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A Winning Job Search Strategy
by Peter Vogt
MonsterTRAK Career Coach

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You've posted your resume online and even applied for a few of the positions you've seen listed here. You're also scouring the newspaper classifieds like crazy, sending off cover letters and resumes for all the job openings that seem to fit you.
Is there anything else you can do to look for a job? Absolutely! In fact, the more diverse your job-hunting strategy, the more effective it's likely to be.
Here are eight tactics you can use to track down job opportunities:
Contact Professional Organizations in Your Field
National, regional and local professional organizations exist in great part to help their members with career development. Many organizations include field-specific job listings on their Web sites or in their printed publications.
Visit Company and Organization Web Sites
Many companies and organizations post their job openings right on their own Web sites (usually under an Employment or Career Opportunities link).
Apply Directly to Organizations That Interest You
Do you know you want to work specifically for Company X or Organization Y? If so, send a well-written cover letter and your resume directly to the company, either to its human resources office or, often more effective, to the person who would likely make hiring decisions for the part of the organization that interests you. It isn't always easy to find the right person to get in touch with; typically, you'll have to do some digging.
Network, Network, Network
Generally the most effective job-hunting approach, networking is simply talking to people to either track down helpful personal contacts or learn about job openings that may not necessarily be widely advertised or advertised at all. Start by talking to your own family, friends and acquaintances. Let everyone in your life know you're looking for a job, and give them an idea of what type of job you want.
Join Professional Associations
If there's a professional organization in your field, join it and start participating in its meetings and other events so you can get to know people in your area of interest. Work with a career counselor at your school to both tap his contacts and learn of alumni from your school who might be able and willing to lend you a hand in your search. Finally, don't forget to tap your professors' connections as well.
Participate in Job Fairs
Many cities, particularly large ones, host job fairs at various locations throughout the year. Most colleges and universities hold their own job fairs as well, either individually or in collaboration with other institutions. A job fair is a rare opportunity to have employers come to you, so make sure you attend whenever possible.
Use a Placement Agency or Recruiter/Headhunter
There are companies out there that specialize in helping people find jobs. Some of them even focus on working with college students and recent college grads. Maybe one of them can help you. A word of caution, however: While most organizations receive their fees from employers (and not you, the job seeker), some will seek money from you. So be careful, and make sure you know who's paying the bill.
Consider Temping
Often, by working briefly as a temp for a company, you can position yourself to be hired for a full-time, permanent position that opens up later on. Even if that doesn't happen, however, temping can help you see various companies from the inside, meet people in your field of interest and earn some pretty good money.
The more diverse your job-hunting methods are, the more opportunities you'll uncover and the greater the chance is that you'll find, and land, the job you really want.
Three Steps to Choosing a Career
by Michelle Tullier
Monster Contributing Writer

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A professional wrestler runs for governor of Minnesota and wins. The owner and pastry chef of my neighborhood bakery is a former investment banker. A friend from college who was a computer scientist for seven years now makes her living as a sailboat captain in Seattle.
How did these people get where they are today? Through a combination of luck, confidence and lots of self-awareness. As you contemplate where your own career might take you after college, it's impossible to know what opportunities fate may throw your way. What you can do, however, is identify your interests, talents and values, and then explore occupations that might make good use of them. If you follow the three-step process below, you won't just be sitting back waiting for careers and jobs to land in your lap. You'll be working toward discovering what makes you happy.
Step One
Figure out what makes you tick by asking yourself:
• What sparks and holds my interest?
• What do I do well?
• What kind of personality do I have?
• What's really important to me?
Take any career-related tests your college's career center might offer. Or think of times when you've enjoyed and excelled at a job, internship, class or aspect of your personal life. A great book to help with this process is Do What You Are by Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger.
Step Two
Learn about your career options. Rarely do you have the opportunity to take a class in college that shows you what the work world is like. You have to take the initiative to explore it yourself. See if your college's career office has a library of books describing different kinds of work, the typical qualifications needed and the salary ranges for various occupations. Your college's career counselors should be able to help. Also, talk to people through informational interviews, and try out careers by shadowing and taking internships or part-time jobs.
Step Three
Sort out your priorities. After you've spent time on steps one and two, some of your strong preferences may start to emerge. You might learn you don't want to be in a corporate environment. That rules out investment banking. Or you might find that your interest in art wouldn't sustain a career, so you cross those types of jobs off your list. Whatever it is that you learn about yourself, you're making important discoveries that will help you choose a good career when the time comes.
Most importantly, keep it all in perspective: You don't have to live forever with any career decision you make now. Most people change careers several times during their lives, so the first job you choose right after college probably won't be your career 40 or 50 years from now -- unless you want it to be. So don't put too much pressure on yourself to make the perfect decision, and always keep your eyes open.
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Seven First-Time Resume Concerns
by Peter Vogt
MonsterTRAK Career Coach

