Getting Your First Job For Dummies

Roberto Angulo cofounded AfterCollege, the largest online marketplace in the U.S. where college students and employers can connect. He collaborated with the Obama Administration on the launch of Summer Jobs+, which successfully created more summer opportunities for youth ages 16–24. He is also cofounder of US2020.org, a STEM mentorship program.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 3Part 1: Preparing Yourself Before the Job Search 5Chapter 1: Mapping Out Your Job Search Strategy 7Getting Your First Part-Time Job 8Securing Internships 9Finding Your First Job after College 10Knowing the Importance of Your First Job 11Getting exposed to an industry 11Doing the job itself 12Building your professional network 12Setting a Goal for Yourself 12Having expectations 13Creating a timeline 13Organizing Your Search with Online Tools and Apps 14Using Google Calendar 15Taking notes with Evernote 15Using Google Sheets 16Expanding your vocabulary with Thesaurus.com 16Chapter 2: Highlighting What You Bring to an Employer 17Identifying Your Skills 18Translating your major into specific skills 18Listing your soft skills 20Uncovering your hidden skills 21Getting feedback from your friends 21Identifying areas for improvement 22Detailing Your Experience 23Taking note of volunteer work 23Listing school projects 24Showcasing notable sports and hobbies 25Sharing your background 25Chapter 3: Figuring Out What You Want to Do 27Taking Self-Assessments 28Playing Mercer Match 28Using Paddle 29Getting Insights through Career Discovery Tools 32Utilizing AfterCollege’s Explore 32Leveraging LinkedIn Career Insights 35Identifying Jobs of Interest 36Talking to friends about their work 36Job shadowing 37Writing someone about shadowing 38Using the Occupational Outlook Handbook 38Part 2: Starting Your Job Search 41Chapter 4: Researching Employers 43Comparing Large and Small Employers 44Evaluating the advantages of a large company 45Considering the advantages of a small company 47Knowing if a startup is right for you 48Learning about startups on Crunchbase 50Working for a nonprofit 51Finding Employers with New-Grad Programs 51Rotation programs 52Nursing programs 52Sales programs 52Identifying Employers of Interest 53Gauging employee morale on Glassdoor 53Gleaning employee insights on LinkedIn 54Chapter 5: Getting Ready to Search for a Job 55Enlisting Assistance from Your Network 56Networking with LinkedIn 56Leveraging Facebook 58Going to alumni events 59Talking to your teachers and professors 59Getting help from family and friends 61Obtaining Recommendations 62Securing past employer recommendations 62Writing someone for a recommendation 62Approaching teachers for recommendations 63Crafting your own recommendation letter 64Requesting endorsements via LinkedIn 65Asking for recommendations via AfterCollege 66Using Your University Career Center 68Attending career fairs 69Signing up for on-campus interviews 70Practicing with mock interviews 70Utilizing other resources on campus 71Deciding to Use Headhunters and Staffing Firms 71Chapter 6: Searching for Jobs Online 73Familiarizing Yourself with Search Techniques 74Conducting a basic job search 74Using keywords 75Performing Boolean searches 76Doing an advanced job search 78Searching on Job Sites 80Finding Jobs on Google 81Setting Up Automatic Job Alerts 82Setting up AfterCollege job alerts 82Creating a LinkedIn job notification 83Subscribing to school email lists 84Using IFTTT notifications and Craigslist 85Chapter 7: Building a Great Online Presence 89Creating a LinkedIn Profile 90Setting Up an AfterCollege Student Profile 92Showcasing Your Expertise 96Sharing on LinkedIn Publishing 96Writing on Medium 96Creating content on YouTube 97Showing off your code on GitHub 97Competing on Kaggle 98Cleaning Up Your Online Presence 99Searching for yourself on Google 99Checking your credit report 100Dealing with a DUI or arrest record 100Tidying up your social media profile 101Making Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram more private 101Removing questionable pictures 103Getting rid of controversial tweets 104Choosing an appropriate email address 105Part 3: Navigating the Application Process 107Chapter 8: Preparing Your Résumé and Cover Letter 109Writing a Cover Letter 110Creating a Great Résumé 112Formatting your résumé 112Avoiding common mistakes 114Identifying key résumé elements 114Using action words 116Looking at a sample résumé 119Getting Résumé Help 120Taking your résumé to your college career center 121Using TopResume to improve your résumé 121Chapter 9: Applying for Jobs 123Starting the Application Process 