck in finding summer internships. Leave a comment or send me a note if you have questions. amie@soundinterview.com

August 2, 2018

Top 10 Tips: Getting into Management

Have you thought about where you’d like to see your career go in the next five years? A lot of people I work with tell me they want to be a manager in the future, but they’re not quite sure how to get there. If you have your sights set on getting into management, these things can help make the transition easier.

#1: Ask Yourself Why

First, do a gut check to make sure that management is really where you want to be. The workforce needs managers who want the job because they like working with people, believe they can make the company better, and care about their team. It’s a hard job and comes with a lot of challenges that non-managers don’t have to face. If you end up becoming a manager but not enjoying the job, it can be a pretty uncomfortable conversation to have with your boss.

#2: Volunteer for Assignments

There are two types of assignments that you should take on. First are the jobs that are not fun, but need to get done. Second are assignments that will stretch you out of your comfort zone or have high visibility. Try to volunteer for a balance between these opportunities. Once you have the job, be sure to take it seriously and follow through. If it’s a stretch assignment, be resourceful and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you get stuck. Taking on both kinds of projects will show leaders that you are reliable and not afraid of a challenge.

#3: Lead a Group

There’s no substitute for having the hands-on experience of influencing people. Look for opportunities to get experience leading others. It could be signing up to run the next committee at work, or volunteering to lead a group at a local non-profit. Hands-on experience will make it much easier to talk about your leadership skills during an interview.

Mentor - Management

#4: Ask!

Make the most of your development conversations with your manager. You are your own best advocate, and you shouldn’t wait for management to ask you. Have the conversation with your boss and tell them about your goals. Ask them what areas they’d like you to develop to get there. Being open to the constructive feedback you might receive is essential.

#5: Find a Mentor

Look for a leader outside of your chain of command who can be a mentor. Make the most of the time you have by being prepared with topics and questions. If you build a good relationship, your mentor will be one of your strongest advocates with other leaders. Having an advocate during those closed-door leadership meetings will help accelerate getting into management

#6 Make Friends with HR

Talk to your HR team and see what resources and classes the company has to offer. HR is one of the first departments to know about job openings and can have a lot of influence on the hiring process. Get to know how the hiring process at your company works. Find out if there are rules about how long you need to stay in a position and how to apply internally.

#7: Be Kind

People don’t want to work for jerks. Remember to treat everyone with respect in the workplace and build strong relationships. Being able to disagree with someone and still have a respectful relationship is a skill that every leader should have. You don’t have to be friends with everyone, but keep it professional and stay away from the office gossip.

#8: Build Trust

Strong leaders are trustworthy and often spend more time listening to their team than talking. Start laying the groundwork and building a reputation of trustworthiness now. Ask curious questions and follow up. If you have trouble remembering details, write things down and set reminders to check in with people. Trust will go a long way in building strong relationships.

#9: Drink the Kool-Aid

Yep, I said it. If you’re not already, get on-board with the company mission, vision, and values. Leaders want to hire managers who believe in the company and will work to help the company succeed. If you’re struggling here, getting into management at that company may not be the best choice, and it might be time to start updating your resume.

#10: Prepare for the Interview

Remember to interview for the position you want, not the job that you have been doing. If you’re serious about getting into management, interview like a manager. Get familiar with the company is looking for in a leader and preparing stories showcasing your experience in that light. If you’re looking for help practicing your interview skills, I’d be happy to help.

May 24, 2019May 15, 2017

Updating Your Resume

updating your resume doesn't have to be painful
If you’re like most people, the thought of updating your resume sounds about as fun as a dental appointment. It’s one of those chores that is easy to put off. You may even wonder, why you should worry about it if you aren’t looking for a job. Just like going to the dentist, updating your resume is much less painful if you are doing it frequently. Each time you make updates, find a quiet space and give yourself an hour or two of uninterrupted time to focus without distractions. Regular updates will make it easier to remember your accomplishments and make the process much less painful. As your career changes, your resume should reflect that. We’ve highlighted some key times when you should be updating your resume below.

Job Changes

This one is easy. Anytime you change jobs, take a moment to make those updates on your resume. Highlight your new responsibilities and reflect on the accomplishments you achieved in your last position. Remember to update the dates on your resume too. If you’re staying at the same company in a new position, it probably makes the most sense to list the total length of time with the business name, and then list the dates for each position below. Keeping copies of your old job descriptions with your resume can help you recall past responsibilities as you make updates.