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When you're a college student or recent grad and trying to write a resume, especially your first one, you'll face questions you typically won't find addressed in the current blizzard of resume books. That doesn't mean your questions aren't valid; it simply means the resume experts often overlook them, because they generally target mid-career audiences.
As The MonsterTRAK Career Coach, I've seen many versions of the following resume-related questions. It's time for some answers.
1. Should My Resume Be One Page or Two?
If you read enough books or talk to enough people who "know" about resumes, you'll come across a rule stating your resume should be only one page long. It's time to let this myth go, along with the resume handcuffing it spawns.
It's great if you can do this. But if you end up leaving out so much good material that you destroy your interview chances, what good have you done?
Remember: A human will read your resume. Some readers demand your resume be one page. Others will read a two-pager without hesitation. You don't know who's who, but the point still remains –- a one-page rule simply doesn't exist.
2. Should the Education Section Go First or Last?
In most cases, it makes sense to put the Education section at the beginning of your resume, since you're a college student or recent grad. But if you've got a lot of great internship, co-op or work experience closely related to your chosen field, position your Experience section ahead of Education.
Here's another resume area where there's no rule: Put it where it makes the most sense for you and your particular skills and experiences.
3. Should I Include My GPA on My Resume?
Yes -- if it's above a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). If not, try to make it look better by highlighting your major GPA instead of your cumulative one or calculating your GPA for the last three or four semesters, for example.
4. Should I List My School Address, Permanent Address or Both?
If in doubt, list both -- as long as you can actually be reached at both. If not, use the address where an employer will actually be able to reach you for the next few months.
5. What Can I Put on My Resume If I Don't Have Much Experience?
For starters, don't overlook or ignore the skills you've gained from jobs you've taken simply to get through school. You've also gained valuable experience from:
• Your foreign-language study.
• Alternative learning experiences, like studying abroad or conducting research.
• Your computer and Internet use.
• Extracurricular activities.
6. Should My Resume Include Only Paid Experience?
Employers are interested in your skills, not whether or not you've been paid to learn them. So don't hesitate to highlight nonpaying work and volunteer experiences if they've given you bragging rights.
7. Should I Include Precollege Information on My Resume?
Generally, no -- employers aren't likely to care about it much. There are exceptions, of course. Suppose you won a national award in high school, or you accomplished something extraordinary. Then you should highlight it, especially if it's connected to your chosen field.
Remember: Resume writing is much more art than science, so just as you would with an art project, express yourself the way that works best for you and the information you're trying to portray.
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Interviewers' Pet Peeves
by Carole Martin
Monster Contributing Writer

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You sit facing the interviewer, feeling like things are moving along nicely when all of a sudden the interview takes a drastic turn for the worse. What just happened? You may have hit one of the interviewer's pet peeves, one of those things that automatically triggers a negative response.
Here are seven of the most common peeves provided by experienced interviewers, along with some tips on how to avoid them:
Smells: Too Much of a Good Smell Can Be Bad
Pat Riley, author of Secrets of Breaking into Pharmaceutical Sales, has a pet peeve story to relate: "Preparing for an interview is not like preparing for a date. I had one interview with a woman who doused herself with perfume (the same perfume my ex-girlfriend used to wear) right before stepping into the small interview booth. The perfume was overpowering and brought back bad memories.
Communication: Too Little Leaves Interviewers Exasperated
"My number one interviewing pet peeve is an applicant who won't talk,” says Steve Jones, a manager of client services at a software company in Dallas. “I try to ask open-ended questions and prod them for longer answers, but no luck. I've even mentioned to a few that I need more information so I can get an idea of where they're coming from -- still no luck. I always end the interview saying, ‘Now it's your turn to ask questions,' and still no luck; they don't have any. Oh well -- next!"”
“Help me out here,” says Jones. “Come prepared to answer questions and talk about yourself.”
Communication: Too Much Can Be Too Much
"Candidates who ramble are the ones who get to me," says Dotti Bousquet of Resource Group Staffing in West Hartford, Connecticut. “Last week, I was interviewing a candidate and asked her one question. The candidate talked and talked and talked for 45 minutes straight. I was unable to stop her. I had to say, ‘Let's wrap this up,' and I stood up while she continued to talk. I walked to the door of the office and opened it. She left, but continued to talk while walking out the door."
The lesson? “Candidates should stay focused, and answer the question asked -- in less than two to three minutes," advises Bousquet.
Lack of Focus: Results in Losing the Interviewer
"Typically, candidates are simply too intimidated by the process," says Mark Fulop, project director for a large nonprofit agency. "Relating the answer given to one question back with another -- and asking clarifying or follow-up questions -- shows me that the candidate is confident and thinking about the whole picture instead of enduring an interrogation.
Averting Your Eyes: One Way to Avert an Offer
"People who do not make any eye contact during the entire interview” irritate Gwen Sobiech, an agency recruiter in West Hartford, Connecticut. “I realize some people are shy, but to never look at me once -- they look down, around, everywhere, but not at me for the entire interview. I find that extremely annoying. I also tend to distrust someone who will not look at me when I've asked a question."
If you are uncomfortable looking into someone's eyes, look at his "third eye,” just above and between the person's two eyes.
Slang and Street Speak: Leave Them on the Street
"Poor communications skills really get to me," says Robert Fodge of Power Brokers in Dover, Delaware. "What I mean by this is not merely their language fluency, but more about the use of language. Slang words and street speak just don't have a place in most business environments. Also, candidates who say 'um,' 'like' and 'uh' between every other word lose my attention very quickly."
Deception: Little Lies Leave a Big Impression
One major complaint among recruiters is when a candidate is not completely truthful; small lies are all too common in the world of recruitment. This includes not being completely forthcoming with relevant information, embellishing accomplishments, hiding jobs or leading the process on with no intention of ever following through. Building trust during the interview is key to getting an offer.
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