2015-2016 HBCU Careers Magazine

HBCU Careers Magazine

relations, etc. So do not get caught up in thinking that you cannot apply at a hospital because your major is not in the healthcare field. There are so many career websites that you can apply. Here are a few: www.internships.com, www.collegegrad. com, www.monster.com, www.careerbuilder.com, www. sciencejobs.com, www.socialsciencejobs.com, www. summerjobs.com, www.flipdog.com, www.headhunter. net, www.womensjoblist.com, www.computerjobs.com, etc. I cannot possibly list all of the career websites, but you get the idea of how important it is for you to research. Relocate and Think Outside the Box Sometimes the better positions are in another city. Know your city’s trademark. In Memphis, we are known as a distribution city, so if you want to work in a fast paced financial district with a lot of opportunities, you might want to move to New York and work on Wall Street. Some opportunities are resume builders. Sometimes when a company sees that you worked at a well known company in another city, they will pursue you. You can always come back to your hometown, once you have built your experience. I have a former student who worked an internship abroad in China. She always wanted to live in China. So she researched internships, funding, fellowships and graduate school opportunities in China. After she found a program in China, she went back on several occasions for other opportunities. While she was enrolled at our college, she took Chinese on the side at another local university that offered it so that she could become fluent. She prepared herself for what she wanted and now works full-time in China. So she had a dream – sought it – prepared for it – received it! Apply Your Networking Skills in Every Situation Getting a job is not what you know, it is who you know. Talk to everyone and try to see if there is a connection. Just because someone is not in your field of interest does not mean that they do not know someone who is. They could be related or married to someone in your field. It is okay to tell people you are looking for a job. If they do not know, they cannot help you. You can network at the health club, grocery store, bank, mall, airports, recreational outlets, churches, clubs, organizations, volunteer work and through social networking websites. Make sure you have your resume with you at all times.

Iwasvisitingawell knownHBCUwhereagroupof students created their own internships. It was a requirement in order to graduate. They would invite companies where they wanted to work to a networking reception. They would ask one of the companies to sponsor the food. They invited students who were interested in working for those companies and sold themselves. At the end of the reception, several of them received internships at top companies. They did this once a month. Turn Potential Jobs into Contract Work Every once in a while, a company might not hire a person traditionally, but will hire him as a contract worker. The contractor will provide the same service as the employee. The company will pay the contractor what he or she has proposed because they save money by not having to pay benefits. Contractors/Consultants can usually charge $100.00 an hour or up. So turn your talent into a need for that company. For example, if you are an art major and can do graphic design, you can present your work as a contractor to create their artwork or logo. So if they do not have a traditional position available, they can create one for you. Do Not Take Rejection Personally When the company turns you down when you have applied for a job, it is not about you. They are looking at the overall picture of the company. They have so many applicants applying for the same position that they have to weed out most of the resumes. Remember, an interview has an underlying message of why should I not hire you. So they are looking for ways to eliminate you. If you did not get the job, contact the company to see why you did not so you can work on that area of development and be better the next time. It might not be for you at that moment, but if you apply again with more skills you just might get that opportunity at the appointed time. If you do not first succeed, do not give up, just try it again! These are just a few ways how you can acquire what you want in life. So while you are waiting on your big break, go through the process with skill development, soul searching, purpose, preparation, a renewed mind, creating opportunities, applying and letting everyone you know that you are looking for a job. The waiting period might be soon or it may take a while, but surely it will come!

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