Entering the workforce is a little like the first day of kindergarten — you’ve got to look sharp, bring snacks, and remember to wipe your nose.
OK, I guess joining the workforce is pretty different from the first day of kindergarten, but both cases require a brave face and major adjustments. As students leave the Dixie State University nest to venture into new careers, they will have to make sure all of their ducks are in a row. Here are five tidbits to help you be a standout candidate to future employers:
Clean Up Your Online Presence
According to CNN.com, 70 percent of U.S. business managers say they decided not to hire a job candidate based upon something they found out about him or her online. Believe it or not, most employers know their way around the Internet and can easily cyber-stalk your drunk-planking photos.
Take down those photos right now. Your social media accounts tell and show future employers who you are, and it’s important that the message you’re sending on social media is the same message you would send in a job interview. So unless you plan on planking at a job interview, don’t post the photos.
Polish Your Resume
Let’s be honest, resumes are supper tedious to create, revise and send out. However, it’s likely a resume will be the key in scoring a job. So, suck it up. When I first created a resume, I thought it looked sharp. But after close examination and having others edit it, I found a ton of embarrassing errors. Take my advice and have others edit your resume. You can go to professors, the Writing Center, your bishop — it doesn’t matter. Just go get it peer reviewed. A clean, accurate and precise resume can equate to big bucks in a future job.
According to cbsnes.com, there are strategic ways to get potential employers’ eyes on your resume, like integrating key phrases used in the job description.
Invest In a Professional Wardrobe
First impressions are important. Actually, first impressions are crucial when it comes to the career field. So upon waltzing into a job interview, you better make sure your shirt is tailored, shoes are shined, and zipper is zipped.
Investing in professional work attire that will help you feel unstoppable is well worth the money. When you feel confident in an outfit, you generally feel confident in all other aspects. So spend the extra cash to buy the Michael Kors pants that make your booty look professionally great.
Start Networking
It seems like many people are daunted by the idea of networking, but I’ve figured something out: Networking is simply making as many acquaintances as possible. Networking can be getting to know all of the professors in your department, making friends with the IT guy in the library, or even finding out what the person behind you in line at Starbucks does for a living. These are all examples of networking, and it is important because the more people you know, the more doors you’re likely to open.
According to entrepreneur.com, networking is the key to being successful in a business, and networking involves everything from being a good listener to smiling to showing up on time.
Get Organized
My dad would always tell me a story about an interview he had that entailed the interviewer demanding to conduct the interview in my dad’s car. Apparently, the interviewer wanted to do the interview in the car so he could see how organized the candidate’s personal life was. I know that’s a little unorthodox, but I think that interviewer was onto something; an organized person is usually organized in most aspects of their life.
Now go get a planner and start buying fabric softener. This is the real world, and it’s time to get it together. Get ready; it’s time to go get the job of your dreams.