Kim Austin, BYU-Hawaii Director of Career Services, recently told an information systems class, comprised mostly of seniors who will graduate in December, they need to make up for lost time in their career planning process.
"In today's market, the average amount of time you have to put in to find a job is one year," said Austin, pointing out that the fourth quarter is traditionally not a good time to look for a job, and that many technology companies currently have hiring freezes.
Austin explained that in the "old days" - meaning only a few years ago - IT companies would come to college campuses to conduct interviews. "Those days have gone by the wayside," she said, adding such companies often now require pending graduates to submit resumes online. "That is an efficient way for companies to receive resumes and applications. Everybody's watching budgets and trying to reduce costs. Whether we like this approach or not, I don't think it's going away."
"This means it's going to take extensive preparation on the candidates' part to make sure they get noticed," Austin said, asking the students how they would distinguish themselves online.
"You need to set a strategy for yourself," she continued. "You need to identify what it is you ultimately want to do. Many people tell me, 'I need a job,' but that's not a career. If all you want is a job, you can expect lower-level pay and not a lot of promotions. Those are not career positions. You need to envision where you eventually want to be, and then determine what kind of jobs will get you from point A to point B."
Austin acknowledged many graduates don't know exactly what they want to do. "Whatever you decide now, your career path may take some twists and turns. A career planning cycle is not just a job hunt. A career is a life work plan," she said. "You're in college for maybe four years. You're going to be in the workforce for at least 40 years."
"Obviously, you want to be happy at what you're doing," she continued, adding a career plan should include "things that are important to you, and that includes where do you want to live, and do you want to have time available to do community service or church work. You also need to know when you first start with an organization, you don't get the pick of the crop on the hours."
For example, she said the first two years Wal-Mart management trainees work long, hard hours, "because they're trying to weed out people who aren't serious; but within five years as a Wal-Mart manager, you can be making a six-figure income."
"When you start out, you have to work crazy hours. You have to do extra projects; but you want to do it, and do it well, because that will help you move up to those other positions you want to get. You distinguish yourself in that manner."
"A career is something you love, something you have a passion for, something you're going to enjoy spending your time at for the next 30 or 40 years. Not that you'll only have one job, because today the average person changes jobs 11 times in a career. About five years ago that number was only seven."
More specifically, Austin recommended career-minded seniors use the Internet and other reference materials to know about the companies they're applying with, and that they polish and customize each resume and cover letter for each targeted position.
"Think it through: This is your personal commercial, the first thing employers are going to see about you. It's got to sell you, or you'll never get in the door for the interview."
Other do's and don'ts Austin shared included generally keeping resumes to one page, for most students to list their education before experience and not using more than two fonts while avoiding screens or graphics which might throw off electronic readers. Don't include personal information in the U.S. (but some international companies will require it as well as a photo), and use English (and for some international companies a separate resume in the appropriate language; but don't include references: Rather, have them available for interviews.
To help students figure out what they have to offer the job market, Austin also recommended they use Y Careers, "our new job network where you can register for interviews. You can also identify activities that are going on on campus, and when employers are going to visit."
"This is an important tool," Austin said, stressing that the Career Services staff will also work with students on interview skills and facilitate video teleconference interviews.
"How prepared you are will set you apart," she said. "Make a plan and work at it. Getting a job is a job."