What are Employers Truly Interested In?
A few weeks ago, I attended the Wisconsin—Association of Colleges and Employers (a regional meeting for the National Association of Colleges and Employers [NACE]). NACE is the gatekeeper and watchdog for college students seeking jobs. Whenever you hear a statistic about the market for college graduates, NACE is doing the research and publishing the results.
NACE brings college career counselors together with hiring managers to exchange information from both sides of the job search arena. College career counselors are representing college students to employers, and employers are revealing job search tactics that get their attention.
My question to employers:
With job applications increasing by 300% how do you sort through this many applications and narrow it down to people you are truly interested in?
Employers revealed three major tactics:
• Frequency
• Persistence
• Repeat Applications
Frequency, attend as many networking events as you can. Attend job fairs, information interviews, and mock interviews. Don’t be afraid to attend business mixers, Chamber events and industry fairs. Apply for more than one job at a company. Employers track this information. They will go back to their offices and document the name and employment interest of everyone they meet. They have elaborate electronic systems that track this information. Employers will get your name from a conversation with you, sign-in sheets, name tags, etc.
Persistence, no matter now frustrate you are keep active in your job search. Do something every day. Review job search sites, review and update resume. Match keywords in resume with job descriptions. Do company research. Do something every day.
Repeat Applications, if you applied for a job with a company you are truly interested, but didn’t get the job, apply again when the next job opens up.
These are great strategies, not only for students, but for anyone engaged in a serious job search.
Other Information:
1)Employers revealed they only read resumes for 7-10 seconds on the first pass.
2)Employers are more interested in graduates that begin their job search prior to graduation or immediately after. Don’t take the summer off. Even if you are planning a trip, apply now. You are always available vie cell phone or email not matter where you are. If you wait to the end of summer, employers interpret that as a red flag.
Top Best Cities For Recent College Graduates
(Includes average rent for a one-bedroom apartment)
Indianapolis - $625
Philadelphia - $1,034
Baltimore - $1,130
Cincinnati - $691
Cleveland - $686
New York - $1,548
Phoenix - $747
Denver - $877
Chicago - $ 1,133
San Antonio - $696
http://CBcampus.com
The top industries for summer job hiring include:
Hospitality (38%)
Retail (34%).
Office support (26%),
Customer service (18%),
Research (12%),
Landscape/maintenance (11%)
Restaurant/food service (11%)
