Spring: Getting in Gear

Spring is the wake up call for students looking to graduate in May or August. Now that they can see the light in the tunnel, they think of what is on the other side of graduation and start the job search. So what steps need to be taken to secure a job?

If you are not clear on your long term goals, you would be wise to take the time to sort that out. Given this weak economy, many students take a two-pronged approach. They look for a post doc and an industry position.

Hopefully the job candidate has developed a resume for industry or a C.V. for the academy. Many people use the term resume and C.V. interchangeably. Indeed, resume in Webster's Dictionary is described in the second given definition as "curriculum vitae." But in the Human Resources (HR) parlance, they are two different documents with two different goals. A resume includes information about one's interpersonal and leadership skills as well as technical expertise. An example is posted here. It does not include references and sometimes omits advisers' names. The C.V. on the other hand, focuses on technical skills, publications, associations, grants earned, awards, your "genealogy" of advisers, and references are included. The best way to distinguish what goes into which marketing piece is to think about the audience. Who is reading this?

Next task is to identify potential companies/universities/professors. For a good place to begin, go to our web site.

Networking is the next frontier and the topic of my next blog. Until then, if you have questions, please stop by our office.