New Education/Training/Certificates

Did you get a new degree or certification? Make sure to include it on your resume and take credit for it! When working with resume clients, I often see education and training in progress with expected completion dates that have long past. Once you complete the training, I don’t recommend using dates of education on resumes unless there is a particular reason it makes sense. If your license or certification has an expiration, you’ll want to include that instead.

For most professionals, the education section of a resume should go near the bottom. I recommend that after around three years of professional work experience, that the degree should be moved down, and the experience should be a bigger focus.

Performance Reviews

When you work at a company that does performance reviews, they can help you capture your significant accomplishments. Making updates after your performance review is an excellent way to incorporate regular resume updates into your rhythm as well. Your review can help you capture big projects with measurable results as accomplishments bullets. Save these files in the same place as your previous job descriptions to make future resume updates easier.

Before Applying

Anytime you’re considering applying for a new position; you should review your resume and make updates. Even if you just recently made changes, your resume should be customized for each job. Since most companies use applicant tracking system, the words you choose in your resume should reflect the phrase used in the job posting. Without a high keyword match, there is a chance that the hiring manager might never see your resume.

Use caution when you make these updates though because if you just stuff a bunch of keywords into your resume, the systems are pretty good at picking that up too. The goal is to reflect the language in the posting, without it coming across as forced or over the top. For example, your resume uses the phrase “managed multiple projects at once, but the job description talks about multitasking, make a quick edit to reflect that word better.

Twice a Year

If you make it a habit of updating your resume twice a year on a regular schedule, you’ll make the entire process much easier. You never know when your dream job might appear, and you don’t want an old resume to cause you to scramble. If you revisit the file every six months, making the updates and customizing it to a particular job will be much less intimidating. The important thing here is to write it down and do it. Make a commitment to yourself and set a calendar reminder to get started. If it’s been awhile since you’ve made updates and you’d like some help we can help with resume coaching options to fit your needs.

Parents at the Job Interview

November 30, 2016August 22, 2016

Would you bring you parents to a job interview?

Over the past few years, parental involvement in the hiring and interview process has increased significantly. I’ve seen parents accompany their kids to the job interview and had calls from parents trying to negotiate salaries behalf of their children. At best, it’s something that gets talked about. It becomes a “can you believe what happened today at the office” kind of story. At worst, it could cost the applicant the job. It gives hiring managers the impression that the candidate family-515530 isn’t prepared for the job, not able to advocate for themselves or problem solve.

There’s no doubt that parents want to help their children. They want to stay involved in their lives, especially in that first ‘real’ job. However, parents can do more harm than help in some cases. I’m going to talk about ways that parents can be involved and helpful without getting in the way of the hiring process. If you (as an applicant) are working with a manager directly, keep in mind that filling this position is one small slice of the work they have to get done. Recruiters might be working to fill dozens of positions at a time. Expecting a recruiter or hiring manager to negotiate with an applicant and a parent can leave them frustrated and move on to another candidate.

Applicants need to take the lead

You need be the one talking to the hiring manager and recruiters directly. Parents, please don’t check in on behalf of your child. It’s not a good idea for parents to accompany you to the interview, if they’re helping you with transportation, ask them to visit a local park or coffee shop during the interview.

“My mom is the one who got me the interview at X company so that she can check on the status of the interview, right?”

It’s not a good idea for parents to check on the status of the hiring process, even if they work at the company. Keep the relationship professional and develop your identity apart from theirs. When I was working in hospitality HR, parents would try hard to help their kids get positions there. Some parents would check on the application every day, and get upset when I couldn’t provide updates. The best thing to do is let the process work. Parents, you aren’t going to help move the process along by pestering HR or the hiring manager, I promise!

Parents shouldn’t:

Check on the status of an application/interview
Sit in on an interview or wait in the lobby
Attempt to negotiate salaries or benefits
Act as a reference for a child (even if you have a different last name)
fill out an application on behalf of their child

Where parents can help

Parents and family members can be a fantastic resource to help applicants without overstepping boundaries. I encourage you to use your parents to work behind the scenes with you. If they’re working, ask them to keep an eye out for open positions at their company. Companies sometimes will post jobs internally before they start looking outside for applicants. Another thing that can be helpful is using your parent’s network to connect to other organizations. Set up informational interviews with their colleagues to learn more about different organizations and begin making your connections.

Applicants, ask your parents to:

Proofread your resume and cover letter
Help practice interview questions (samples)
Refer you to open positions within their organization
Keep an eye out for job postings
Use their network to connect you

The hiring process can be intimidating, and it’s understandable to want help navigating it, especially the first time. Show the company the skills and abilities that you bring to the table. Organizations have designed the job interview process to get to know you as a candidate, and that can get muddy when someone else is representing you as well.