123Using Applicant Tracking Systems 125Finding Someone to Refer You 126Tapping alumni from your school 126Checking the Status of Your Application 128Part 4: Acing the Interview and Getting the Offer You Want 131Chapter 10: Before the Interview 133Preparing for Your Interview 133Starting with the employer’s website 134Using Wikipedia to research the employer 135Finding competing companies on Owler 136Seeing employer numbers on Yahoo! Finance 138Digging into a nonprofit’s finances via GuideStar 140Researching who will interview you 140Learning about the job you’re applying for 141Practicing for the Interview 142Introducing yourself 142What to ask 143Answering questions 143Familiarizing Yourself with the Interview Process 144Initial screening interview 145On-campus interviews 145Interviewing with the hiring manager 145Interviewing with team members 146Becoming Familiar with Interview Platforms 147Interviewing via Skype 148Interviewing via Google Hangouts 148Using video conferencing 149Interviewing via phone 150Chapter 11: The Interview 151Nailing Interview Etiquette 151Dressing the part 152Arriving early 154Getting rid of your chewing gum, food, and drinks 155Handling lunch interviews 155Eliminating distractions 156Making a Great Impression 156Starting a conversation 156Minding your body language 157Making eye contact 157Asking the right questions 158Avoiding the wrong questions 159Answering Difficult Interview Questions 160Talking about yourself 160Addressing your lack of experience 161Talking about why you’re interested in the job 163Focusing on your accomplishments 163Delving into setbacks and how you overcame them 164Listing your top qualities 164Acknowledging areas of improvement 166Problem-solving during the interview 167After the Interview 168Following up 169Writing a thank-you note 169Checking on your status 170Chapter 12: The Offer 171Determining What’s Important to You 171Salary 172Taxes and withholding 172A brief guide to benefits 173Bonuses, commissions, and stock 175Experience 177Flexibility and work–life balance 177Company culture 177Employer brand 178Negotiating an Offer 178Dealing with an on-the-spot verbal offer 179Gaining leverage with multiple offers 179Researching salary information 180Negotiating other perks besides money 181Accepting an Offer 181Sample offer letter 182Declining an Offer 183Dealing with Rejection 184Replying by email 185Getting feedback on why you didn’t get the job 186Chapter 13: Relocating for the Right Job 187Evaluating the Cost of Living 188Calculating cost of living on PayScale 188Researching cost of living on NerdWallet 188Deciding Where to Live 189Finding out how walkable your city is with Walk Score 189Finding an apartment on Craigslist 190Finding housing on Apartments.com 190Letting your Facebook friends know you’re looking for a place to live 191Tapping into alumni networks 191Making Sure You Have Things to Do 192Meeting like-minded people through Meetup 192Turning to TripAdvisor 192Discovering entertainment on Thrillist 192Finding food on Yelp 193Getting Around a New City 193Public transportation 193Car sharing 193Carpooling 194Part 5: Starting Your First Job 195Chapter 14: Learning as Much as Possible from Your Job 197Setting Up Check-Ins with Your Boss 198Being Proactive and Taking on Projects 199Knowing What Others Do on Your Team 200Taking Advantage of Learning Opportunities 200Going to lunch-and-learns 201Subscribing to email lists 201Joining online collaboration groups 202Taking advantage of tuition reimbursement 202Learning through online courses 203Participating in training 203Chapter 15: Building Your Professional Network 205Having Lunch with Your Colleagues 206Participating in Group Activities 206Collaborating with People on Other Teams 207Viewing Your Customers and Clients as Colleagues 209Maintaining Your Network Online 209Part 6: The Part of Tens 211Chapter 16: Ten Sites for Finding Your First Job 213Indeed 213AfterCollege 214LinkUp 215LinkedIn 215University or College Career Centers 216AngelList 216Glassdoor 216Craigslist 217Internships.com 217Association Websites 217Chapter 17: Ten Places to Gain Skills and Become More Employable 219Coursera 220Udemy 220Lynda.com 221Khan Academy 221Codecademy 221Udacity 222General Assembly 222Galvanize 223Skillshare 223Community College 223Chapter 18: Ten (Or So) Potential Benefits Besides Salary 225401(k), 403(b), and 457 225Health Insurance 227Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, and Commuter Spending Accounts 227Bonus Plans 228Profit-Sharing Plans and Profit-Sharing Retirement Plans 229Restricted Stock Units 229Stock Option Plans 230Tuition Reimbursement 231Index 233