Tips for New College Grads Who Are Nervous About Landing a Job

Tips for New College Grads Who Are Nervous About Landing a JobTips for New College Grads Who Are Nervous About Landing a JobDoes the thought of securing your first real job put the same pit in your stomach as a calculus final? Youre not alone- this major life event fills fruchtwein new grads with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Fortunately, calming those nerves involves using many of the same skills that got you through college.Employ these strategies for new college grads to reduce anxiety and start your career journey with confidenceGet organized.A job hunt is similar to writing a term paper. At first, the task feels overwhelming. But when you break it down into manageable chunks, the prospect no longer seems as scary.Organize your job search by blocking out time to truly focus. Make daily to-do lists spelling out what youd like to accomplish, such as revising a cover letter, sending out three applications, and spending a half hour on LinkedIn exploring connections. Consis tency yields results and promotes sanity.Prepare for interviews.This may sound like a no-brainer, but doing homework pays off.Be knowledgeable, says Vicky Oliver, author of 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions. Learn everything you can about the company. Just amassing the knowledge will give you confidence when you walk into the interview.Oliver also suggests the followingPlan your questions. Once you do a deep dive into the company, its easy to strategize on what your questions should be. Write them down and practice them.Work with another job-hunting buddy. Practice asking each other questions and flesh out your responses.The night before, get some good sleep. You will be able to think better on your feet.Know your goals.Feel like youre cut out for everything, anything, and nothing? Figuring out which of the multitude of opportunities out there best suit your objectives and abilities can be a daunting prospect, but a great investment. A sense of direction focuses efforts and makes you a more passionate candidate.Have a game plan, says Roy Cohen, author of The Wall Street Professionals Survival Guide. Where do you want to be in 1, 3, 5, and 10 years and why?By having a strategy- one that can be modified to reflect changes in the market and in your thinking- you can extract maximum value from your initial experiences, and you will sound far smarter in terms of building a case for what you want to do and why you are qualified.Learn.Finally, realize that job hunting is a process, and you need to cut yourself some slack. As Oliver notes, Like any skill, you get better at it the more you do it.Find mentors and ask them questions. Read books on the importance of body language. Join industry associations that will improve your knowledge and boost your network. Strengthen your leadership skills while volunteering for a favorite cause.Viewing yourself as a continuous work in progress takes away much of the pressure to be perfect. And a commitment to ongoing improvement not only impresses prospective employers, it shows that you grasped an important concept during your years in college- education does not end once a diploma is in hand.Browse All Open Flexible Jobs

2016 Spring Scholarship Winner

2016 Spring Scholarship Winner2016 Spring Scholarship Winner2016 Spring Scholarship WinnerSamuel MursalinA business graduate, with active interest in Marketing and Consumer Behavior. One of his favorite hobbies is to write. Starting from romantic songs to inspirational student counseling write-ups, his writings involve a wide array of topics, which portray his nature of thinking without boundaries. He aspires to become a Marketing Manager, as well as a professional resume writer who can motivate young aspirants with his writings.Creative Workforce Transition TipsThere are millions of examples of bright and talented students, holding a Cumulative Grade Point Averages (CGPAs) on the north of 3.8 on a scale of 4, failing miserably in workplace while, on the flip side, there are double the examples of mediocre students, embracing less-than-respectable CGPAs, becoming successful after they get into their professional lives. So, what actually causes the bright to become dim and the dim to become stars? Just a subtle but a vital element. Ideal Transition of a Student to a Working Professional.Often, such a transition can be very difficult even for the best of students.The following is a list of probable problems that prospective professionals can face1. Over-Emphasis on StudiesThe brightest students often get sucked in too much into education. Students lose the plot when their diligence to earn an A grade overtakes their knack to reap the real learning out of the education. In workplace, grades can only get a student, at best, to the interview room. Experienced interviewers can instantly differentiate the candidates who can be a potentially great asset for their companies. They need people who can work, not earn grades.2. Lack of vorstellungIt must be said that students of the present are very adept in choosing which subject(s) they want to study. However, many fail to create a vision of what they eventually want to do in their lives with the priceless education that they have earned. It is important to be patient under pressure and wait for the right job rather than getting restless for any job. Students must set challenging visions for themselves that they are passionate about so that they can do something great for themselves as well as their societies.3. Lack of Knowledge of What Skills Are Required to be a Success in WorkplaceIn hectic student life, students often forget to nurture skills that are essential to succeed in workplace. Leadership, teamwork, effective communications, negotiations and many other interpersonal skills are very important. Proficiency in tools used in workplace, such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Photoshop and many others can be added advantages for their entry level resume.4. Not Maintaining a Widespread NetworkOften, ex-seniors who are currently a working professional can be a great resource of learning. Maintaining a good network of such people is vital for success. At times, they are the ones who can provide a great job in their companies and help juniors during the transitional period.5. Overlooking Part-time Working Opportunities for the Sake of GradesWhile studying, it is very important to take the in-class learning into real-world setups in the forms of part-time working opportunities, even if it means working without a pay. Prior experience and knowledge before getting into a full-time job sets up the ideal platform for a seamless transition into workplace.So, how can students complete this transition effectively and successfully? It is easier said than done. However, the following are a few things that can be useful for a good start.1. Relating Classroom Teachings With the Real WorldClassroom teachings have much mora to offer than anyone can think of. Therefore, it is advisable not to memorize everything for the exam and forget them afterwards. Linking particular in-class topics with the scenarios in the real world can be a very useful learning, one that is more likely to remain fresher in the memories. For example, if a Biology teacher teaches that binnenseeds can be bedded in wet cotton and made into small plants, students can come home and carry out the procedure themselves.2. Deciding What One Wants To Achieve in LifeLife itself is a priceless asset and making full use of it is not just a motivation, it is a responsibility. Everyone has the power to be The Changemaker that the world awaits. Therefore, one must decide on where one wants to reach at the end of life. Everyone is passionate about something and it does not matter if society perceives a motivation unworthy. Even if someone is just an amateur photographer, with the right motivation and perseverance, he can tell a million stories through his photographs and raise smash the senses of happiness, tears, anger and responsibility of mass people. Address a real-life problem and solve it.3. Nurturing Vital Interpersonal SkillsSkills like teamwork, leadership and communications are very impo rtant in workplace. In corporate world, there is no Lone Ranger. Most of the values and utilities created by companies are done collaboratively. Taking part in training sessions, workshops and conferences can be really helpful. In addition, following someone exemplary can be a good starting point.4. Consulting with ProfessionalsAsking ex-seniors of ones college who have successfully moved into the corporate world for advice can come in handy. Nothing beats experiential learning. Adopting ways in which the seniors have overcome the obstacles of transition from school to their professional lives is a great way to take preventive measures, rather than curing ones. In addition, many colleges arrangecareer fests and other events so that students can consult with professionals for a smooth transition.5. Visiting Office PremisesEveryone has someone familiar working in the corporate. If possible, students can pay short visits and learn how things are done by the professionals. This point is very much linked with point (1). For example, if a Marketing faculty teaches something about advertising and promotions, students can visit a nearby marketing or advertising agency to see how the same work is done in real life.6. Getting InvolvedAs mentioned before, no real-life learning is better than experiential learning. Students should take up part-time jobs related to their field, join clubs that share their aspirations and learn from the experience.I believe unpreparedness and hesitance due to lack of knowledge and experience are the major roadblocks to the fluid transition of a student into professional careers. If one possesses the right knowledge, skills and experience, success will merely be an issue of when rather than if.

Make a Counter Offer When You Negotiate Salary

Make a Counter Offer When You Negotiate SalaryMake a Counter Offer When You Negotiate SalaryA counter offer is a viable tool in the salary negotiation toolkit for both the employer and the job candidate. The counter offer is used to keep employee salaries within the market range while not overpaying for positions by the employer. The counter offer is used to go after the highest possible salary for the candidate. When you negotiate a salary with a job candidate, you can expect that he or she will make a counteroffer to your first job offer. If the counteroffer made by the prospective employee seems reasonable, most employers will counter with their own revised offer. Or, the employer has the option to accept the prospects counteroffer. The counter-offer is usually a request by your candidate for mora compensation than you offered. But, the counteroffer can ask for additional benefits and perks such as more time off than offered, too. Bypass Counter Offers The best approach to sal ary negotiation is to verbally agree with the candidate about the details of the employment offer. Then, the actual job offer becomes a formality that confirms the details of the agreement in writing. This approach allows the employer to quickly wrap up negotiations without a number of counteroffers going back and forth with the prospective employee. This causes less stress for every party and usually enables the employer to wrap up the details of the employment quickly. Who Makes a Counter Offer? People who are interviewing for more senior positions with your organization are most likely to counter your original offer with a counteroffer. For example, a senior applicant may have accumulated eligibility for four weeks of vacation in his or her current employment and does not wish to take a step backward to settle for the two weeks you offered. Senior employees are also more likely to negotiate issues such as severance packages in case the employment relationship is unsuccessful. If this was not covered in your anfangsbuchstabe job offer, you can count on it appearing in the prospects counteroffer. Less senior employees are more likely to accept your original offer without making a counteroffer. They realize that you may have less flexibility with beginning to mid-career positions. And, that is the reality of employment. Human Resources will not risk harming the morale of current, successful employees by negotiating more time off, a salary outside of the accepted market range for the position, or additional perks and benefits that are not provided for other employees. (You organization may have to make an occasional market-based salary adjustment for existing employees if the going rates for beginning employees change substantially in the marketplace. On any job offer, the employer sets a deadline to ensure that salary negotiations take place in a short period of time. The goal is to have the new employee start work expeditiously. Or, the employer realizes that they will be unable to reach an agreement with the prospective employee and can contact other qualified candidates before they become unavailable in the job market. During the salary negotiation and while exchanging counter offers, an employer has the opportunity to continue to build a positive relationship with the prospective employee. The goal is to ensure that the new employee starts his or her new job in a forward-looking, positive frame of mind. Successful salary negotiations result in an employment contract that is acceptable to both the employer and the new employee. Counter Offer Flexibility Counter offer flexibility depends on the position for which you are hiring the prospective employee. Very similar to the salary negotiation as a whole, the employers flexibility in making a counteroffer depends on a number of factors. Flexibility in a counter offer generally increases with the level of the position within your organization. Executives and senior employees negot iate for a range of executive compensation requirements around salary, benefits, and perquisites or perks. They are more likely to continue the negotiation until they havenegotiated all of the changes to the standard benefits and perks that they can. A senior level salary negotiation is frustrating on occasion. The employers counteroffer leeway depends on factors such as these the level of the job within the organization,the scarcity of the skills, experience, and knowledge needed for the job in the employment market,the level of career advancement already attained or the career stage and experience of the individual selected,the market value of the job you are filling for,the salary range of the job within your organization,compensation for similar positions in your geographic area,economic conditions in your job market, andeconomic conditions in your industry. Counter offer viability is also affected by company-specific factors such as the existing salary range for comparable jobs , your organizations culture, your pay philosophy, and your promotion practices.